"Terror Trail" (or "Ron and Pat Ride Again"), in Search of the Tom Mix Homestead

Tom Mix, dubbed the "King of Cowboys" when John Wayne was still in short pants, was born in Mix Run, Cameron County, Pennsylvania. The family moved to nearby Driftwood for four years, and then to DuBois, when his father was hired as stablemaster and chauffer for lumber baron John E. DuBois. Mix Run is less than an hour from Parker Dam, and, knowing my cowboy-movie addicted hubby would love to visit his birthplace, I duly "googled" directions to the Tom Mix Birthplace Park before we left home. Had we continued to follow those directions, we would STILL be wandering the wilds, or at the bottom of a cliff.

Our travels took us through the village of Driftwood, where a Civil War Monument stood, honoring the men of Cameron County who died in the war. Route 120 (the CCC Memorial Highway) took us off road to Sterling Run Road where, after 30 minutes on a narrow, bumpy path in search of a road sign, we pulled over at a turnaround for a tailgate lunch and map check. Ron suddenly shouted, "Holy $%!#, get off the truck!" and jumped in the driver's seat, spraying gravel as he peeled out. He'd spotted a dead tree perilously perched on an overhanging cliff which threatened to topple onto our vehicle. If I hadn't moved quickly, I'd have bounced right off the tailgate onto my butt! (Tells you what's important to him!) We did finally find the sign we were looking for, but it had different road names on either side! I determined we had entered the twilight zone, and decided to go back to the main road -- if it was still there.

It was, and when the first thing we saw was the Sterling Run Tavern, hubby decided a beer sounded good. The Sterling Run Tavern is one of those small, local roadside establishments where everyone knows your name. I'd call this a "beer joint," but that would be an injustice -- the Sterling has a wide selection of imported beers and a fascinating collection of beer steins from around the world.

The owner, Bud, was just opening up, the stools still stacked on the bar, but he welcomed us in for a brew, actually carrying a pretty decent non-alcoholic brand. As often happens when we travel, we run into "neighbors." Bud was originally from South Jersey, a hop, skip and jump from Philly. We chatted about the area, learned he was a Vietnam vet, and that an elk had recently attacked his wood splitter, apparently mistaking the brown-tarp-covered machine for another bull.

Accustomed to "lost dogies" in search of the Mix Homestead, he chuckled that we were not the first to wander in with these directions. He gave us much simpler instructions, which got us there in 20 minutes. Not that the bumpy, winding, one-lane mountain path high above the Sinnemahoning Creek was any less precarious a ride. Looking down the steep embankment made me queasy and I don't think I'd like to be there after dark. I saw no signs to the homestead, and we were ready to call it quits when I caught sight of the state historical marker down the hill and across the railroad tracks that wound around the mountain.

There are no original buildings at the Tom Mix homestead, and the museum is closed down. A well, a bench, the remains of an old walkway and a root cellar (what remains of the house which appears to have burned down), are all that's left. The owners added the "Tom Mix Jail" as a tourist attraction. There's also the Tom Mix Outhouse, not original, but still listed on "Roadside America," an "online guide to offbeat tourist attractions."

You'd have to be an "offbeat" kind of person to want to track down this site, or own it. Owners Ray and Eva Flaugh sold square inches of the property for $10 to finance a monument to Mix. In 1986, Ronald Reagan bought ten square inches, and the Flaughs distributed copies of his $100 check to museum visitors. (Just what a millionaire wants -- the general public having his bank routing number!) Over Reagan's plot, they put a sign reading, "The President Of The United States Owns This Lot," but we couldn't find it.

Sadly, it appears that this site and any original aspects may disappear altogether as his fans age and die out. The Tom Mix Birthplace Park was sold in 2008, and Ray Flaugh died in 2009. The Tom Mix Roundups and Festivals held at the homestead and in Dubois ended several years ago. Someone appears to be working on a building at the site, and they're not taking much care. Lumber sat atop the well, trash lay around, and it was just a mess. What a shame. ( See Slideshow of Tom Mix Birthplace Park here.)

After taking the requisite touristy pictures, we returned to our rustic cabin, where ribs were simmering in the crock pot, homemade macaroni salad was chilling, and the aroma of apple cobbler bubbling in the oven soon wafted through our humble abode. (To be continued.)

Ch. 1; Ch. 2; Ch. 3; Ch. 4; Ch. 6; Ch. 7; Sources: Personal Experience; Roadside America; VisitPa.com; References: Sterling Run Tavern; For More on Tom Mix: Pabook.libraries