Meet the Man Who Created His Personal Westworld (Minus All of the Intercourse With Robots)

Forty miles from Tucson, Arizona simply exterior of the Tohono O’odham Nation Reservation, there may be what seems at first look to be an Outdated West ghost city. 

All the weather are there: a darkish saloon, a chapel, a cobbled-together “library.” What you gained’t see at first look is a working ranch constructed to meet one man’s imaginative and prescient of the West as a bastion of onerous work and equality. 

Ed Keeylocko constructed Cowtown Keeylocko within the mid Sixties (now nicely into his eighties, he doesn’t keep in mind precisely when) and has been working the place since then, elevating cattle and giving those that come via a glimpse into his life as an African-American cowboy. 

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Once I first visited Cowtown Keeylocko, I used to be unimpressed. I used to be additionally 10 years outdated and, as with the true Wild West, there’s not a lot for a 10-year-old lady to do at Cowtown Keeylocko. 

Then, as quickly because the household automobile turned onto the empty, desert street that led to city, I might metal myself for the uncomfortably scorching and dusty hours forward. 

Keeylocko, as we referred to as it, is nothing like historic Tombstone, Arizona. You gained’t discover gunfights right here, staged or in any other case. You’ll, nonetheless, run the danger of stumbling over a stray instrument and touchdown on a rusty nail or getting in the way in which of a horned cow, which affords its personal sort of authenticity. 

Throughout the years I lived in Arizona and visited Keeylocko’s city, I by no means understood the enchantment of the dirt-floored Blue Canine Saloon or the freely roaming cattle, a bar and livestock being the first pillars of the city. 

Monica Burton

However when HBO’s Westworld introduced its personal imaginative and prescient of Outdated West fantasy, I used to be reminded of Keeylocko and I needed to ask why he determined to reside like a cowboy in his very personal Wild West city.

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MEN’S HEALTH: What impressed you to construct your individual city within the Sonoran Desert?

ED KEEYLOCKO: Nicely, no person would purchase my cows. Folks wouldn’t purchase my cows. For a very long time they didn’t know that I used to be a black individual as a result of I by no means spoke to them, by no means mentioned something to them. 

So sooner or later at public sale, the bidding was excessive and once they came upon that these had been my cows, the bidding went off. No person needed to bid on them. And I mentioned to them, nicely, I’ll take my cows again. My cows by no means complained in regards to the shade of my pores and skin, so I’ll take them again. 

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Two good outdated boys, I don’t know the place they had been from, they mentioned “Nicely, you oughta promote that mustang you had” and I mentioned to that, “you may’t promote animals on auctioneers’ property as a result of you must undergo the public sale.” 

I used to be taking part in by the foundations, you see. So that they mentioned, “Why don’t you construct your individual city, then you definitely gained’t have to fret about nothin’?” 

I mentioned okay. Alright, I’ll do this. In order that’s what I completed. 

What was it in regards to the cowboy way of life that drew you to it initially?

Of us by no means realized that there have been things like black cowboys. They didn’t know that, as a result of they thought that John Wayne was the apple of America’s apple pie, and so they didn’t know that there was no white cowboys a very long time in the past. All of them had been black. 

That’s why it’s referred to as cow-boys. You didn’t name a Spanish aristocrat “boy.” You didn’t name an English gentleman “boy.” And is who you name “boy.” In order that’s the place the identify happened. 

When the fictional West got here alongside, they simply wrote the black out like he didn’t exist, so individuals consider that we by no means existed. They nonetheless are available right here in search of me and say “We’re in search of Edward Keeylocko.” And I’ll level to a white individual and say “I don’t know, ask that individual over there.” 

They nonetheless wrestle with the truth that a black individual is able to doing one thing with out the assistance of anyone. 

What does it imply to you to be a cowboy?

The true cowboy, he was a Westerner. A real Westerner by no means bragged about something. A real Westerner didn’t rent an individual based mostly on the colour of his pores and skin. He employed an individual based mostly on what he may do in his stirrups, together with his ropes, and what he may do within the saddle. 

That’s what he employed him on, his capability to do this stuff, and if he may sit in his saddle 30 hours herding cattle someplace, that’s the sort of man that he would need. He didn’t need an individual complaining about one thing. 

Western individuals don’t complain. If there’s a job to be completed, it’s completed. You do it regardless of how tough it’s. We are saying the tough you do instantly, the unimaginable takes a bit of bit longer. 

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So working as a cowboy was a manner so that you can obtain equality? 

That’s proper. That’s precisely proper. And right here’s what introduced me again to Arizona. As a younger man, I had been taught don’t go into locations the place they are saying, “We don’t serve negroes.”

After we had been at Fort Huachuca, I believe it was the winter of ’51, and a few of the guys in an all black outfit had been speaking about taking place to a bar in Tombstone, Arizona. I say I don’t need to go to no bar. I’m pondering I don’t need to hear them say, “We don’t serve negroes right here.” 

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I had heard all that stuff for thus lengthy, and I didn’t need to hear it. However anyway, we go on to Tombstone and we go into this one bar and the man appears to be like at us and he says, “What can I show you how to fellas with?” 

I used to be shocked. I didn’t even know what to say to that, and the remainder of them didn’t pay it no thoughts. However that stayed with me all of the years within the army. I remembered how Arizona was. 

Now, it’s modified now, since you obtained a variety of Japanese of us that come right here. They carry their racist pondering with them. However Arizona wasn’t the way in which the remainder of the West was. 

What was your first job within the cowboy enterprise after leaving the army?

Folks obtained beliefs, and I had beliefs. I needed to un-domesticate domesticated cows. Man took horns away, made him polled—which means he had no horns. 

He wouldn’t battle: A rooster would scare him, and metropolis cowboys, they may harm him. So I used to be breeding the horns again on cows, and that’s what I’ve been doing for a very long time as a result of I used to be beneath the impression that horns had been put there for a cause. Nature put them there for a cause—for protection and to battle. 

So I bred the horns again on them, and so they had been aggressive. You don’t must kill all of the wolves, the mountain lions to guard this domesticated cow. That’s been my mission for a very long time, and to create a brand new breed of horses. 

What does a typical day appear to be for you?

We work from can see to can’t see. That’s after we work. The path boss is gone now, and there’s no person round however me and one ranch hand. 

The solar will get hung up mighty early round right here, even earlier than the roosters crow. They’re nonetheless sleeping, however we’re up. 

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What number of animals do you might have on the market now? 

I don’t suppose there’s many on the market proper now. There’s about 32 horses I believe, 32 or 34. May very well be 60 head of cattle. I’ve obtained 70 pigs. 

They haven’t any hormones. We don’t feed them contraception capsules. We don’t feed them something to make them achieve weight. We don’t do this.

We feed them what’s on the vary and the feed that we feed them is chemical-free. These are the issues we do. 

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How huge is Cowtown Keeylocko?

The city sits on 160 acres, but it surely’s 5,000 acres out right here that I exploit and no person says something. Metropolis people who come round, they’re afraid of the cows, they’re afraid of something. 

Now, right here’s the factor that you must keep in mind about a spot like this. You’re the curator for every part that lives, breathes on that vary. Something that strikes, yells, swims, hunts. You’re the curator. Meaning birds, bees, skunks. There are beehives on my vary, however when there aren’t any blooms and there’s no flowers blooming, they get hungry. 

So now we have to carry sugar water to feed them. You’re the caretaker for every part on that vary it doesn’t matter what it’s. If it’s a skunk, if it’s a snake, no matter it’s, that’s your job. 

How have you ever been in a position to sustain with the city for thus a few years?

It’s one thing that you must be doing it or pondering the way you’re going to do 85 issues repeatedly. It’s a must to be pondering of what you’ve obtained to do on a regular basis. It’s a must to breathe, sleep, eat, and dream it. However that’s simply the way in which it’s. 

Of us requested me that final evening. They mentioned, “You don’t appear to be you’re 84 years outdated.” I mentioned, “Nicely I can’t run no marathon.” 

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However I used to be all these girls and I mentioned, “I nonetheless see fairly girls, I’ll let you know that.” And I mentioned, “They in all probability may outrun me.” So I requested them, I mentioned, “You’re going to must let me catch you ‘trigger I can’t run actual quick.”

What’s in retailer for the way forward for Cowtown Keeylocko?

This city, it, the city appears to be like like a ghost city, however we’re going to construct it again prefer it was. 

We’re going to make it, nicely I’m not quoting Mr. Trump, however we’re going to make it nice once more. 

When’s that going to occur?

I hope within the subsequent 12 months we’ll have all of it again.

After which the very last thing I’ll do is I’ll drive 300 head of cattle from Cowtown Keeylocko all the way in which to Douglas, Arizona, as a result of I need to show to the world that we’re creating most cancers by pinning these animals up, feeding them unregulated feed, and that will get handed on to the final inhabitants and that creates most cancers cells within the physique and folks die. 

You all the time must have a plan someplace. Should you’re pondering of one thing that possibly hasn’t been completed, why not strive it? Should you don’t do it , you’ll come again and take a look at it once more.