This Week in the West: Frank "Pistol Pete" Eaton

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 23: Frank “Pistol Pete” Eaton

📢 Episode Summary: This week on This Week in the West, we saddle up with the unforgettable tale of Frank “Pistol Pete” Eaton, the real-life cowboy behind one of college sports’ most iconic mascots. Known today for his likeness on the sidelines of Oklahoma State games, Eaton’s life was anything but a cartoon. Born into tragedy and raised with a mission of vengeance, Eaton’s early years were marked by loss, grit, and an unshakable sense of justice.

At just eight years old, Eaton witnessed the murder of his father by a gang of former Confederate vigilantes known as the Regulators. Vowing revenge, he trained for years to become one of the sharpest shooters in Indian Territory, earning the nickname “Pistol Pete” from a U.S. Army colonel after outshooting the fort’s best marksmen at age fifteen.

Eaton's pursuit of justice led him across the West, where he hunted down his father’s killers one by one, even engaging in a legendary shootout in Albuquerque with the help of famed lawman Pat Garrett. Once his mission was fulfilled, Eaton chose a new path as a U.S. Deputy Marshal and later a blacksmith and storyteller in Perkins, Oklahoma.

From feared gunman to beloved folk hero, Eaton's legacy continued to grow, eventually inspiring Oklahoma A&M’s transformation into the Cowboys and cementing his place in Western lore. Through books, parades, and the stories passed down, Pistol Pete lives on—not just as a mascot but as a symbol of grit, honor, and frontier justice.

 

🔍 What You’ll Learn:

• The tragic event that set Frank Eaton on a path of revenge—and ultimately legend
• How Eaton earned the nickname “Pistol Pete” and became a sharpshooting icon
• Why Oklahoma A&M students adopted Eaton’s likeness as their school’s mascot

👥 Behind the Scenes Host: Seth Spillman Producer: Chase Spivey Writer: Mike Koehler

🔗 Further research:

• The Frank Eaton Collection at Oklahoma State University: https://info.library.okstate.edu/frankeaton
• True West Magazine article on Frank Eaton: https://web.archive.org/web/20190417183225/https://truewestmagazine.com/frank-eaton-pistol-pete/
• “A Tribute to Pistol Pete:” https://news.okstate.edu/articles/communications/2008/a_tribute_to_pistol_pete.html

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