" Written by Keith Crandall about his ancestor Great Grandfather Christopher Columbus Hicks "

Much like his relatives before him, Christopher Columbus "C.C." Hicks (Hillyard Stephen2, Hillyard1) was an adventurer in his own right. At the ripe old age of 34, C. C. Hicks participated as a Boomer Sooner in the Cherokee Strip Opening in the Oklahoma Territory on September 16, 1893, claiming a 160-acre tract of land near modern day Terlton, Oklahoma. Before his death in 1939, C. C. committed his adventures to writing in a 24-page handwritten manuscript in which he discusses family, friends, outlaws and his opinion on politicians. I conclude that times haven't changed much since 1893 when it comes to politicians. C. C. Hicks took to referring to himself as the "Lone Wolf" which I take as a reference to him being the last of his Hicks Family to remain in the Kansas and Oklahoma Territories in 1882. Several members of his family, including his grandfather Hillyard Hicks, moved to California in 1870 and his father, Hillyard Stephen Hicks, moved to Florida in 1882. I reckon it was these events that caused C. C. to move his family to the Oklahoma Territory to start a new life of their own.

Although I never knew my great-grandfather I feel that I have come to know who he was through the reading of his manuscript. C. C. Hicks was a man of few words but the words he spoke hit their mark with razor sharp accuracy…he was a man with a keen sense of humor and perceptiveness…above all he was a man that didn't take "guff" from anyone. The following excerpt from his manuscript is one of my favorite which I feel gives the most insight into the personality of C.C. Hicks:

"Next morning was September 16, 1893, the day of the race…I saddled up my best horse…tied my slicker on and got in the saddle with my winchester in the holster…boots and spurs on…and I bid my wagon man good bye. I rode northwest about 4 miles to the south line of the Strip. There I found a bunch of men…they was quarreling about starting…their watches all varied in time about 30 minutes apart…everyone claimed he was right. So I looked the men over…didn't know any of them. So I road to the west end of the party…backed off to myself. I knew what time it was so I pulled out my winchester…sat it across my lap…took my watch out and when it said 12 o'clock I put it in my pocket…took my gun in my right hand and set my spurs on my horse and left. I ran about 200 hundred yards before I looked back…men was strewn clear back to the line…that was the last time I looked back until I got on my claim. I lead the whole bunch a mile and three-quarters…Well, when I hit the bottoms of House Creek, I swung to the left and slid out of my saddle and the crowd went north…I cleared them by firing about 30 shots over their heads. They all recognized me and my horse as being the man who taken that claim. Well, a few minutes after the horse men went by I heard a bunch of wagon men coming, making lots of noise…they come out of the hills and hit the bottoms where they could run and when they past me they learned how fast a team could run hitched to a wagon as I had filled my gun again…I made more noise than they did. The young teams of mules in the bunch runaway with the drivers…of course they tried to stop them by calling me bad names…but the mules didn't understand what they were saying…they thought the race was on and they was doing their part. Now the big end of the race is over so I refilled my gun again and as my horse never quit me…I got on him and rattle down to the water… give my horse a drink and watered myself…I rode back in the bottoms and to my surprise there come a man from down the creek right threw the middle of my place just as hard as his horse could run…I boiled over…I took my gun in the right position…''Young man, that hog leg you have there can't hold this claim, we stand on and you go back to your claim and pray that your claim won't touch this bottom"…he rode back. Well things cooled off and everything looked good".

I laugh each time I think of old C. C. besting man after man from the starting line of the race to the defense of his claim. C. C. Hicks favorite expression was "the trade is on" meaning he cut a deal to his liking. He tells of helping his brother (he didn't mention him by name) and a U. S. Marshall to arrest four outlaws suspected of robbing the Blue Mounds Kansas Train. True to his character C. C. works the "trade" so that he takes charge of the capture. The outlaws were acquitted for a lack of evidence. C. C. also tells of how he befriended the most notorious gang of outlaws in the Oklahoma Territory…the Doolin-Dalton Gang. He provided this band of outlaws with a safe-haven as they eluded U. S. Marshals by hiding them out in his barn. C. C. cut their hair, shaved and feed them. After reading the manuscript, I came to the conclusion that C. C. seemed to have more respect for these outlaws than the lawmen who chased them saying only that "I found the boys was raised up on the Oklahoma ranches…native boys of this country…had good educations…good manners…there was lots said that wasn't true about them Dalton Boys". Thank you grandpa for having the foresight to commit your memories to paper for all of us to enjoy and the opportunity to know the "Lone Wolf".

Thank you Keith,  from all Hicks descendants for this very interesting information.-Virginia