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Bones Hooks: Horsebreaker, Trail Hand and Amarillo Community Builder

A top horse wrangler of the Panhandle, Hooks became one of Amarillo's most respected civic figures.

Who was Bones Hooks?

Matthew Bones Hooks was a Texas cowboy and horse breaker who later became a respected community leader in Amarillo. He was born on November 3, 1867, in Robertson County, Texas, the son of enslaved parents, and died in Amarillo on February 2, 1951. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum inducted him into its Hall of Great Westerners in 2021.

His life ran from the trail-driving era into the age of railroads and city life, and he is documented in each stage.

How did Bones Hooks become a cowboy?

According to the High Plains Public Radio profile, he began driving a meat wagon at about age seven, around 1874. At age nine he drove a chuck wagon for Denton County cattleman D. Steve Donald, and the Hall of Great Westerners page says this was for Donald's DSD brand.

He worked for Donald into adulthood, then joined J.R. Norris's ranch on the Pecos River and took part in many cattle drives. Both sources describe him as one of the first Black cowboys to work alongside white ranch hands.

Horsebreaking in Mobeetie and Clarendon

Hooks became a top horse breaker. He lived in Mobeetie before moving to Clarendon in 1886, and the Hall of Great Westerners says he stayed in and near Clarendon for about 23 years, known as a top horse wrangler. Public radio says he cowboyed in Clarendon until 1900. Sources differ on the end date.

He also helped found the first Black church in the Panhandle, according to the Hall of Great Westerners entry. The Hall adds that in 1910 he rode a mustang called Old Bob that others considered unrideable, at Pampa, for a $25 wager.

From the range to the railroad and Amarillo

Hooks moved to Amarillo. Public radio says he became a porter at an Amarillo hotel in 1900 and then worked 20 years as a Santa Fe Railroad porter from 1910. The Hall of Great Westerners gives the Santa Fe dates as May 1909 to April 1930 and says he moved to Amarillo around 1911. He retired from the railroad in 1930.

The museum's biographical note says he married Anna Crenshaw, who died in the early 1920s. They had no children. After retiring he turned to community betterment.

The Key to Hooks's Standing

Hooks held no large ranch, and the record does not describe business wealth. His standing came from skill, reliability and service, which won him seats in groups that rarely admitted Black members. The record also notes he was generous to the point of poverty.

  • He mastered a skill in demand: horse breaking and wrangling, at which he was reportedly among the best.
  • He worked in integrated crews at a time when that was uncommon, and became one of the first Black members of the XIT Association and the Pampa Old Settlers Association.
  • He built institutions, helping found the first Black church in the Panhandle and helping establish Amarillo's North Heights subdivision.
  • He served the community as the first Black man on the Potter County Grand Jury and as Range Boss of the Dogie Club for underprivileged Black children.
  • He honored the old-timers, sending single white flowers to the funerals of pioneers he knew. The radio profile says he sent over 500 flowers in his lifetime.
  • He was a charter member of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society.

The white flower tradition and the final years

The Hall of Great Westerners says he later sent single white flowers to notable living people, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Will Rogers and Winston Churchill. High Plains Public Radio adds that he sent one to each of the 48 nations at the 1945 United Nations conference in San Francisco.

Near the end of his life, friends set up a fund for his care because his generosity had left him penniless. He is buried in Llano Cemetery beside his wife Anna.

Legacy and honors

Bones Hooks Park in Amarillo, at North Hughes and Northwest 20th Avenue, bears his name. His induction into the Hall of Great Westerners in 2021 added a national honor. His story is part of a larger one about Black cowboys on the Texas range, a subject farm.FM's ranching section covers from several angles.

Visit or learn more

Visitors to Amarillo can see Bones Hooks Park, and readers can find a longer biography titled Bones Hooks: Pioneer Negro Cowboy in library catalogs. A farm.FM story about Bones Hooks and Black cowboys adds more reading.

Timeline

  1. 1867Born November 3 in Robertson County, Texas
  2. 1874Begins driving a meat wagon at about age seven
  3. 1876Drives a chuck wagon for D. Steve Donald at about age nine
  4. 1886Moves from Mobeetie to Clarendon
  5. 1900Works as a porter in Amarillo, according to public radio
  6. 1910Rides the mustang Old Bob in Pampa on a $25 wager
  7. 1930Retires from the Santa Fe Railway
  8. 1951Dies February 2 in Amarillo
  9. 2021Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners

Frequently asked questions

Who was Bones Hooks?

Matthew Bones Hooks (1867 to 1951) was a Black Texas cowboy, horse breaker and Amarillo civic leader, inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners in 2021.

Where is Bones Hooks Park?

It is in Amarillo, Texas, at North Hughes and Northwest 20th Avenue, and is named for Hooks.

What was Bones Hooks known for besides cowboying?

He was a Santa Fe Railway porter, a church founder, the first Black man on the Potter County Grand Jury and a sender of white flowers to pioneers' funerals.

Where is Bones Hooks buried?

He is buried in Llano Cemetery in Amarillo beside his wife Anna, who died in the early 1920s.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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