Oklahoma Outlaws
Mannford, Cleveland, Terelton areas.
This area covers part of Pawnee County and part of Creek County.
If you have ever wondered about outlaws of the old west, then Oklahoma should be on your “places to visit” list or in your travel plans. There are a lot of interesting stories out there. With the internet, television, movies and other forms of media, information is more easily accessed. You may ask what this has to do with Curt and his horse training and trail rides. Read further and soothe your curiosity. I dare you.

Curt 918-812-6116
History has its myths and legends. Oklahoma is no different. We are in Indian Territory. Travel some if you call Oklahoma home, and listen carefully to people’s response when you tell them you are from Oklahoma. I have had people ask me “Do buffalo and Indians still roam the plains and live in teepees?” With the information age, you would think that people would know that Oklahoma is just as modern as any other place in the United States. We have a rich history and some beautiful places that seem wilder and possibly more untouched than some states, but we have access to cyberspace and all the things the information age of today offers others in our fair country.

Mannford Historical Society - Story of Local Outlaws
Mannford, Terelton, and Cleveland are three small towns that offer a close knit community and share the land with Wild West myths and legends such as Bill Doolin and Bill Dalton and the gangs that rode with them. Curt is a natural horse trainer located in Mannford, OK. He has a rich history all his own from this region and loves the historically rich areas which he loves to relate to those who ride with him. Trail rides with Curt can give you a new way to look at the trail you might be riding that day.
You might here such historical facts as: “Originally a ferry crossing of the Cimarron River run by the Mann family. The ferry operated in the late 1800′s at times of high water due to Spring rains on the river. It was the only crossing for 20 miles in either direction.” You can read more history online as well. Just check out sites like this one: http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ok/mannford.html
The Dalton gang has a famous raid that is easily located at most public libraries. “DALTONS! The Raid on Coffeyville, Kansas” is a book by Robert Barr Smith. It talks of the ordinary townsfolk of a small town taking on a gang of outlaws who tried to rob two banks at the same time in broad daylight. Many died that day including the gang of outlaws that tried to rob the town of Coffeeville. There is a theory that a sixth man was left out of the raid or was late to the raid and who that sixth man was.

One such rumor was that Bill Doolin was the sixth man to that raid and was late or left out of the raid last minute due to illness. At the time of the robbery, Dengue Fever is reported to have been present in this region of the country during the raid at Coffeeville which supports this particular theory more logically than other theories that are floating out there. I tend to buy into the Dengue Fever side of it myself after reading about it all.
About now I would guess you are wondering what Coffeeville and Mannford have to do with each other. Outlaws hid all over Oklahoma. Bill Dalton and Bill Doolin have history all over the state when it was still a territory. There is a place where the initials and the year are carved into the face of a cave along the Cimarron River. Many locals believe it is the initials of Bill Dalton or Bill Doolin.

Outlaw's carved initials...Mannford, OK
We all love myths and legends. It’s even more fun to know that you stand in the very place they once did too. Look to that inner child and see your current surroundings as the outlaws then might have seen that very place. As children we all wished to run wild as the cowboys and outlaws did in the Wild West. Children played cowboys and Indians, or dreamed of camp fires and stories of cowboys, Indians and outlaws while camping with family and friends. Stories, myths and legends all come from somewhere. Some are even based in fact and truth though a bit embellished now and then for entertainments’ sake.
If you would like to read more about these outlaws and areas of Oklahoma, visit your local library or book store. You can find books like the ones listed below.
- “DALTONS! The Raid on Coffeyville, Kansas” by Robert Barr Smith
- “Pawnee Pride” by Kenny A Frank and Paul F. Lambert
- “OKLAHOMA RENEGADES Their Deeds and Misdeeds” by Ken Butler
- “More Oklahoma Renegades” by Ken Butler

Outlaws on Horseback: The History of the Organized Bands of Bank and Train Robbers Who Terrorized the Prairie Towns of Missouri, Kansas, Indian Territory, and Oklahoma for Half a Century
You can probably find these titles on amazon.com or bn.com if you are looking to add to your collection of stories, myths and legends about outlaws, robbers, thieves and renegades.
Call Curt. 918-812-6116
Schedule a trail ride and hear some local legends; learn about the area you are trail riding; have fun in Mannford, OK.