1955 LETTER: NATIONAL COWBOY HALL OF FAME dedication invitation, cover, reply

Description

This is a very nice piece of memorabilia from our Bill Maegerlein collection, which shows the esteem with which he was regarded by his industry peers. It was an historical event with Will Rogers, Junior as master of ceremonies.
About Bill Maegerlein
Surprisingly enough William "Bill" Maegerlein has remained largely unknown despite his association with the famous Essanay Studios in Chicago where he played bit roles and stunted in movies featuring the likes of Tom Mix and Ken Maynard and the big rodeos and wild west shows of the times. We have learned much from the large volume of photos and documents obtained from his Arkansas estate. In his own words from a letter written in 1978 he describes his colorful life and career: “I worked in pictures as a kid for Essanay Film Co. in Chicago, rode Wild West shows, owned one, rodeoed, had charge of a fleet of milk wagons in Chicago, wrangled dudes, had a ranch of my own...rodeoed again, worked pictures and I was the last man to double for Walter Brennan in his last picture shot at Winslow, Arkansas.” (The name of the movie was Smoke in the Wind.)
I have included a 1920 clipping from a Chicago newspaper which has a picture of Maegerlein and his horse.