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Montford Thomas Johnson (November 1843 - February 17, 1896) was a Chickasaw Indian and cattleman who lived in [Indian Territory], what is now the present-day state of [Oklahoma]. Johnson was an well-known and respected rancher who was notable for his successful ranch that spanned a large area of central Oklahoma, including the area that became [Oklahoma City].

Family Background
Montford Johnson's father, Charles "Boggy" Johnson, was an English [Shakespearean actor]. Charles Johnson came to the United States with his brother when he was 19 years old and ended up in the [South] due to a theater production.

Charles Johnson assisted the U.S. Government in making treaties with the [Chickasaw Nation] and married a Chickasaw woman. Rebekah Courtney Johnson, Montford's mother, was half Chickasaw and half Scottish. After marrying, she and Charles migrated with the Chickasaws to [Indian Territory] during the [Chickasaw removal].

During the migration, Charles earned his nickname. After crossing the [Misssissippi River], the Chickasaws found themselves mired in marshes and swamps of [Arkansas]. Charles, using a technique learned while growing up in England, organized men into groups who cut down saplings and laid the branches down along the route, allowing the livestock and wagons to pass through the quagmires. By assisting them with getting through this boggy country, the Chickasaws gave Charles the name "Boggy."

Once in Indian Territory, Boggy and Rebekah built their home north of [Tishomingo], near present-day [Connerville, Oklahoma].

Early Life
Montford was born in November 1843, about two years after his older sister, Adelaide. Within a few months after he was born, his mother became ill with [pneumonia] and died. Boggy, distraught by his wife's passing, decided to take the children with him and return back east. Boggy's Chickasaw in-laws refused to allow him to take the children, as it was customary for Chickasaws to take in motherless children and raise them as their own. Boggy left without Adelaide and Montford, leaving them in the care of their grandmother, Sallie Tarntubby.

Montford grew up with his grandmother's family, learning how to take care of livestock and living in the Chickasaw tradition. Montford and Adelaide both attended school, Adelaide at Rock Academy and Montford at Chickasaw Manual Labor Academy. There, Montford learned farming techniques necessary to having successful crop yields, particularly, by turning over soil deeper than planting depth to allow crops to survive in case of drought.

Montford and Adelaide lived under the care of their grandmother Sallie until her death in 1858. At the end of that school year, they moved to the home of their next nearest relative, Sallie's half-brother, U.S. Army Captain Townsend Hothliche. He was stationed at [Fort Arbuckle], and had a house nearby on the South Bank of the Washita River. On a trip to Fort Arbuckle, Adelaide made friends with the Campbell family, who were living at the fort. The Campbells moved to Indian Territory when the father, a U.S. Army Sergeant, was stationed at Fort Arbuckle, near present-day [Davis], Oklahoma.

Adelaide fell in love with and married Michael Campbell, one of Sergeant Campbell's sons. Adelaide moved in with Michael's family at the fort until 1860, when Captain Hothliche was murdered. He left his homestead to Adelaide.

Montford helped Adelaide and Michael move into the Captain's home, where he helped establish the homestead by breaking in two new fields and tending to livestock. Montford lived there with his sister, and with the Campbell's help, took charge of the post route between Fort Arbuckle and [Fort Washita], a roughly 50-mile trek.

Civil War Years
The outbreak of the [Civil War] forced major changes in Indian Territory and affected Montford and his family as well. The Union Army evacuated Indian Territory to Kansas, allowing [Confederate] troops from Texas to occupy many of the forts in the territory. The Chickasaws sided with the [Confederates] and also supplied their own troops to maintain order and defense. Michael Campbell joined the Chickasaw battalion as a Major and spent much of the war away from home or stationed at Fort Arbuckle. Montford oversaw the duties of the homestead and worked as a partner with Michael.

While Montford oversaw the homestead, he fell in love with Adelaide's sister-in-law, Mary, and in the fall of 1862, they were married. A year later, [Edward Bryant Johnson] (E.B.), Montford's first child, was born. In 1864, Michael was stationed at Fort Arbuckle and regularly made the trip home in the evening to spend the night at home. The trip required several crossings over the Washita River, which was a dangerous endeavor. One evening, on the way home, Michael was swept away in the current and drowned, leaving Adelaide widowed with their small son and unborn daughter.

At 22 years old, Montford became the head of the homestead, including his sister's young family. In July 1865, the Chickasaws were officially the last Confederates to surrender, marking the end of the United States' greatest tragedy. The Chickasaw Nation was devastated. [Schools] had been converted to barracks or hospitals and would not be returned to teaching until the 1870s. [Confederate debts] incurred during the war were worthless, leaving the Chickasaws largely impoverished.

Johnson Starts Ranching
With Montford in charge of the homestead, he set to work getting the ranch business in order. First, he purchased branding rights from his relatives. Second, he made an agreement with the men of the neighboring farms to round up cattle that had been set loose in the mountains during the war so that they would not be taken by warring armies. Montford offered to pay for each of the cattle he managed to find in the mountains, and any unbranded cattle would be his outright. Montford set to rounding up cattle, and seeing the wild cattle desired salt, devised pen-traps with salt licks inside that allowed cattle to enter the pens but not escape. This greatly increased the number of cattle Montford was able to corral with relatively little effort.

Around this time, Montford hosted his friend [Jesse Chisholm] on a buffalo hunt out on the western range of Chickasaw territory, south of present-day [Norman], Oklahoma. At that time, the area was largely undeveloped, and Montford remarked that it "would make for a wonderful cow country if it weren't for the buffalo and wild Indians." Jesse Chisholm convinced Montford that he could get agreements from the Native American tribes and run off the buffalo to allow Montford to ranch the area. Jesse Chisholm spoke with the Native Americans as they visited his store, and they all agreed that Montford could ranch the land as long as he did not hire any white men.

Montford began his first ranch in the spring of 1868, taking a team of men to Walnut Creek, the same location of the buffalo hunt. Montford placed his former slave, Jack Brown, in charge of the Walnut Creek Ranch. As payment for his services, Jack would receive every fourth calf born on the ranch, making Jack Brown possibly the first [sharecropper] of Oklahoma.

By fall 1869, Montford moved his family to a new homestead at the site of Camp Arbuckle. Montford began farming a 50 acre plot in 1870. He also used the practice of burning fields to rid the land of old growth, as well as to prevent diseases and [ticks]. Montford used the burn technique his entire life.

Johnson Establishes Additional Ranches
Around 1870, cattlemen from Texas had stopped using the [Shawnee Trail] and began [driving] their herds to Kansas on the Western Shawnee Trail, what would become the [Chisholm Trail].

In 1870, Montford's sister, Adelaide, married her second husband, Jim Bond, a trader and stockman. Montford settled his business with her (which was started while he oversaw her homestead during the war), giving her 15 cows and calves and several steers, worth around $1,100 at that time.

Montford was also pressed by a "relative" to take in several orphans. He agreed, taking in seven children, two of whom were almost adults. To lessen the burden of adopting so many children, Adelaide agreed to take two of them, and Granny Vicey (a family friend and fellow Chickasaw) agreed to take three of the children. Montford and Mary took in the last three.

Granny Vicey Harmon had lived with her [Cherokee] husband, Sampson Harmon, about 10 miles west of the Camp Arbuckle ranch until his death, after which she requested that Montford assist her to take over Jesse Chisholm's trade post at Council Grove, in present-day Oklahoma City. Montford decided not to help her with the trading post, but eventually convinced her to take charge of a new ranch at Council Grove, making her the first permanent resident of the [Oklahoma City metro area].

In the spring of 1874, Charley Campbell, a brother of Adelaide's late husband, became a partner of Montford's and took over the Walnut Creek Ranch.

Boggy Johnson Returns
In the summer of 1877, Montford received a letter from his estranged father. They arranged to meet at a hotel in [Denison], Texas. The men spent two days catching up and telling their respective stories, though Montford found it odd that Boggy had not been able to contact them up to that point.

The visit did offer an important opportunity for Montford. There were a number of Native Americans captured in the [Red River War] that had been taken from [Fort Sill] to [Fort Marion] in [St. Augustine], Florida. The conditions of the 300-year-old fort were poor. Boggy claimed to have many friends in [Washington D.C.], and Montford thought a trip to St. Augustine might prompt Boggy to ask those friends to help improve conditions for the prisoners.

Boggy contacted Montford the following summer, and they planned to meet in [Jacksonville], Florida. Montford was accompanied by Charley Campbell and his son, E.B. They rode to [Atoka], Oklahoma, and boarded the train. For E.B., it was his first train ride, and he was anxious on the first leg of the journey, convinced that they would crash. When they arrived in Jacksonville, E.B. met his grandfather for the first time. The following morning, they went by boat to St. Augustine and to the fort. There, they found the condition of the Native Americans to be poor. They all looked ragged and unhealthy, despite the efforts of the fort's commander, Captain [Richard Henry Pratt]. During his command of the fort, Pratt worked continuously to improve the conditions of the Native American prisoners.

Montford received permission from Capt. Pratt to host a barbecue for the prisoners, and sent E.B. to find a cow for the feast. After finding a cow, E.B. had a butcher prepare and bring the beef to the fort. The prisoners were especially grateful to E.B. for bringing them the beef. There was nothing more Montford could do in Florida, but after the trip, Boggy went back to Washington D.C. to work with his contacts.

Montford's Ranching Continues
Montford returned to his ranches and his son, E.B., returned to school in Tishomingo. Montford's Camp Arbuckle homestead was in the vicinity of the growing town of Johnsonville, and Montford became uncomfortable with the more crowded conditions of the area (all lands in Chickasaw territory were held in common, so there were no defined properties). In 1878, Montford worked out a trade with his friend, Caddo Bill Williams, exchanging eight geldings and an old stallion for Williams' ranch east of Snake Creek, near Old Silver City (just north of present-day [Tuttle], Oklahoma).

After Montford moved his family to Silver City in the fall of 1878, Adelaide and her husband, Jim Bond, moved nearby upon Adelaide's insistence on living near her brother's family. They built their own home a couple miles west of the Chisholm Trail on the southern bank of the South Canadian River. Their homestead location was a suitable place for crossing the river, and they often had cattle drivers stopping at their home for the night.

A major problem for Montford during the 1870s and 1880s was the threat posed by Texas cattle being driven north to the Kansas railroads. The Texas Longhorns brought ticks that carried [Texas cattle fever] to Montford's herds. While the Longhorns were immune, Montford's cattle were not, and he had difficulty keeping his herds separated from the Texas herds.

In August, 1880, Montford's wife, Mary, became ill with a fever. The doctor at Ft. Reno, 25 miles away, was summoned. He reported that she was suffering from [ergotism]. Mary died on Aug. 27 and was buried in the family burial grounds at Silver City. Upon hearing of her death, Boggy Johnson asked to have E.B. join him in [New York City] to go to school. Montford agreed, and E.B. soon left to join his grandfather. Montford visited E.B. several times in New York City, and on a visit in late 1882, informed his son of his intent to marry his cousin-in-law, Addie Campbell. Addie was much younger than Montford, and E.B. objected to the marriage. Montford was unmoved, and E.B. eventually relented.

By the 1880s, Montford was grazing his cattle on land between [Pottawatomie] country to the east, the North Canadian River to the north, the Wichita Reservation to the west and the Washita River to the south. Boomers continued their burning of the lands as a means of removing food for the ranchers' cattle. The ranchers, in turn, built fireguards using [controlled burns]. These fireguards were typically made perpendicular to creeks to reduce the effort required to make effective barriers. The barriers were made by plowing two parallel lines, then burning the grass between the lines, which created a barrier roughly 50 yards wide. Creating the fireguards was dangerous, as the fires could quickly turn against the ranchers if the wind shifted toward them.

Edward Bryant Takes Over Montford's Business Affairs
E.B. returned from New York in February 1885 and immediately set to work getting Montford's businesses in order. Montford was a generous man, having allowed numerous lines of credit through his store in Silver City. Montford had also invested $25,000 in the New York City liquor business Boggy Johnson was involved in, which he never saw a profit from. Montford offered E.B. a 50 percent share of the Silver City store, and he set out to collect some of the overdue bills, which amounted around $15,000. E.B. collected cash and livestock as payments for the various debts owed to the Silver City store.

E.B.'s actions made Montford's business partners uneasy, and they decided to end their partnerships. E.B. assisted closing out business with their partners, which included Jim Bond, Montford's brother-in-law. Montford and E.B. continued ranching despite continued encroachment by Boomers. New ranches were being established along Montford's periphery, creating sometimes dangerous situations. Occasionally, they would find cattle that had their [brand] covered up by a new brand, an obvious sign that the cattle had been stolen. On one occasion, Montford and E.B. were fired upon after one of their men, Adam Ward, was shot in a dispute over a steer. There were numerous similar incidents in which ranchers were killed in arguments over cattle ownership.

Land Rush of 1889
In the spring of 1889, the [Indian Appropriations Act of 1889] stated that 1.8 million acres of the [Unassigned Lands] were to be opened up to settlement for claimants, in what became known as the [Land Rush of 1889]. Some of Montford's holdings were in this region, but this occasion had been foreseen. In preparation for the land rush, the Army ordered all cattlemen to remove their livestock from Oklahoma Territory.

E.B. gathered some men began herding his cattle back into the Chickasaw Nation. During this cattle drive, the herd and several of E.B.'s men were captured by a group of soldiers and were to be taken to Fort Reno. E.B. caught up to the herd and forced the soldiers to retreat. After a while, a large group of cavalry rode up to them and placed the whole group under arrest. E.B. and his men were taken to the fort, where he discussed the issue with the Lt. Colonel. They decided that the soldiers had acted on contradictory orders. E.B. was able to gather the herd and they departed, making it to Chickasaw Nation lands the morning of April 22, just hours before the rush was to begin.

Late Life
With the land run, as well as the new barbed wire fencing-in of the prairie, Montford and the family had defined areas of land that they controlled. Despite these major changes, they continued the business as usual. The dramatic increase in population also meant towns were growing. Montford, along with friends and family, soon became a founder of several banks in [Chickasha] and [Minco], Oklahoma.

Montford remained primarily interested in ranching and continued to seek out new lands to graze his livestock. He established a lease agreement with the Kiowa, Comanche and Wichita tribes. The lease proved to be a difficult agreement. Inconsistent positions of the federal government concerning leasing of Indian lands, as well as constant thievery by local Native Americans made the lease a failed venture. After two years of trying to succeed on the lands amid legal battles and significant livestock losses, Montford consolidated his herd back to his ranches that were clearly inside of the Chickasaw Nation. Montford attempted to recover his losses from the federal government, but never received compensation.

In November 1893, the Dawes Commission was formally established, with the intent of allotting the Chickasaw Nation lands into holdings owned by individual Chickasaws and [Chickasaw Freedmen]. Montford found the commission to be a treachery, especially after their apparent stonewalling over his losses in the leased district. Most distressing was the fact that the commission's proposals forbade Chickasaws from purchasing more land than was allotted, though white settlers were not restricted from purchasing as much land as they pleased. Despite much protest from the Chickasaw and [Choctaw] Nations, the Commission persisted.

Death
Montford suffered from poor health for many years, including [malaria]. He made several trips to [Eureka Springs], Arkansas, and took various medicines to try to alleviate some of his ailments. In the winter of 1895-1896, Montford suffered from numerous ailments at once, and after being bed-ridden for several months, died on Monday, February 17, 1896. The following day, every business in Minco was closed to show their respects and the headline of the February 21 issue of the Minco newspaper read "A Good Citizen Gone." He was 52 years old. Montford was buried in the Silver City cemetery with his first wife, Mary. E.B. took over his father's affairs and looked after his numerous younger siblings, most of whom were still children. Addie, Montford's widow, became an invalid after a nervous breakdown and was instituted at a sanitarium in Norman. She died in 1905, and E.B. arranged for her to be buried next to Montford.