from Oklahoma Territory. E.B. gathered some men and began herding his cattle back into the Chickasaw Nation. During this cattle drive, the herd and several of E.B.'s men were captured by a group of soldiers and were to be taken to Fort Reno. E.B. caught up to the herd and forced the soldiers to retreat. After a while, a large group of cavalry placed the entire group under arrest. E.B. and his men were taken to the fort, where he discussed the issue with fort authorities. They decided the soldiers had acted on contradictory orders. E.B. was able to gather the herd and they departed, making it to Chickasaw Nation lands the morning of April 22, just hours before the rush was to begin Late life With the land run, as well as the new barbed wire fencing-in of the prairie, Montford and the family had defined areas of land they controlled. Despite these major changes, they continued the business as usual. The dramatic increase in population also meant towns were growing. Montford, along with friends and family, soon became founders of several banks in Chickasha and Minco, Oklahoma Montford remained primarily interested in ranching and continued to seek new lands to graze his livestock. He established a lease agreement with the Kiowa, Comanche and Wichita tribes. The lease proved to be a difficult agreement. Inconsistent positions of the federal government concerning leasing of Indian lands as well as cattle rustling made the lease a failed venture. After two years of trying to succeed on the lands amid legal battles and significant livestock losses, Montford consolidated his herd back to his ranches that were clearly inside the Chickasaw Nation. Montford attempted to recover his losses from the federal government, but never received compensation In November 1893, the Dawes Commission was formally established, with the intent of allotting the Chickasaw Nation lands into holdings owned by individual Chickasaws. Montford considered the commission to be a treachery, especially after their apparent stonewalling over his losses in the leased district. Most distressing was the fact the commission's proposals forbade Chickasaws from purchasing more land than was allotted, though white settlers were not restricted from purchasing as much land as they pleased. Despite much protest from the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations, the Commission persisted. Legacy In April 2020, Montford was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage