WTWA BLOG

Auction

2012-02-11T02:40:21Z

The Small Farmer’s Journal Horsedrawn Auction and Swap this year is scheduled for April 18-21, 2012 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Madras, Oregon.

Northwest Horse Fair

2012-01-31T05:40:23Z

Northwest Horse Fair and Expo

2012-01-31T05:35:31Z

Northwest Horse Fair and Expo: March 22-25, 2012 in Albany, OR

Northwest Horse Fair and Expo

The Northwest Horse Fair & Expo has become an annual tradition for horse owners and horse lovers in the Northwest. The Northwest Horse Fair & Expo combines to the highest degree, first rate education, entertainment and shopping. Whether you own horses or are a horse lover at heart, are a beginner or professional, are interested in dressage or trail riding, there is truly something for everyone. It’s three days of fun the entire family can enjoy.

Educational Clinics and Seminars

The Northwest Horse Fair & Expo has hosted many Olympic Champions, World and National Champion Trainers and Exhibitors, legends in the world of training, clinicians found on TV and upcoming clinicians who have gone on to great things. These clinicians have covered a wide variety of topics in our two large arenas. In addition, many industry experts have discussed topics such as healthcare, nutrition, safety, saddle fitting, and much more in our more intimate seminar and demonstration areas.

Horses, Horses, Horses

A horse lovers dream, the expo showcases a wide variety of domestic and foreign breeds all in one place, exhibiting the diversity of horses. Enjoy the Breed Showcase and Stallion Review, host to the high stepping Friesians, adorable Miniature Donkeys, Gaited Horses, Mules and much more.

Entertainment

Fun and exciting activities on horseback are showcased throughout the weekend such as fast and furious precision drill teams, elegant musical dressage freestyle performances, action packed cowboy mounted shooting and vaulting – gymnastics on horseback – to name just a few of the entertaining demonstrations you might see.

The Northwest Horse Fair & Expo has also hosted such great competitions as the Extreme Mustang Makeover^TM, the Extreme Cowboy Race^TM and the Wind Rider Challenge^TM.

Shopping Opportunities

With two full buildings covering nearly 70,000 square feet, the Northwest Horse Fair & Expo is host to a large trade show offering everything for horse, rider, farm and home. A sample of the products to be offered include: English & Western tack & supplies, trailers, artwork, jewelry, home décor items, gifts, clothing, books, toys, quilts and much more. Quality vendors from across the country converge at the expo to share the latest innovations and products available. The event is also host to many informational organizations, providing the latest in association news and activities.

Youth Opportunities

We firmly believe the youth are the future of the industry and should have the opportunity to experience all the expo has to offer. For that reason, we have designated Sunday as Youth Day. Children ages 12 & under are admitted free and 4-H and Pony Club members ages 13-18 with a current club ID card are admitted free (all with a paid adult admission).

Gene Autry

2011-08-08T02:46:08Z

--Gene Autry Biography--

Born in Tioga, Texas on September 29, 1907, Gene Autry was raised in Texas and Oklahoma. Discovered by humorist Will Rogers, in 1929 Autry was billed as "Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy" at KVOO in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He gained a popular following, a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1929, and soon after, performed on the "National Barn Dance" for radio station WLS in Chicago. Autry first appeared on screen in 1934 and up to 1953 popularized the musical Western and starred in 93 feature films. In 1940 theater exhibitors of America voted Autry the fourth biggest box office attraction, behind Mickey Rooney, Clark Gable, and Spencer Tracy.

Autry made 640 recordings, including more than 300 songs written or co-written by him. His records sold more than 100 million copies and he has more than a dozen gold and platinum records, including the first record ever certified gold. His Christmas and children's records Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) and Peter Cottontail are among his platinum recordings. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the second all-time best selling Christmas single, boasts in excess of 30 million in sales.

From 1940 to 1956 the public listened to him on Gene Autry's Melody Ranch radio show that was heard weekly over the CBS Radio Network, featuring Autry's trademark theme song Back In The Saddle Again. In addition, Autry's popularity was apparent during his personal appearance tours. The first performer to sell out Madison Square Garden, his concert and rodeo appearances throughout the United States and Europe are legendary and served as a model for other performers. Autry did two shows a day, seven days a week, for 65 to 85 days at a stretch.
Entertainer Gene Autry joined the Army Air Corps in 1942 and became Sgt. Gene Autry. During the war, he ferried fuel, ammunition, and arms in the China-India-Burma theater of war and flew over the Himalayas, the hazardous air route known as "The Hump." When the war ended Autry was reassigned to Special Services, where he toured with a USO troupe in the South Pacific before resuming his movie career in 1946.

In 1950, Autry became the first major movie star to use the television medium. Always a man of vision, Autry excelled and for the next five years through his Flying A Pictures he produced and starred in 91 half-hour episodes of The Gene Autry Show for CBS Television. This success lead him to produce such popular TV series as Annie Oakley, The Range Rider, Buffalo Bill Jr., The Adventures Of Champion as well as the first 39 episodes of Death Valley Days.
He carried his love for entertaining and sharp business sense into broadcasting, where, under the Golden West Broadcasters banner, he owned such award-winning stations as KMPC radio and KTLA Television in Los Angeles as well as other stations across the country. Autry's great love for baseball prompted him to acquire the American League California Angels in 1961. Active in Major League Baseball, Autry held the title of Vice President of the American League until his death.
Autry's long-cherished dream came true with the opening in November 1988 of the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, since acclaimed as one of the finest museums on the West. Autry intended to give something back to the community that had been so good to him. In January 2004 the museum merged with the Southwest Museum. As part of this affiliation, an umbrella company was created. The new AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER consists of three entities: the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, the Museum of the American West, and the Institute for the Study of the American West. Today thousands of visitors, children and adults alike, learn the fascinating history of America's West through world-class collections of art and artifacts.

Autry is the only entertainer to have all five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one each for Radio, Recording, Motion Pictures, Television, and Live Theatre/performance. He was a 33rd Degree Mason and Honorary Inspector General and was given the prestigious award of the Grand Cross of the Court of Honor. Among the many hundreds of honors and awards Autry has received were induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame; the American Academy of Achievement Award, the Los Angeles Area Governor's Emmy from The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; and the Board of Directors Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Achievement in Arts Foundation. Gene Autry was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, The National Cowboy Hall of Fame, the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and he received The Songwriters Guild Life Achievement Award. He was also honored by his songwriting peers with a lifetime achievement award from ASCAP.
Gene Autry died at his home in Studio City, California on October 2, 1998. He was 91 years old.

FUN TIP:
When he was a young man, Gene received an offer from a professional baseball team to become a player. Gene turned down the offer because it would have meant a fifty-dollar-a-month pay cut from his telegrapher’s job.

2011 Autry NEWS!!
Gene Autry Inducted
Into Angels Hall of Fame
Posted July 20, 2011
Gene Autry, the original owner of the Angels baseball team, was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame on July 19th prior to the game against the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.

Martha Jane "Calamity Jane" Cannary

2011-07-14T02:39:52Z

Martha Jane "Calamity Jane" Cannary

Image Donated by Corbis - Bettmann

NAME: Martha Jane "Calamity Jane" Cannary Burke

DATE OF BIRTH: May 1, 1852

PLACE OF BIRTH: Princeton, Missouri

FAMILY BACKGROUND: Martha (or Marthy) Jane Cannary was the oldest of six children, having two brothers and three sisters, born to Robert and Charlotte Cannary. Both of her parents were born in Ohio. In 1865, the family emigrated over five months with a wagon train from Missouri to Virginia City, Montana. Her mother died along the way in Black Foot, Montana, in 1866. Shortly after arriving in Virginia City, the family left in the spring of 1866 for Utah, arriving at Salt Lake City in the summer. They remained there a year, until her father died in 1867. As the oldest child, Martha Jane took over as head of the family and took them to Fort Bridger, Wyoming Territory, arriving in May 1868. From there, they traveled to Piedmont, Wyoming, on the Union Pacific Railroad.

EDUCATION: In the frontier country she grew up in, Martha Jane likely received little or no formal education.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Martha Jane set herself apart from other women in that she could work and socialize with hard and tough frontiersmen: from digging for gold, drinking in bars, cussing and dressing like a man, she was mostly accepted by them.

As a young child, she loved adventure and the outdoors and became an expert rider at a young age. On her family's emigration trip, while 13 years old, Martha Jane apparently could already "cuss as fiercely as any man" and had "learned to like the taste of whiskey," writes biographer Doris Faber. As Martha Jane wrote in her brief autobiography in 1896:

"While on the way, the greater portion of my time was spent in hunting along with the men and hunters of the party; in fact, I was at all times with the men when there was excitement and adventures to be had. By the time we reached Virginia City, I was considered a remarkable good shot and a fearless rider for a girl of my age. I remember many occurrences on the journey from Missouri to Montana. Many times in crossing the mountains, the conditions of the trail were so bad that we frequently had to lower the wagons over ledges by hand with ropes, for they were so rough and rugged that horses were of no use.

"We also had many exciting times fording streams, for many of the streams in our way were noted for quicksands and boggy places, where, unless we were very careful, we would have lost horses and all. Then we had many dangers to encounter in the way of streams swelling on account of heavy rains. On occasions of that kind, the men would usually select the best places to cross the streams; myself, on more than one occasion, have mounted my pony and swam across the stream several times merely to amuse myself, and have had many narrow escapes from having both myself and pony washed away to certain death, but, as the pioneers of those days had plenty of courage, we overcame all obstacles and reached Virginia City in safety."

Martha Jane's mother helped supplement the family income by taking in washing from nearby mining camps. She died from an ailment called "washtub pneumonia." After both parents had passed away, she went to Wyoming Territory: first to Fort Bridger, arriving May 1, 1868; then to Piedmont by the Union Pacific Railroad (which was still being built). According to some observers at that time, Martha Jane attracted some attention -- described by one as "extremely attractive" and another as a "pretty, dark-eyed girl."

Next she went to Fort Russell in 1870 where, she says, she joined General George Custer as a scout and went to Arizona "for the Indian Campaign." (With the West still vastly wild territory, white settlers and Native Americans were often having conflicts, so U.S. soldiers were sent to subdue the tribes, using scouts who knew the terrain.) However, no evidence exists that Custer was ever at Fort Russell; another source states it is more likely that she served with General George Crook, who was stationed at Fort Fetterman, Wyoming. It was here she began dressing like a man, writing:

"Up to this time, I had always worn the costume of my sex. When I joined Custer, I donned the uniform of a soldier. It was a bit awkward at first, but I soon got to be perfectly at home in men's clothes."

Stories have arisen that Martha Jane was attempting to disguise her gender and was found out on occasion. With the work she did with the army, the uniform would have been necessary not only to best perform her duties, but also to be accepted. One rumor does state that, while driving in a wagon train, "her sex was discovered," writes biographer Roberta Sollid, "when the wagon-master noted she did not cuss her mules with the enthusiasm to be expected from a graduate of Patrick and Saulsbury's Black Hills Stage line, as she had represented herself to be."

While in Arizona, in the winter of 1871, Martha Jane was having "a great many adventures with the Indians, for as a scout I had a great many dangerous missions to perform and, while I was in many close places, always succeeded in getting away safely, for by this time I was considered the most reckless and daring rider and one of the best shots in the western country."

After that campaign, Martha Jane returned to Fort Sanders, Wyoming, remaining until the spring of 1872, "when we were ordered out to the Muscle Shell or Nursey Pursey Indian outbreak." Generals Custer, Miles, Terry and Crook were all engaged in this campaign, which lasted until the fall of 1873. It was during this campaign, at the age of 20, that she says she obtained her nickname:

"It was on Goose Creek, Wyoming, where the town of Sheridan is now located. Captain Egan was in command of the Post. We were ordered out to quell an uprising of the Indians, and were out for several days, had numerous skirmishes during which six of the soldiers were killed and several severely wounded. When on returning to the Post, we were ambushed about a mile and a half from our destination. When fired upon, Captain Egan was shot. I was riding in advance and, on hearing the firing, turned in my saddle and saw the Captain reeling in his saddle as though about to fall. I turned my horse and galloped back with all haste to his side and got there in time to catch him as he was falling. I lifted him onto my horse in front of me and succeeded in getting him safely to the Fort. Captain Egan, on recovering, laughingly said: 'I name you Calamity Jane, the heroine of the plains.' I have borne that name up to the present time."

Not everyone, even back then, accepts Jane's version of how her nickname began. One old-timer said, "If she sat on a fence rail, it would rare up and buck her off." The St. Paul Dispatch wrote: "She got her name from a faculty she has had of producing a ruction at any time and place and on short notice." Apparently, around this time, she met William Cody, later known as "Buffalo Bill."

After that campaign, the regiment was ordered to Fort Custer, where Custer city is now, arriving in the spring of 1874. They stayed there until returning to Fort Russell that fall. The next spring, they were ordered to the Black Hills in the South Dakota Territory to protect miners and settlers. They stayed there until fall of 1875 and spent the winter at Fort Laramie. The next spring, they were ordered to the Big Horn River along with General Crook, to join Generals Miles, Terry and Custer again. During this march to the Big Horn, Jane swam the Platte River at Fort Fetterman bearing "important dispatches." It was a 90-mile ride, both wet and cold, and she became severely ill.

After recuperating at Fort Fetterman for two weeks, she rode to Fort Laramie, where she met James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok. Together, with Colorado Charles Otter, his brother Steve, and Kittie Arnold, they rode to Deadwood, South Dakota, arriving "about June" 1876. The Black Hills Pioneer reported "Calamity Jane has arrived."

"During the month of June, I acted as a pony express rider carrying the U.S. mail between Deadwood and Custer, a distance of fifty miles, over one of the roughest trails in the Black Hills country. As many of the riders before me had been held up and robbed of their packages, mail and money that they carried, for that was the only means of getting mail and money between these points. It was considered the most dangerous route in the Hills, but as my reputation as a rider and quick shot was well known, I was molested very little, for the toll gatherers looked on me as being a good fellow, and they knew that I never missed my mark. I made the round trip every two days which was considered pretty good riding in that country. Remained around Deadwood all that summer visiting all the camps within an area of one hundred miles. My friend, Wild Bill, remained in Deadwood during the summer with the exception of occasional visits to the camps."

Legend states that she and Wild Bill were involved during the gold mining years in Deadwood; however, there is no evidence supporting this theory, although it seems she wanted a relationship with him but he did not feel the same. Hickok had just married Agnes Lake Thatcher of Cheyenne, Wyoming, in March of that same year, and was writing letters home to her in Ohio. He was trying to make quick money in the boomtown, not by gold mining but by gambling -- and it proved to be his downfall.

"On the 2nd of August, while setting at a gambling table in the Bell Union saloon, in Deadwood, he was shot in the back of the head by the notorious Jack McCall, a desperado. I was in Deadwood at the time and, on hearing of the killing, made my way at once to the scene of the shooting and found that my friend had been killed by McCall. I at once started to look for the assassian and found him at Shurdy's butcher shop and grabbed a meat cleaver and made him throw up his hands; through the excitement on hearing of Bill's death, having left my weapons on the post of my bed. He was then taken to a log cabin and locked up, well secured as every one thought, but he got away and was afterwards caught at Fagan's ranch on Horse Creek, on the old Cheyenne road and was then taken to Yankton, Dak., where he was tried, sentenced and hung."

Jane remained in the Deadwood area locating claims and going from camp to camp. One morning in the spring of 1877, she rode toward Crook city. She had gone about 12 miles out when she met the overland mail running from Cheyenne to Deadwood:

"Upon looking closely I saw they were pursued by Indians. The horses ran to the barn as was their custom. As the horses stopped I rode along side of the coach and found the driver John Slaughter, lying face downwards in the boot of the stage, he having been shot by the Indians. When the stage got to the station the Indians hid in the bushes. I immediately removed all baggage from the coach except the mail. I then took the driver's seat and with all haste drove to Deadwood, carrying six passengers and the dead driver."

In 1878, a smallpox epidemic hit Deadwood. Eight men were quarantined in a little shack in the mountain area called "White Rocks." According to Dora DeFran, a notorious madam of brothels in the Black Hills, Jane volunteered to care for them -- with only epsom salts and cream of tartar. Three of the men died and, as she buried them, she recited the prayer "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep." DeFran wrote that "her good nursing brought five of these men out of the shadow of death, and many more later on, before the disease died out." Interestingly, Jane wrote nothing of this in her memoirs.

Shortly afterwards, Jane wrote that she left Deadwood and went to Bear Butte Creek with the Seventh Cavalry. They built Fort Meade and the town of Sturgis that fall and winter. The next year, she went to Rapid city and spent a year prospecting for gold. After that, she went to Fort Pierre, driving wagon trains from Rapid city to the fort, and from Fort Pierce to Sturgis. "This teaming was done with oxen as they were better fitted for the work than horses, owing to the rough nature of the country," she wrote. Apparently she was so good at this driving, one observer wrote, that she bet she could "knock a fly off an ox's ear with a sixteen-foot whip-lash three times out of five."

As far as Jane's ability with a gun is concerned, she did wear them and was apparently quite familiar and skilled with them. No evidence exists that she ever ruthlessly killed anyone. According to biographer Robert Bolt: "On one occasion, reported in the [Bozeman, Montana Avant Courier], the cowboys in a saloon in Oakes, North Dakota, began to 'chaff' her. Cannary smiled, whipped out two revolvers, shouting, 'Dance, you tenderfeet, dance.' Dance they did 'with much vigor.' 'Calamity Jane was not a person to be trifled with,' concluded the Bozeman newspaper."

In another account, O.W. Coursey's Beautiful Black Hills, Jane was travelling with a pack train carrying army supplies when a mule went down and the driver "kicked it viciously with his heavy army boots and abused it mercilessly." Jane said, "Don't you kick that mule again." The driver knocked her hat off with his whip, to which she pulled her revolver "quicker than a flash," ordering the driver to "put that hat where you got it." Coursey added that, "Judging by the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice, he promptly obeyed."

In 1881, Jane went to Wyoming; returning to Miles city in 1882 and starting a ranch on "the Yellow Stone" raising stock and cattle. She also kept "a way side inn, where the weary traveler could be accommodated with food, drink, or trouble if he looked for it." She left that in 1883, travelling west and reaching Ogden, California, in late 1883, then San Francisco in 1884. That summer, she left for Texas, reaching El Paso in the fall.

"While in El Paso, I met Mr. Clinton Burk, a native of Texas, who I married in August 1885 [at 33 years old]. As I thought I had travelled through life long enough alone and thought it was about time to take a partner for the rest of my days. We remained in Texas leading a quiet home life until 1889. On October 28th, 1887, I became the mother of a baby girl, the very image of its father, at least that is what he said, but who has the temper of its mother."

Biographers tend to think Jane's marriage occurred sometime in the 1890s; one source dates it at September 25, 1891. While she did not write of any other men, or children, evidence exists that she was involved with a Robert Dorsett in the 1880s. And a court record from November 1888 states that "Charles Townley, an unmarried man, and Jane Doe, alias Calamity Jane, an unmarried woman, [did at times] unlawfully bed, cohabit and live together ... without being then and there married." Apparently she also had relationships with a Wyoming rancher named King and a William Steers. Nothing more is written anywhere of her baby girl, or her name, even in Jane's memoirs. (Although one woman, Jane McCormick, claimed to be her daughter, but this claim is questionable.) Jane continued her autobiography:

"When we left Texas we went to Boulder, Colorado, where we kept a hotel until 1893, after which we travelled through Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, then back to Montana, then to Dakota, arriving in Deadwood October 9th, 1895, after an absence of seventeen years.

"My arrival in Deadwood after an absence of so many years created quite an excitement among my many friends of the past, to such an extent that a vast number of the citizens who had come to Deadwood during my absence, who had heard so much of Calamity Jane and her many adventures in former years, were anxious to see me. Among the many whom I met were several gentlemen from eastern cities who advised me to allow myself to be placed before the public in such a manner as to give the people of the eastern cities an opportunity of seeing the Woman Scout who was made so famous through her daring career in the West and Black Hill countries. ... My first engagement began at the Palace Museum, Minneapolis, January 20th, 1896, under Kohl and Middleton's management."

At the Palace Museum, Jane was billed as the "famous woman scout of the Wild West," the "heroine of a thousand thrilling adventures," "the Terror of evildoers in the Black Hills," and "the comrade of Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill Hickok." No one knows how many appearances she made, or if she appeared anywhere but in Minneapolis. One biographer figured she was most likely unable to stay sober or restrain herself to management's restrictions. (Reportedly, she had sworn never to go to bed with "a nickel in her pocket or sober." Other sources say she toured with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show until her drinking and subsequent fighting led to her being fired in 1901.

In 1901, Jane did appear at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. She was also selling copies of her pamphlet autobiography. Apparently her drinking got her into trouble with the police there and Buffalo Bill had to loan her money to get back home. He later said: "I expect she was no more tired of Buffalo than the Buffalo police were of her, for her sorrows seemed to need a good deal of drowning."

Now 51 years old, Jane returned to Deadwood, visiting Wild Bill's grave in Mt. Moriah Cemetery, and even posing for a picture there. In July, she travelled to Terry, South Dakota, a small mining town, and stayed in the Calloway Hotel, where several old friends visited her. On August 1, 1903, at 5:00 p.m. she died. She had requested her funeral to be conducted by the Black Hills Pioneer Society, and supposedly said, "Bury me beside Wild Bill -- the only man I ever loved." And so she was.

DATE OF DEATH: August 1, 1903

PLACE OF DEATH: Terry, So. Dakota

SFJ Auction & Swap News

2011-03-29T11:30:00Z

SFJ Auction & Swap News

April 13-16, 2011 Jefferson County Fairgrounds, Madras, Oregon

When I was a little boy I used to love the background elements of stories, the weather, the minor characters, the kid sisters, the escaped pig, the smell of lightning, the colored flags waving, the hecklers and hawkers trying to distract the love-struck kid, the look of grapefruits carefully stacked into pyramids and most of all the market days. You know, like the one Jack went to to sell the family cow in Jack and the Beanstalk, or those lavish Arabian street markets that Sinbad darted through, or those wild high plains rendevous’ where mountain men and Sioux met to trade goods. Theater, it was all theater – and urgency – and reunion – and celebration. I wasn’t more than ten when I imagined what fun it would be to try to organize such things. And then I grew up and stumbled on to auctions. Scary stuff, but frequently a good kind of scary. Everybody watching as you timidly raise your hand committing to pay some dollar amount BUT only if you are the last one to raise a hand. And did that mean you won or lost? Could be either; had to wonder if the person or people you were bidding against knew something you didn’t. “Has the horse moonblindness? Or is that plow beam bent?” Ah… but in the moment it was such grand fun mixed with serious business. Wouldn’t it be fine to discover an auction where the management actually tried to do the business end honestly? With the passage of time I came to find myself actually organizing an auction. And I was able, because I was in charge, to fill in around the edges.

Right from the beginning. the concept was to do an event that was one part auction, one part education, one part theater, one part street market, and one part reunion. And that’s just exactly what’s occurred. I can say without reservation that we are very proud of the event. It has evolved and matured to become a thing unto itself. Thirty some odd years worth.

So why on earth would we decide to change it now? Because we want it to swell, we want it to give off more music, we want it to become even more relevant to the regulars, we want it to attract more newcomers, we want it to swirl its long multi-colored skirt of market and theater and auction and education ‘til everyone it touches bursts from the shear useful pleasure of it all. So here’s what we’ve set out to do for 2010.

Dates

April 13th through the 16th, 2011. Yep, that’s four days instead of three and every one full of stuff to do and see.

Location

Yes, we are most definitely sticking with the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, in Madras, a lovely small town plopped down dead center of a vibrant farming region in Central Oregon. We were treated like royalty the last two years and the overtures have continued for this next one as well.

If you weren’t with us last round, this is an old-timey fairgrounds with a big enclosed arena, several typical agricultural buildings, nice grass all over, ample livestock pens and lots of parking. A very welcome feature for campers were the showers. It also features an extra nice full-hook-up RV park that got filled really early last year.

What’s To Be Included

As of press time we have decided on a schedule for those four days. But we reserve the option to subtract only if we have to; and to ADD as the whim and opportunities present themselves. But as of today, 3-22-2011, we have scheduled 23 different FREE workshops and Clinics spread out over four days. They are scheduled on the posting named SMALL FARM TRADE FAIR on this site. But for the general schedule here’s what we’ve got penciled in.

Wednesday the 13th is to be the final check-in day for EVERYTHING slated for auction (cut-off time is 8 pm sharp!).

ALSO on Wednesday we will be offering the 2nd annual Jethro Tull draft horse and mule plowing competition!!!

AND Horsedrawn Field Trials for new and restored implements, many of which will be sold on Friday in the auction. We have land just north of the fairground’ outside arenas. The number of plots will be limited, so a shot at the contest will be first-come first-served. Men, women and children will all plow against one another in just two classes; walking and sulky plow. No big hitches this year. We are fortunate to have John Erskine and Doug Hammill as our judges this year. We are definitely looking for volunteer help to pull off this important addition to the event. Stalls will be available to stable the contestant animals so folks can stay for the sale. All day Wednesday (and each day) will be swap meet and trade fair peppered with demonstrations, clinics and meetings.

Our horse market fair is a new addition this year. All animals will be displayed, during the event, in rented stalls with opportunity to show off at prescribed times in outdoor arena. All animals will be offered for sale private treaty with any and all guarantees between buyer and seller.

Thursday the 14th we will start in the arena with harness and tack items. [The harness will be divided into three groups with each being designated for a specific morning.] Blacksmithing tools will sell a little earlier than usual, at 10 a.m., and be followed by the parts and pieces out on the grass. A second sales ring will be conducted in the arena featuring country antiques and decorator items. All day will feature the swap meet and trade fair. Thursday evening will be time for clinics, meetings, food and gatherings.

Friday the 15th all day Swap Meet and Trade Fair and we will start back in the arena with harness and tack. At eleven a.m. we will go out of doors to sell horsedrawn implements. Friday evening we will offer a separate old paper and glass SALE featuring antique paper items, art items, glass framed pictures, ceramic items, pamphlets, manuals, advertising art all reflecting small farming and animal power. Also Friday evening will be a repeat of the Ryan Foxley and friends string band concert that was such a BIG hit last year.

Saturday the 16th all day Swap meet and trade fair. In the morning the auction commences with small items, tack and harness. We will start the Carriage sale at 11 am in the arena with Premiere select vehicles. (Based on a set of photos sent in before the early deadline, the auction jury will determine which entered vehicles are eligible to purchase a predetermined sales position in the opening premiere select. These vehicles will be given added advertising exposure and enjoy a guaranteed early sales position. Following the premiere select will be the remaining horse drawn vehicles.)

And Sunday is the cleanup and go-home day.

The swap meet and trade fair is sure to fill up fast, as are the clinic time-slots, so DO NOT WAIT to sign up if you want to conduct a clinic. Once again we will be publishing a program. A big part of how we are able to make this happen is the generous support of our many sponsors, THANK YOU each and everyone.

The time is ripe to join us for what will be the largest and best event we have ever held. See You There.

Horse Expo

2010-11-22T02:10:00Z

44th Annual CMA AWARDS!

2010-10-14T01:39:00Z

The Oregon Trail

2010-07-20T04:54:00Z

The Oregon Trail was one of the main overland migration routes on the North American continent, leading from locations on the Missouri River to the Oregon Country.

Between 1841 and 1869 the Oregon Trail was used by settlers, ranchers, farmers, miners, and businessmen migrating to the Pacific Northwest. The eastern half of the trail was also used by travelers on the California Trail, Bozeman Trail, and Mormon Trail which used much of the same trail before turning off to their separate destinations. Once the first transcontinental railroad by the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific was completed in 1869, the use of this trail by long distance travelers rapidly diminished as the railroad was able to fulfill most travel needs. By 1883 the Northern Pacific Railroad had reached Portland, Oregon. Roads were built over or near most of the trail as local travelers traveled to cities originally established along the Oregon Trail.

To complete the journey in one traveling season most travelers left in April to May—as soon as there was enough grass for forage for the animals and the trails dried out. To meet the constant need for water, grass, and fuel for campfires the trail followed various rivers and streams across the continent. The network of trails required little initial preparation to be made passable for wagons. People using the trail traveled in wagons, pack trains, on horseback, on foot, by raft, and by boat to establish new farms, lives, and businesses in the Oregon Country. This territory in the early 19th century was subject to competing claims by the United States and Britain, who had come to an arrangement usually described as "joint occupancy"; Britain's name for the region was the Columbia District, referring to the local regional department of the Hudson's Bay Company.

The four- to six-month journey spanned over half the continent as the wagon trail led about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) west through territories and land that later became six U.S. states: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon. Extensions of the Oregon Trail were the main arteries that fed settlers into six more states: Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Washington, and Montana.

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!

2010-07-04T13:40:00Z

Come Join us as we celebrate the 4th of July in Harrisburg Oregon. We will have a booth setup selling our great products.
See you there!

Have a Happy and safe 4th

Wind Wagons

2010-06-16T03:56:00Z

Along the westward-moving frontier, innovation and invention were requirements for survival and the early American settler was indeed a resourceful individual. It is not surprising that in the latter half of the 19thcentury ways were sought and found to utilize the energy provided by that great natural resource of the prairie--the wind.

A novel device of the Kansas territorial period was the wind wagon,sometimes called a sailing wagon. Several were built and in1860 the press gave them considerable attention. They were similar to an ordinary light wagon; weighed about 350 pounds; had a bed about three feet wide,eight feet long, and six inches deep; and were propelled by a sail or sails raised over the center of the front axle. When the breezes blew in the right direction the wagons were reported to skim over the prairies at about 15 miles per hour, with speeds at up to 40 miles per hour.At least one wagon was reported to have traveled from Kansas City to Denver in a little more than 20 days. Upon the arrival of a wind wagon from West port, Missouri, a Council Grove newspaper asked of its readers:"Who says now that the Santa Fe Trail is not a navigable stream." The few wind wagons that were built undoubtedly traveled further in the press than they did on the prairie and horses and oxen remained the basic mode of power for a good many years.

One of the more interesting sagas of Kansas wind wagoning came in 1860.Samuel Peppard, who owned a sawmill on the Grasshopper River near Oskaloosa completed his contraption. Built with assistance from John Hinton, it was dubbed by his neighbors, "Peppard's Folly." Later it was suggested that because 1860 was a year of extensive drought and business was slack, Peppard built his frigate as a means of whittling away idle time. Peppard,undoubtedly, had a more ulterior motive in mind as on completion of the craft, he and his companions set out immediately for the Colorado goldfields.

A fairly detailed and entertaining account of Peppard's journey over the prairie sea can be found at the Kansas Historical Society.Although,not identified by name Peppard received some national notoriety when a correspondent of Leslie's Illustrated Magazine reported the arrival of the wind-schooner at Fort Kearney. In the grand literary style of the day, the correspondent wrote:

The ship hove in sight about 8 o'clock in the morning with a fresh breeze from east, northeast. It was running down in a westerly direction for the fort, under full sail, across the green prairie. The guard, astonished at such a sight, reported the matter to the officer on duty, and we all turned out to view the phenomenon. Gallantly she sailed, and at a distance ...not unlike a ship at sea In front is & large coach lamp to travel by night when the wind is favorable ... A crank and band wheels allow it to be propelled by hand when wind and tide are against them.

For some strange reason, no mention was made of the wind wagon episode in Peppard's obituary. While alive, however, he took pride in relating his experiences with the wind-wagon.

Peppard's wind wagon was neither the first nor the last totraversethe Kansas prairie. From time to time there were other reports of wagons equipped to utilize the state's greatest natural resource as a propellant. In 1877, the Kansas Pacific used sails on handcars. As late as1887,John B. Wornall of Westport carried a small group to a camp meeting. In 1910 it was reported that a sailing schooner had been invented in Louisville, Kentucky.

LAURA INGALLS WILDER

2010-06-09T13:14:00Z

When LAURA INGALLS WILDER started writing her classic "Little House" book series in 1932, she had no idea of creating fame for herself or the places where she had lived. She wrote simply to preserve tales of a lost era in American history, the pioneer period she vividly recalled from her growing-up years on the mid western frontier in the 1870's and 1880's. When Laura completed her eight-volume series in 1943, she had achieved a lasting picture of pioneer life as she had experienced it in Wisconsin,Kansas, Minnesota, and South Dakota.

"I had no idea I was writing history," Laura remarked when her books were well known both in America and in foreign countries where they were translated. (The books are now printed in over 40 languages.) But readers of all ages accepted the Ingalls and Wilder families as chosen friends. Thousands wrote to Laura at her home on Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri. Fans sought out the sites of her books and stopped to visit her in her Ozark Mountain home, right up to her death in 1957at the age of 90.

The visiting still goes on. Immediately after Laura's death, the home she and her husband Almanzo built was preserved and opened for readers.In De Smet, South Dakota, a Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society was founded to offer history and hospitality to increasing numbers of summer tourists. Through the years, each of the book sites has joined the ranks of literary-historical spots dedicated to the pioneering spirit and writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

"The Wilder Trail" begins at Pepin, Wisconsin (Little House in the Big Woods), treks south to Independence, Kansas (Little House on the Prairie), heads north to Walnut Grove, Minnesota (On the Banks of Plum Creek) and further west to De Smet, South Dakota (Little Town on the Prairie). Other restored sites include the Masters Hotel at Burr Oak, Iowa, where the Ingallses lived in 1876 and the Almanzo Wilder Home (Farmer Boy).

Laura would be pleased at the commemoration of her family, her books and the pioneer history she painstakingly recorded. She would be gratified her present-day friends in her old hometowns keep the doors open to the places she called "The Land of Used-to-Be". For you who come to visit,may this photographic journey provide a happy remembrance of what Laura Ingalls Wilder called "stories that were too good to be lost".

The above text has been adapted from Little House Country: A Photo Guide to the Home Sites of Laura Ingalls Wilder

HISTORY OF THE GUN RIFLES OF THE OLD WEST

2010-05-31T01:18:00Z

History of the Pony Express

2010-05-25T02:19:00Z

The Pony Express was founded by William H. Russell, William B. Waddell, and Alexander Majors. Plans for the Pony Express were spurred by the threat of the Civil War and the need for faster communication with the West. The Pony Express consisted of relays of men riding horses carrying saddlebags of mail across a 2000-mile trail. The service opened officially on April 3, 1860, when riders left simultaneously from St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. The first westbound trip was made in 9 days and 23 hours and the eastbound journey in 11 days and 12 hours. The pony riders covered 250 miles in a 24-hour day.

Eventually, the Pony Express had more than 100 stations, 80 riders, and between 400 and 500 horses. The express route was extremely hazardous, but only one mail delivery was ever lost. The service lasted only 19 months until October 24, 1861, when the completion of the Pacific Telegraph line ended the need for its existence. Although California relied upon news from the Pony Express during the early days of the Civil War, the horse line was never a financial success, leading its founders to bankruptcy. However, the romantic drama surrounding the Pony Express has made it a part of the legend of the American West.

From http://www.ponyexpress.org/

Billy the Kid

2010-05-20T04:34:00Z

The most famous outlaw-gunfighter of the frontier Southwest was William Bonney, alias "Billy the Kid". Born in New York City, Billy moved West with his family and eventually became a cowboy in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, working for cattleman J. H. Tunstall. In February, 1878, Tunstall was killed by a rival cattle outfit, and this started Lincoln County War in which Billy played a leading role. This "war" was actually a struggle between two rival groups of businessmen and ranchers. Murders and depredations between the two groups culminated in a three day battle in Lincoln, New Mexico during July of 1878. Billy was one of the group that shot to death Sheriff Bill Brady. "The Kid" was said to have been involved in twenty other murders in his lifetime.

Governor Lew Wallace (also author of "Ben Hur") offered a $500 reward to anyone who would capture William Bonney, alias "The Kid", and deliver him to any sheriff in New Mexico. In 1880, Lincoln County elected Sheriff Pat Garrett and a posse trapped "The Kid" and four companions in a hut at Stinking Springs. After a three day siege, the gang was captured on December 23, 1880.

The first report of his capture was presented in the Las Vegas (New Mexico) Daily Gazette Extra of December 27, 1880. This newspaper was one of the most widely read in the Southwest. The Gazette, along with the Las Vegas Daily Optic, covered the closing of "The Kid's" career more thoroughly than any other newspaper. This was because, at the time, Las Vegas was the marketing center for the area in which Billy operated.

Billy was convicted of murder, and was sentenced to be hanged in Lincoln. However, on April 28, 1881, he escaped from custody, killing two guards. The news of his escape made page one of the Gazette on Sunday, May 1, 1881. The short article was titled "The Kid Escaped", but did not give many details. On May 3, a page four article (page four was where the local news was usually placed) detailed "The Kid's Escape". This account took up an extra column and went into great detail of the escape.

For two and a half months the Las Vegas newspaper carried reports of Billy's supposed whereabouts. During that time he was tracked down by Sheriff Pat Garrett, who cornered Billy only July 15, 1881 in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. On July 18, 1881 the Las Vegas Daily Optic carried the story headlined: "The Kid Killed". Thus ended the short life and stormy career of William Bonney -- "Billy the Kid"

LIMITED TIME-SAVE MONEY

2010-05-16T20:13:00Z

WTWA STORE

How Do I Clean a Straw Cowboy Hat?

2010-05-14T02:47:00Z

While the first rule of care for a straw cowboy hat is to keep it dry, and the second rule is to keep it clean, spills and mistakes do sometimes happen. Usually a damp cloth and a bit of attention are all your hat will need to repair small mistakes. Anything harsher--or wetter--than that would cause the straw to disintegrate.

Step 1

Brush your straw cowboy hat regularly with a whisk broom to help keep it clean. The more preemptive cleaning you do, the less you'll actually need to spot-clean your hat.
Step 2

Sponge away any stains with a damp cloth. Never soak your hat or saturate it with water to clean it, as this will cause the hat to lose its shape and possibly even disintegrate. If you accidentally soak the hat during this process--or if it's been soaked by rain--use a clean, dry cloth to sop up as much water as you can without rubbing, then turn out the sweatband of the hat and stand the hat up on the sweatband to dry so that air can circulate underneath it.
Step 3

Mix a bit of liquid soap and lukewarm water in a small bowl, then sponge away any particularly stubborn stains on the hat with this mixture. Follow the same precautions against soaking the hat as described above.
Step 4

Blot over the places where you applied detergent with a clean, damp cloth to help remove any remaining traces of detergent. Sop up any excess water with a dry cloth, then stand the hat up on its sweatband to dry.

Was the OK Corral Gunfight an Accident?

2010-05-11T04:34:00Z

Sam Colt

2010-05-06T03:44:00Z

THE COLT LEGEND

"Abe Lincoln may have freed all men, but Sam Colt made them equal." This post-Civil War slogan would have been music to Sam Colt's ears had he lived long enough to hear it. Yet, even before his death at the age of 47, he knew that his invention of a weapon capable of firing without reloading was a tremendous success throughout the world. Some 19th-century historians have gone so far as to say that Sam Colt's invention altered the course of history. Whatever the case, when all was said and done, no one could deny that Sam Colt had achieved both fame and fortune known to few other inventors.

As a direct result of his invention and the marketing and sales success that followed, Sam Colt and his firearms played a prominent role in the history of a developing America. So popular was the Colt revolver during the latter half of the 1800s that it was perhaps the best-known firearm not only in this country but also in Canada, Mexico, and many European countries.

ORIGINS OF THE COMPANY

Sam Colt's success story began with the issuance of a U.S. patent in 1836 for the Colt firearm equipped with a revolving cylinder containing five or six bullets. Colt's revolver provided its user with greatly increased firepower. Prior to Colt’s invention, only one- and two-barrel flintlock pistols were available. In the 173 years that have followed, more than 30 million revolvers, pistols, and rifles bearing the Colt name have been produced, almost all of them in plants located in the Hartford, Connecticut, area.

The Colt revolving-cylinder concept is said to have occurred to Sam Colt while serving as a seaman aboard the sailing ship Corvo. There he observed a similar principle in the workings of the ship's capstan. During his leisure hours, Sam carved a wooden representation of his idea. The principle was remarkable in its simplicity and its applicability to both longarms and sidearms. Nevertheless, Colt's idea was not an instant success. At the outset, many people preferred the traditional flintlock musket or pistol to such a novel weapon.

In 1836, Colt built his first plant in Paterson, N.J., then one of this country's fastest-growing manufacturing centers. Sam Colt's uncle, a successful local businessman, was willing to help young Sam form the company. At age 22, Sam Colt was the firm's chief salesman and new business.

Colt soon developed and produced three different revolver models: the pocket, belt, and holster; and two types of long armor rifles: one cocked by a hammer, the other by a finger lever. In all cases, gunpowder and bullets were loaded into a revolving cylinder while the primer was placed into a nipple located on the outside of the cylinder, where it would be struck by the hammer when the trigger was pulled. Despite the generally favorable performance of the product in the hands of early buyers, sales were sluggish. Even though the U.S. government purchased small quantities of the Colt ring-lever rifle and the Colt 1839 carbine, quantities ordered appear never to have exceeded 100.

In 1842, the Paterson company, known as the Patent Arms Manufacturing Co., closed, auctioned much of its equipment, and entered bankruptcy proceedings. Sam Colt then turned his attention to selling the U.S. government on his ideas for waterproof ammunition, underwater mines for harbor defense, and, in association with the inventor Samuel F. B. Morse, the telegraph.

In 1845, however, units of the U.S. Dragoon forces and Texas Rangers engaged in fighting the Indians in Texas credited their use of Colt firearms for their great success in defeating Indian forces. U.S. War Department officials reportedly were favorably impressed. As a result, when the Mexican War began in 1846, Capt. Samuel H. Walker, U.S. Army, traveled East, looked up Sam Colt, and collaborated on the design of a new, more powerful revolver.

The U.S. Ordnance Dept. ordered a thousand of the newly designed revolvers, which Sam Colt called the "Walker." Suddenly, Colt was back in the firearms business but without a factory. He turned to Eli Whitney, Jr., son of the famous inventor of the cotton gin, who had a factory in Connecticut. It was there that the order was manufactured and shipped by mid-1847.

THE 1850’s: EARLY SUCCESS

In 1851, two significant developments had a major impact on the future of the company. Sam Colt became the first American manufacturer to open a plant in England, thereby solidifying his reputation in international markets. And he began purchasing parcels of property in what was then called the South Meadows, an area of Hartford that fronted on the banks of the Connecticut River. The parcels sold at remarkably low prices because they were often flooded. To address the flooding, Colt privately commissioned a two-mile-long dike. The dike cost twice as much as the 250 acres, but the new plant, operational in 1855, was protected from the river's uncontrolled flow.

Colt’s factory was equipped with the most up-to-date metalworking machinery available and was capable of turning out 5,000 finished handguns during its first year of operation. Knowledgeable of the latest achievements of New England's world-famous machine tool industry, Colt lost no time in specifying interchangeable parts, some 80% of which were turned out on modern precision machinery. Sam Colt is reported to have said, "There is nothing that can't be produced by machine," and his factory's production machinery achieved a remarkably high degree of uniformity for the mid-19th century. Typically, the metal parts of a Colt revolver were designed, molded, machined, fitted, stamped with a serial number, hardened, and assembled.

An unabashed promoter of both his company and the City of Hartford, Colt raised the distinctive onion-shaped dome, topped with a cast-bronze rampant colt, over his factory. That assured that every Hartford resident and visitor who saw the dome would ask about it and learn the Colt success story.

In 1855, Colt incorporated his business in Connecticut as the Colt's Patent Fire Arms Mfg Co., with an initial issuance of 10,000 shares of stock. Sam Colt retained ownership of 9,996 shares and gave one share to each of four business associates, including E.K. Root, his trusted factory superintendent and an inventor in his own right. By 1856, the company was producing 150 weapons a day; and the reputation of Colt firearms for exceptional accuracy, reliability, workmanship, and design had spread throughout the world.

Business success brought Colt fortune and fame. He became one of the ten wealthiest businessmen in the U.S and was awarded the honorary title of “Colonel” by the Governor of the State of Connecticut in return for political support. Colonel Colt had long enhanced the beauty of his firearms by adding engraving and gold inlay, but as the renown of his firearms spread, he expanded his engraving department. Colt's show guns and presentation pieces, exquisitely engraved and generously inlaid with gold, consistently won prizes at international trade fairs. Many were presented publicly to heads of state, including Czars Nicholas I and Alexander II of Russia, King Frederick VII of Denmark, and King Charles XV of Sweden.

Colt's Patent Fire Arms Mfg Co. sold its product line through a small force of traveling salesmen, known as agents, and through 15 to 20 jobbers who acted as wholesalers selling large quantities to individual retail outlets. The company also maintained sales offices in New York City and London. In addition, the sales department accepted direct orders at the plant from the rich and famous, friends of the Colt family, and those ordering large quantities.

Decades ahead of his time, Sam Colt was later recognized as one of the earliest American manufacturers to realize fully the potential of an effective marketing program that included sales promotion, publicity, product sampling, advertising, and public relations. His success made him perhaps the richest man in Connecticut and a pillar of the Hartford community. When Sam Colt built his home, Armsmear, an ornate mansion replete with greenhouses and formal gardens on the western edge of his armory property, it was deemed fitting that it should be one of New England's grandest residences. Armsmear remains standing to this day and is now an Episcopal home for the elderly.

1860 TO 1900: WAR, THE DEATH OF SAM COLT AND GROWTH OF THE AMERICAN WEST

Samuel Colt's health began to fail late in 1860 as the country moved toward Civil War. Prior to the actual declaration of war, Colt continued to ship his product to customers in southern states, but as soon as war was official, Colt supplied only the Union forces. The Armory was running at full capacity by year-end 1861, with more than 1,000 employees and annual profits exceeding $250,000. Samuel Colt died on January 10, 1862, at the age of only 47, having produced in his lifetime more than 400,000 guns. His estate was reportedly worth $15 million, a fantastic sum for the time.

Following Sam Colt's death, control of the company remained in the capable hands of Mrs. Elizabeth Colt and her family until 1901, when the company was sold to a group of investors. During that 39-year period, a number of significant events and developments impacted the Colt product line.

The Colt Armory and adjacent office structure burned to the ground in 1864, causing the suspension of all but limited military production for almost three years. The factory was rebuilt and, at Mrs. Colt's direction, was constructed to be as fireproof as possible. In 1867, the company began production of Dr. R.J. Gatling's machine gun, a semiautomatic firearm operated by a hand crank that turned a cluster of six to ten barrels while feeding ammunition into the breech.

Further change and growth came in the 1870’s. In 1872, Colt began to manufacture its first breech-loaded revolver that used self-contained metallic cartridges. That gun became world-famous as the Single Action Army^® Model 1873 and it was designed to use metallic ammunition that contained its own primer. In the years just prior to introduction of the 1873, thousands of percussive Colt revolvers had been converted to use a front-loaded, center-fired cartridge and there was pent-up demand for a gun designed for the new cartridge. The Single Action Army was an immediate sales success. Eventually, it became the stuff of legend as the “Peacemaker”® and "the gun that won the West." Between 1873 and 1941, Colt produced more than 350,000 Single Action Army revolvers of varying caliber, including almost 40,000 of the .45 caliber model sold to the U.S. government.

Product expansion continued during the 1880s, Colt introduced a full line of firearms ranging in size from concealable derringers to hammerless shotguns.

The line encompassed a large number of double action revolvers in various calibers, slide and pump action rifles, and the first revolvers with swing-out cylinders for easier loading. As its fame and reach grew, Colt Firearms had no single competitor. Smith & Wesson offered the greatest competition for the Colt line of handguns. Where rifles and shotguns were concerned, Remington and Winchester were the strongest competitors.

No other U.S. company produced as many fully automatic rifles, best known as machine guns, as did Colt Firearms. In large part, this was due to Colt’s long and profitable relationship with John Moses Browning. As early as 1891, Colt Firearms worked with Browning to produce a gas-operated, air-cooled (later water-cooled) machine gun. That gun was first delivered to the U.S. Navy in 1897 and was destined to play a major role in both the Boxer Rebellion and the Spanish-American War.

The Colt-Browning relationship included not only his machine guns and the well-known Browning automatic rifles (BAR) but also the world-famous Colt .45 semiautomatic pistol. Because of its effective stopping power, the Colt .45 was purchased in large quantity by the Department of the Army and, as the Model 1911A1, became the standard-issue sidearm during both World War I and World War II. Colt delivered approximately 2.5 million Colt .45 pistols to the U.S. government alone and also offered the pistol for sale commercially with tremendous marketing success. During both World Wars and subsequent military actions by the U.S. Armed Forces, Colt was a major producer of sidearms, rifles, machine guns, BARs, and antiaircraft guns for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Cowboys HISTORY

2010-05-02T02:47:00Z

Cowboys

“Here was all these cheap long-horned steers over-running Texas; here was the rest of the country crying out for beef -- and no railroads in Texas to get them out. So they trailed them out, across hundreds of miles of wild country."
Teddy Blue Abbott

From the southernmost tip of Texas, cattle trails pointed north -- the Shawnee, the Chisholm, the Western, the Goodnight-Loving. They all led to railheads, where the cattle were loaded into freight cars bound for eastern markets.

In less than two decades six million steers and cows were moved along them; so many, one trail driver said, that in places the dust was knee-deep to the cattle. The men who brought them to the railroads were given a new name "cowboys."

They were a mixed group: former Confederate cavalry men and immigrants who had only recently learned to ride; there were Indian cowboys and African-Americans -- and Mexican vaqueros, whose ancestors had introduced cattle to the West centuries earlier. A cowboy, one westerner observed, is "just a plain bowlegged human who smelled very horsey at times."

"In person the cowboys were mostly medium-sized men... quick and wiry, and as a rule very good-natured; in fact, it did not pay to be anything else. In character, their like never was or will be again."
Teddy Blue Abbott

Edward C. Abbott was born in Cranwich, England, and brought to the West by his parents as a boy. Hoping the open air would improve his frail health, his father let him help drive a herd of cattle from Texas to Nebraska when he was just 10 years old. The experience, Abbott said later, "made a cowboy out of me. Nothing could have changed me after that."

"My family and I went separate ways, and they stayed separate forever after. My father was all for farming... and all my brothers turned out farmers except one, and he ended up the worst of the lot -- a sheep-man, and a Republican."
Teddy Blue Abbott

The cowboys' average age was 24. They were paid so badly, and worked so hard, that two-thirds of them made only one trail drive before finding something better to do. They owned their saddle, but not the horse they rode -- and they rode it day and night.

For a man to be stove up at thirty may sound strange to some people, but many a cowboy has been so bunged up that he has to quit riding that early in life... My advice to any young man or boy is to stay at home and not be a rambler, as it won't buy you anything.
James Emmit McCauley

"If a storm come and the cattle started running -- you'd hear that low rumbling noise along the ground... then you'd jump for your horse and get out there in the lead, trying to head them and get them into a mill before they scattered to hell and gone. It was riding at a dead run in the dark, with cut banks and prairie dog holes all around you, not knowing if the next jump would land you in a shallow grave."

"The singing was supposed to soothe the cattle and it did... The two men on guard would circle around with their horses on a walk, if it was a clear night and the cattle was bedded down and quiet, and one man would sing a verse of a song, and his partner on the other side of the herd would sing another verse; and you'd go through a whole song that way... I had a crackerjack of a partner in '79. I'd sing and he'd answer, and we'd keep it up like that for two hours. But he was killed by lightning."
Teddy Blue Abbott

After up to four straight months in the saddle, often in the same clothes every day, eating every meal at the chuck wagon, drinking nothing but coffee and water, the cowboy's job was finally done -- he was paid for his work, and turned loose in town.

"I bought some new clothes and got my picture taken... I had a new white Stetson hat that I paid ten dollars for, and new pants that cost twelve dollars, and a good shirt and fancy boots. Lord, I was proud of those clothes! When my sister saw me, she said: "Take your pants out of your boots and put your coat on. You look like an outlaw." I told her to go to hell. And I never did like her after that. "
Teddy Blue Abbott

Cowboys were big spenders, but while businesses profited, all the cowtowns soon became wilder than their permanent residents liked.

The Marshal has posted up printed notices, informing all persons that the ordinance against carrying firearms or other weapons in Abilene will be enforced. That's right. There's no bravery in carrying revolvers in a civilized community.
Abilene Chronicle

Gun control ordinances were common; cowboys who insisted on carrying their six-shooters in town risked fines and imprisonment. To make sure the laws were obeyed, some cowtowns resorted to hiring notorious gunmen -- Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and Wild Bill Hickok -- to keep the peace.

Morally, as a class, cowboys are foulmouthed, blasphemous, drunken, lecherous, utterly corrupt. Usually harmless on the plains when sober, they are dreaded in towns, for then liquor has an ascendancy over them.
Cheyenne Daily Leader

One by one, the cowtowns would declare themselves off-limits to the Texas herds and the cowboys who came with them.

"Then I went home. After I got home my father said to me one night: 'You can take old Morgan... and plow the west ridge tomorrow.' Like hell I'd plow the west ridge. And when he woke up next morning, Teddy was gone."
Teddy Blue Abbott

(from PBS.org)