CALF_News_December_2021_January_2022

26 CALF News • December 2021 | January 2022 • www.calfnews.net By Larry Stalcup Contributing Editor s a celebrated leader in Amarillo, Texas, Matthew “Bones” Hooks, spent nearly his last dime helping others in predominantly African American parts of the old cowtown. But with his stature as a bronc buster and wrangler who gave it all to break the mean- est horse on any ranch more than a century ago, he was also legendary among many historical ranchers. In tribute to his many successes as a cowboy and a beacon for Texas Panhandle minorities, Bones Hooks was posthu- mously inducted into the National Cowboy Western Heritage Museum Hall of Fame during the recent National Western Heritage Awards in Oklahoma City. He was honored along with Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall and the King of Country Music, George Strait. In the early 1900s, a time when bigotry prevented Hooks or other blacks from competing in a Denver rodeo, then world champion bronc rider Samuel Thomas Privett told the world that “whatever he could ride in a saddle, Bones could ride bareback.” That quote was from the 2005 book Bones Hooks, Pioneer Negro Cowboy , by Bruce G. Todd. Todd paid homage to Hooks’ many accomplishments on the range and in town. Whether as a cowboy for Col. Charles Goodnight or the founder of the North Heights region of Amarillo, Hooks was a celebrated leader. Many are familiar with Bill Pickett, the famous cowboy of Native American and black decent otherwise known as the “Dusky Demon.” He was elected to the Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1971. Old timers in the Texas Panhandle felt Bones (as he was known in the region) also deserved the honor. The son of slaves, Bones was born post-Civil War in the late 1860s. He left his northeast Texas home at age 9 and was busting wild horses by the time he turned 12. Bones faced prej- udice nearly everywhere he roamed. Still, as he worked from one ranch to another in the rugged Pecos country of West Texas, he became known as the best bronc rider in those parts. “He soon went into partnership with a white friend, Tommy Clayton, and had his own brand, B, presumably standing for Bones,” Todd writes in his book. He worked most of the ranches of that region, but Bones admitted he wasn’t an all-around cowhand. He was a bronc- riding specialist, traveling to where a horse needed tamed. He made it to the Clarendon region in the Panhandle in 1886. He worked as wrangler and bronc buster for pioneer cattleman Col. Charles Goodnight and other ranchers. Alphonso Vaughn, a Potter County commis- sioner in Amarillo, accepted the award for Hooks at the Western Heritage ceremonies. “As the only black man in sight, Bones was very lonely in the Panhandle,” Vaughn said. “But he loved the prairie country and orderly community, and was deter- mined to remain there.” Matthew 'Bones' Hooks Pioneer Black Cowboy, Amarillo Civic Leader Inducted into National Cowboy Hall of Fame In this vintage circa 1900 photo, a young Bones Hooks shows off his rope. He was better known for being able to break just about any rank horse on any ranch. (From Bones Hooks, Pioneer Negro Cowboy, by Bruce G. Todd.) As a leader of the Amarillo African American community, Hooks was behind development of the North Heights neighborhood and started the Dogie Club, which provided a place for young black children to learn about everything from camping to becoming successful men. Photo courtesy Alphonso Vaughn A