In the 1920s, Tom Mix may have been the most famous man on the planet. Time is a funny thing however, and while he may have been the most widely recognized person in America then, time faded him into a foggy memory. This was the case for “The King of Cowboys,” Tom Mix.

Before Hopalong Cassidy, before Roy Rogers, and way before Clint Eastwood, there was Tom Mix. He was the western movie star of his time, starring in over 300 silent western movies. Considered Hollywood’s first western superstar, Mix is said to have defined the cowboy role for all bronco busting movie stars to follow.

Mix learned to ride horses at a very early age while growing up in a poor logging family near State College, Pennsylvania. He dreamed of performing in circuses throwing knives and performing acrobatics while riding on horses.

As years continued, Mix won the 1909 national rodeo and riding championship, which brought him to Hollywood, where he appeared in his first movie, Ranch Life in the Great Southwest, as a cattle wrangler, instantly making him a star. He went on to become one of the most widely recognized stars of this time.

It was when the “talkies” arrived that Mix’s problems began. Though he tried to continue as the wrangler of film, his struggles led him to quit acting and fulfill his childhood dream. He preformed in a couple different circuses but went on to buy half of Sam Dills Big 3 Ring Circus, which he renamed, “The Sam B. Dill Circus and Tom Mix Wild West.” Soon Dills passed away, making Mix the primary owner.