Jun 30, 2023 - Things to Do

One-eyed Rooster noted at U.S. Marshals Museum

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John Wayne on the set of "True Grit." Photo: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

Perhaps the most famous fictional U.S. marshal is referenced in the museum "several" times, Ben Johnson, president and CEO of the museum, told Axios.

Quick take: The hard-drinking, ill-tempered Marshal Rooster Cogburn was the creation of Arkansas writer Charles Portis, appearing in his most famous novel, "True Grit."

The story is set in 1878, when 14-year-old Mattie Ross tails her father's killer from Dardanelle to Fort Smith, where she then enlists the one-eyed Cogburn to track down the man.

Of note: John Wayne played Cogburn in the 1969 film adaptation of "True Grit" and won the 1970 Oscar for leading actor.

One of Wayne's parade saddles, currently displayed at the museum, is on loan from Johnelle Hunt, Johnson told us.

The intrigue: In the film, snow-capped mountains can be seen behind Wayne and actress Kim Darby as they begin their journey, a bit of creative license by filmmakers of the day.

Go deeper: A preview of the U.S. Marshals Museum

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One-eyed Rooster noted at U.S. Marshals Museum

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