Three Hundred ThirtyThird in the Famous People (FP) Series - Frank T. Hopkins
Frank Hopkins (1865 – 1951) was a cowboy from the United States. He was known by his stories about his own exploits and was also recognized by his contemporaries as both an accomplished distance rider and an activist for the preservation of the Mustang.
Hopkins made a number of disputed claims, including claims of being a famous endurance horse racer who won over 400 races, and his involvement in a legendary 3,000 mile horse race which, supposedly, took place in Arabia in 1890. This story was adapted into the 2004 film Hidalgo starring Viggo Mortensen. However, some argue that most of Hopkins' claims as depicted in the film, including the existence of any such race in the first place, are 'tall tales' or hoaxes.
In 2006, John Fusco, the screenwriter of Hidalgo, responded to the disputed items. He admitted that he took parts of Hopkins' 1891 desert memories and "heightened the 'Based On' story to create an entertaining theatrical film" but asserts that the story of the man and his horse are true. Fusco offers quotes from those who knew Hopkins along with information found in old texts to verify his story.
According to the film, the descendants of the horse Hidalgo, for which the movie was named, live among the Gilbert Jones herd of Spanish Mustangs on Blackjack Mountain in Oklahoma.
Center Point Cemetery is a small plot of land situated next to Interstate Highway 30. There is also a granite monument recognizing the original settlers of Hopkins County. The cache placed is a waterproof matchstick container. Oh yeah, in case you are wondering, Frank T. Hopkins had nothing to do with settling Hopkins County unless he's the one telling the story.
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