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Edward Bryant (E.B.) Johnson Edward Bryant (E.B.) Johnson (October 1, 1863 – December 25, 1935) was a notable [Oklahoma] [cattleman] at the turn of the 20th century. E.B. was a [Chickasaw] citizen, having spent most of his life [ranching] the lands encompassing, and to the south of, present-day [Oklahoma City]. E.B. was also an important businessman in the early days of [Norman, Oklahoma], often taking a leading role in community affairs.

Early Life
E.B. was born on October 1, 1863, on his aunt’s homestead near the [Washita River] and the [Arbuckle Mountains]. His father, [Montford Johnson], was a Chickasaw man who would become a well-known rancher in [Indian Territory]. His mother, Mary Elizabeth Johnson, was of [Irish] descent. Her father was a Sergeant in the [Army], stationed at [Fort Arbuckle], near present-day [Davis, Oklahoma]. E.B. grew up in the saddle, working for his father on the [prairie]. E.B. was a quick learner and also learned to read and write without much difficulty. E.B. was sent to several schools for varying periods of time in Indian Territory, [Texas], [Arkansas] and [Nebraska]. E.B.’s father only received a few years of education and was well aware of the importance of having a quality education.

First Trip Back East
In 1877, E.B., aged 14, met his grandfather, Charles “Boggy” Johnson, for the first time. Boggy was an English-born Shakespearean actor who worked for the U.S. government for many years, assisting in developing relationships with Native American tribes, as well as making treaties between the tribes and the government. E.B. accompanied his father and grandfather on a trip to [St. Augustine, Florida], where a number of [Native Americans], prisoners from the [Red River War], had been taken. They were removed from Indian Territory to the old [Fort Marion], a former [Spanish colonial] fort of the 17th century. The fort was a depressing sight for E.B., for the Native American prisoners were in poor health and received meager [rations]. After gaining permission from the lieutenant in command of the prison, E.B. was dispatched by his father to find a cow suitable to be used to host a [barbeque] for the prisoners. E.B. found a cow, had it butchered and brought to the prison. The barbeque was a welcome treat for the prisoners, and many of them expressed their gratitude to E.B. for bringing the meat to them.

School in New York City
E.B. continued his education at schools on the prairie until his mother became ill and died in 1880. The death of his mother was a shock to the whole family, and while Boggy visited to pay his respects, he insisted that E.B. join him in [New York City] to continue his education. Despite E.B.’s insistence on staying in Indian Territory to help his father, he reluctantly went to school in New York City under the care of his grandfather. During his time in New York, E.B. assisted Boggy with his [wholesale] liquor business and quickly developed a lifelong disdain for alcohol.

E.B. Takes Over Montford’s Businesses
E.B. returned from New York City in 1883 and quickly set to work helping his father get his businesses in order. Montford was a successful rancher, having made many beneficial deals for both himself, as well as his business partners. Montford was also a generous man, giving often to the needy and allowing people to keep [credit] lines open in his [trading post]. This charitable nature gave Montford’s trading post a notoriety of being a source of “easy credit.” As a result, the trading post was barely keeping afloat, and Montford agreed to give E.B. a 50 percent stake in the store. E.B. immediately set out to collect on some of the credit that had been long overdue. He took payments in cash or any other tradable items, including [livestock]. With the new revenue being collected, E.B. was able to add inventory to the trading post and make it profitable again. E.B. next started working to improve the ranching side of his father’s business. By the 1880s, [barbed wire] was coming into use across the Midwest. Before barbed wire, cattle were grazed on the open prairie, with a large number of ranch hands being required to look after a herd. After seeing how successful barbed wire was on ranches in Arkansas, E.B. bought some wire to put up fences on Montford’s ranches. This was a disagreeable decision for Montford’s business [partners], who included E.B.’s relatives. After conferring with them, they decided to close out their partnership with Montford and E.B., keeping their ranches and cattle, except for agreed upon payments. Montford’s ranch in [Silver City], near present-day [Tuttle, Oklahoma], was the last major holding that was still on [Chickasaw Nation] lands.

Marriage
After several years of courtship, E.B. married Mollie Graham in 1887. Mollie had travelled to Indian Territory with her family from [Missouri]. E.B. first met her at a party celebrating his safe arrival home from New York City. He regularly called on her during the interceding four years. They built their home at Pond Creek Ranch, several miles northeast of present-day [Washington, Oklahoma].

Land Rush of 1889
Oklahoma Territory was quickly opening up to immigration by white settlers, further encroaching on Indian lands. [Boomers] had been harassing E.B. and Montford’s ranching operations for several years, often setting fires to the prairie to burn the grass that would have been used to feed Montford’s livestock. White settlers and Native Americans alike were regularly [stealing] cattle from Montford’s herds, using them for their own ranches or butchering them for food. On March 23, newly elected U.S. President [Benjamin Harrison] proclaimed that [Oklahoma] would be opened to settlement on April 22. As part of the proclamation, [Lieutenant Colonel Sumner] of [Fort Reno] in Oklahoma ordered all ranch cattle be removed from the lands that would be opened up. While Montford and E.B. had to gather their herds, they were prepared for what had been understood as an eventuality. E.B. gathered a group of men to assist in [driving] their herd back to their holdings in the Chickasaw Nation. During the drive, the herd and several men were captured by soldiers and [Indian scouts] from Fort Reno. E.B. and the rest of his men pursued and caught up to the herd and scared off the soldiers and scouts. The following morning, a troop of [cavalry] overtook them and announced that they were under arrest. E.B. demanded to be taken to the colonel of Fort Reno to discuss the issue, where he was able to reach an agreement. E.B. returned to the herd and moved them across the [South Canadian River] into Chickasaw Nation territory just hours before the [land run] was to begin.

The Dawes Commission
On November 1, 1893, the [Dawes Commission] was appointed by President [Grover Cleveland] to negotiate with the [Five Civilized Tribes] and establish individual [allotments] of land for the tribes’ citizens. The commission would mark the end of the ranching lifestyle that the Johnson family had been practicing, using Chickasaw land that was held in common without individual ownership of acreage. Despite opposition from many Chickasaws, including E.B., the commission moved forward, and the Johnson family eventually was allotted plots of land, some of which included their existing ranches. On February 17, 1896, Montford died, leaving E.B. in control of his estate. E.B. was also the guardian of his minor siblings and ensured that they continued their education as Montford had wanted. E.B. ensured that the entire family received their allotments, and he worked to gain [leases] on the neighboring land, so that he could continue ranching as he had done previously. E.B. also expanded the ranching business westward, buying land in the [Texas panhandle]. He would eventually sell much of this land off for [oil exploration].

E.B. Moves to Norman
In 1898, E.B. purchased 340 acres of land in Norman on present-day Robinson Street. E.B. also had the Johnson Building constructed on Main Street. In 1902, he purchased the Hoover House, a hotel on the corner of Main and Webster and renamed it the Arline Hotel. In 1909, he purchased a new home and surrounding lots just west of the [University of Oklahoma] campus. E.B. bought ten acres of land to the south of the house and grew an orchard, but soon there were fraternity and sorority houses built on that land. Also in 1909, E.B. sold much of his Norman property, as well as the hotel and purchased a large amount of land in the Texas panhandle near [Alanreed, Texas]. This land was roughly 25,000 acres and became the Alanreed ranch. It was E.B.’s return to ranching, though he maintained his Elm Street home in Norman. Many of E.B.’s children attended the University of Oklahoma, and all four of his sons played [football] for the school. His three oldest sons served during [World War I], two in the Army and the third in the [Navy].

Death
E.B. stayed active in family business affairs until his death on Christmas Day 1935, from [erysipelas], the same illness thought to have taken his mother 55 years earlier. Mollie lived in their Elm Street home until her death in 1949. The home and their barn were used by the university’s music and drama departments until they were torn down in 1965.