The Cherokee
Strip; 10-million acres of the last free homestead land in America.
With the various types of people that accompanie
d
an area of this size, it took more than just a man wearing a badge
to be able to tame it. It took an individual with intelligence,
someone who had the capacity to apply thought and reason to virtually
any situation; it also took an individual with courageousness
and a willingness to face danger regardless of the odds; but most
of all, it took an individual who could effectively apply and
enforce the law with authority and integrity; it took U.S. Marshal
Jim Crown.
Crown's journey
to Cimarron originated when he was assigned, by Washington, the
duty of settling a land dispute between ranchers and settlers.
While both sides were still awaiting the directional outcome of
a Congressional land bill, which would determine who would get
the land in the Outlet, Crown was sent to Cimarron to cool down
any potential range war problems. Upon his arrival, Crown found
that Cimarron, as well as the surrounding territory, was lacking
any type of law and o
rder,
as the town's acting sheriff had abandon his post two days prior,
due to not being able to handle the job.
Before coming to Cimarron, Crown had served several years in helping to clean up the town of Abliene, Kansas. During previous years he had worked as a scout for the Army. But Crown, however, was not always a law abiding citizen. There were many times in his past when he shook a pretty mean stick, such as when he used to rabble-rouse and turned towns upside down with his old buddy (turned outlaw) "Bear".
But as the years passed, and as the multitudes of settlers began migrating West, Crown realized that inevitable change was on the horizon, and that the time of the glorious "Old and Golden West" was drawing to a close. He also knew that, along with this movement, there would be a need for laws and lawmen to help settle the newly developing territory. Taking these things to heart, Jim Crown made his decision to become a United States Marshal.
Heroic lawmen like Jim Crown were a rare breed. Law abiding citizens loved him while law-breakers feared him, and rightfully so. This handsome and suave, yet intensely rugged individual stood tall as a fierce proponent of the law. He strongly believed in what it stood for and he was never too hesitant to enforce it. Though this was the case, Crown always enforced the law within the boundaries of rightful intent by being fair and firm. He never believed in compromising it's principals . But in addition, Crown also never neglected to utilize compassion or understanding when it was needed. Such was not always the case with lawmen of this period.
It was men
like Crown that made the West a much safer and better place to
live. His service will always be appreciated and his deeds always
remembered. U.S. Marshal Jim Crown, like many other great Western
legends of the past, (Paladin, Matt Dillon, Josh Randall, Dan
Troop, & others), will forever be recognized by the annals
of history as a true American Western Hero.