...wherein Chuckwagon keeps us enlightened on what REALLY (really?) went on, 'way back when.Care to share a few of yours? Post 'em here, and we'll relocate them to the SausagesWest website "Tales of the Old West" section .
How to Do It:
---To post a new item, click in the white "New post" area and write your li'l heart out.
To reply to a post, click on the underlined "reply" thingie, then type your comment.
---Need to add an image to your comment or reply? Use code like the following in your post.
(If you copy the last of the four "tags" out of PhotoBucket and paste it in here, it should work.) Example: [URL=http://s1164.photobucket.com/user/erlwebmail/media/javelina_zps0214db7d.jpeg.html][xxx]http: //i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q563/erlwebmail/javelina_zps0214db7d.jpeg[/xxx][/URL]
where you substitute "IMG" for the "xxx" in both places. (Evidently the 2nd copy of the path to the image, surrounded by the "IMG" tags in square brackets, does the trick.)
---Don't forget to click on "Publish" to "make it happen."
Previously posted by Chuckwagon on 03 November, 2014 19:03
ReplyDeleteOn This Day In Western History… November 3rd, 1883
Authorities almost nabbed the infamous stagecoach robber called Black Bart as the outlaw inadvertently dropped his handkerchief with an identifying laundry mark during this day’s stagecoach robbery in California. The outlaw Charles E. Boles wore socks over his boots during his robberies so he couldn't be tracked. Considering himself a gentleman, he enjoyed taunting his victims by leaving little bits of poetry behind in empty strongboxes to confuse those who were brave enough to pursue him.
“Black Bart” Charles E. Boles, was born in New York around 1830. As a young man, he abandoned his family and struck out for the gold fields of California where he failed to strike it rich. He soon found it profitable to rob stagecoaches as Wells Fargo had indeed lost more than $415,000 in gold to outlaw robbers during the first few years following the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill. However, it is believed that Boles didn’t commit his first stagecoach robbery until July 1875 when he wore a flour sack over his head with holes cut for his eyes and a fancy gentleman's black derby. Following many successive robberies, Wells Fargo detectives finally located Boles by tracing his laundry mark. Arrested and tried, it was noted that Black Bart had never shot anyone nor robbed a single stage passenger personally. Boles pleaded guilty and received a sentence of six years in San Quentin prison, but due to good behavior, he served only four. Upon his release, Black Bart disappeared into thin air and was never heard from again by anyone. Black Bart had stolen only $18,000 during the eight years of his criminal career.
On this day in western history… November 8th, 1887
ReplyDeleteGunslinger, gambler, and occasional dentist Doc Holliday passed away from tuberculosis. John Henry "Doc" Holliday earned his nickname when he graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery in 1872. Intending to pursue a dental career in Atlanta, Doctor Holliday found his plans interrupted by the advice of doctors who insisted he move to a more arid climate. Holliday had developed a bad cough and had been diagnosed with having tuberculosis.
Though “Doc” was perhaps most famous for his participation in the shootout at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, he participated in the ensuing bloody feud with the “cowboys” organization who were at odds with his best friend Wyatt Earp.
Holliday, initially moving to Dallas, Texas, had been a competent dentist with a successful practice. In 1875, Dallas police arrested him for participating in a shootout as the dentist began making his living as a professional gambler rather than repairing teeth. The gaming tables in Denver, Cheyenne, Deadwood, and Dodge City, all observed the man in his deteriorating condition aggravated by heavy drinking and late nights. In 1881, at the shootout at the O.K. Corral, Holliday proved to be a loyal friend to Earp. Doc Holliday died in a sanitarium in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. He way only 36 years old!
On this day in western history…
ReplyDeleteNovember 11th, 1933
As the Great Depression continued during the Nineteen-Thirties, a series of windstorms dried out and shriveled the farmlands in South Dakota. The land became entirely desiccated as winds stripped the topsoil leaving behind dirt that was totally useless to farmers. On this day in history, November 11th, 1933, a most powerful wind initiated a series of disastrous windstorms, the likes of which had never been seen. Within the two ensuing days, dust from the South Dakota storm had reached all the way to Albany, New York. The drought-ridden land of the Southern Plains became known as the Dust Bowl as dust eventually devastated and covered an area of nearly 100 million acres. During 1938, the worst year of the dust storms, it is estimated that 850 million tons of topsoil had disappeared with the winds.
What did people observe? The storms began as ominous black clouds above the horizon – a nerve-racking, tormenting, and alarming sight! The ensuing dust storms actually choked livestock to death, not before devastating crops and damaging human health. Historians generally agree that the winds of the “Dust Bowl” were the worst environmental disaster in American history.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon