Harper Co. OKGenWeb
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Harper Co. OKGenWeb |
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J. O. "Jimmy Few Clothes" SELMANSeveral years ago, I had the pleasure of working with a lady who told me the story of "Jimmy Few Clothes" SELMAN, a man who expemplifies the "Rags to Riches" story. I'd heard of J. O. SELMAN as a kid, but didn't realize who he was til I heard the story below. If you know more of Mr. SELMAN's life story, please contact me.J. O. SELMAN came to what is now Harper Co. from Throckmorton Co. TX in the early 1890s when he was about 12 or 13 years old. Apparently he'd joined up with a cattle drive in one of the Texas cow-towns. When the hands returned to what would become Harper Co. Oklahoma, J.O. Selman signed on with the Bar Z ranch as a horse wrangler and picked up the name "Jimmy Few Clothes" since he had only the clothes he was wearing; when the owner of the Bar Z asked SELMAN how much he wanted to be paid, SELMAN said "board and a few clothes"; the handle stuck. SELMAN was a quick learner. In fewer than 10 years, SELMAN owned the Bar Z, and by 1930, SELMAN was worth roughly 1/3 of a million dollars. J. O. SELMAN died September 19, 1955 at the age of 78 years, and is buried at Woodward, Woodward Co., OK in the Elmwood Cemetery. The town of Selman was named after him because he donated the land for the townsite. see April 30, 1925 news article
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