Dudes In The Old West

Dear Friends,

A reader recently wrote to ask why the word "dude" is used derogatorily in Western movies? He said he was a watching an old Western on television and every time someone said "dude," it was said "with total disdain."

The word "dude" is sort of a sore spot with me. Frankly, I hate the word. I truly hate it. My hating the word "dude" goes back to when I first came to California while a teenager. It didn't take me to long to see that a lot of California people like calling others "dude."

As soon as I arrived from Hawaii, I wanted a job. As a result, I found a job with Hayward Area Recreation Department cleaning a couple of parks on the weekends. Yes, I was the kid who picked up after the Hippies who said they loved the earth yet trashed the parks. Yes, the same Hippies that bathed their kids in the park's toilets.  

It was there in 1972 that I watched drugged out "wasted" Hippies and other druggies interact with each other and beg for change. So for me, the term "dude" always reminds me of some space-case on drugs panhandling and begging, as in, "Hey Dude, got any change man. I want to score a joint dude."

In the early 1960s, "dude" became prominent in what was called the Southern California surfer culture. Also in the 1960s, the term "dude" started to evolve to mean just about any male person. It was a meaning that slipped into mainstream American slang in the 1970s. The term "dude" was widespread by the late-1970s.

The word "dude" is a word used in American slang for just about anyone these days. And yes, sorry to say, there are those people out there who believe the word "dude" applies to women as well as men. And today, well the word "dude" is also used informally to address just about anyone who someone doesn't know.

I remember when I was in the security business, a young man came up to me and said, "Hey dude, some dude is stealing my car. What are you going to do to stop him dude?"

My first thought was, "Dude huh?" My next response was, "Dude, like nothing dude, go call a cop!"

The word "dude" is actually an old word, recognized by multiple generations as a term used for a well-dressed man who is unfamiliar with rural life, someone from the city who is in the country. Yes, the word was used to refer to Easterners. It was a term used in reference to a man with "store bought clothes" and citified ways.

Some say the word "dude" may have derived from the Spanish phrase "lo dudo" meaning "doubtful".  Some say the word may have derived from the Scottish term for clothes, "duddies." This may be true as the term "dude" was first used in print in 1876, in Putnam's Magazine, to mock how a woman was dressed as a man who was referred to as a "dude".

Many years ago, Western movies and television writers did get it right when they had actors use "dude" derogatorily. It really was said "with total disdain" back in the Old West, usually by cowboys and frontiersmen who saw "dudes" as being a lot less than enviable.

In the Old West, the word was used by cowboys to unfavorably refer to city dwellers or even a townie. It was also a term for a "sharpie" -- a dishonest and cunning person, a con artist, a cheat.

Of course from the 1870s all the way up to the 1950s, a "dude" primarily meant a person who dressed like a city boy, a sort of a dandy, a "citified" male, a person who was visiting rural America and stuck out like a sore thumb. Yes, a city slicker!

In the popular press of the 1880s and 1890s, "dude" was a new word for "dandy" which of course meant an extremely well-dressed citified male.  A "dandy" was a man who paid particular importance to how his appearance. He was seen as man who was excessively vain. While some say he was concerned about his dress, appearance, and his manners, many out West referred to Eastern snobs as "dudes".

And yes, some back in the Old West thought gamblers and traveling salesmen known as "drummers," bankers, and others who dressed in sack suits and looked "pretty", were dandies or dudes. Believe it or not, there were a lot of people who saw gamblers like Luke Short, Bat Masterson, the Earp brothers, as dudes because of their "soft" occupations. the way they dressed, and the con men and criminal class that they associated with.

And yes, believe it or not, if shown the picture below most would have thought that the members of the Wild Bunch dressed like "dudes".

Yes, if you didn't know these guys were outlaws, back in the Old West you'd probably think they were just "dudes" from a city back East.

While cowboys in the 1870 and 1880s were known to like bright colorful shirts and did in fact dress to impress young women, a cowboy was definitely not a dude. A cowboy dressed his best to impress the ladies when going to town or a social, his work clothes when dealing with horses, cattle, dust, dirt, sweat, and hard work was not exactly his "Sunday best." No, he was no dude.

As for as a cowboy or farmer getting into his "Sunday best," that meant he was dressed in the best clothing that he had. And yes, getting dressed in fancy clothes also meant getting "all duded up". Yes, it was a version of the word "dude" that's still in use occasionally in American slang today.

But all in all, the word "dude" was used to refer to Easterners and referred to a man with "store bought clothes". And yes, the word was used by cowboys to unfavorably refer to the city dwellers.

In The Home and Farm Manual (1883), author Jonathan Periam used the term "dude" several times to denote "an ill-bred and ignorant, but ostentatious, man from the city." Most cowboys of the time would have agreed with that.

The implication of an individual who is unfamiliar with the demands of life outside of urban settings gave rise to the definition of dude as a city slicker, or an "Easterner" who is in the West. Because "dude" was also used by ranch-and-homestead-bound settlers of the American Old West to describe the wealthy men of the expansion of the United States during the 19th century, the word "dude" also became synonymous with someone coming West for enjoyment and fun instead of hard work.

This use is reflected in the term "Dude ranch," which of course is a "guest ranch" that caters to folks from the cities who seek more rural relaxation and short lived country experiences. Yes, country experiences that they can take back to the city and brag to their friends about.

Dude ranches began to appear in the American West in the early 20th century. They were for wealthy Easterners who came to experience the "cowboy life."

In the 19th and early 20th century, it was very common for working ranches to take in guests from the East during the "tourist season" as a way to supplement their income. In those days those ranches were still raising and slaughtering cattle or sheep as their primary business. With just a little hospitality, a dude came away with all sorts of adventures to tell the folks back in the city.

So successful were dude ranches in America that in 1926 the Dude Ranchers’ Association (DRA) was created. And since then, yes there are more Dude Ranches, also renamed Guest Ranches, than ever before. And yes, today, as amazing as it sounds, dudes and "dudettes" can experience the West by visiting Dude Ranches and actually paying those places to do the work of ranch hands and live in a sparsely furnished bunkhouse. Imagine that.

While the term "dude" still mean "city-slicker" to some, it shouldn't be mistaken with a "Greenhorn" or "Tenderfoot." These terms are apples and oranges. They are not the same.

It is commonly accepted that most "dudes" believe themselves smarter and more sophisticated than cowboys, farmers, and rural folks. They see cowboys and farmers as inferior to them on the social ladder and would never ever think of becoming one of them. They loath rural Americans and see many of us as "hicks." And yes, this was especially true in the late-1800s.

Back in the early to mid-1800s, a "tenderfoot" was originally a cattleman's name for an imported cow. Later it became the name for people new to ranches and the country life. Same as with the term "pilgrim". All in all, a "tenderfoot" is a newcomer, a novice, especially a person unaccustomed to the hardships of pioneer life. Some called him a Monkey-Ward cowboy, a mail-order cowboy, a flat-heeled puncher, among other things one would call a wannabe-cowboy.

There is not much difference between a "tenderfoot" or a "greenhorn." These are people new to rural life, especially that of the cowboy life. But, even though that's the case, what makes them polar opposites of dudes is that they do have a desire to assimilate.

A "greenhorn" is usually inexperienced, maybe a little naive, mostly a newcomer to cowboy work, a person who makes a lot of mistakes and does things wrong, someone who is unacquainted with local manners and customs of rural America and ranch life. But like the "tenderfoot," they also want to be a part of the community or be good at their job.

My grandpa once told me, "Every cowboy starts out a greenhorn in some way simply because he doesn't have the experience yet. But even with experience, though not a greenhorn anymore, a good cowboy, a good hand, never stops learning."

Cowboys once saw dudes as city slickers who think they know it all and are never open to learning what others can teach them. And that's especially true since many a dude visiting the Old West arrived with the attitude that "there's nothing to be learned from poor farmers and uneducated cowboys."

That may be why many in the Old West believed that a visiting dude really didn't care to be a part of things. It may be because dudes really saw themselves above others, snobs who saw country folks as less then them. And there stands the difference between a greenhorn who has the desire to be a cowboy and that of a dude who doesn't.

Where a greenhorn will one day be a cowboy if he keeps at it, a dude is just a dude and will always be a dude from the city.

And yes, that's just the way I see things.

Tom Correa

The Old West - Interesting Facts - Part 6

There were four Shield Brothers from Texas. They served in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy. They were considered "Texas Giants" because they were all over 7 feet tall.

Supposedly the habit of spreading sawdust on saloon floors started in Deadwood, South Dakota.

The story goes that this was done because of the amount of gold dust that would fall on the floor. The sawdust was used to hide the fallen gold dust. At the end of each night, it and was swept up and the gold dust was separated.

Hilario Hidalgo and Francisco Renteria were hanged on July 31, 1903, at the Yavapai County Courthouse in Prescott, Arizona.

The Los Angeles Times reported the hanging as follows: During the reading of their death warrant one of the condemned cried out — “I have heard that repeated so often that if it was a song I would sing it to you,” — and with “perfect nerve” checked out, calling only “Adios! Adios!” from the scaffold. 

It was the last hanging in Prescott, Arizona.

James Black was an Arkansas blacksmith and the creator of the original Bowie knife designed by Jim Bowie. Bowie was already famous for knife-fighting from his 1827 sandbar duel. But his killing of three assassins in Texas and his death at the Battle of the Alamo made him, and the blacksmith's knife, legends.

James Black's knives were known to be exceedingly tough yet flexible. Black kept his methods for creating the knife very secret and did all of his work behind a leather curtain.

The skeletons of Buffalo were strewn across the Great Plains after the mass buffalo hunts between 1870 and 1883. Eastern firms bought them up, gathered them, and use them the production of fertilizer and bone china. "Bone pickers” earned eight dollars a ton for the bones.

The famous Reno Gang's claim to fame is that they are responsible for the first American train robbery. They are the first to rob a moving train and to net nearly $13,000 for their trouble. Some sources credit the Reno Gang for inspiring other train robbers such as the James Gang and others.

And yes, America’s first train robbery took place on October 6, 1855 in Jackson County, Indiana, and not in the West as some think. The two bandits, John and Simeon Reno robbed the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad.
During the Civil War, Frank and John Reno were Union Army "bounty jumpers." Those were Army soldier who signed up for the enlistment fee but then disappeared only to re-enlist elsewhere under a different name to collect a new fee. Most "bounty jumpers" tried it more than once.

Of course they were also considered Union deserters. There are questions if Reno brother Simeon was a bounty jumper. There is proof that he was definitely was a deserter. William Reno apparently deserted for a brief enough time to return and be granted an honorable discharge from the Union Army. He is the only Reno brother to have the distinction of having an honorable discharge.

Estimates of how many people lived in North America before the arrival of the European explorers vary from 8.4 million to 112 million. This population was divided into about 240 tribal groupings speaking an estimated 300 different languages.

Born in California in 1859, Charlie Meadows is often called "Arizona Charlie" because he started calling himself that after his family moved there when he was a teen. He wore his hair long for a theatrical effect, and he claimed to be the best sharpshooter in the West.

Of course, if he were a good shot, it is surprising that Bill Cody never used him as one instead of as a wrangler in his Wild West Show.

Yes, in reality, he was just one of the many cowboys hired on by Bill Cody for his Wild West Show. One report that I read said that Meadows found dressing up as an extra exciting.

In fact, he loved acting so much that he opened up his own traveling Wild West Show and billed himself as the "King of the Cowboys". That was before going to Alaska during the gold rush there. There he made enough money to built a theater to preform rope tricks and hire entertainers. But as fate had it, he finally went bust in a card game.

The Oregon Trail, from Independence, Missouri to Fort Vancouver, Washington measured 2,020 miles. An estimated 350,000 emigrants took the Oregon Trail. Out if the those, 1 out of 17 would not survive the trip. The most common cause of death was cholera.

The cowgirl above is Vera McGinnis. She was the first cowgirl to wear pants in the rodeo arena. That took place in 1918. Vera was a World Champion Rodeo Trick Rider and Rodeo Relay Rider.

In late 1849, the famous Kit Carson led the pursuit of a band of Jicarilla Apache who had kidnapped Mrs. J. M. White and her child from an emigrant caravan. The story goes that Carson and a company of Taos soldiers tracked down and killed the Apache, but they were too late to save Mrs. White.

She was found with an arrow through her heart. Along with Mrs. White, Carson's group discovered a Dime Novel lying near her body. The Dime Novel featured Kit Carson as the hero of a story where he single-handedly fought off eight Indians.

During his life Wyatt Earp operated saloon in Nome, Alaska. In the late 1890’s U.S. Marshal Albert Lowe slapped an intoxicated Earp and took his gun away after Wyatt threatened to demonstrate how guns were handled "down Arizona way." This is just proof that the myth that Wyatt Earp didn't drink is just a myth.

Last but not least, Thomas "Black Jack" Ketchum holds the dubious distinction of being the only person ever put to death in the New Mexico Territory for the offense of "felonious assault upon a railway train".

And there you have it.

Tom Correa

Concealed Carry Reciprocity In All 50 States

Dear Friends,

According to my Concealed Carry Gun Permit, I can carry anywhere in the state of California. And, since a number of other states recognize my California issued CCW permit, I can legally carry a concealed weapon there as well.

As for the states that honor California CCW permits, there are a number of states that do. Below are the states that honor a California CCW.

Alaska will honor a valid permit to carry a concealed handgun from another state. Alaska has also recently passed a law that says you may carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

As for Arizona, that state recognizes all other states valid permits. Idaho recognizes a concealed weapons permit from another state. In fact Idaho will honor my California CCW and will allow me to carry a concealed weapon in my car as well on my person.

Idaho Code 18-3302 is very specific about this issue. It allow for reciprocity if a citizen from another state or jurisdiction has a valid concealed weapons permit. The only requirements are that the person have the permit on their person at all times and display it upon request of an enforcement officer.

The state of Indiana honors any right-to-carry permits issued by another state. The state of Kentucky recognizes valid carry concealed deadly weapons licenses issued by other states and, subject to the provisions of Kentucky law, a person holding a valid license

As for Michigan, I read if you are a non-resident of Michigan with a valid concealed pistol permit from your home state, Michigan will recognize your permit. Missouri's carrying concealed law is the same way as it recognizes all out-of-state permits.

Montana recognizes concealed weapons permits from some other states. The Attorney General’s Office has determined that concealed weapons permits from California are recognized under Montana law.

Oklahoma recognizes any valid conceal carry license from any other state. The state of South Dakota also recognizes any valid concealed pistol permit issued to a non-resident of South Dakota.

Tennessee has voted to now recognizes a facially valid handgun permit, firearms permit, weapons permit, or a license issued by another state so that an authorized holder of such an out-of-state permit or license can carry a handgun in the state of Tennessee.

As for Texas, Governor Perry issued a proclamation that allows persons with concealed handgun licenses from California to legally carry in Texas. In Utah, they will honor a permit to carry a concealed firearm issued by another state or county. 

In Vermont, folks up there are special in that the state of Vermont does not require a citizen to have a CCW permit. Yes, folks may carry a concealed weapon there without a permit. 

In actuality, while some restrictions may apply, Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Vermont, and West Virginia are states that have permitless carry. That means, they allow anyone that can legally possess a firearm to carry a concealed weapon.

Of course, we in California already know that our counties limit us to the specific guns on our CCW permits. Most states know that that's the way things are in California, so most states that you visit will also limit you to the same listed guns even though that state might not have such limitation for their own CCW holders. That's just the way it is. And frankly, when visiting other states that do recognize our California CCW permits, we shouldn't try to carry something that we ordinarily wouldn't. 

So now that we all know what states a California CCW permit holder can carry in, and as we can see there are a number of them, why concern ourselves with Concealed Carry Reciprocity in all 50 States? 

Well, one reason is that the state of California, like that of New York, Illinois, and few others, does not recognize valid CCW permits from any other state. 

The second and more important reason is that it goes to the heart of our Constitution which makes marriages, driver's licenses, trade marks, copy rights, and a number of other legal situations and documents recognized within all of our 50 States and territories. Yes, Concealed Carry reciprocity should be recognized in the same way that other things like marriage and a driver's license are recognized by way of the Constitution of the United States. 

So what am I talking about? Well, according to Article IV, Section 1, of the U.S. Constitution: The Full Faith and Credit Clause: It provides that the various states must recognize legislative acts, public records, and judicial decisions of the other states within the United States. It states that "Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State."

That means, by law, all of our states shall recognize valid Concealed Carry permits of other states. That is called Concealed Carry reciprocity, and the U.S. Constitution, Article IV, Section 1, makes it clear that all states are to do so. 

So right now, if a Concealed Carry permit holder from California wants to carry a concealed weapon in Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and about 20 other states, they cannot do so legally with their California CCW permit. In reality, they would need to obtain a second CCW permit from a state that has more reciprocity.

Of course, what some may say is even worse is that California does not recognize any other state's CCW permit even if their standards and training requirements exceed what is require in California. And friends, that is not right. 

What does it mean that states do not abide by our Constitution when it comes to recognizing Concealed Carry permits? Well, they're breaking the law. Yes, just as with marriages and driver's licenses, all states should be compelled to recognize a CCW permit issued by other states. Not doing it is in violation of our Constitution.

And yes, that's just the way I see things.

Tom Correa

William Owen "Buckey" O'Neill

By Terry McGahey
Associate Writer/ Old West Historian

William Owen O'Neill of Rough Rider fame was born in either St. Louis Missouri or Washington D. C. on February 2nd 1860. Over his life time he had become a miner, newspaper editor, politician, sheriff, and a captain in the army.

He earned the nickname "Buckey" because he enjoyed bucking the odds at the game of faro. Little is known of his early days, but in 1879 Buckey O'Neill made his way to Tombstone in the Arizona Territory where he joined the Tombstone Epitaph as a reporter. During this time period in Buckey's life, he had a casual relationship with the Earp brothers. And when the gunfight at the O.K. Corral had taken place, it is highly likely that he would have been one of the on scene reporters after the fray.

Buckey left Tombstone in 1882 heading for Prescott with a short stay in Phoenix. By the time O'Neill landed in Prescott to put down roots. he was 30 he had served as court reporter, probate judge, superintendent of schools, tax assessor and newspaper editor and publisher.
While in Prescott he took a job as editor of the Prescott Journal Miner newspaper, then a court reporter, and afterward started his own paper called the Hoof and Horn which was directed toward the livestock industry.

After starting his own newspaper, Buckey joined a local unit of the Arizona Militia called the Prescott Grays in 1886 where he held the rank of Captain.

Also in 1886, on April 27th, he got married to Pauline Schindler. They had a son who was born premature, but he passed away shortly after his birth. Buckey also served as the Yavapi County, Arizona, Judge in 1888, and during this time he was elected to the position of County Sheriff.

During his position as sheriff, Buckey led a four man posse in pursuit of four other men who had robbed the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad passenger train in Diablo Canyon on March 20th 1889. 

He and his posse caught up with the desperadoes on the following day, March 21st, where a short shootout had ensued with Buckey's horse being the only one killed. The four robbers surrendered and were sentenced to eight years in the Yuma territorial prison.

Once Buckey's term of sheriff had ended, he was then elected as the mayor of Prescott. One odd side note, during this time period Tom Horn was one of his best friends.

In 1879, Buckey O'Neill began speculating on mining prospects and sold a group of claims near the Grand Canyon to some Chicago brokers which proposed the building of the railroad from Williams, Arizona, to the South Rim for the mines. This rail service still runs today for tourism to the canyon.

O'Neill then began to work at doing railroad surveys, mining development, and he also built a smelter.

In 1898, Buckey joined the Rough Riders when the war broke out between the United States and Spain. He became the Captain of Troop A.

The Rough Rider regiment was made up of cowboys, miners, gamblers, athletes, Native Americans, and other adventurers. They trained for several weeks in San Antonio and then shipped out to Tampa, the departure point for Cuba.

On June 22nd 1898, the Rough Riders landed at Daiquiri, Cuba, where two buffalo soldiers fell overboard and Buckey jumped in the water trying to save them wearing his full uniform as well as his saber. After a few minutes of searching for the men, he had to give up.

They fought a battle at Las Guasimas shortly after landing, suffering a handful of casualties. Some might not realize that despite their name, the Rough Riders fought on foot.

William Owen "Buckey" O'Neill was killed on July 7th, 1898, around 10 a.m. while at the bottom of Kettle Hill. Although his men pleaded with him to lie down, Buckey walked back and fourth down the line of his men under heavy fire. 

He felt that an officer should do this for the effect on his men. While doing so, a bullet struck him in the mouth and crashed through the back of his skull killing him instantly. He was 38.

Once the battle had come to a close Captain O'Neill's men buried him on the slope of San Juan Hill. But after the war had ended, friends and family, with the help of the State Department, recovered his body and he was reentered in Arlington National Cemetery in section 1, site 294. 

Buckey O'Neill, Arlington National Cemetery in section 1, site 294. 

In Prescott, Arizona, there is a monument of Buckey O'Neill built by Solon Borglum. It is located at Courthouse Plaza there. On July 3, 1907, the monument was dedicated to O'Neill and the other Rough Riders.

During his time at the Grand Canyon Buckey built a cabin in 1890 right near the edge of the canyon on the South Rim. This cabin is a one story structure set upon a stone foundation and is now one of the guest accommodations of the Bright Angel lodge. It is listed on the National Register Of Historic Places.

About the author:

Terry McGahey is a writer and Old West historian.

This once working cowboy is best known for his fight against the City of Tombstone and their historic City Ordinance Number 9, America's most famous gun-control law.
He was instrumental in finally getting Tombstone City Ordinance Number 9 repealed and having Tombstone fall in line with the state of Arizona.

If you care to read how he fought Tombstone's City Hall and won, please click:

The Last Gun Fight -- The Death of Ordinance Number 9 (Chapter One)

Wishing You A Happy New Year 2017

Dear Friends,

As my regular readers know, I haven't posted as often as I usually do this month. Part of the reason for this has to do with my being busy taking care of my brother Herman Ray's affairs. The other part of it is that it's no fun having the flu this time of year!

Yes, it seems my wife and I have been taking turns. While I was not doing too hot and then felt better and back again, she got so sick that I took her to the hospital to get looked at. Thankfully, the doctor says it's not in her lungs. But even though that's the case, she is still not doing too hot. And while it's getting really old, that's the way things have been at our house for the last few weeks. 

I have been doing all sorts of research, especially reading a lot of what folks have sent me. That's the good news. But all in all, I just want to apologize for not posting new articles at this time. While I can promise you that that will change when things get back to normal around here, for right now this flu has us down more than up.  

As for the New Year, my prayer is that 2017 is truly the start of making America great again. I hope and pray that we can return America to her Christian roots, to a place that cherishes family, to a land that worries about us her citizens before we concern ourselves with taking care of other parts of the world. 

With this New Year, I hope and pray that any illness faced by you or a member of your family is overcome. I hope that God grants you and yours blessings and protection, safety, and the strength it takes to endure through the toughest of times.

I have a special prayer that goes out for my cousin Diane who is fighting stage 4 cancer. I'm praying for a miracle. Yes, I'm truly praying for a miracle. She is as wonderful a person as there has ever been in our world and the world would truly be empty without her.

And for you, I thank you so much for visiting and reading my little blog. I truly hope and that all good things come to you. I truly wish you health and happiness, and a very Happy New Year!

Tom Correa



A Meme To Close Out 2017

Great Hoaxes -- The Black History Jack Johnson Hoax

The above meme is being circulated on Facebook, and other social media, by so-called Black History groups. The problem is that it's not true. It is false, a fake, not real. It is a lie.

Wrenches and applications using wrenches or devices that needed wrenches, such as pipe clamps and suits of armor, have been noted by historians as far back as the 15th century. Adjustable "coach wrenches" for the odd-sized nuts of wagon wheels were manufactured in England and exported to America in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. So yes, it is well known that wagons coming West had tools aboard including wrenches. 

In the mid-19th century, we began to see patented wrenches which used a screw to narrow and widen a wrench's jaws. That includes patented "monkey wrenches." They were set either by sliding a wedge, or later by twisting the handle, which turned a screw to either narrow or widen the jaws. It was popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but is now used only for heavier tasks, having been mostly replaced by the lighter and sleeker shifting adjustable wrenches. 

An adjustable wrench as we call it here in America is called adjustable "spanner" is the United Kingdom. They are wrenches with a "jaw" of adjustable width that allows us to use them with different sizes of nuts and bolts. And yes, there are many forms of adjustable wrenches, from the taper locking wrenches which needed a hammer to set the movable jaw to the size of the nut, to the modern screw adjustable wrenches. Simpler models use a serrated edge to lock the movable jaw to size. Today there are some adjustable spanners automatically adjust to the size of the nut. while more sophisticated versions are digital types that use sheets or feelers to set the size.

Named after the Crescent Tool Company was founded in Jamestown, New York, by Karl Peterson and Edward J. Worcester in 1907. The company became known for its adjustable wrenches. That's why we here in the United States and the folks up in Canada call most a adjustable wrench simply a "Crescent wrench".

In many Europe and parts of the Middle East, places such as France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, the adjustable wrench is called an "adjustable spanner" or an "English key" as it was first invented in 1842 by the English engineer Richard Clyburn. In countries such as Hungary, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Greece, Egypt, and Iran, an adjustable wrench is called a "French key." In Poland, they are called a "Swedish key" or a "French key" depending on type. 

Monkey wrenches are just another type of adjustable wrench. 

Hand-forged adjustable wrench

The "monkey wrench", known as "gas grips" in Great Britain, is an adjustable wrench. The term "monkey wrench" is really a colloquialism to refer to the a pipe wrench -- although they are still used by aircraft technicians when a large low torque fasteners are involved.

In America, Solymon Merrick of Springfield, Massachusetts, patented the first wrench in 1835. Then in 1840, in Worcester, Massachusetts, knife manufacturer Loring Coes invented a screw-based "coach wrench" design in which the jaw width was set with a spinning ring fixed under the sliding lower jaw, above the handle. 

This was patented in 1841 and the tools were advertised and sold in the United States as "monkey wrenches," a term which was already in use for the English handle-set coach wrenches. For the next eighty-seven years a very wide and popular range of monkey wrenches was manufactured by Coes family partnerships, licensees and companies, which filed further wrench patents throughout the nineteenth century. 

Some Coes wrenches could be bought with wooden knife handles, harking back to the company's early knife making business. In 1909 the Coes Wrench Company advertised a six-foot-long "key" wrench, shaped like a monkey wrench, for use on railroads. 

Monkey wrench (left) compared
to Stillson or pipe wrench (right)

The Coes wrench designs were acquired by longtime toolmaker Bemis & Call of Springfield, Massachusetts in 1928. After 1939, its successor companies manufactured monkey wrenches from Coes designs until the mid-1960s, yielding a production run of over 120 years. 

As for another piece of trivia, they were also known as a "Ford wrench" for a short time because a monkey wrench was included in the tool kit supplied with every Ford Model A.

Monkey wrenches are still manufactured and used for some heavy tasks, but as stated before, what many Americans today call a Monkey wrench is actually a pipe wrench. 

And yes, American Daniel C. Stillson, who was a steamboat firefighter, received a patented in 1870 for an invention later known as the Stillson pipe wrench. 

The Charles Moncky hoax

According to research, Charles Moncky lived in Baltimore and worked as a mechanic. He acquired a patent for his invention of an adjustable wrench in 1858. There those who say his wrench was called a "Monkey wrench" because of his name but that is false. 

But as I stated previously, other screw-adjustable wrenches and the term "monkey wrench" were used as far back as the early 1800's.

For example, the term "monkey wrench" can be found dating back to 1807 in Great Britain where the phrase "monkey wrench" appears in E.S. Dane’s "Peter Stubs & Lancashire Hand Tool Industry" catalog. That catalog has a section which reads: "Fleetwood, Richard, Parr, Rainford. Screw plates, lathes, clock engines, monkey wrenches, taps."

But let's get back to the Jack Johnson hoax!

Well over a year ago in early 2015, Black History groups circulated the Jack Johnson hoax on social media. They stated his patented wrench garnered the term "monkey" because Jack Johnson was a black man. 

While it is true that boxer Jack Johnson did receive a patent for a wrench while in prison, his patent was only improvements on an existing wrench that was not related to a monkey wrench. So frankly, the claim is false. Yes, a flat out lie.

So why did I want to look at this hoax?

Well, as I see it, the idea that a patient by a Black inventor was mocked when it fact that claim is false, is just more race baiting. This is a great example of people who create a story to serve their own agenda. In this case, their plan is to show how a Black America inventor can be hated, and how a Black inventor's invention can be given a derogatory label. Its designed to create hate and division in America. That's the agenda of those on the Left. That's their agenda of hate. 

Friends, there were a number of Black inventors whose inventions were well received by the world.

Thomas L. Jennings (1791-1859) was the first Black American person to receive a patent in the United States. He invented an early method of dry cleaning called "dry scouring" patented it in 1821.

If you ever owned the original IBM personal computer, you can partially credit its existence to Mark E. Dean. He was the Black American computer scientist/engineer who worked for IBM and led the team that designed the ISA bus which is the hardware interface that allows multiple devices like printers, modems, and keyboards to be plugged into a computer. This innovation helped pave the way for the personal computer's use in office and business settings.

Dean also helped develop the first color computer monitor. In 1999, he led the team of programmers that created the world’s first gigahertz chip. Today, Dean holds three of the company's original nine patents -- and more than 20 overall. Dean was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1997. He’s currently a computer science professor at the University of Tennessee.

Madam C. J. Walker was a Black American born Sarah Breedlove in 1867, and her early life was filled with hardships. By the age of 20, she was both an orphan and a widow. Her business sense and persistence made her America’s first self-made female millionaire. That's a far cry from her roots as the daughter of Louisiana sharecroppers. 

Dr. Shirley Jackson is a Black American theoretical physicist who currently serves as president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. While working at the former AT&T Bell Laboratories, she helped develop technologies that led to the invention of the portable fax, touch tone telephone, solar cells, fiber optic cables, and the technology enabling caller ID and call waiting. Dr. Jackson was also the first black woman to graduate with a Ph.D. from M.I.T., and the first to be named chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Countless individuals owe their lives to Black American Charles Richard Drew who was the physician responsible for America’s first major blood banks. Drew attended McGill University College of Medicine in Montreal, where he specialized in surgery. During a post-graduate internship and residency, the young doctor studied transfusion medicine. Later, while studying at Columbia University on fellowship, he refined key methods of collecting, processing, and storing plasma.

When World War II was in full swing, Dr. Drew was put in charge of a project called "Blood for Britain." He helped collect thousands of pints of plasma from New York hospitals, and shipped them overseas to treat European soldiers. Drew is also responsible for introducing the use of "bloodmobiles". Yes, he was responsible for those refrigerated trucks that transport blood.

Dr. Patricia Bath, is a Black American who revolutionized the field of ophthalmology when she invented a device that refined laser cataract surgery, called the "Laserphaco Probe." She patented the invention in 1988, and today she’s remembered as the first Black American woman doctor to receive a medical patent.

The average 19th century person couldn't afford shoes. That changed thanks to Black American Jan Ernst Matzeliger. She worked as an apprentice in a Massachusetts shoe factory. Matzeliger invented an automated shoemaking machine that attached a shoe’s upper part to its sole. 

Once it was refined, the device could make 700 pairs of shoes each day. Yes, that's a huge improvement from the 50 per day that the average worker once sewed by hand. But besides making shoes faster, her invention led to lower shoe prices which of course made financial reasonable for purchase by the average person.

Then there's one of my favorite inventors,  Black American George Washington Carver who was actually born into slavery in Missouri. The Civil War ended when he was a boy. The end of the war gave him the chance to receive an education. And yes, Carver eventually received his undergraduate and master's degrees in botany at Iowa State Agricultural College.

After graduation, Carver was hired by Black American Booker T. Washington to run the Tuskegee Institute’s agricultural department, in southeastern Alabama. He helped poor farmers, black and white, by teaching them about fertilization and crop rotation.

And since the region's primary crop was cotton, which drains nutrients from the soil, the scientist conducted studies to determine which crops naturally thrived in the region. Legumes and sweet potatoes enriched the fields, but there wasn't much of a demand for either. So Carver used the humble peanut to create more than 300 products, ranging from laundry soaps to plastics and diesel fuel. 

By 1940, peanuts was the South's second-largest cash crop. While contrary to popular belief, George Washington Carver did not invent peanut butter. He was one of the greatest inventors in American history. He was a pioneer in the agricultural world and many refer to him as father of the peanut industry.

So now, after hearing of all of those notable Black American inventors who in many cases pre-dated Black Boxer Jack Johnson, why would anyone make up such a story? Why are people so gullible, so easily fooled, so stupid as to not check things out before believing that Johnson being black was the reason the "monkey wrench" being called what it is?

I wrote this piece in 2016. Four years later, I'm being accused of being a "racist" for attempting to set the record straight on this. Four years later, I'm being called a "racist" for not making it blatantly clear in my original article that all of the inventors above were indeed Black. Yes, Black-Americans.

It's sad that our society is being shoved into division instead of being encouraged to look pass the color of one's skin. We should be living in a nation that has gotten pass pigment of one's skin. We should all hope that there is a day when we can relate someone's accomplishments without having to say mention the color of their skin. We should all pray for the day when the lives of all Americans of every color, age, religion, male and female, are simply referred to as Americans. 

As for this "fake history," I believe "rewriting history" or "fabricated history" is a way to serve the political agenda of people who do not have our nation's best interest in mind. I believe their agenda, the reason it's being done, is to divide Americans on racial lines and stir up hate and discontent. I believe people who come up with race baiting hogwash like this Johnson meme have nothing positive or good to add to our lives or our American society as a whole. All they want is a divided America. I believe people who come up with things like this fake Johnson meme are just pathetic individuals. 

As for so many so-called "Fact Checkers"? Because they align themselves with the very people who produce this sort of filth, Americans should use a great deal of caution when looking at their results. Most of the information they produce is bias, conjecture, supposition. Most all should not to be trusted simply because their are not impartial in their reporting. 

Bottom Line: The idea that the "monkey wrench" was a derogatory reference to Jack Johnson or any other black person is ridiculously false. It is also ridiculously obvious that the meme is being used by Black groups on social media as a way to stir up more hatred for White people. Yes, I believe it's meant to stir up hate so that the stupid, the gullible, the weak minded, easily led, target White Americans. 

That's just how I see it. 

Tom Correa

America's Christmas Traditions Are Like A Stew

 

Dear Friends,

I get a lot of email. While some are to tell me that I'm full of it, most ask questions about this or that about something I have written, and every once in a while I'll get an email that really makes me think. That's what happened this morning when I got a nice email from some great folks in Idaho.

Their email had me thinking about my roots, my Hawaii roots and Christmas, Christmas and us. Yes, about those things that stay with us all our lives. Those things that we remember and cherish. Those things that we always look forward to at Christmas.

So about now, you're saying, "OK! Here he goes down memory lane again."

And while you may be right, this may surprise you. You see that email has me thinking about being away from family at Christmas, the closeness of family, our foods, and the traditions of which we all share. Traditions vary from place to place depending on where you live, but we all celebrate Christmas in ways that have influenced us as a nation.

And yes, that's what got me thinking about what my grandfather told me about Christmas in America being like a stew. Yes, he once said that our Christmas, the Christmas that we all celebrate as Americans is really a lot like stew.

Stew is an interesting dish. Although my grandmother made it with chicken and even cod fish at times, I loved beef stew when I was growing up in Hawaii. And while maybe beef stew is simply not on that many menus today, it was always something to look forward to when I was a kid. 

For those in the dark on this, a stew is a combination of ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in a gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of  carrots, potatoes, onions, string beans, and of course meat. Stew meat is tougher but more suitable for slow-cooking. While I love beef stew, as I said before, my grandma made stew with chicken. And yes, even with cod fish. Seasoning and flavorings may be added to fit the taste of one's family.

Served with bread, or in a soup bowl, or on rice which is an Island favorite, eating stew is up to how one feels. It has everything, and it's just to be enjoyed as is. Or as with your own seasoning, it can be garnished in all sorts of ways. 

What makes up your particular stew, all of the ingredients used, whether you prefer beef or lamb or chicken or fish, that all depends on your appetite and how your family likes their stew prepared.  Basically, that's Christmas in America today. 

In my life, I've known Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and even an Agnostic or two who celebrated Christmas. I grew up with many religions and nationalities, and have had friends from many places in the world. And yes, they have their own unique and interesting traditions that they observe at Christmas. Some are based on culture, but I found most were based on family. 

Christmas in Hawaii wasn't much different than Christmas in other parts of the United States in that my siblings and I were told Santa had a sleigh and reindeer. We were told that Santa kept an eye on us and knew if we were bad or good. We had our Christmas tree, the lights, the tinsel, all sorts of decorations. Granted that some of us there were decorating coconut trees, or substitute Santa Claus’s sleigh and reindeer with an outrigger canoe and paddlers. In Hawaii, it was not unusual to see elves with aloha shirts, Santa in a aloha shirt, and Christmas dinner could be a luau with kalua pig.

Since America is truly the world's melting pot. The variations of Christmas traditions in our United States are many. As with those traditions that were brought to Hawaii, Christmas traditions are about cultures that have settled here. 

From Old English "Cristes Mæsse," which means the "Mass of Christ", we get the word "Christmas," The Holy Bible tells us in Luke 2:9 -11 that the reason for Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. 

As for Santa Claus, he had his origin in the 4th century with Saint Nicholas. His kindness and reputation for generosity gave rise to claims he that he could perform miracles. St. Nicholas became the patron saint of Russia. He was known by his red cape, flowing white beard, and bishop’s mitre. 

In Greece, he is the patron saint of sailors, in France he was the patron of lawyers, and in Belgium the patron of children and travelers. Thousands of churches across Europe were dedicated to him and some time around the 12th century an official church holiday was created in his honor. The Feast of St. Nicholas was celebrated December 6th and the day was marked by gift-giving and charity.

After the Reformation, European followers of St. Nicholas dwindled, but the legend was kept alive in Holland where the Dutch spelling of his name was "Sint Nikolaas" was eventually transformed to "Sinterklaas." 

It is said that Dutch children would leave their wooden shoes by the fireplace, and "Sinterklaas" would reward good children by placing treats in their shoes. Dutch colonists brought brought this tradition with them to America in the 17th century. Once here, "Sinterklaas" was Anglicized into the name of Santa Claus. 

Other countries feature different gift-bearers for the Christmas or Advent season. For example, there is La Befana in Italy, The Three Kings in Spain, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, Christkindl or the Christ Child in Switzerland and Austria, Father Christmas in England, and Pere Noël, Father Christmas or the Christ Child in France. 

But the figure of Santa Claus as a jolly, benevolent, plump man in a red suit that we all know and love came about in 1822. That was when American writer Clement C. Moore composed the poem A Visit From Saint Nicholas. It was published as The Night Before Christmas as a gift for his children. 

In it, he portrays Santa Claus:

He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly,
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

Santa Clause and the hanging Christmas Stockings are joined together in legend. The story goes that there was a kindly nobleman who grew despondent over the death of his beloved wife. He foolishly squandered his fortune and left his three young daughters without dowries and facing a life of spinsterhood. St. Nicholas, hearing of their plight went to help. 

Legend has it that St. Nicholas wanted to remain anonymous, so he rode by their house and threw three small pouches of gold coins down the chimney where they were captured by the stockings the young women had hung by the fireplace to dry. 

As for Christmas Trees, 16th-century Germans decorated fir trees both indoors and out. Their decorations were apples, roses, gilded candies, and colored paper. 

In fact, it is said that not long after Europeans began using Christmas trees that special decorations were used to adorn them. Candies and cookies were used. 

Legend has it that during the 17th century, craftsmen created the white sticks of candy in the shape of shepherds' crook at the suggestion of the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. The candy treats were given to children to keep them quiet during church services. Soon the custom of passing out the candy crooks at such ceremonies spread throughout Europe.

According to the National Confectioner’s Association, in 1847 German immigrant August Imgard used the candy cane to decorate a Christmas tree in Wooster, Ohio. 

More than 50 years later, Bob McCormack of Albany, Georgia supposedly made candy canes as treats for family, friends and local shopkeepers. McCormack’s brother-in-law, Catholic priest Gregory Keller, invented a machine in the 1950s that automated the production of candy canes, thus eliminating the usual laborious process of creating the treats and the popularity of the candy cane grew.

For me, I like to believe the story that says the candy cane has symbolism with the Lord. Legend holds that the color white represents Christ's purity and the red represents the blood he shed. The presence of three red stripes represent the Holy Trinity. 

Surprising as it might sound, it is believed that Protestant reformer Martin Luther was the first to adorn Christmas trees with lights. The story goes that while coming home one December evening, the beauty of the stars shining through the branches of a fir tree inspired him to recreate the effect by placing candles on the branches of a small fir tree inside his home

The Christmas Tree was brought to England by Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert from his native Germany. The famous Illustrated News etching in 1848, featuring the British Royal Family gathered around a Christmas tree in Windsor Castle. This popularized the tree throughout Victorian England. And yes, brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans, the Christmas tree became part of America's Christmas tradition by the mid to late 19th century.

While we have looked at the contributions made by Europeans, a native Mexican plant, the poinsettia was named after Joel R. Poinsett, U.S. ambassador to Mexico who brought the plant to America in 1828. But we know that poinsettias were likely used by Spanish Franciscan priests in the 17th century, during Christmas celebrations in Mexico and California.

One legend has it that a young Mexican boy, on his way to visit the village Nativity scene, realized he had no gift for the Christ child. He gathered pretty green branches from along the road and brought them to the church. It is said that the other children mocked him. But they stopped when the leaves were laid at the manger, there a beautiful star-shaped flower appeared on each branch.

So as you can see, by the mid-1800s, the way Americans celebrated Christmas tradition included much of the same customs and traditions we have today. Yes, that includes decorating a Christmas tree, the presence of Santa Claus, and stockings hung by the fire. Of course, there were church activities and family gift-giving, a feast, and folks even sent Christmas cards back in the day.

While this was true in the East, there was a whole nation away from the more civilized life of the East. A place where pioneers, ranchers, and cowboys, celebrated Christmas with a little less ease than in the cities of the East. The problem of course is that nature could make Christmas pretty tough for many in the Old West.

Sure there were homemade gifts and feasts, dances and parties, but there were also horrible weather and savage cold to content with. Of course, as I stated in my article: California Gold Rush Christmas & The Christmas Nugget

"A Gold Rush Christmas was usually an unassuming, often spontaneous affair that consisted primarily of eating, drinking, companionship and entertainment. Although, in the mid-19th century, gift giving was becoming fashionable, if there were presents in the gold fields they were practical in nature. 

For example, clothing, hats, knitted socks, scarves, and mittens were always prized. In the towns where there were children, little girls received homemade rag dolls and miniature quilts while little boys received tops or other wooden toys."

And frankly, I gather the mid-West was about the same. After all, it was noted that soldiers could be heard caroling at their remote outposts, the smell of beef roasting over an open fire could be taken in for miles on open prairie. And like those in the meager mining camps in California, pioneers on the plains looked forward to Christmas.

Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote of the preparations for Christmas on the Kansas Prairie: "Ma was busy all day long, cooking good things for Christmas. She baked salt-rising bread and r'n'Injun bread, and Swedish crackers, and huge pan of baked beans, with salt pork and molasses. She baked vinegar pies and dried-apple pies, and filled a big jar with cookies, and she let Laura and Mary lick the cake spoon."

And while some make it sound like only Easterners had Christmas trees, and decorated them with lights and garland and tinsel, or sung carols and went to church to celebrate the birth of Christ, that's not at all true. Yes, even on the prairie there were those make-shift Christmas trees decorated with bits of ribbon, yarn, berries, popcorn, and other homemade decorations.

As with the mining camps where families were being raised, the homes of early pioneer were small. Yes, too small to make room for a Christmas tree. But then again, as in California where pioneers decorated a bush or a tree outside, so did pioneers in places like Nebraska.

As today, every home would make the holiday a time of family and friends, feasting and celebration. From bringing out preserved fruits and vegetables, to butchering that Christmas hog, from pies and cakes and cookies, to leaving the plum pudding to age in the pot, Christmas was a time for celebration.

As with today, Christmas Eve was a day of family. In the Old West it was a time generally set aside for telling stories, reading passages from the Bible, singing carols around the Christmas tree or fireplace, and simple rejoice in the birth of our Lord. On Christmas Day, most folks attended church. When they return home, it was time for the traditional Christmas meal. Then as today, they spend the day visiting with friends and neighbors. Yes, much like today.

As you noticed, I'm stressing that things have not really changed much in the last 100 years of more. Granted, in the 20th century, folks started to enjoy radio and then television more this time of year as a form of entertainment. And yes, Christmas music has come along way from strictly singing carols and hymns. But all in all, our traditions have been pretty steady for quite a while now.

Christmas is influenced by a number of factors including one's religion, after all today not only Christians celebrate Christmas, one's ethnic background, what part of the country you're from, and many other factors including if you live in a city or rural America. But most importantly, I believe our Christmas is formed over years of adjusting and maneuvering schedules and gift giving and so on all to fit family needs. And with that, thus we create traditions.

In the Southwest, a popular food at Christmas are tamales. And yes, there are some special customs which have some similarities to those that take place in parts of Mexico. These include "luminarias" or "farolitos" which are paper sacks partly filled with sand and then have a candle put in them. They are lit on Christmas Eve and are put the edges of paths. They represent "lighting the way" for somewhere for Mary and Joseph to stay. 

On Christmas Eve in Louisiana, families in small communities along the Mississippi River light bonfires along the levees to help "Papa Noel," which is the the name for Santa in French, find his way to the homes of children. And yes, each state has their own traditions of sorts. 

Weather it's a Christmas Rodeo or a Celebration In The Park, our towns and cities often decorate the streets and a tree with lights to celebrate Christmas. Of course, the most famous Christmas tree is the one at Rockerfeller Center in New York. And yes, even this too was born out of a desire to celebrate Christmas. In the case of the tree at Rockerfeller Center, it was one that workers started during the Great Depression. 

To find out more about that click here: The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree - It Gave Hope In A Time Of Despair

As Americans we have traditions born out of the desire to celebrate the birth of Christ in any way that's possible. And to this, my grandfather was right, Christmas in America is like a stew that combines cultures and traditions to create a dish that is as personal as can be -- yet enjoyed by all.

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas!

Tom Correa

Tombstone's Baptism Of Fire, 1881 & 1882

Tombstone, AZ, 1882

By Terry McGahey
Associate Writer/ Old West Historian

Tombstone, Arizona, is well known for it's history as a wild notorious boom town with its bawdy houses, saloons, gunfights on Allen Street, and of course the thirty second gunfight which took place in an empty lot near the O.K. Corral. Tombstone was vaulted into history mainly because of the book written by Stuart Lake and the many exaggerated movies on the subject produced by Hollywood.

In reality, the overall population who lived there during Tombstone's heyday was more afraid of the possibility of fire ravaging the town than the lawlessness, which raised its ugly head from time to time.

In June of 1881 Tombstone suffered its first baptism of fire at noon, just outside of the Arcade Saloon on Allen Street which was four buildings East of Fifth Street on the North side of Allen.

The fire was started by a condemned barrel of whiskey which was being readied for shipment. They rolled it out front of the saloon then knocked the bung out to measure the quantity still in the barrel. When a fellow by the name of Alexander put the gauge rod into the opening, it slipped from his fingers.

The bartender retrieved a wire in order to try and fish out the gauge, when he returned, with either a lit cigar in his mouth or he had lit a match, which is unclear. The fumes coming from the bunghole ignited, causing an explosion scattering the flaming contents in all directions.

In less than three minutes the flames had begun to consume the adjoining buildings and had begun to spread like a prairie fire in a gale according to the Tombstone Epitaph. With the lack of equipment for extinguishing the fire it spread rapidly through other adjoining buildings and the fireman, along with the citizens, were almost powerless in stopping the fire onslaught.

The first thing was to save the books, money, and other valuables from the buildings, which caught fire, but this was only partially done due to the heat and flames.

Milt Joyce, owner of the Oriental Saloon, rushed to his safe making an effort to retrieve his cash box but to no avail, he had to flee for his life with the flames sweeping through the building with a fury. Mr. Joyce was unable to save anything leaving over $1,200.00 in paper money to be consumed by the flames. The fire raged on until 6 p.m. until nothing remained of the burned district except the charred remains.

The Tombstone Epitaph gave a list of sixty-six stores, saloons, restaurants, and other businesses, which reached a total of $175,000.00 in damages of which only $25,000.00 was covered by insurance. With timber from the mountains and adobe bricks being made on the spot, and other building materials being brought in from Tucson, Tombstone's burned district was rebuilt in a period of approximately three months.

As bad as the fire was in 1881, it paled in compression to the fire which took place one year later in May of 1882.

The fire began on the south side of Allen Street between 4th and 5th streets in a water closet within the Tivoli Saloon near the Grand Hotel. The fire soon spread from the closet to the framework of the garden in the rear of the saloon. The flames soon reached the up scale apartments of the Tombstone Club in the Grand Hotel building then on to the Grand Hotel itself catching the wooden staircase on the back of the building.

From the staircase the fire spread to the window frames and on into the interior consuming carpets, furniture, and all else within the building. In less than fifteen minutes the entire area between 4th and 5th streets, as well as Allen and Toughnut streets, were nothing but a blaze of ruin. The firemen, realizing they could do nothing, turned their attention to the North side of Allen Street in order to save the buildings there but it became impossible.

Soon the Occidental Saloon was engulfed with the Alhambra quickly following. The flames then spread on each side to the Cosmopolitan Hotel and on the west to the Eagle Brewery, later the Crystal Palace, and to the east at 5th Street.

Hafford's Saloon was next followed by Brown's Hotel and within minutes the fire had engulfed the 4th Street gun store which had a large quantity of powder stored in the cellar. Cartridges as well as other explosive material were in the store and before long, the loud bursting of those cartridges and powder mixed in along with the screaming and shouting of the citizens was deafening.

The flames then reached Fremont Street and rapidly engulfed everything between 4th and 5th Streets. At the corner of 5th Street and Allen the firemen was able to stop the onslaught of flame from crossing over to the Oriental Saloon saving Milt Joyce's establishment this time which only incurred minor damage.

The flames jumped 4th Street and on that corner the clothing house of Levinthall became engulfed and the Nugget Newspaper office was next.

According to the Epitaph, "the Nugget was quickly swept from the face of the earth."

The other buildings on the same block were also swept away by the inferno. The fire then jumped to the north side of Fremont Street but the firemen, police, and citizens were able to stop the blaze at that point.

According to the Epitaph, the damage to the town was figured to be near $500,000.00 which only half would be covered by insurance.

Only one recorded death had taken place during the destruction, His name was unknown and he was found in the rear of the Cosmopolitan Hotel once the flames had subsided. Several others were injured and some severely by falling timbers, walls, or from being scorched.

Unlike today the citizenry took care of their own situation. After being sent $180.00 from others within the territory to help provide medicines to the firemen, the chief of the department refused it and it was sent back with a polite note. The note read, "Being not in need of pecuniary assistance and believing as firemen, it was our duty to accept the consequences of the fire, however serious."

The Epitaph also ran an editorial on June 3rd. It read, "While the people of Tombstone sincerely thank those citizens of the territory who have proffered assistance, they wish it to be understood that they are in no need of aid. No one is suffering on account of the fire, and if there was, our citizens are both able and willing to take care of them."

Once again, within only a few months the business people and citizens had rebuilt the town of Tombstone.

In the end, it was not the murderers, highwaymen, gunmen, cattle rustlers, or lawmen which gave Tombstone its well-known slogan. It was the business people and the hardy citizens of Tombstone who rebuilt and moved on with their lives. They were the reason Tombstone became known as: "The town to tough to die."

About the author:

Terry McGahey is a writer and Old West historian.

This once-working cowboy is best known for his fight against the City of Tombstone and their historic City Ordinance Number 9, America's most famous gun-control law. He was instrumental in finally getting Tombstone City Ordinance Number 9 repealed and having Tombstone fall in line with the state of Arizona.

If you care to read how he fought Tombstone's City Hall and won, please click: The Last Gun Fight -- The Death of Ordinance Number 9 (Chapter One)

Wyatt Earp -- Not Mentioned OK Corral Gunfight Reports

I hope you enjoy reading old newspaper articles as much as I do. I really like the way most call a spade a spade. And as most of you have heard me say time and time again, I like to read old newspapers when looking for evidence of what took place during this or that event.

I love looking for what one paper has to say versus another, what they have in common, or what they get wrong. Of course sometimes, what's evident is what they leave out. Please check out the Sacramento Record-Union article below, it was picked up as a news story when it was syndicated by telegraph.

The Sacramento Record-Union 
October 27, 1881

Arizona Cowboys in Tombstone — Desperate Shooting Affray

TOMBSTONE, October 26th — A sanguinary shooting affray occurred on Fremont street this afternoon. Four cowboys had been in town a few days past drinking heavily, and making themselves generally obnoxious by their boisterous conduct.

This morning City Marshal V.W. Earp arrested one for disorderly conduct, and he was fined $25 and disarmed in the Justice’s Court. He left swearing vengeance on the Sheriff and Marshal Earp and his brother, Morgan, tried to induce them to leave town, but they were thirsting for gore and refused to be pacified.

About 3 p.m. the Earp brothers and J.H. Halilday met the four, who drew upon them at once. when a lively fire commenced from the cowboys against the three citizens.

About thirty shots were fired rapidly and when the smoke of the battle cleared away it was found that Jim and Frank McLoury were gasping in the agoinies of death. Bill Clanton was mortally wounded and died shortly after, Morgan Earp was wounded in the shoulder. V.W. Earp received a flesh wound in the calf of the leg, Halliday escaped unhurt but with several bullet holes in his clothing.

The streets were immediately filled with resolute citizens, many of whom were armed with rifles and pistols. There was great excitement but no further trouble is anticipated.

Ike Clanton, of the cowboys, escaped with a slight wound and is now to jail. The Sheriff’s posse is now under arms. Morgan Earp, after being wounded and fallen struggled to his feet and continued the fight until he had emptied his revolver. His wound is not though to be serious. The citizens are determined to put down the riotous element at all hazards.

-- end of article.

No, I did not correct any of the misspellings in the 1881 Sacramento Record-Union article above. And besides some of the facts being questionable, if you notice, Wyatt Earp was not mentioned at all.

Frankly, there are reasons why he wasn't mentioned. First, he was only deputized that morning. His full time job at the time, as he states in his court testimony, is bartender. Second, he was not an important player in all that went on that day.

While I'm sure Wyatt Earp fans will send me nasty letters, it's just the truth that he wasn't very well known until he took part in the fixing of the Fitzsimmons vs Sharkey Heavyweight Championship Fight in 1896. Fact is, during the post-fight investigation, Earp's wrongdoing as an accomplice in fixing that fight made him famous -- if not infamous.

To read more about when Wyatt Earp went from unknown to infamous, click here: Wyatt Earp -- From Unknown To Notorious Desperado

Actually Wyatt Earp received much more publicity for his notorious act as a crooked referee than he ever did for that gunfight in 1881 at what we all known as the gunfight near the O.K. Corral. And while today we're all lead to believe that Wyatt Earp was a legend in the West and in charge of his brothers and Doc Holliday at the OK Corral, fact is that he was almost never mentioned at all in any of the reports that were telegraphed for syndication about the shooting that took place that day.

And friends, I was surprised that the reporter used the term "sanguinary" instead of simply saying a shooting "involving or causing much bloodshed," and using the term "affray" instead of just saying the shooting was "an instance of fighting in a public place that disturbs the peace."

Writers, you gotta love 'em!

Tom Correa

People Love Our Brisk Balls

Dear friends,

If you are a regular reader, then you probably already know that I'm a big believer in volunteering in one's community. And as my regular readers probably already know, I'm an officer with our local American Legion Post 376 here in tiny Glencoe.

We have a number of wonderful volunteers at our small post. Some volunteer to take a Friday and cook for those in our community who venture in for a hamburger, hot dog, or one of our "specials." And in a community that's 17 miles from the nearest restaurants and grocery stores in much bigger Jackson, we do get quite a few people in on Friday nights.

How many are quite a few? Well, since Glencoe has a population of 189 and we at the Legion get in any where from 60 to 70 people in to eat on a Friday night in the 2 hours that we serve, I'd say that's quite a few.

And yes, we try to keep the prices down. For example, we serve a hamburger or a cheeseburger for $5. We serve double-hamburgers and double-cheeseburgers for $6. We sell hot dogs for $3. Along with your order, we provide chili, chips, a green salad, and all of the fix'ns. And yes, sometimes when we remember or someone brings something in to share, we have cakes and cookies and such. We think it's a pretty good deal.

That's especially true for our bar. Inexpensive drinks are our stock and trade. We have domestic beers for $2, Mexican beers for $3. Well drinks for $2, and out top shelf drinks are only $3.

As the 2nd Vice Commander of our post, my job is sort of like saloon keeper, kitchen manager, event coordinator, and so on. Besides me cooking one Friday a month, and show up if a volunteer can't make it, I also volunteer to tend bar once a week.

About a year ago, during one of my shifts behind the bar, a few of us talked about what goes with the latest graze of drinking Fireball Cinnamon Whisky?

We came up with a few different ways of using Fireball with other mixes, but the one that stood out is what we now call our "Brisk Balls!"

Take a 10 ounce glass, pour a 1.5 ounce shot of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky over ice, then fill with sweetened lemon flavored Brisk Iced Tea.

I looked up mixing Fireball Whisky with Ice Tea. While some call their drinks "Fire and Ice" because they use Fireball and plain unsweetened Ice Tea, we use only sweetened lemon flavored Brisk. And of course for more balls, you can add a cherry or two. Either way, with or without cherries, people love our "Brisk Balls!"

They are really good and you ought to try them. And while they are tasty in the summer, they are pretty good as a Christmas cocktail.

Tom Correa