I was born in 1941. My brother and I used to listen to the Tom Mix radio program. I also had a Tom Mix 'glow in the dark' belt with a secret compartment in the buckle. I thought that was awesome.
I first saw the Tom Mix Monument in the early 1950s ....it has been vandalized many times since then. Sad that people are so destructive. God Bless America
Regarding the crosses, I can tell you that drywall screws were invented in the late 1970s or early, early 1980s without researching it because I worked in the retail lumber business then and I remember them showing up and it being the "cats meow" for contractors. So, those crosses are less then 40 years old, there you go! Thank you for the wonderful video...
@@MsRmaclaren They may of been invented in the 1950s and I agree, but that doesn't mean they were manufactured and marketed out here in Southern California. I can tell you that I looked up a patent due to your remarks and I would speculate that the ones that I started selling in 1979 or 1980 were the one's patented in 1977. Did you use these in the 1950s? Maybe somewhere else in the country, but they were "brand new" to the industry here in Southern California around 1980. And that is when sales took off. I am just stating what I know.
Nice to see that you make so many excursions. You are interested in what is around you. Too many people are just interested in shopping and consuming. Thanks for let us be part of your excursions
My wife and I stopped by the monument several years ago on a trip to Tucson from A.J. Beautiful scenery around the monument and a very nice road in general. Well worth the stop, the memorial seems to be maintained by someone and is well kept. Thanks for the video, it brings back fond memories of Arizona.
Can't say that I had ever heard of Tom Mix before, but appreciated the info as such things interest me for no apparent reason. You do interesting videos that remind me of when my family would drive around San Diego County and vicinity on weekends during the late 1960s...looking for such little hidden jewels that didn't cost anything to visit. Thanks.
Tom Mix was my dad's favorite cowboy movie star. He was born in 1922. I was born in 1949 and my favorites, thanks to afternoon TV were the Cisco Kid and Hopalong Casidy.
When I was growing up in Superior I remember many times going to Tucson on Highway 79/80 and there were very FEW bridges, but many, many dips through the many washes. Each dip had a sign a few hundred feet before it letting the drivers know there was a dip coming up, because if you hit one at even 60 miles per hour, it'd throw you and your car way off the road. I hardly remember any bridges.
That's affirmative! I've run through a shallow dip in a flash flood at 60 mph at night. Windshield blurred with muddy water, incomprehensible thunder and vibrations on vehicle bottom, then silence! Talk about a large font WTF!!!
Tom Mix had a house in Avalon, Can, Catalina Island. He had a huge lit sign on his roof, telling all he lived there. He was known to be very friendly to visitors, and give out autographed pictures. The house is still there with a big TM on the roof. I heard that he really loved Catalina.
This is a very good detail video that you created. I have seen the Tom Mix Monument when I lived in Arizona from 1985-95 but you gave me a lot of great information about Tom Mix that I did not know. I saw some of his movies and other old cowboy movies when I was growing up as a kid. Guess I am getting old if I was born in 1940! Thanks to you a lot more people will know this historical place exists. Arizona is a beautiful state and there is lots to see there. I love the song "I love you Arizona" by Rex Allen JR. whose father was one of the old cowboys. One of my favorite places to visit when I lived in Arizona was Apache Trail just Northeast of Phoenix!
My grandmother, 'Ester' Mix-Bell, was Tom's younger, sister and my great-uncle. Their father worked for the wealthy, Du Bois Family. Like a caretaker, for their horse's. The town in W., PA [Du Bois] was named after them, whom intergrated from France]. I feel that Tom, probably helped his father, with the horse's at the Du Bois home. Since my grandmother, learned how to drive, a buggy. Still had her driving-gloves, in the mid-60's. I was still in high school, then. Ester, my mom and aunt, moved to So.California in the early 30's. I was lucky, to have had the chance, to vist The TOM MIX Museum, in Dewey, OK. Plus being able to see an old photo, there...of my great-grandparent's, on the Mix side. Besides the other, neat thing's, that belonged to my great-uncle. All put, aside...'Tony' was a wonderful horse. Tom & Tony made a great pair. You can see their 'bond', with...no doubt. My mom and I, also loved...horse's. Riding them, as well. Wish I could have met them. Not because of their, fame. Best Wishes from Chatsworth, CA 2022.
Thanks for commenting. Really cool to hear of a family connection. I have a plan to do something else that will have a connection to Tom Mix, but the weather went crazy on me before I could film it. Hopefully soon.
Me and my family visited this site in the mid '70's and did not see evidence of those crosses at that time! Also am glad to see shaded picnic tables installed because it does get hot out there in the summer time!
I grew up in central Pennsylvania, and my grandparents knew about Tom Mix partly because he was born not too far from where they lived. The town--well, you can hardly call it a town, it's not much more than a few houses between a stream and a railroad--is called Mix Run, named after his family. I've been to Mix Run, and the description of "somewhat remote" on Wikipedia is an understatement, as it's very hard to get to. It's weird to think I've been to the place Tom Mix was born, and where he died, and the only thing I really know about him was his quote after attending an Oscars party: "I ate for two hours and the only thing I remember I ate was an olive."
Not far from there is the Town of Superior. You can walk up the old road to the original claypool tunnel. Lots of history and several old photos and post cards online. Currently called the legends of Superior trail.
Hello, Steve. Thanks for your films; I enjoyed this one too. To add a minor correction, before Tom there was William S Hart, who was a genuine cowboy, making silent movies which strove to present a more authentic view of the Old West than later became popular. I've seen a couple of both actors' films, and there is a difference - but they're still darned good movies. My late mother was seven when Wyatt Earpe died - and I had a works colleague who was actually related to him. The Earpes came from our Black Country, and still have descendants, by the same name, living today.
There is a story that is being passed around in my family that one of my distant relatives was one of the last people to see him alive. According to family stories my relative, Walt Coburn was living in Tucson and the night before Tom Mix passed the two of them as well as the Pima County Sheriff at the time were playing an all night poker game and then Tom left in the morning.
In college I knew a guy who was related to the family, and still had the Mix surname. My maternal grandfather and I used to watch westerns on TV when I would visit in the late 60s (I was a kid), and he would mention Tom Mix. I think I'd also heard the name referenced in the commentary (there are always western rider groups) of the Rose Parade in Pasadena. The Hotel Vendome in Prescott, AZ has a "Tom Mix" room that we've stayed in. It seems celebrities can no longer get away with so much fiction surrounding their backgrounds.
Love your channel! I drove past this monument in January 2022 on my way to Tucson and I wondered what this was about but I didn’t have time to stop and look around. Thanks for all your videos. They are great. I live here in Arizona and it’s just amazing the places you discover and check out. I love things like this, -going off the beaten path to discover a past history.
Very accurate. Excellent presentation. I have not seen the Tom Mix monument in many years. Tom Mix Fan Club had a postcard size photo of him indicating how many times he had been wounded and of course a secret decoder ring. Tom Mix Blvd. Is in Apache Junction, Az. Or it used to be.
This video will introduce Tom Mix to people who never knew him like me but now anxious to see his movies that are available especially since that he was one of the pallbearers at Wyatt Earp's funeral.
@@fredmartine674 As entertainment, the movies are antiquated, but for history buffs they're fascinating, seeing old LA-area locations as they were 100 years ago, and realizing that Earp and Mix knew each other because the former served as a technical adviser on a few of Mix's films. Even heard a very young John Wayne was a gofer on Mix's sets, but I don't know about that. Sounds a little too good to be true: Earp, Mix, Wayne together at the same time?
Thank you! I have never heard of this monument. My mother, born in 1915, told me many times how much she loved his movies. (A big part of her love went to his horse, Tony, who was very talented.) Mom was born and grew up near the movie studios and the told me she always enjoyed seeing Tom Mix drive by in his beautiful car. Sometimes he would wave. I'm glad to hear the car is taken care of. I hope Tony had a good retirement.
@@Atrium512 No one needs your language. And in any case, it's obvious that he isn't all that honored. This rest area is his only posthumous marker. I guess you didn't watch the video.
I was born in 1943 and when I was little Tom Mix movies were still shown in our little theater. It cost 5 cents to go to the movies. Every Saturday night we went. A soft drink and a bag of pop corn was a dime Then after the movie we got a huge ice cream cone for another 5 cents Oh, those were wonderful times.
He was originally hired in Hollywood as a horse handler (Wrangler). But after showing a director how to lean down and pick up a hat from a horse at full gallop, he was changed to an actor/stunt man. He was a true "Soldier of Fortune" as he fought in many foreign wars. Legend has it that that trunk was filled with silver dollars from a poker game making it so deadly.
In the 1st episode of the Beverly Hillbillies the Clampetts are informed that Tom Mix is dead. Jed then remembers that they did see him get killed in a movie
This is just a great site and I really love the material you cover. I did not grow up with Tom Mix, but I had heard of him. I do remember Gene Autry, Sugarfoot, Maverick, The Lone Ranger, Paladin and others.
There is a Tom mix museum in Dewey Oklahoma. They show a film about his life, some of his western memorabilia, and the luggage he was carrying on that fatal crash. I’m not sure if it was original or replica, it’s been a while since I’ve been there. I think they said that he was a sheriff there for a few months.
New subscriber here. I never heard of Tom Mix before but glad I got to watch this video, I'm a fan of Wyatt Earp. I live in Phoenix and now curious to find the Tom Mix Monument. Thanks for sharing this cool video 👍🇺🇸..
I've enjoyed every one of your videos, but I most enjoy these where I learn a little history along with it! I most enjoy the abandoned mining towns and ghost towns of the West! Thanks for taking me places I can no longer go! I got too damn old!
I have found that most of the Historic Markers I have come across, are not at the actual site that the event took place, in fact several are actually miles away.
How are you going to have people stop on top of a wash? They have to reasonable consider safety when designating the location for turn outs, and they need enough flat area for whatever they are installing. Parking, tables, bbq’s, the monument. They also take into consideration visibility for slowing and accelerating. They did name the Wash for people that want to actually do some due diligence.
I have driven by the Tom Mix monument over 50+ times over the years while traveling from Ft Huachuca thru Tucson to Mesa Arizona. Interesting stop, recommend it.
My grandfather used to get paid $3 a day to ride bareback and dressed up like a brave for Mack Sennet studios, among others. I believe he was in a movie or 2 with Tom Mix. (He said where he lived was Edendale)
My late father bless him was born in 1919 and often spoke to me when I was a kid about having watched a cowboy called Tom Mix in the films he had watched as a youngster. I never really believed him as I was born 10 years after Tom Mix died and thought that it was a strange name for an actor. By the time I started watching Westerns it was John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, Gary Cooper and the like. Fascinating to know he was a real person and to find out what happened to him.
When I was a boy, there was an expression, "Tom Mix'in cement and Ben Turin straight ahead." For those of you who don't know, Ben Turpin was a severally cross-eye movie actor.
WHEN SILENT MOVIES ENDED, AND TALKING MOVIES CAME AROUND,TOM ATTEMPTING TO MAKE THE CHANGE , THEY FOUND HE COULDN'T SPEAK CLEAR EOUGH. I HEARD AN ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK OF HIM, ITS TRUE.
Just a note for anyone going to see this... those "few miles" south of Florence take about half an hour to traverse. Wildly exaggerated histories dreamed up by publicity agents were a quite common thing in that era, so that is unsurprising. Gene Autry also had shady stories in his history (same sort of source) that he repeated so often that he came to believe them himself.
My Uncle John, who grew up in Florence, was the keynote speaker at the dedication of the Tom Mix Memorial. He was living in Florence at the time of the dedication, but later built a home in the Cactus Forest subdivision just north of the memorial site.
When I was 5 yr old 1955 I remember a going on Sunday spring drives to the desert south of the Phoenix valley. This is before the interstate.. You would drive thru Florence Jct. going to Tucson and Mexico. One of his haunts. We always would stop there to buy tamales from the weekend vendors. There was a bath tub grotto numerous crosses marking other road deaths in the area. There was always sand in the curves from the washes
Funny, I lived in AZ 25 years ago. First time I came upon this "monument" I had never heard of mix. Seems like the forgetting about him came fast and easy.
Sadly, just about all of his old movies burned down in a Warehouse fire.. The newer generations will not be able to learn about him without the movies. There is a short with features him in the Western Museum in Lone Pine, CA and in Dewey, Oklahoma at the Tim Mix Museum.. We share the same Ancestors...
I enjoyed this video very much. If anyone wants more info on Tom Mix, Jerry Skinner does great documentaries, using his experience as a PI. Find on TH-cam with this title: Tom Mix: First Cowboy Superstar (Jerry Skinner Documentary)
A state trooper taught me (at a defensive driving course) about loose objects in the vehicle becoming projectiles in crashes and how much damage they can do to occupants.
Tom Mix was one of the biggest cowboy stars of the silent era but he was hardly the first. Bunco Billy Anderson was the first, followed by William S. Hart. Bronco Billy made more than 300 Westerns most of them were lost or destroyed but a few remain such as the Great Train Robbery.
In the book "Secret Stairs of Kos Angeles" the author points out a house in Silver Lake that Tom Mix had lived in. It's a private home and there's no marker, but the author displays knowledge of many unmarked L.A. landmarks so I would believe he would know about this one.
I hope people didn't get too upset about contrary info as to his past. That's just something that some celebrities did. Sort of a gimmick, to build up the personality. Would you rather read about the exciting stories of a lawman and army soldier? Or the exciting stories of someone born in a nearly uninhabited area of PA.
Great vid, as always, but Mix was definitely NOT “Hollywood’s first Western star.” There were more than a few others - but Mix WAS the biggest of that early bunch. Always enjoy your videos, I hope you keep up the great work!👌🏼
John Lennon was 3 days old when Tom died, and Christine Aguilera of all people was born just 10 days after John died. And as the man said, Tom supposedly met Wyatt Earp. Interesting how such different yet distinct personalities can "overlap" like that.
Not being from a desert area like this, I had no idea what "a wash" is. Looks like a small bridge where flash flood waters can pass under the road to prevent washing it out by flood passing waters over it. I would guess that the noun "wash" a new term for many people like yours truly.
The bridge at the time of the accident was obviously not the same one that is there on Hwy 79 now. Fact is, the aerials pretty clearly show the remains of another roadway a couple hundred feet west of the current 79 alignment, and we almost have to assume that it has to be the old 80 alignment, because there's no indication that there was no other roadway at that time besides Hwy 80. The point at which that road would have crossed the wash would be approximately where the crosses are located, so maybe somebody had better information at some point.
Mix was born in Mix Run, PA which was named after his grandfather…he dud actually serve in the Spanish-American War, but didn’t get deployed due to the war ending
He was in a 37 supercharged Cord and he was really moving along at a high rate of speed and couldn't stop and went off into the wash. He had Masonic services in the Los Angeles area. The crosses are not really old , wood doesn't hold up well in the desert, which is why so many people who live there and concrete block fences
@@leighsayers2628 yes they were, actually the accident wasn't that bad, the car is still around today, but when the car abruptly stopped, a metal suitcase flew forward and hit him in the back of the head and killed him A friend of mine has a very rare Cord sitting in a large garage, unrestored , his late dad bought it almost 60 years ago.
Some of the Cord 812's were notorious for having weak brakes. Great style and lots of power, but heavy for their size. if you had to stop in a hurry.........it was the end of the road for you pardner.
I was born in 1941. My brother and I used to listen to the Tom Mix radio program. I also had a Tom Mix 'glow in the dark' belt with a secret compartment in the buckle. I thought that was awesome.
I first saw the Tom Mix Monument in the early 1950s ....it has been vandalized many times since then. Sad that people are so destructive. God Bless America
My mother told me many years ago that Tom Mix was her favorite when she was a child. She was born 1919.
Regarding the crosses, I can tell you that drywall screws were invented in the late 1970s or early, early 1980s without researching it because I worked in the retail lumber business then and I remember them showing up and it being the "cats meow" for contractors. So, those crosses are less then 40 years old, there you go! Thank you for the wonderful video...
Well, it'd imagine that the original crosses would have rotted after about about 30 years. It is nice that people care enough to replace the crosses.
@@kdrapertrucker Indeed. Now if we can figure out what the top cross was supposed to say there...
Drywall screws were used in the 1950s. The Phillips screw was invented in the 1930s.
@@MsRmaclaren They may of been invented in the 1950s and I agree, but that doesn't mean they were manufactured and marketed out here in Southern California. I can tell you that I looked up a patent due to your remarks and I would speculate that the ones that I started selling in 1979 or 1980 were the one's patented in 1977. Did you use these in the 1950s? Maybe somewhere else in the country, but they were "brand new" to the industry here in Southern California around 1980. And that is when sales took off. I am just stating what I know.
@@crazyluigi6664 it said VOTE FOR TRUMP 2024
Nice to see that you make so many excursions. You are interested in what is around you. Too many people are just interested in shopping and consuming. Thanks for let us be part of your excursions
Bruce Willis plays Tom Mix in ‘Sunset’ w/James Garner as Wyatt Earp. Good little movie highly recommended
Great movie.
Give or take a lie or two 😊
But isn't that true of Hollywood, and films all over?@@markhuntley9588
My wife and I stopped by the monument several years ago on a trip to Tucson from A.J. Beautiful scenery around the monument and a very nice road in general. Well worth the stop, the memorial seems to be maintained by someone and is well kept. Thanks for the video, it brings back fond memories of Arizona.
Can't say that I had ever heard of Tom Mix before, but appreciated the info as such things interest me for no apparent reason. You do interesting videos that remind me of when my family would drive around San Diego County and vicinity on weekends during the late 1960s...looking for such little hidden jewels that didn't cost anything to visit. Thanks.
I was born in 79 never heard of Tom Mix until a channel called mixup98. Then it was a comment on his channel that led me here.
Tom Mix was my dad's favorite cowboy movie star. He was born in 1922. I was born in 1949 and my favorites, thanks to afternoon TV were the Cisco Kid and Hopalong Casidy.
When I was growing up in Superior I remember many times going to Tucson on Highway 79/80 and there were very FEW bridges, but many, many dips through the many washes. Each dip had a sign a few hundred feet before it letting the drivers know there was a dip coming up, because if you hit one at even 60 miles per hour, it'd throw you and your car way off the road. I hardly remember any bridges.
That's affirmative! I've run through a shallow dip in a flash flood at 60 mph at night. Windshield blurred with muddy water, incomprehensible thunder and vibrations on vehicle bottom, then silence! Talk about a large font WTF!!!
Tom Mix had a house in Avalon, Can, Catalina
Island.
He had a huge lit sign on his roof, telling all he lived there.
He was known to be very friendly to visitors, and give out autographed
pictures.
The house is still there
with a big TM on the roof. I heard that he really loved Catalina.
This is a very good detail video that you created. I have seen the Tom Mix Monument when I lived in Arizona from 1985-95 but you gave me a lot of great information about Tom Mix that I did not know. I saw some of his movies and other old cowboy movies when I was growing up as a kid. Guess I am getting old if I was born in 1940! Thanks to you a lot more people will know this historical place exists. Arizona is a beautiful state and there is lots to see there. I love the song "I love you Arizona" by Rex Allen JR. whose father was one of the old cowboys. One of my favorite places to visit when I lived in Arizona was Apache Trail just Northeast of Phoenix!
My grandmother, 'Ester' Mix-Bell, was Tom's younger, sister and my great-uncle. Their father worked for the wealthy, Du Bois Family. Like a caretaker, for their horse's. The town in W., PA [Du Bois] was named after them, whom intergrated from France]. I feel that Tom, probably helped his father, with the horse's at the Du Bois home. Since my grandmother, learned how to drive, a buggy. Still had her driving-gloves, in the mid-60's. I was still in high school, then. Ester, my mom and aunt, moved to So.California in the early 30's. I was lucky, to have had the chance, to vist The TOM MIX Museum, in Dewey, OK. Plus being able to see an old photo, there...of my great-grandparent's, on the Mix side. Besides the other, neat thing's, that belonged to my great-uncle. All put, aside...'Tony' was a wonderful horse. Tom & Tony made a great pair. You can see their 'bond', with...no doubt. My mom and I, also loved...horse's. Riding them, as well. Wish I could have met them. Not because of their, fame. Best Wishes from Chatsworth, CA 2022.
Thanks for commenting. Really cool to hear of a family connection. I have a plan to do something else that will have a connection to Tom Mix, but the weather went crazy on me before I could film it. Hopefully soon.
tom’s great-great grandfather founded the town he was born in, horses were still widely used then so he learned early how to use them
Practically every young boy’s hero on Saturday morning TV in the early 50’s.
Dig dirt Tony!
Me and my family visited this site in the mid '70's and did not see evidence of those crosses at that time! Also am glad to see shaded picnic tables installed because it does get hot out there in the summer time!
Loved him. I never could figure out how someone could wreck on a straight stretch of road... until WE did.
I had heard a lot about Tom Mix but never knew he lost his life in a car crash.
I grew up in central Pennsylvania, and my grandparents knew about Tom Mix partly because he was born not too far from where they lived. The town--well, you can hardly call it a town, it's not much more than a few houses between a stream and a railroad--is called Mix Run, named after his family. I've been to Mix Run, and the description of "somewhat remote" on Wikipedia is an understatement, as it's very hard to get to. It's weird to think I've been to the place Tom Mix was born, and where he died, and the only thing I really know about him was his quote after attending an Oscars party: "I ate for two hours and the only thing I remember I ate was an olive."
Not far from there is the Town of Superior. You can walk up the old road to the original claypool tunnel. Lots of history and several old photos and post cards online. Currently called the legends of Superior trail.
Will definitely check it out on our next trip through.
Hello, Steve. Thanks for your films; I enjoyed this one too. To add a minor correction, before Tom there was William S Hart, who was a genuine cowboy, making silent movies which strove to present a more authentic view of the Old West than later became popular. I've seen a couple of both actors' films, and there is a difference - but they're still darned good movies. My late mother was seven when Wyatt Earpe died - and I had a works colleague who was actually related to him. The Earpes came from our Black Country, and still have descendants, by the same name, living today.
There is a story that is being passed around in my family that one of my distant relatives was one of the last people to see him alive. According to family stories my relative, Walt Coburn was living in Tucson and the night before Tom Mix passed the two of them as well as the Pima County Sheriff at the time were playing an all night poker game and then Tom left in the morning.
In college I knew a guy who was related to the family, and still had the Mix surname. My maternal grandfather and I used to watch westerns on TV when I would visit in the late 60s (I was a kid), and he would mention Tom Mix. I think I'd also heard the name referenced in the commentary (there are always western rider groups) of the Rose Parade in Pasadena. The Hotel Vendome in Prescott, AZ has a "Tom Mix" room that we've stayed in. It seems celebrities can no longer get away with so much fiction surrounding their backgrounds.
Love your channel! I drove past this monument in January 2022 on my way to Tucson and I wondered what this was about but I didn’t have time to stop and look around. Thanks for all your videos. They are great. I live here in Arizona and it’s just amazing the places you discover and check out. I love things like this, -going off the beaten path to discover a past history.
It is so nice to see the monument, and learn about the original cowboy movie star.
Very accurate. Excellent presentation.
I have not seen the Tom Mix monument in many years. Tom Mix Fan Club had a postcard size photo of him indicating how many times he had been wounded and of course a secret decoder ring. Tom Mix Blvd. Is in Apache Junction, Az. Or it used to be.
Exactly one century ago, almost every American knew who Tim Mix was. Now, almost no one does. Makes you think about the fickleness of fame
Yes. It is amazing what a huge star he was in his time and how few know of him now.
Memento Mori........
This is a fact!
This video will introduce Tom Mix to people who never knew him like me but now anxious to see his movies that are available especially since that he was one of the pallbearers at Wyatt Earp's funeral.
@@fredmartine674 As entertainment, the movies are antiquated, but for history buffs they're fascinating, seeing old LA-area locations as they were 100 years ago, and realizing that Earp and Mix knew each other because the former served as a technical adviser on a few of Mix's films. Even heard a very young John Wayne was a gofer on Mix's sets, but I don't know about that. Sounds a little too good to be true: Earp, Mix, Wayne together at the same time?
Thank you! I have never heard of this monument. My mother, born in 1915, told me many times how much she loved his movies. (A big part of her love went to his horse, Tony, who was very talented.) Mom was born and grew up near the movie studios and the told me she always enjoyed seeing Tom Mix drive by in his beautiful car. Sometimes he would wave. I'm glad to hear the car is taken care of. I hope Tony had a good retirement.
Pretty cool. Not sure how many times I’ve driven past that spot.
In 1973 as a teenager in Phoenix I read a story of the Tom Mix accident. First time I’d heard of him
Yeah, its amazing to think of what a huge star he was but is pretty forgotten today.
It sounds like he was a big bull shitter. Why would anyone honor a army deserter?
@@Atrium512 No one needs your language. And in any case, it's obvious that he isn't all that honored. This rest area is his only posthumous marker. I guess you didn't watch the video.
I was born in 1943 and when I was little Tom Mix movies were still shown in our little theater.
It cost 5 cents to go to the movies. Every Saturday night we went. A soft drink and a bag of pop corn was a dime
Then after the movie we got a huge ice cream cone for another 5 cents
Oh, those were wonderful times.
The screws used to hold those crosses together are modern, and not from the time of Tom Mix's death.
He was originally hired in Hollywood as a horse handler (Wrangler). But after showing a director how to lean down and pick up a hat from a horse at full gallop, he was changed to an actor/stunt man. He was a true "Soldier of Fortune" as he fought in many foreign wars. Legend has it that that trunk was filled with silver dollars from a poker game making it so deadly.
In the 1st episode of the Beverly Hillbillies the Clampetts are informed that Tom Mix is dead. Jed then remembers that they did see him get killed in a movie
I remember that, Jed Told granny you remember he got shot ,
Very nice video about Tom Mix and his untimely death. Extremely informative.
This is just a great site and I really love the material you cover. I did not grow up with Tom Mix, but I had heard of him. I do remember Gene Autry, Sugarfoot, Maverick, The Lone Ranger, Paladin and others.
I am loving your videos - keep 'em up!
Glad you like them!
There is a Tom mix museum in Dewey Oklahoma. They show a film about his life, some of his western memorabilia, and the luggage he was carrying on that fatal crash. I’m not sure if it was original or replica, it’s been a while since I’ve been there. I think they said that he was a sheriff there for a few months.
New subscriber here. I never heard of Tom Mix before but glad I got to watch this video, I'm a fan of Wyatt Earp. I live in Phoenix and now curious to find the Tom Mix Monument. Thanks for sharing this cool video 👍🇺🇸..
Your welcome and thank you for subscribing.
My dad born in 1917 thought the world of Tom Mix he was the only western actor I ever heard him talk about
yup he was one of the originals..and a true bad ass actually did all those stunts
I've enjoyed every one of your videos, but I most enjoy these where I learn a little history along with it! I most enjoy the abandoned mining towns and ghost towns of the West! Thanks for taking me places I can no longer go! I got too damn old!
Thank you. I have some abandoned towns coming up again soon.
I have been by here several times. I live in Casa Grande, AZ. My Dad, who was born/raised in IA, knew of this place.
Thats what I love about you. You tell the full story.Thank you
Interesting. Thank you for another interesting video.
I have found that most of the Historic Markers I have come across, are not at the actual site that the event took place, in fact several are actually miles away.
How are you going to have people stop on top of a wash?
They have to reasonable consider safety when designating the location for turn outs, and they need enough flat area for whatever they are installing. Parking, tables, bbq’s, the monument.
They also take into consideration visibility for slowing and accelerating.
They did name the Wash for people that want to actually do some due diligence.
I have driven by the Tom Mix monument over 50+ times over the years while traveling from Ft Huachuca thru Tucson to Mesa Arizona. Interesting stop, recommend it.
My grandfather used to get paid $3 a day to ride bareback and dressed up like a brave for Mack Sennet studios, among others. I believe he was in a movie or 2 with Tom Mix. (He said where he lived was Edendale)
There is a cool home near Tom’s House called Mystery Castle. Worth seeing too
There is a sort-of memorial in Mix Run, PA, near Driftwood in Elk County.
I was going to go last year but hopefully next year as we are distantly related and I want to see and clean the family Memorial stones..
Love your videos , very interesting and not long winded , big fan of yours and watching you all the way from a sunny Cape Town , South Africa
My late father bless him was born in 1919 and often spoke to me when I was a kid about having watched a cowboy called Tom Mix in the films he had watched as a youngster. I never really believed him as I was born 10 years after Tom Mix died and thought that it was a strange name for an actor. By the time I started watching Westerns it was John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, Gary Cooper and the like. Fascinating to know he was a real person and to find out what happened to him.
I love these little bits of history! I wish I could visit them all!
The plague was moved from the crash site when they built the rest area, back around 1970.
Thank you very much!
When I was a boy, there was an expression, "Tom Mix'in cement and Ben Turin straight ahead." For those of you who don't know, Ben Turpin was a severally cross-eye movie actor.
WHEN SILENT MOVIES ENDED, AND TALKING MOVIES CAME AROUND,TOM ATTEMPTING TO MAKE THE CHANGE , THEY FOUND HE COULDN'T SPEAK CLEAR EOUGH. I HEARD AN ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK OF HIM, ITS TRUE.
Love these; but now.I have to lookip a maps and find Florence, AZ. I wish a large map with closeup of location could be shown with your vlogs.
Nice job. Thank you
Just a note for anyone going to see this... those "few miles" south of Florence take about half an hour to traverse.
Wildly exaggerated histories dreamed up by publicity agents were a quite common thing in that era, so that is unsurprising. Gene Autry also had shady stories in his history (same sort of source) that he repeated so often that he came to believe them himself.
My Uncle John, who grew up in Florence, was the keynote speaker at the dedication of the Tom Mix Memorial. He was living in Florence at the time of the dedication, but later built a home in the Cactus Forest subdivision just north of the memorial site.
AWESOME video!!!!
I moved to Arizona 14 years ago. When this virus subsides. I'm going to drop by to see his monument. Nice video.
That is one of my chill spots.Not far from there on the Hunt hiway is a lone pyramid on a hill where the first govoner J.B. Hunt is buried.
Charles D Poston the founder of Arizona is buried in the pyramid
Thank you for your videos. I love them.
Another name for that road is "Pinal Pioneer Parkway". It's a beautiful drive.
great video and information
When I was 5 yr old 1955 I remember a going on Sunday spring drives to the desert south of the Phoenix valley. This is before the interstate.. You would drive thru Florence Jct. going to Tucson and Mexico. One of his haunts. We always would stop there to buy tamales from the weekend vendors.
There was a bath tub grotto numerous crosses marking other road deaths in the area. There was always sand in the curves from the washes
Nice one! Thanks
R.I.P. Tom. You were a great film actor.
Nice job thank you
There's a great movie with Bruce Willis and James Garner called "Sunset" that portrays Tom Mix (the movie is fiction), really fun.
Funny, I lived in AZ 25 years ago. First time I came upon this "monument" I had never heard of mix. Seems like the forgetting about him came fast and easy.
Sadly, just about all of his old movies burned down in a Warehouse fire.. The newer generations will not be able to learn about him without the movies. There is a short with features him in the Western Museum in Lone Pine, CA and in Dewey, Oklahoma at the Tim Mix Museum.. We share the same Ancestors...
I enjoyed this video very much.
If anyone wants more info on Tom Mix, Jerry Skinner does great documentaries, using his experience as a PI. Find on TH-cam with this title:
Tom Mix: First Cowboy Superstar (Jerry Skinner Documentary)
Thanks for the info, will definitely be checking this out.
A state trooper taught me (at a defensive driving course) about loose objects in the vehicle becoming projectiles in crashes and how much damage they can do to occupants.
Mix was driving a Cord Phaeton convertible. The statue depicts his horse Tony.
Tom Mix was one of the biggest cowboy stars of the silent era but he was hardly the first. Bunco Billy Anderson was the first, followed by William S. Hart. Bronco Billy made more than 300 Westerns most of them were lost or destroyed but a few remain such as the Great Train Robbery.
tom mix was born in mix run, pa. there is a small museum located on site
If memory serves, the sign has been stolen more than once, and new signs have replaced it.
Yes, it seems like they have to replace the horse every few years.
He did like a Big Hat and Chaps .
Enjoy your adventures - Could you leave the GPS co-ordinates of your stops. God Bless
I'll try and add them to the descriptions.
6:40 The upper cross also seems to say Tom Mix.
It's weird, in person it didn't look like it but on video it does. Normally its the opposite.
My dad used to kid about Tom Mix and Cement. Actually I know Dad knew his horse's name was Tony, but he thought he was being funny.
His home is near South Mountain in phoenix central and Base of South Moutain. Now a Mexican Restaurant Los Dos Molinos. Was a mortuary prior
In the book "Secret Stairs of Kos Angeles" the author points out a house in Silver Lake that Tom Mix had lived in. It's a private home and there's no marker, but the author displays knowledge of many unmarked L.A. landmarks so I would believe he would know about this one.
Thank you.
I hope people didn't get too upset about contrary info as to his past. That's just something that some celebrities did. Sort of a gimmick, to build up the personality. Would you rather read about the exciting stories of a lawman and army soldier? Or the exciting stories of someone born in a nearly uninhabited area of PA.
Great vid, as always, but Mix was definitely NOT “Hollywood’s first Western star.” There were more than a few others - but Mix WAS the biggest of that early bunch. Always enjoy your videos, I hope you keep up the great work!👌🏼
Very sad😢❤
John Lennon was 3 days old when Tom died, and Christine Aguilera of all people was born just 10 days after John died. And as the man said, Tom supposedly met Wyatt Earp. Interesting how such different yet distinct personalities can "overlap" like that.
Not being from a desert area like this, I had no idea what "a wash" is. Looks like a small bridge where flash flood waters can pass under the road to prevent washing it out by flood passing waters over it. I would guess that the noun "wash" a new term for many people like yours truly.
That's basically it. A wash is pretty much a dry creek bed that occasionally fills with water after a heavy rain.
The bridge at the time of the accident was obviously not the same one that is there on Hwy 79 now. Fact is, the aerials pretty clearly show the remains of another roadway a couple hundred feet west of the current 79 alignment, and we almost have to assume that it has to be the old 80 alignment, because there's no indication that there was no other roadway at that time besides Hwy 80. The point at which that road would have crossed the wash would be approximately where the crosses are located, so maybe somebody had better information at some point.
you should have done more research...the Tom Mix car was in a museum in Florence a few miles down the road.
I've been to his home place in central PA!!
Mix was born in Mix Run, PA which was named after his grandfather…he dud actually serve in the Spanish-American War, but didn’t get deployed due to the war ending
He was in a 37 supercharged Cord and he was really moving along at a high rate of speed and couldn't stop and went off into the wash.
He had Masonic services in the Los Angeles area.
The crosses are not really old , wood doesn't hold up well in the desert, which is why so many people who live there and concrete block fences
Wood holds up great in the desert. DRY.
@@JB-dk3qc fences sure don't, most people in the Coachella valley of California use other things, wood fences don't last 10 years there
I thought that was a cord ..awesome car !!
@@leighsayers2628 yes they were, actually the accident wasn't that bad, the car is still around today, but when the car abruptly stopped, a metal suitcase flew forward and hit him in the back of the head and killed him
A friend of mine has a very rare Cord sitting in a large garage, unrestored , his late dad bought it almost 60 years ago.
@@califdad4 my old boss had one here in Australia in a shed many years ago .
He was the original tough guy in westerns..
I notice the loose leaf notebook is gone. People had left money in it. Guess someone wanted it more than leaving it alone.
I think the top one said Tom Mix too.
As one would expect the top cross says TOM MIX
Take a drink every time he says it's a little south of here
Some of the Cord 812's were notorious for having weak brakes. Great style and lots of power, but heavy for their size. if you had to stop in a hurry.........it was the end of the road for you pardner.
I'm enjoying you videos. Not that these vids are on the same level as Californias Gold but they do remind me a bit
Most folks here in Aridzona have no idea that the Apache Trail, formerly Hwy. 80, now State Route 79 or SR 79.