Friday, March 27, 2015

How Many Ways Can You Say Cowboy


By Alison Bruce

The cowboy tradition has its roots in Spain and their methods of cattle herding. But not all its roots and the branches have spread far and wide.

Spanish North America included California and Florida as well as Mexico and Texas.

California, cut off from the rest of the United States by the Rockies, developed its own vaquero tradition shaped by geography. Vaqueros, or buckaroos, were considered highly skilled workers. They tended to stay with one ranch and raised families.


The Texas tradition was influenced by the cattle drovers of the southern states and was shaped by the effects of the Civil War. Cowboys tended to by bachelor migrants, working the season with one ranch, then moving on. Geography played its part too. Where the Californians could graze smaller areas because of the abundance of fodder, south western cowboys had to let their cattle range far and wide, constantly moving to find food and water.

Long before the golden age of the American west, the vaquero tradition was being adapted in Hawaii.
"By 1832, Parker contracted Mexican vaqueros, expert horsemen with plenty of cattle experience. They arrived with boots and saddles, a new language and a new lifestyle for the island. Called “paniolo” by Hawaiians, the skilled cowboys trained local men to rope and ride a generation before their American counterparts in the “Wild West.” Wikipedia

"Remington's Cracker Cowboy"
Meanwhile in Florida, the Spanish cattle had gone wild. In the late 19th Century into the 20th Century, Cracker Cowboys or cow hunters were rounding them up and developing their own traditions. Instead using a lariat, they controlled their cattle with herding dogs and whips. Since they didn't lasso, they didn't need the high pommel that is so distinctive on a western saddle.

"Gaucho1868b" by Courret Hermanos
In South America, Gauchos herd cattle year round, seeking water and fodder in the extreme conditions of the pampas. Their traditional costume looks quite different from their northern brethren, but the boots, chaps, bandana and hat are functionally similar.

A cowboy, by any other name.

Alison Bruce has had many careers and writing has always been one of them. Alison is the author of mystery, suspense and historical western romance novels. She is also a self-confessed logophile (word-lover) and research junkie.


Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Welcome Becky Lower to Cowboy Kisses #guestblogger@cowboykisses


I’m so pleased to be on Cowboy Kisses today. Although I’ve been writing American historicals for several years, they’ve mostly been set in New York in the 1850s. My seventh book in the Cotillion Ball Series, Expressly Yours, Samantha, takes place in Missouri and Kansas as the Pony Express was coming into existence. So, for the first time, I have a horse on the cover of my book, and can actually classify it as a western romance.
I learned an awful lot about the Pony Express while researching the book. 

Most people don’t realize that one of the most heralded chapters in American history was only in existence for eighteen months. It opened to business in April, 1860 and was surpassed by the telegraph in October, 1861, when the Pony Express folded.

American ingenuity was responsible for the Pony Express coming into existence in the first place. The US government wanted a northern route for correspondence to flow between the nation’s capital and California, in the event of a war between the North and the South. The government wanted to put wealthy California into the Union column.
Pony Express Relay Station Preserved

William Russell was the mastermind of the Pony Express. In a matter of sixty-seven short days, he cobbled together a route running through Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California, consisting of seven different divisions. Each division employed a host of small, scrappy men with nerves of steel who knew the countryside they were riding through. Their shift was roughly eighty miles at a full gallop, changing horses at strategically-placed relay stations set along the route at approximately ten-mile increments, the length of endurance for a horse. While I was doing my research trip, I took a picture of one of the relay stations, which is still standing today.


After a long day or night in the saddle, the rider would reach a home station where a new rider would take the mochila, a locked pouch filled with government documents and other mail and continue on the journey. Most of the horses used were wild mustangs, as tough as the territory they’d be crossing.
Smith Hotel
The Pony Express trail followed the same path that the wagon trains had been carving out for years, starting in St. Joseph, MO. The Patee House was the headquarters for the Pony Express, and today it is still in existence. It’s on the Historic Registry and houses a museum about the Pony Express. The first home station after Patee House was the Smith Hotel in Seneca, KS.

Because the trail was so well used, it was relatively easy for the riders to follow by day or night. Of course, there were herds of bison to block the way, or Indian war parties, so the Express riders had to be vigilant. The important thing was to get the mail through in ten days or less from coast to coast.

Telegraph lines were being set up along this same route as well, and once there was a more efficient method to keep California in touch with the East Coast, the Pony Express became a romantic memory in American lore.

BLURB:

Samantha Hughes needs to get away from her wicked uncle, and, following 
her aunt’s death, she has one day to escape. A sign in the post office 
offers an avenue out. She can cut her hair, pose as a man, and become 
Sam Hughes, a Pony Express rider.

Valerian Fitzpatrick has defied his parents and stayed in St. Louis for 
the past year. He doesn't want the weight of responsibility his brothers 
have in the family business. All he wants to do is ride horses, and, 
fortunately, the Pony Express is starting up and looking for wiry young 
fellows.

When Sam Hughes helps Valerian control a runaway horse, Joseph, 
Valerian’s brother-in-law, tells him their meeting was destiny. Over the 
weeks and months that follow, Sam and Val work side by side on the 
exciting Pony Express. Val assumes Sam is on the run from the law, and 
helps shield his buddy from the Pinkerton agents. He thinks this must be 
the destiny Joseph talked about. Although Samantha harbors feelings for 
Val, he has no idea she’s a woman. Until she suffers a stray gunshot 
wound and he has to undress her to staunch the wound.

Friendship turns into attraction and maybe even love. When her uncle 
tracks her down, she is forced to run yet again. She realizes the danger 
she’s put Valerian into, having him try to shield her from her uncle, 
and leaves him behind with a note to not track her down. Will he be able 
to find her, or is he relieved to not have any responsibility again? 

 AUTHOR BIO:

Amazon best-selling author Becky Lower has traveled the country looking 
for great settings for her novels. She loves to write about two people 
finding each other and falling in love, amid the backdrop of a great 
setting, be it on a covered wagon headed west or in present day small 
town America. Historical and contemporary romances are her specialty. 
Becky is a PAN member of RWA and is a member of the Historic and 
Contemporary RWA chapters. She has a degree in English and Journalism 
from Bowling Green State University, and lives in an eclectic college 
town in Ohio with her puppy-mill rescue dog, Mary. She loves to hear 
from her readers at beckylowerauthor@gmail.com. Visit her website at 
www.beckylowerauthor.com


Monday, March 23, 2015

DUST BOWL'S DIRTY THIRTIES



Probably you’re all familiar with the novels John Steinbeck wrote OF MICE AND MEN (1937) and THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1939) about migrant workers and farm families displaced by the Dust Bowl. Those novels were also made into movies. Steinbeck borrowed from the field notes taken from Farm Security Administration worker and author Sandor Babb. Babb's own novel about the lives of the migrant workers, WHOSE NAMES ARE UNKNOWN, was eclipsed and shelved in response to the success of Steinbeck's works but was finally published in 2004.

Migrants leaving the Plains states took their music with them. Oklahoma migrants, in particular, were rural Southwesterners who carried their traditional country music to California. Today in the area in which many of my relatives settled, the "Bakersfield Sound" describes this blend which developed after the migrants brought country music to the city. In addition to folk singer Woody Guthrie, those artists include Merle Haggard and Buck Owens as well as many others. Their sound inspired a nation. Even one of my favorite composers, Aaron Copeland, wrote an opera called "The Tenderland" about the Dust Bowl.

Oklahoman Woody Guthrie in 1943
Perhaps you’ve seen Ken Burns’ movie about the Dust Bowl. This crisis was documented by photographers, musicians, and authors, many hired during the Great Depression by the federal government. For instance, the Farm Security Administration hired numerous photographers to document the crisis.  

Artists such as Dorothea Lange were aided by having salaried work during the Depression. She captured what have become classic images of the dust storms and migrant families. Among her most well-known photographs is Destitute Pea Pickers in California. Mother of Seven Children, which depicted a gaunt-looking woman, Florence Owens Thompson, holding three of her children.

 
Francis Owens Thompson and three of
her seven children as photographed in 1935
by Dorothea Lange
This iconic photo above expressed the struggles of people caught by the Dust Bowl and raised awareness in other parts of the country of its reach and human cost. Decades later, Thompson supposedly disliked circulation of the photo and resented the fact she did not receive any money from its broadcast. Thompson felt it gave her the perception as a Dust Bowl "Okie."

As mentioned above, my family was touched by the Dust Bowl. Relatives packed up and headed for California—many settling in or near Bakersfield. And these were not just farmers. A third of those displaced were white collar workers. My mom’s uncle owned grocery stores and another uncle a car dealership. The uncle who sold groceries extended credit to down-on-their-luck farmers and others. When the destitute left town, they left their bills unpaid. The formerly well-to-do grocer became the church janitor for a period before he left for California. Somehow, the car dealership owner managed to hold on and remained in Oklahoma. 

My husband’s father met with a similar fate in Texas. He owned a gas station and extended credit. When his customers couldn’t pay, he went bankrupt. He went from business owner to digging ditches and harvesting peanuts by hand until he could find better work. He moved only forty miles to Lubbock to find a better life, but others were not so lucky.

The Dust Bowl, also known as the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the US and Canadian prairies during the 1930s; severe drought and a failure to apply dryland farming methods to prevent wind erosion (the Aeolian processes) caused the phenomenon. The drought came in three waves, 1934, 1936, and 1939–40, but some regions of the high plains experienced drought conditions for as many as eight years.

Dust Bowl farm inundated by sand
This spawned the saying I heard as a child that, “The only thing a dryland farmer grows is dirt.” 

This was not true for my mother’s immediate family. My grandparents Oklahoma farm on the Salt Fork of the Red River was subirrigated and on a small creek. Though by no means wealthy, they always had enough to eat and their animals didn’t suffer for feed.

With insufficient understanding of the ecology of the plains, farmers had conducted extensive deep plowing of the virgin topsoil of the Great Plains during the previous decade; this had displaced the native, deep-rooted grasses that normally trapped soil and moisture even during periods of drought and high winds. The rapid mechanization of farm equipment, especially small gasoline tractors, and widespread use of the combine harvester contributed to farmers' decisions to convert arid grassland (much of which received no more than 10 inches of precipitation per year) to cultivated cropland.

During the drought of the 1930s, the unanchored soil turned to dust, which the prevailing winds blew away in huge clouds that sometimes blackened the sky. These choking billows of dust – named "black blizzards" or "black rollers" – traveled cross country, reaching as far as such East Coast cities as New York City and Washington, D.C. On the Plains, they often reduced visibility to 1 meter or less.

Helpless travelers watching a black blizzard approach
Associated Press reporter Robert E. Geiger happened to be in Boise City, Oklahoma to witness the "Black Sunday" black blizzards of April 14, 1935; Edward Stanley, Kansas City news editor of the Associated Press coined the term "Dust Bowl" while rewriting Geiger's news story. While the term "the Dust Bowl" was originally a reference to the geographical area affected by the dust, today it is usually used to refer to the event, as in "It was during the Dust Bowl".

The drought and erosion of the Dust Bowl affected 100,000,000 acres that centered on the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma and touched adjacent sections of New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas.

The Dust Bowl forced tens of thousands of families to abandon their farms. Many of these families, who were often known as "Okies" because so many of them came from Oklahoma, migrated to California and other states to find that the Great Depression had rendered economic conditions there little better than those they had left.

Dust bowl victims moving 
The Dust Bowl area lies principally west of the 100th meridian on the High Plains, characterized by plains which vary from rolling in the north to flat in the Llano Estacado. Elevation ranges from 2,500 feet in the east to 6,000 feet at the base of the Rocky Mountains. The area is semiarid, receiving less than 20 inches of rain annually; this rainfall supports the shortgrass prairie biome originally present in the area. The region is also prone to extended drought, alternating with unusual wetness of equivalent duration.

During wet years, the rich soil provides bountiful agricultural output, but crops fail during dry years. The region is also subject to high winds. During early European and American exploration of the Great Plains, this region was thought unsuitable for European-style agriculture; explorers called it the Great American Desert. The lack of surface water and timber made the region less attractive than other areas for pioneer settlement and agriculture.

Stratford, Texas in 1935
The federal government encouraged settlement and development of the Plains for agriculture via the Homestead Act of 1862, offering settlers 160-acre plots. With the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, waves of new migrants and immigrants reached the Great Plains, and they greatly increased the acreage under cultivation.

An unusually wet period in the Great Plains mistakenly led settlers and the federal government to believe that "rain follows the plow" (a popular phrase among real estate promoters) and that the climate of the region had changed permanently. While initial agricultural endeavors were primarily cattle ranching, the adverse effect of harsh winters on the cattle, beginning in 1886, a short drought in 1890, and general overgrazing, led many landowners to increase the amount of land under cultivation.

Worst hit parts of the U.S.

Recognizing the challenge of cultivating marginal arid land, the United States government expanded on the 160 acres offered under the Homestead Act—granting 640 acres to homesteaders in western Nebraska under the Kinkaid Act (1904) and 320 acres elsewhere in the Great Plains under the Enlarged Homestead Act (1909). Waves of European settlers arrived in the plains at the beginning of the 20th century.

A return of unusually wet weather seemingly confirmed a previously held opinion that the "formerly" semiarid area could support large-scale agriculture. At the same time, technological improvements such as mechanized plowing and mechanized harvesting made it possible to operate larger properties without high labor costs.

The combined effects of the disruption of the Russian Revolution, which decreased the supply of wheat and other commodity crops, and World War I increased agricultural prices; this demand encouraged farmers to dramatically increase cultivation. For example, in the Llano Estacado of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas, the area of farmland was doubled between 1900 and 1920, then tripled again between 1925 and 1930. The agricultural methods favored by farmers during this period created the conditions for large-scale erosion under certain environmental conditions.

Dust bowl farmer and sons in Cimarron County. Oklahoma

The widespread conversion of the land by deep plowing and other soil preparation methods to enable agriculture eliminated the native grasses which held the soil in place and helped retain moisture during dry periods. Furthermore, cotton farmers left fields bare over winter months (and many still do), when winds in the High Plains are highest, and burned the stubble as a means to control weeds prior to planting, thus depriving the soil of organic nutrients and surface vegetation.

After fairly favorable climatic conditions in the 1920s with good rainfall and relatively moderate winters, which permitted increased settlement and cultivation in the Great Plains, the region entered an unusually dry era in the summer of 1930. During the next decade, the northern plains suffered four of their seven driest calendar years since 1895, Kansas four of its twelve driest, and the entire region south to West Texas lacked any period of above-normal rainfall until record rains hit in 1941.

When severe drought struck the Great Plains region in the 1930s, it resulted in erosion and loss of topsoil because of farming practices of the time. The drought dried the topsoil and over time it became friable, reduced to a powdery consistency in some places. Without the indigenous grasses in place, the high winds that occur on the plains picked up the topsoil and created the massive dust storms that marked the Dust Bowl period. The persistent dry weather caused crops to fail, leaving the plowed fields exposed to wind erosion. The fine soil of the Great Plains was easily eroded and carried east by strong continental winds.



On November 11, 1933, a very strong dust storm stripped topsoil from desiccated South Dakota farmlands in just one of a series of severe dust storms that year. Beginning on May 9, 1934, a strong, two-day dust storm removed massive amounts of Great Plains topsoil in one of the worst such storms of the Dust Bowl. The dust clouds blew all the way to Chicago, where they deposited 12 million pounds of dust. Two days later, the same storm reached cities to the east, such as Cleveland, Buffalo, Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C. That winter (1934–1935), red snow fell on New England.

On April 14, 1935, known as "Black Sunday", 20 of the worst "black blizzards" occurred across the entire sweep of the Great Plains, from Canada south to Texas. The dust storms caused extensive damage and turned the day to night; witnesses reported they could not see five feet in front of them at certain points. Denver-based Associated Press reporter Robert E. Geiger happened to be in Boise City, Oklahoma that day. His story about Black Sunday marked the first appearance of the term Dust Bowl; it was coined by Edward Stanley, Kansas City news editor of the Associated Press, while rewriting Geiger's news story.

This catastrophe intensified the economic impact of the Great Depression in the region. In 1935, many families were forced to leave their farms and travel to other areas seeking work because of the drought (which at that time had already lasted four years). Dust Bowl conditions created an exodus of the displaced from Texas, Oklahoma, and the surrounding Great Plains to adjacent regions. More than 500,000 Americans were left homeless. Over 350 houses had to be torn down after one storm alone. The severe drought and dust storms had left many homeless, others had their mortgages foreclosed by banks, and others felt they had no choice but to abandon their farms in search of work.

Think about how devastating this must have been. Although not wealthy, farmers were making what they considered a nice living for their families. In only a few years, all the hard work they and their families had invested amounted to nothing. They were left penniless with nowhere to turn.

Dust Bowl victims living in car

Many Americans migrated west looking for work. Parents packed up "jalopies" with their families and a few personal belongings, and headed west in search of work. Some residents of the Plains, especially in Kansas and Oklahoma, fell ill and died of dust pneumonia or malnutrition.

The Dust Bowl exodus was the largest migration in American history within a short period of time. Between 1930 and 1940, approximately 3.5 million people moved out of the Plains states; of those, it is unknown how many moved to California. In just over a year, over 86,000 people migrated to California. This number is more than the number of migrants to that area during the 1849 Gold Rush. Migrants abandoned farms in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico, but were often generally referred to as "Okies", "Arkies", or "Texies". Terms such as "Okies" and "Arkies" came to be known in the 1930s as the standard terms for those who had lost everything and were struggling the most during the Great Depression.

Each year, the process of farming begins with preparing the soil to be seeded. But for years, farmers had plowed the soil too fine, and they contributed to the creation of the Dust Bowl.

Deep plow that turned up the grass
and started a terrible process
"In general, the seed bed should be roomy, thoroughly pulverized and compact," according to John Deere's 1935 book, The Operation, Care and Repair of Farm Machinery. The goal, according to the book, was to "break up clods and crusted top soil, leaving a fine surface mulch for planting or for plant growth."

The main tool for this job was the plow, an ancient implement that had evolved by the 1930s into several different varieties designed for different soil types. Each design lifted the soil up, broke it up and turned it over. The process pulverized hard dirt into small clods.

In the early 30s, many farmers would come back into a plowed field with a set of disc harrows that would break the clods into fine soil particles. A harrow mounted a series of concave sharpened steel discs close together. These discs were pulled through the field at a slight angle so the soil was cut and then turned over by each disc. This produced what was thought to be the "ideal seed bed... Large air spaces, bunches of field trash and hard lump or clods are undesirable."



The problem with this method was that it left fields vulnerable to wind erosion and dust storms. In the 1920s and early 30s, most farmers on the plains plowed their fields right after the previous harvest, leaving the soil open for months until it was time to plant again. And economic pressures in the late 1920s pushed farmers on the Great Plains to plow under more and more native grassland. Farmers had to have more acres of corn and wheat to make ends meet.

During wet years, this didn't cause problems. But when the drought hit, fields that had been covered for centuries by grass had been plowed and disced into fine particles. The soil dried out and began to blow. Dry and light grains of soil were picked up by the incessant winds on the plains.

All that was left after the dust settled


During President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first 100 days in office in 1933, his administration quickly initiated programs to conserve soil and restore the ecological balance of the nation. Interior Secretary Harold L. Ickes established the Soil Erosion Service in August 1933 under Hugh Hammond Bennett. In 1935, it was transferred and reorganized under the Department of Agriculture and renamed the Soil Conservation Service. It is now known as the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

President Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Let me make one other point clear for the benefit of the millions in cities who have to buy meats. Last year the Nation suffered a drought of unparalleled intensity. If there had been no Government program, if the old order had obtained in 1933 and 1934, that drought on the cattle ranges of America and in the corn belt would have resulted in the marketing of thin cattle, immature hogs and the death of these animals on the range and on the farm, and if the old order had been in effect those years, we would have had a vastly greater shortage than we face today. Our program – we can prove it – saved the lives of millions of head of livestock. They are still on the range, and other millions of heads are today canned and ready for this country to eat."

The FSRC diverted agricultural commodities to relief organizations. Apples, beans, canned beef, flour and pork products were distributed through local relief channels. Cotton goods were later included to clothe the needy.

Life in a lean-to

In 1935, the federal government formed a Drought Relief Service (DRS) to coordinate relief activities. The DRS bought cattle in counties which were designated emergency areas, for $14 to $20 a head. Animals determined unfit for human consumption were killed; at the beginning of the program, more than 50 percent were so designated in emergency areas. The DRS assigned the remaining cattle to the Federal Surplus Relief Corporation (FSRC) to be used in food distribution to families nationwide. Although it was difficult for farmers to give up their herds, the cattle slaughter program helped many of them avoid bankruptcy. "The government cattle buying program was a blessing to many farmers, as they could not afford to keep their cattle, and the government paid a better price than they could obtain in local markets."

President Roosevelt ordered the Civilian Conservation Corps to plant a huge belt of more than 200 million trees from Canada to Abilene, Texas to break the wind, hold water in the soil, and hold the soil itself in place. The administration also began to educate farmers on soil conservation and anti-erosion techniques, including crop rotation, strip farming, contour plowing, terracing, and other improved farming practices. In 1937, the federal government began an aggressive campaign to encourage farmers in the Dust Bowl to adopt planting and plowing methods that conserved the soil. The government paid reluctant farmers a dollar an acre to practice the new methods. By 1938, the massive conservation effort had reduced the amount of blowing soil by 65%. The land still failed to yield a decent living.

Sad result of poor soil conservation

In many regions, more than 75% of the topsoil was blown away by the end of the 1930s. Land degradation varied widely. Aside from the short-term economic consequences caused by erosion, there were severe long-term economic consequences of the Dust Bowl.

In the fall of 1939, after nearly a decade of dirt and dust, the drought ended when regular rainfall finally returned to the region. The government still encouraged continuing the use of conservation methods to protect the soil and ecology of the Plains.

Historian Mathew Bonnifield argued that the long-term significance of the Dust Bowl was "the triumph of the human spirit in its capacity to endure and overcome hardships and reverses."

Sources:

Photos: Wikipedia and Google Commons

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Bullying Isn't New by Ginger Simpson #bullying

I love the history channel, and of course when a  presentation dealt with the history of Crazy Horse of the Sioux, I was glued to the screen.  I'm sharing portions of that program with you to demonstrate that bullying has been around for ages, and no matter what we do, it's highly unlikely we'll every be able to stop it.

Crazy Horse
Back in the 1840s, the waving grasses, flowing streams, and distant hills of the Dakota plains were considered sacred.  Only those children of the red man's Great Spirit wandered them without fear.  They lived simply until conflict with the white man began, but until then, the peaceful and harmonious ways of the Sioux tribe were the custom during the time Crazy Horse was born to become a great leader of his people..

Near Rapid Creek, South Dakota, the Sioux dominated the plains, consisting of several bands, with Crazy Horse being from the Ogalala Lakota.. Their size and strength gave them control of the largest territory, protecting their lands from the neighboring Crow, Irikara, Araphoe and Shoshone.  Over the years, by driving back these intruders as a reminder to whom the land belonged,  the Sioux eventually became the most powerful and numerous band along the northern plains.

It's reported that during his vision quest, Crazy Horse received instruction that led to the way in
which he lived his life.  For four days he fasted in solitude to open his mind and body to the Great Spirit's word. The young warrior was shown a future in which he would avoid adornment, seek simplicity and go into battle without fear. The arms of his people would protect him.  Although he rode closest to the soldiers, he was never wounded.  His people assumed he possessed special powers and spiritual medicine that protected him.

Despite his mysterious aura and self-imposed separation from people, he soon became the second most powerful leader; the first being Sitting Bull.  Although there is very little documenting the life of Crazy Horse, oral history from his ancestors tell how he stood out at a very early age. More fair-skinned than his brotherhood, and having curly brown hair, his black eyes hardly maintained eye contact. He seemed shy and withdrawn, but never remiss in defending his homeland.  His story has been long a legend among the people but other information about him was written by the whites and showed prejudice rather than recognition as a truly talented and admired warrior. Despite the abundance of photographs taken of other chiefs and tribal members, either through an aversion to photography or his shyness, no pictures of this legendary warrior exist..

White American Society began moving onto the Sioux land in the 1850s, and shortly after, life changed..With interest drawn by the abundant herds of animals moving along the impinging trails, the occasional pilfering of a cow or horse resulted in complaints being lodged with the armies who occupied the many forts built along the traveled paths to protect the white settlers. The Sioux assumed the infantry would disregard the infrequent theft reports and engaged in trade with some of the whites. These types of offenses were handled by Indian Agents with great success.  Although the practice of interacting with the whites introduced the Sioux to many new things, it also brought to them diseases previously unknown to them, making them wary of these intruders to their land.  The Sioux were also wrong in their assumptions about the army and their treaties..

The first dispute along the Great Platte Road resulted because of one lone cow  It was 1854, and the sick and lame animal wandered from a Mormon wagon train into Conquering Bear's camp at a time when Crazy Horse was there.  Approximately 4,000 Brule and Ogalala Sioux camped peacefully, according to their treaty of 1851, when Lt. Hugh Fleming and a small garrison consulted with the chief about the return of the animal.  The owner demanded $25.00 instead of a replacement cow or horse taken from the Chief's own personal herd.  Lt. Fleming demanded the brave who killed the cow be delivered to the fort, but the Chief refused.  The slayer of the animal was a visiting Miniconjou, and the Chief did not want to appear inhospitable..

Upon the reports of the refusal of cooperation, Second Lt. John Grattan led a detachment into the Indian camp.  As a recent graduate of West Point and inexperienced with dealing with the Sioux's ability, Grattan's determination to carry out his job led to Chief Conquering Bear being shot in the back, whereupon the Sioux dispensed with the twenty-nine men who started the fracas.  At the time, the Indian Agent was in the process of returning to the area with the required re-compensation.

Gen. Wm. Harney
It was this ridiculous argument that resulted in General William S. Harney, leading a garrison of 600 men to teach the Lakota a lesson.  He found the Indians peacefully camped and unaware of the pending attack, slaughtering over eighty men, women and children.  During this time, Crazy Horse was away from camp, training a pony, and upon his return once again witnessed the brutality of the paleface he now considered enemy.

So, could things have played out differently?  I think so, but we'll never know because there are always going to be those who need to flex their muscles and prove something to the world.. General William Harney was known to have a mean streak, and his actions later earned him the title of "The Butcher."  His saying "By God, I'm for battle, no peace," proved his intentions.  I'm ashamed to say he was from Tennessee.  We can be like the Sioux an continue to fight for what we believe is right, but will we be anymore successful?












Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Touring Texas and the South - Sue Horsnell


Hi Everyone

As many of you know, hubby and I have been visiting the US over the past few weeks.
First off we arrived in Fort Worth where we were hosted by the very lovely Caroline Clemmons and her wonderful husband. The day after we arrived, it snowed! Yep, we brought snow to Texas!



Needless to say, we spent the next couple of days indoors getting to know our hosts very well. If I thought they were a lovely couple before, I soon realized they were special. 
The following day we had the pleasure of meeting some very special authors who I had talked with via the magic of computer - Lyn Horner, Carra Copelin, Kirsten Osbourne, Hebby Roman and Brenda Chitwood. It was also a pleasure meeting their partners and the gorgeous daughter of Caroline. After all the excitement, it became time to leave and begin our adventure. 

The first stop was Fredericksburg, a small town in the Texas hill country which was founded in 1846. A landmark on the corner is the Pacific Museum. The building was originally the old Nimitz Steamboat Hotel, owned and operated by Admiral Chester W Nimitz's grandfather - Charles Henry Nimitz Snr. It is where Chester spent the early part of his childhood.

The town was founded and settled by Germans and the town has retained this heritage. There is a real 'western' feel to this endearing town.

Main Street Fredericksburg

Main Street Fredericksburg

Statue of Admiral Chester W Nimitz outside Pacific Museum

Pacific Museum once known as the Nimitz Steamboat Hotel
From Fredericksburg we headed to San Antonio, this turned out to be the highlight of my trip. We stayed almost opposite The Alamo and my hubby was dragged through it every day of our stay. "Research" is what I convinced him it was and whilst this was true, fascination with the history was the real reason. I could almost 'feel' the battle, the stand off, the grief. I devoured every word that was spoken by the guides, examined every gun, sword, uniform, piece of information. What an amazing time in history. To stand where Bowie, Crockett, William B Travis and so many others fought so valiantly was poignant, the visit was one I will never forget. 


The Alamo Church

The Alamo Memorial
























Further up the street we found the cathedral - San Fernandos. It is said the burned remains of the Alamo heroes have been laid to rest in a marble casket near the left side entrance. This is disputed by some but those who examined the charred ashes stated there were pieces of uniforms which could have belonged to Bowie, Crockett or Travis. Fact or fiction? I don't know but I like to believe they have a peaceful resting place for eternity.


San Fernandos

Marble Casket

While in San Antonio we walked a large part of the Riverwalk, experienced the vibrant colors of the various restaurants, admired the gorgeous gardens scattered with statues and watched boatloads of people experience the joy of floating down the river canal.


Riverwalk Boat

Riverwalk


























Statue on Riverwalk

Riverwalk

This was our first week. The time is almost here for us to return to Australia and although it will be nice to return home to our fur family and human family, I will miss being here. Over the next few months I will show you more of our trip and hope you enjoy a few more historical facts.
Sue Horsnell - Western Romance Author
                                                    Website: http://horsnells.wix.com/susan--1