Born in Victoria County to slave parents, D.W. "80 John" Wallace became a cowboy at 15 and rode from Old Mexico to Kansas. In 1877 he came to this county riding for Clay Mann, whose "80" brand gave Wallace the name he carried for the rest of his life. On Mann's advice, he bought land and, after age 25 and standing 6' 3" tall, went back to school. He left Mann's to start his own ranch in 1891 and eventually built up fine cattle and crops on 12½ sections of land. Oil was also found on his property. Up to age 74, he still rode bucking horses. He married Laura Owen, and 3 of their 4 children became teachers. His strong interest in education led to a school being named for him.