Montford Thomas Johnson (November 1843 – February 17, 1896) was Chickasaw and a cattleman who lived in Indian Territory, what is now the present-day state of Oklahoma. Johnson was a well-known and respected entrepreneur, noted for his successful ranching operation that spanned a large area of central Oklahoma, including parts of what would eventually become Oklahoma City. Family Background Montford Johnson's father, Charles "Boggy" Johnson, was an English Shakespearean actor. Charles Johnson came to the United States with his brother when he was 19 years old and traveled in the South with a theater production... Charles Johnson married Chickasaw citizen Rebekah Courtney Johnson, Montford's mother. She was half Chickasaw and half Scottish. After marrying, Rebekah and Charles migrated with the Chickasaws to Indian Territory during the Chickasaw Removal.... Charles received his nickname, "Boggy," while on the [Removal trail]. After crossing the [Mississippi River], the Chickasaws found themselves mired in the marshes and swamps of Arkansas. Charles, using a technique learned while growing up in England, organized men into groups to cut down saplings and lay them along the route, thereby allowing the livestock and wagons to pass through the quagmires. By assisting them with getting through this boggy country, Chickasaws gave Charles the name "Boggy." Once in Indian Territory, Boggy and Rebekah built their home north of Tishomingo, near present-day Connerville, Oklahoma Early life Montford was born in November 1843, about two years after his older sister, Adelaide. A few months after he was born, his mother became ill with pneumonia and died. Boggy, distraught by his wife's passing, decided to take the children and return east. As it was customary for Chickasaw families to take in motherless children and raise them as their own, Boggy's Chickasaw in-laws insisted on raising the children. Boggy left without Adelaide and Montford, leaving them in the care of their grandmother, Sallie Tarntubby. Montford grew up with his grandmother's family, learning Chickasaw traditions and how to take care of livestock. Montford and Adelaide both attended school, Adelaide at Bloomfield Academy and Montford at Chickasaw Manual Labor Academy. There, Montford learned farming techniques necessary to yield successful crops. Montford and Adelaide lived under the care of their grandmother Sallie until her death in 1858. At the end of that school year, they moved to the home of their next nearest relative, Sallie's half-brother, U.S. Army Captain Townsend Hothliche. He was stationed at Fort Arbuckle, and