Rex Allen, The Last Singing Cowboy

Rex Allen was born in Willcox in nineteen twenty and grew up on a small homestead in the Sulphur Springs Valley, learning to rope before he could properly read. He became a radio performer in Chicago and then a Hollywood star in a string of B-westerns for Republic Pictures in the nineteen fifties, earning the title "Arizona Cowboy" and the distinction of being the last singing cowboy to emerge from that golden era. Allen later became the iconic voice of Walt Disney nature documentaries, narrating many films including "Bristle Face" and "Charlie the Lonesome Cougar."

The Rex Allen Arizona Cowboy Museum in downtown Willcox opened in nineteen eighty-nine and displays his costumes, guitars, and film memorabilia. Across the street, in Railroad Park, a bronze statue of Allen stands near the resting place of his horse, Koko.