James M. Riley aka Gold Tooth Charlie/Doc Middleton 1851-1913

Perhaps no one captures the Wild West’s spirit and yet slips by with such little notice in the history books as Doc Middleton. In a time and place where every man was law unto himself, Doc Middleton carved out his legend by traveling light and fast. Both personable and charismatic, Doc led his gang known as the Pony Boys and quickly became branded as the luckiest outlaw with Robin Hood like qualities. Never one to cross his fellow pioneer, Doc not only survived in the unsettled rough country of Northern Nebraska, he thrived, mostly through his brave and courageous foresight. The mystery of his real name stands just as long as the mid-day sun, some believe it came from the ability to heal a horse, others think it was born out of the way he could doctor up a stolen horse’s brand. No matter the origin, Middleton was known to be cultured in both mind and appearance, thus distinguishing himself from the average frontier desperado. Doc, with his golden front tooth, was quite popular with the ladies, a good dancer and could play a mean fiddle. The social events he attended no doubt lead to certain freedoms while being chased, finding both protection and shelter amongst his loyal friends while on the run. While Doc was sure to be gone by day break, he quite often left behind a gold coin or a prized horse for his troubles. Between those friendships and the rough terrain of the Nebraskan Niobrara River area, Doc proved to be one savvy and uncatchable horse thief.

Written history leads us to believe that Doc and his gang stole an estimated two thousand horses from the Native American Sioux. Newspaper reporters also wrote him up as "The Curse of the Stockmen", for Doc not only carried out daring raids against the Native American Indians, but also the large cattle ranchers and the much hated US Government's Union Pacific Railroad. However, by the spring of 1879 Doc's legend had grown faster than his deeds and several Union Pacific detectives, including Whispering Smith, were sent out to capture the outlaws and tame what was now known as Doc Middleton Country. Several failed attempts to assassinate him and his partners took place, but by late July his two thousand dollar bounty caught up to him. In a wild and desperate shoot out Doc was shot and wounded in the abdomen and eventually taken into custody. Days later he was taken to Cheyenne, Wyoming where he eventually plead guilty and was sentenced to five years in the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln. Doc figured that five years in prison would be like ten years out on the free prairie, but that he would take it philosophically in stride. Three years and nine months later he was released on good behavior, whence the warden reportedly took his own money and bought Middleton proper clothes, boots and a one way ticket to Pueblo Colorado. Doc eventually made his way back to Nebraska, but by then, the once easy money of horse thieving had all but dried up, for law and order had followed the railways West and Doc Middleton country was no more an unsettled lawless territory.

In 1885, at age thirty three, Doc married his third wife and started a family by settling down in Gordon Nebraska, breaking horses and running saloons. Amazingly, after all of his experiences he became a deputy sheriff and eventually found himself performing in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. By 1890 Doc was furnishing US soldiers and high ranking officials bootleg liquor by stuffing an empty cavity of a chicken with a pint of whiskey and selling out an entire wagon load in one day. However, this lucrative business soon collapsed after the tragic Battle of Wounded Knee, thus leading him back into running gambling saloons. A few years later Doc moved his family to Chadron, Nebraska and soon found himself participating in the first ever thousand mile cross country horse race. The fifteen hundred dollar prize was large enough to bring out such colorful characters as Cockeyed Bill, Dynamite Jack, Rattlesnake Pete, Snake Creek Tom and of course the overall favorite to win, Doc Middleton. Despite protests from humanitarian groups, major sponsors flocked to participate, Colt Firearms Company put up an ivory handled pistol with a gold plated cylinder, Montgomery Ward of Chicago an embroidered saddle and Doc himself received a Lowenthal blanket, hand printed Stetson hat and a silver-plated bridle. On June 13, 1893, Doc Middleton, now age forty three and the second oldest racer in the field, left Chadron, Nebraska with his two Western bred horses, Geronimo and Bay Jimmie and tirelessly raced some eight hundred and fifty miles to the World’s Fair Expo in Chicago, Illinois. Averaging close to sixty miles a day, Doc eventually was able to reach the Chicago finish line some two weeks later. However, he did not win like most had predicted. Soon after, his plans for a Middleton Wild West Show never materialized and he found himself back in Chadron, Nebraska.

By 1913 Doc and his family had moved to Douglas, Wyoming, here once again on the fringe of the law he owned what was known then as a "blind pig" gambling saloon. One day a knife fight broke out inside his illegal establishment between two gamblers. Unable to cover the two hundred dollar fine for operating without a license, he was taken into custody and placed in jail, about a week later he fell ill and was moved to the pest house. On December 27, 1913 after a weeks’ worth of pneumonia, James M. Riley aka Doc Middleton took his last desperado breathe. Doc Middleton's story represents a period of American history when great change was taking place and mankind chased their dreams on horseback with bravery, hard work and the spirit of adventure. Great opportunity came to those strong enough to pursue their dreams despite the difficulties of the unsettled western frontier. The chase was on between modern progress and the new era and Doc was one of the last representatives of the resistance to those changes sweeping across the plains. Having lived a full and exciting life as one of the most colorful characters to ever grace the American Wild West, we now celebrate Doc's life and legend through this bronze sculpture.