Tom Mix, a popular and enduring star of early western films, was famous for trick riding, stunts, and flashy clothes. He started his career with Selig-Polyscope, was taken over by William Fox in 1917, was picked up by FBO (a precursor to RKO) in 1928, and made the jump to "talkies" with Universal in the 1930s. Mix, managing his own films under Fox, acquired a parcel of land just north of Edendale's main strip, and built a western set there that became known as Mixville. In her memoir "The Fabulous Tom Mix", his wife recalls Mixville: