10/26/2026
On October 26, 1860, Frank "Pistol Pete" Eaton was born in Hartford, Connecticut. When Eaton was eight his family moved from Hartford to the town of Twin Mound in western Kansas. Later that year his father (an abolitionist) was killed by a group of ex-Confederate vigilantes. A family friend then provided him with his first pistol, and he quickly became a crack shot.
In an effort to further improve his marksmanship, at the age of 15 Eaton paid a visit to the US Army base at Fort Gibson. Although too young to join the ranks, he reportedly outshot all of the base’s best marksmen, and the fort’s commanding officer awarded him a marksmanship badge and gave him the nickname “Pistol Pete.”
In 1889 Eaton participated that year’s Oklahoma Land Run, claiming a plot of land near present-day Perkins. Here he served as sheriff and pursued a career as a blacksmith, becoming a beloved figure in the community who often regaled the locals with tales of his adventures. After he led the local Armistice Day Parade in 1923, students at Oklahoma State University (then Oklahoma A&M) asked Eaton if he would represent the school as its mascot, and he agreed.
Over the years, Eaton’s Pistol Pete persona became a beloved fixture of Oklahoma State Athletics events, and the first mascot head and costume appeared on the sidelines in 1958. Eaton passed away later that same year at the age of 97, leaving behind some remarkable stories of courage and resilience as well as an immortal mark on the area's history. Pistol Pete was named America’s Top Mascot in a 2010 ESPN poll, and continues to inspire generations of OSU fans to this day.
You can find more on the story of this Stillwater icon at https://tinyurl.com/VSPistolPete
