My Articles Aren't Going To Please Everyone

Dear Friends,

You have been asking me about my history sources, about the books and the newspapers archives, the websites, and all that I use for source material. You've asked why I don't list my sources and where I get my information from?

Most of my regular readers know that I read a lot of old newspapers, court documents, pioneer journals, and that sorts of things, along with books by assorted writers. Most of my regular readers also know that I do source where I've gotten quotes from.

What most probably don't know is that I don't see any one author or any one book out there as the go-to book for Old West history, especially for information on the Earps. I have used a number of sources and I've had to verify a lot of what I've found.

I take what I find and try to verify the accuracy of what is being said before passing it on to you. Some information I find as good and other information I find that I can't verify and use. There are a few books that I'm going to recommend in the future, but even with those one has to take a hard look at what's being presented.

In one case, such when two newspapers wrote about the same event but had two different spins on what took place, I actually passed on both versions for you to check out for yourselves. Yes, that was the way the Tombstone Epitaph covered the gunfight near the OK Corral versus the way the Tombstone Nugget covered the same story.

OK Corral Gunfight -- Tombstone Epitaph, October 27th,1881

OK Corral Gunfight -- The Tombstone Nugget, October 27th, 1881

There are obvious biases in both reports. Yes, one is slanted to support the Earp faction while the other is slanted to support the Clanton faction. And yes, unlike some newspaper articles from the Old West which are pretty cut-and-dried, trying to ferret out the truth from papers like the Tombstone Epitaph which was pro-Earps and the Nugget which was pro-Clantons can be a real challenge.

Usually the truth lies somewhere in between the two. And frankly, I've found that it takes more work verifying the truth when reading obviously biased newspaper reports. Yes, the same way as it takes a lot more time and effort when trying to verify something said in biased books. For me, I love it when I can sense a writer doesn't have a dog in the fight and just gives me the straight scoop on things. And since I know I like that, I figure you do too.

Whether I'm watching television news, or doing research, I really prefer fair and balanced. And while I know that I really do try to give you my readers the same sort of fair and balanced report when putting out an article on American History, I know real well that I can't help stating my amazement at time.

Even though that might happen now and then, I really try not to be too obvious in how I see some historical figure. The problem of course is that like you, the more I learn about someone the more my own opinion of who they are is formed. The hard task for me is keeping my feelings out of an article until I've made my case of who they were based on the facts.

That's really what I try to say, for example, Killer Jim Miller was Satan and then explain how I arrived at that conclusion. My hope is that my evidence as you saying that he was as well.

I know real well that I'm not going to please everyone. And yes, that is a part of being a writer of history versus someone who writes fiction. Fiction writers can literally say anything and get away with it because it's all not true, it's just fiction. Writing about history is different in that one has to get it right. Or certainly should try without making himself look like a fool by screwing up.

Yes, all while trying to tell a good story. And friends, I really do try telling good stories. I believe you are coming here for that and really not here for my biases when it comes to historical figures and events.

I've stated before that I do not trust what some so-called "Historians" have written simply because of their biases for or against. Many cannot report their findings without reporting their feelings and prejudices. That's why I like to verify what I'm putting out, even when I find it hard to believe for one reason or another. Yes, most times the reason that I find something hard to believe is when it's something that goes completely against who the person has presented themselves to be in one way or another.

Also, it should be noted that I've worked on whole articles and had to scrap them simply because I found evidence that went against the basis, yes the basic premise, of the story. I usually stick those stories in my "draft" files until I can verify what it true or not. And if you're wondering how I can put out a piece every few days these days? Well, over the past 20 years, I've accumulated about two hundred stories about people and events. All were things that I stumbled on that I found fascinating that I wanted to share one day. My blog gives me a venue to share them. And yes, they are sitting in "draft" form just waiting to be attended to. Imagine that.

About now someone who is reading this is saying, what about my feelings and prejudices against Wyatt Earp since I've labeled him a pimp, a horse thief, a con -artist, and a murderer?

Friends, these labels are me just calling a spade a spade. I don't hate or like the man because he means nothing to me. I'm just stating what he was because that's who he was in his lifetime. Like it or not, Wyatt Earp was indeed arrested as a pimp, he was arrested for stealing a horse and escaped jail, he was a known con-artist, and he was charged with the murder of Frank Stilwell and fled Arizona instead of standing trail. These are not disputable. These are true proven facts. No one can say that these things are not true because they are.

Some people have this ludicrous notion that I'm "attacking" Wyatt Earp as if I have some sort of personal vendetta against him. One reader recently wrote to say that I must be a distant relation of the Clantons and McLaurys because of my article taking on the Wyatt Earp myth.

Imagine that. Of course I'm sure my mother will be surprised at that considering my entire family originates from Hawaii and can be traced back to 1849 and the Portuguese whalers who visited there.

Some readers have written to ask that I "soften" how I say what I do about Wyatt Earp. But sadly, these same folks do not understand that these are not "attacks" on Wyatt Earp. I'm just stating indisputable facts of what he did in his lifetime. And no, all of the excuses for him doing these things does not change the fact that he did these things.

A vandal breaks a window during a riot. It doesn't matter why he did it. He is still a vandal. The same goes for a man who steals a horse. It doesn't matter that he stole that horse because he "felt" that he needed one because he didn't have one. That's not a "good excuse" for stealing a horse. There's never been "good excuses" for doing bad things. If one steals a horse, for whatever excuse that that person can come up with, that person is still a horse thief. A man who murders someone, then flees the scene of the crime is a murderer. It doesn't matter if he did it out of revenge or because he suddenly "felt" that in this occasion he couldn't get justice from the courts, even though he himself had always had gotten justice previously, his actions make him a murderer.

No, I don't buy the excuses that people come up with. And that's especially true when it comes to committing capital crimes. Maybe it's a hold over from my days of working in Corrections when every inmate that I met all claimed to be innocent as they saw it, and all had "good excuses" for breaking the law? Maybe it's my seeing people doing horrible things, behaving in evil ways, and then making excuses for their actions? Maybe it's from my being brought up to understand that people have to answer for the things they do? That actions have consequences.

Frankly, I hate political spin. In many of my articles that I've done regarding the news of today, I find that I've had to fight the political spin. Gun related incidents in the news very commonly contain anti-gun spin by the media. The same goes if a news outlet leans more to the left than being in the center politically, and makes implausible excuses for the criminal actions of someone they support when in fact that person should be going to prison. In politics, spin is a form of making excuses by way of a biased interpretation of an action and/or an event. Spin in itself is essentially campaigning to persuade public opinion.

I don't think history should be spun to make excuses for people or some of the horrible things in our past. And yes, I see that in history articles all the time. Words are used to sway a reader to be in favor or be against some historical figures all the time. And that's true, especially these days when a number of writers are busy re-writing history. I'm not into re-writing history. I'm really into the facts of what took place or who people were.

If, after reading about some historical figure one walks away saying, "Wow, that so and so really was a great person," than that's great. If after after reading about some historical figure one walks away saying, "Wow, that so and so really was a bum," than that's great as well.

The point is that you are the jury when it comes to me presenting the evidence. I present the evidence of what I've found and verified as true. As neither the prosecutor or a defense attorney, but as someone who is impartial, I simply hand you my findings. Then it's up to you to ask yourself what sort of person someone is or isn't?

Friends, I believe that that's the way history should be presented to us. It should not be dressed up as one side or the other want us to see it. It shouldn't be glossed over or amplified as something that it's not. History should be seen for all of its facts, its quirks, its good, its bad, its mysteries, its glory, or whether or not it's deserving of disdain.

Whether it's the stories of Stagecoach Mary -- An Extraordinary Woman and
Harry Nicholson Morse -- A Better Lawman Than Most Legends who exemplified the greatness of the human spirit, or whether it's the stories of Soapy Smith & The Shootout on Juneau Wharf and Killer Jim Miller - Outlaw & Assassin who exemplified evil in people, we should be able to see why for ourselves.

Yes, that's what I try to do when I take on an examination of Old West legends and events. I really just try to give you the facts and let you see who these people are for yourselves. I'm frank, direct, and on the level with my readers while presenting straightforward factual information. 

I've gotten hate mail and ridicule from people who don't like reading some of the things that I've put out. But also, I've gotten thanks. And being frank with you, I see all of it as simply being part of the territory of being a writer. I know real well that I'm not going to please everyone, especially someone who tells me that I'm "purposely disparaging their great-great-great-great-grandfather" even though he was a known psychopathic murderer like say Killer Jim Miller. 

So yes, sadly it's true. My articles aren't going to please everyone. Of course even though that's the case, as always I appreciate you reading my work and supporting my little blog. Thank you.

Tom Correa

The Miner's Ten Commandments 1849

As published in the 1850s:



The Miner's Ten Commandments 

A man spake these words, and said: I am a miner, wandering "from away down east," to sojourn in a strange land. And behold I've seen the elephant, yea, verily, I saw him, and bear witness, that from the key of his trunk to the end of his tail, his whole body hath passed before me; and I followed him until his huge feet stood before a clapboard shanty; then with his trunk extended he pointed to a candle-card tacked upon a shingle, as though he would say Read, and I read the

MINERS' TEN COMMANDMENTS

I.

Thou shalt have no other claim than one.

II.

Thou shalt not make unto thyself any false claim, nor any likeness to a mean man, by jumping one: for I, a miner, am a just one, and will visit the miners around about, and they will judge thee; and when they shall decide, thou shalt take thy pick, thy pan, thy shovel and thy blankets with all thou hast and shall depart seeking other good diggings, but thou shalt find none. Then when thou hast paid out all thy dust, worn out thy boots and garments so that there is nothing good about them but the pockets, and thy patience is like unto thy garments, then in sorrow shall thou return to find thy claim worked out, and yet thou hath no pile to hide in the ground, or in the old boot beneath thy bunk, or in buckskin or in bottle beneath thy cabin, and at last thou shalt hire thy body out to make thy board and save thy bacon.

III.

Thou shalt not go prospecting before thy claim gives out. Neither shalt thou take thy money, nor thy gold dust, nor thy good name, to the gaming table in vain; for monte, twenty-one, roulette, faro, lansquenet and poker, will prove to thee that the more thou puttest down the less thou shalt take up; and when thou thinkest of thy wife and children, thou shalt not hold thyself guiltless—but insane.

IV.

Thou shalt not remember what thy friends do at home on the Sabbath day, lest the remembrance may not compare favorably with what thou doest here. Six days thou mayst dig or pick; but the other day is Sunday; yet thou washest all thy dirty shirts, darnest all thy stockings, tap thy boots, mend thy clothing, chop the whole week's firewood, make up and bake thy bread, and boil thy pork and beans, that thou wait not when thou returnest from thy long-tom weary. For in six days' labor only though canst do it in six months; and though, and thy morals and thy conscience, be none the better for it; but reproach thee, shouldst thou ever return with thy worn-out body to thy mother's fireside.

V.

Though shalt not think more of all thy gold, and how thou canst make it fastest, than how thou will enjoy it after thou hast ridden rough-shod over thy good old parents' precepts and examples, that thou mayest have nothing to reproach thee, when left ALONE in the land where thy father's blessing and thy mother's love hath sent thee.

VI.

Thou shalt not kill; neither thy body by working in the rain, even though thou shalt make enough to buy physic and attendance with; nor thy neighbor's body in a duel, or in anger, for by "keeping cool," thou canst save his life and thy conscience. Neither shalt thou destroy thyself by getting "tight," nor "stewed," nor "high," nor "corned," nor "half- seas over," nor "three sheets in the wind," by drinking smoothing down—"brandy slings," "gin cocktails," "whiskey punches," "rum toddies," nor "egg-noggs." Neither shalt thou suck "mint juleps," nor "sherry- cobblers," through a straw, nor gurgle from a bottle the "raw material," nor take "it straight" from a decanter; for, while thou art swallowing down thy purse, and the coat from off thy back thou art burning the coat from off thy stomach; and if thou couldst see the houses and lands, and gold dust, and home comforts already lying there—"a huge pile"—thou shouldst feel a choking in thy throat; and when to that thou addest thy crooked walkings thou wilt feel disgusted with thyself, and inquire "Is thy servant a dog that he doeth these things!" Verily, thou shalt say, "Farewell, old bottle, I will kiss thy gurgling lips no more; slings, cocktails, punches, smashes, cobblers, nogs, toddies, sangarees and juleps, forever farewell. Thy remembrance shames one; henceforth, I cut thy acquaintance, and headaches, tremblings, heart-burnings, blue devils, and all the unholy catalogue of evils that follow in thy train. My wife's smiles and my children's merry-hearted laugh, shall charm and reward me for having the manly firmness and courage to say NO. I wish thee an eternal farewell."

VII.

Thou shalt not grow discouraged, nor think of going home before thou hast made thy "pile," because thou hast not "struck a lead," nor found a "rich crevice," nor sunk a hole upon a "pocket," lest in going home thou shalt leave four dollars a day, and going to work, ashamed, at fifty cents, and serve thee right; for thou knowest by staying here, thou mightst strike a lead and fifty dollars a day, and keep thy manly self respect, and then go home with enough to make thyself and others happy.

VIII.

Thou shalt not steal a pick, or a shovel, or a pan from thy fellow-miner; nor take away his tools without his leave; nor borrow those he cannot spare; nor return them broken, nor trouble him to fetch them back again, nor talk with him while his water rent is running on, nor remove his stake to enlarge thy claim, nor undermine his bank in following a lead, nor pan out gold from his "riffle box," nor wash the "tailings" from his sluice's mouth. Neither shalt thou pick out specimens from the company's pan to put them in thy mouth or pocket; nor cheat thy partner of his share; nor steal from thy cabin-mate his gold dust, to add to thine, for he will be sure to discover what thou hast done, and will straightaway call his fellow miners together, and if the law hinder them not, will hang thee, or give thy fifty lashes, or shave thy head and brand thee, like a horse thief, with "R" upon thy cheek, to be known and read of all men, Californians in particular.

IX.

Thou shalt not tell any false tales about "good diggings in the mountains," to thy neighbor that thou mayest benefit a friend who had mules, and provisions, and tools and blankets he cannot sell,—lest in deceiving thy neighbor, when he returneth through the snow, with naught save his rifle, he present thee with the contents thereof, and like a dog, thou shalt fall down and die.

X.

Thou shalt not commit unsuitable matrimony, nor covet "single blessedness;" nor forget absent maidens; nor neglect thy "first love;"—but thou shalt consider how faithfully and patiently she awaiteth thy return; yea and covereth each epistle that thou sendest with kisses of kindly welcome—until she hath thyself. Neither shalt thou cove thy neighbor's wife, nor trifle with the affections of his daughter; yet, if thy heart be free, and thou dost love and covet each other, thou shalt "pop the question" like a man.

A new Commandment give I unto thee—if thou has a wife and little ones, that thou lovest dearer than life,—that thou keep them continually before thee, to cheer and urge thee onward, until thou canst say, "I have enough—God bless them—I will return." Then from thy much-loved home, with open arms shall thy come forth to welcome thee, with weeping tears of unutterable joy that thou art come; then in the fullness of thy heart's gratitude, thou shalt kneel together before thy Heavenly Father, to thank him for thy safe return. AMEN—So mote it be.

FORTY-NINER.

The Miner's Ten Commandments were written in 1850 by James M. Hutchings. He first published it in The Placerville Herald newspaper. This was the most popular of the hundreds of letter sheets published in the 1850-1870 era, and was said to be so profitable for Hutchings that he was able to publish the successful Hutching's California Magazine.

As it appeared during circulation in the 1850s

Editor's Note:

I did not alter, edit, or correct the spelling or punctuation in the above. It is exactly as it appeared when it was circulated in the 1850s. I hope you found it as interesting as I did.

Tom Correa

Why legendary Old West lawman Virgil Earp is buried in Oregon

Wyatt, Morgan and Virgil Earp.

By Finn J.D. John
September 27, 2010

Retired marshal of Tombstone, Ariz., had only visited Portland once. But his connection to his daughter, Nellie Jane Bertrand, proved to be a strong one.

Portland’s Riverview Cemetery is the state’s oldest nonprofit cemetery, dating back to 1882. It’s full of stones with names on them that will be familiar to any local resident: Corbett, Weinhard, Ladd. Legendary suffragist Abigail Scott Dunaway and her brother, Harvey Scott, the fiercely anti-suffrage editor of the Portland Oregonian, are also buried here.

Oh, and then there’s Virgil Earp.

Earp, of course, is the brother of Wyatt Earp, the other of the two marshals who famously cleaned up Tombstone, Ariz., in the battle at the O.K. Corral.

What is Virgil Earp doing buried in Portland, a city he’d been in (so far as we know) only once in his life?

That’s what Oregon pop historian Ralph Friedman wanted to know after he learned of the lawman’s presence there. Here’s what he learned from his research:

Virgil's early life: Married, and then not

Virgil, born in 1843, got married to a woman named Ellen when he was very young. Still, the couple had time to produce just one child — a girl, Nellie Jane — before the Civil War broke out and Earp went off to fight in the Union army.

During the war, Earp was shot and wounded. A report came back to Ellen that he was dead. Considering herself a widow, she remarried and moved to Oregon in 1864.

When Earp was discharged from the Army the following year, he found the burden of his domestic obligations had been lifted. So he went west and became, with his brother, a legend of frontier peacekeeping.
Life as a frontier lawman

Exciting and rewarding as it was, the position of Wild West frontier cop was not a job a fellow can expect to retire in. Earp himself made it about 15 years before he was forced into retirement by gunfire.

In his role as Tombstone’s town marshal, Earp caught a bullet in his leg in 1881 at the O.K. Corral and the following year was ambushed by outlaws as he walked past a lighted window. This last incident ended his career in law enforcement, as two loads of buckshot tore into him, one ripping a hole in his side and another permanently ruining one of his arms.

Virgil's daughter catches up with him

Earp went to convalesce in California. He later moved back to Arizona, and it was there, in Prescott, that his daughter, Nellie Jane, found him. They started writing to each other frequently. He’d remarried — to a woman named Allie Stevenson, whom he had apparently met in California — but she doesn’t much come into the Portland story.

Virgil's only visit to Oregon (before his death)

Then, in 1899, one of Nellie Jane’s daughters came down with pneumonia, and Earp came out to be at his granddaughter’s bedside. He was there for two weeks — making a big impression on his grandson, George Law, whom historian Friedman actually tracked down and interviewed in 1976 when he was 90 years old.

"A powerful big man," Law told Friedman. "He wasn’t fat; he was broad-shouldered. His right arm hung like a rag."

Telegram: Come get Virgil's body

Six years after that visit [October 19th, 1905], Virgil Earp died at the age of 62 while pursuing a gold-mining opportunity with Wyatt in Goldfield, Nevada. Allie, Virgil’s widow, sent a telegram to Nellie Jane: "If she, Virgil’s only child, wanted his body, she’d have to come and get it, because his brother Wyatt was claiming it."

Nellie Jane’s son-in-law, Alex Bertrand, immediately went to Nevada and retrieved the casket.

Buried in the in-laws' family plot

Which is why you will find Virgil Earp buried in the Bertrand family plot at Riverview Cemetery, in a city he’d never lived in and only visited once. But the Oregon roots of his daughter and grandchildren were strong and deep. And the places Earp had lived, except maybe California, hadn’t been particularly kind; he’d been shot at least three times, had been through the most unrelentingly awful war in American history and had died at a fairly young age.

After such a wild and restless life, it’s a real poetic justice that his bones are resting in a place where he’s never had to shoot at anyone, surrounded by family and friends. After all, it’s that kind of peace that a good lawman like Virgil Earp fights to bring about.

Sources: Friedman, Ralph. Tracking Down Oregon. Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton, 1990; www.riverviewcemetery.org. Randol Fletcher's book, Hidden History of Civil War Oregon (History Press, 2011), published after this article was written, also deals extensively with Virgil Earp's legacy in Oregon.

-- end of article, Offbeat Oregon History, Why legendary Old West lawman Virgil Earp is buried in Oregon

Editors Note:

After I found this article, instead of using this information as a source for an article about Virgil Earp, I thought how you just may want to read it for yourselves. I did not edit it at all, posting it here as it appeared on the website for Offbeat Oregon History.

OK, since you're written to ask, I think the only flaw in the story is when George Law told Friedman. "He wasn’t fat; he was broad-shouldered. His right arm hung like a rag."

I believe it was Virgil's left arm that was rendered useless after he was ambushed in Tombstone at about 11:30 pm on December 28, 1881. Virgil was hit in the back and left arm by three loads of double-barreled that night. But frankly, Law may have been just mistaken or was quoted wrong.

Either way, I hope you found this as fascinating as I do.

Tom Correa

The Californio -- The Caste System

A reader wrote to ask if I knew anything about the class or caste system in Old California among the Californio?

Well, this is some of what I was taught and since read about Old California when it belonged to Spain and Mexico. I know that Spain's first contact with California was in the 1530s when Cortez's men ventured to Baja California (Lower California). It wasn't until 1542 that Spaniards sailed north to Alta California (Upper California). That was when Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo's expedition landed in what is today Santa Barbara.

It is said that coastal winds and strong currents made the voyage north almost impossible. And because Spanish sea captains failed to find safe harbors for their ships, Baja California became the northwest limit of Spanish colonization. It's also said that while they also converted native Indian tribes to Catholics and instilling a Spanish way of life was important to the Spanish at the time, their efforts to truly settle the area were really halfhearted at best. In fact, they claimed the area but really didn't do anything with it for more than 150 years. 

Imagine claiming territory for your own but not doing anything with it for the next 150 years. Of course, there were reasons that happened. A couple of those reasons were the Spanish crown's need to divert funds to wars and what they saw as other priorities. I had a great California History teacher who once told me that part of the reason that the exploration of California was placed on hold had to do with the initial reports from those first expeditions. Supposedly, according to my teacher, those reports painted California as a desert climate, as "a very dry place, filled with dense shrubs, a place where nothing will grow" 

Also, early reports spoke about how tough it was to travel because of the nearly impenetrable, dense thicket, which Californians know as "chaparral." Chaparral is California's most distinctive drought-tolerant, woody shrub, shaped by a Mediterranean-type hot, dry summers, and mild, wet winter climate. Chaparral covers most of California's coastal foothills and interior mountain slopes. Anyone who has tried to maneuver a horse through chaparral while moving cattle knows how tough it can be to get through manzanitas chaparral. And as for trying to get through the old-growth manzanitas chaparral with waist-sized trunks of days gone by, well it's no wonder that it frustrated the first explorers as it did. It's no wonder they didn't get to explore more of California at the time.

 

It was only after the Seven Years' War, which was from 1756 to 1763, that Spain decided to seriously attempt further exploration and attempt to control their holding of Alta California. Yes, it was more than 150 years later that Spain finally decides to truly colonize the area that the Spanish explorer Cabrillo claimed for the Spanish crown.

Their effort to colonize California was made through a combination of establishing Presidios which are military forts, and mission churches which were overseen by Franciscan priests, Catholic fathers, led by Junípero Serra.

In 1769, the first parties set north from Baja California, and the line of Spanish settlement along the coast was inaugurated when soldiers and priests established a Presidio and mission church at San Diego. By the end of the Spanish colonial period, California had three Presidios located at Santa Barbara, Monterey, and San Francisco. During this time they established 21 missions.

In addition to the missions and the Presidios, small pueblos sprang up. In fact, in 1777 the pueblo at San Jose was created, and in 1781 a group of forty-four Spanish settlers known as "Los Pobladores" founded the pueblo called "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Ángeles de Porciúncula". 

In English that is translated to "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porziuncola." Porziuncola means "Little portion of land". The river that was called the Porciuncula is today's Los Angeles River. Yes, the place we know as the city of Los Angeles.

The pueblos tried to attract settlers by offering land grants. Those pueblos were governed by an "Alcalde," who was a combination of a judge and a mayor. He was assisted by a council called the "Ayuntamiento" which was the elite there.

In the beginning, most "Californios" were of pure unmixed Spanish ancestry. In fact "Californios" are historically pure Castilian ancestry. Since the 15th century, through the Spanish colonization of the Americas, Castilians brought with them not only their language but also elements of their culture and traditions. Yes, this included a "caste system."

Castilians are actually inhabitants of a central region of Spain. Castilian is the source of the Spanish language. As for the term "Californio," it became watered down and was used to describe the mixed bag of people from Spain, Mexico, and even the United States. So no, it wasn't only the rich.

The first Spaniards in California were for the most part Castilians from central Spain. They were military personnel and Franciscan priests. As time went on Spanish California was populated by many of the soldiers who were once deployed to California from what is today Mexico. And according to mission marriage, baptism, and burial records, as well as Presidio troop rosters, several of the soldiers known as "leather jackets" were described as being born in Spain. 

Those Spanish soldiers were in California because they were assigned as escorts, mission guards, and other active military duty assignments. Many simply stayed once their military obligations had ended.

As for the civilians, while at first, they were the Castilian farmers and soldiers who arrived in California to create a colony, later the civilians were of mixed ethnicities. Those of Spanish and Native American mix was called the "Mestizo". Those of Black and Indian mix was often called the "Sonoran".

It's said that the term "mestizo" was rarely if ever used in mission records, the more common terms being used were "indio", "europeo", "mulatto", "coyote", and "castizo." And yes, these were caste terms. So yes, California had a caste system which was an extension of the caste system in Spain.

A caste system is a class structure that is determined by birth. It means that if your parents are poor, then you're going to be poor too. Of course, if your parents are part of the wealthy and elite, then you too are destined to be rich and part of the elite. Very seldom did a person from the lower class make it into the upper class. And even if one did, they may not be accepted at a higher level for a few generations.

This system is very foreign to Americans because we see all people as equal. All Americans have the opportunity to advance in life and are really only limited by their own personal drive and ambitions. There are many many stories in American history of people who came from poor families and went on to achieve success.

During most of the Spanish colonial era in California and elsewhere, Spanish society had a small number of pure-blood Spaniards at the top. This was the hierarchy of power and social status during most of the colonial period. Beneath them was the mixed-race "peons" who were the unskilled laborers and debtors who were held in servitude by their creditor. And yes, at the very bottom were the Native Indians and black slaves.

Whichever way one looked at it, the upper echelons of Spanish colonial society were dominated by Spaniards who held positions of privilege and political power that they were essentially born to. But even at that, there was a sharp split that existed between the wealthy born in Spain and those born in California.

While the relationship between the two groups was friendly, it could also be antagonistic. Those born in Spain looked down on those born in California. Yes, believe it or not, the wealthy born in California was seen as inferior. And yes, the Spanish crown's preference was for Spanish-born Spaniards for positions in government and church posts. This riled California-born Spaniards. And yes, this resentment helped fuel the wars for independence later.

Despite there being an overall prejudice against anyone who labored with their hands, Spanish craftsmen did so. In fact, Spanish craftsmen were employed for their skills. Although, Spaniards were likely to be the managers and foremen over the peons and the Indians who did the hard physical unskilled labor such as farming, planting, harvesting crops, herding cattle, and all other things agriculturally.

The "Californio" Vaquero was said to be of the upper class. With the introduction of the horse to the Americas by the Spaniards, horses became a status symbol. Horses represented wealth simply because horses were not cheap. But they also represented mobility, speed, and a superior physical vantage point. This in turn was said to project an air of Spanish superiority over the lower classes.

The "Californio" Vaquero was an extension of the Spanish Vaquero who brought their cattle-raising traditions as well as both horses and domesticated cattle to the Americas. Just as in Florida, how the legacy of the Spanish Vaquero there in the 1500s can still be seen there, the same can be said about California. Among those vaqueroes are the "mesteñeros", or "Mustang runners". They were vaqueros who caught, broke, and drove wild horses, called mesteños or mustangs, to market in Northern Mexico, Texas, New Mexico, and California. These Mesteñeros operated primarily in the Great Plains from Texas and New Mexico in the 1700s. But during the 1800s, they primarily operated in California's San Joaquin Valley.

The lifestyle and language of the Vaquero, their saddles and tack, their dress, and their traditions would all later merge with English cultural traditions and produced what we know as the American Cowboy. But the "Californio" Vaquero is vastly different than the American Cowboy in a number of ways.

Where the American Cowboy worked atop a horse and off to do groundwork during brandings and such, the "Californio" Vaquero did not. He was strictly a horseman and roper, the groundwork and herding of cattle were done by peons of lesser class. He was of such a class that he did not do such work.

Just as horses and arms were the keys to many military successes during the Spanish Conquest, horses and arms were considered to be signs of the superior social status of Spaniards. And while peons did not own horses, they were forbidden from owning arms of any sort. 

By Spanish law, peons, all of those of lowers classes were forbidden from owning guns or bearing any other sort of arms. Keeping the peons unarmed was a way to prevent armed rebellions.

Spanish laws to keep the people disarmed were created and in place to keep those in power in power. The enforcement of this prohibition was actually assisted along by the popular belief of the times that said bearing arms, like riding a horse, was a prerogative of the upper class and being Spanish.

As for the family itself, during that time it was patriarchal with the son following his father's wishes. As for women in Spanish California, while the caste system was prominent in Spanish colonial society, women had full rights of property ownership and control. That is unless she was married or had a father, the males had almost complete control of all family members.

A formal education system in California had yet to be created so it fell to the individual families to educate their children among themselves. While it was traditionally done by the mission priests, the upper classes also hired private tutors. In contrast, few early peons knew how to read or write.

So imagine this for a moment, by the time Mexico attained independence in 1821, only 20 private ranches existed in Alta California. The Californio rancho owners claimed about 8,600,000 acres. And if you look at the map above and then realize that Altoa California did not have the same borders as the state of California has today, you can see that those ranchos were massive kingdoms within themselves.

A New Map of Texas, Oregon, and California 1847

By 1847, that map had not changed that much, but still by the end of the Mexican era which only lasted 26 years, the number of land grants in California had increased from 20 to 800. So from the early 1820s until the California Gold Rush, Spanish, and Mexican rulers granted over 800 large tracts of California land. They were the real power in Old California.

Those who owned the ranchos lived in a grand style emulating the wealthy hidalgos in Spain. A "hidalgo" is a member of the Spanish or Portuguese nobility. And yes, just as Lords of a castle, they expected the non-rancho-owning population to support this lifestyle.

All in all, they were California royalty. These were all males and as Californio Vaqueros themselves, they rode everywhere which made them excellent riders. They indulged in fiestas, fandangos, rodeos, and roundups. As "Dons", which is Spanish and Portuguese for "Lords", the rancho owners also went from rancho to rancho to weddings, christenings, and funerals as royalty.

So yes, all in all, in Spanish California, in Old California, the Californios were actually the Spanish elite. They were at the top of the caste system which meant they were born to rule. And they did rule with an iron fist.

As for the general public, since there were really only two classes, the rich and the poor, the lower classes were little more than slaves to the wealthy landowners and politicians who actually only numbered a few.

Tom Correa

California Gold Rush -- The Argonauts

The word "argonaut" is an ancient Greek term. It comes from an ancient tale about a band of heroes who were said to be the bravest and strongest ever assembled in Greek Mythology. The tale is called Jason and the Argonauts. This myth chronicles Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece and the restoration of his family's throne.

While the appeal of Jason and the Argonauts is similar to that of Homer's Odysseus in the Odyssey and even of King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail, it is said that Jason's quest speaks to us on a more fundamental level. This is probably because the tale is seen as a reflection of our own journeys through life, our battles with inner dragons, our desire to persevere, our struggles, and maybe our finding our own version of the Golden Fleece.

Yes, the mythological Golden Fleece is just a metaphor for finding the ourselves. It is about our own awakening to truths that we come to grips with with, truths that reward us, the prize of finding a sense of enlightenment, of our acceptance of who we are, the prize of realizing what we may have is already gold.

But make no mistake about it, the Golden Fleece also represents the literal as well. And that of course is about how the adventurers return home with the prize, which of course is the gold they sought.

In the myth, Jason and his crew of Argonauts return home with tales of their adventures. Yes, tales which continued to be embellished each time they were told. The storms they encountered always got worse, their attackers are always multiple and become more threatening, their challenges become harder. 

Over time, western civilization has accepted the idea of the quest for the Golden Fleece. And yes, the basis for the myth has become embedded in the cultures of the western world. This is demonstrated in the California Gold Rush of 1849. Those who came to seek their fortunes during the famous gold rush, the miners who made the tough and arduous journey west to California by land and sea, were nicknamed "Argonauts" because they too were adventurers on a quest for gold.

Below are just a few stories from the hundreds of thousands who came to California during the Gold Rush. Their stories are taken from the letters that they themselves wrote.

Addison Newell was born in Alna, Maine, on May 8th, 1812. He came to California around 1853 to mine gold. After finding that the gold was simply played out, he moved to Sacramento in 1855 and raised cabbage. Later that same year, he moved to Pleasant Valley in Mariposa County and again tried gold mining. 

In 1857, he then moved to Santa Cruz, California. He prospered in Santa Cruz as a farmer, and died on May 3, 1892. Today, Newell Creek in Santa Cruz County is named after him.

Albert Powell joined the gold rush to California in 1849. He came by way of Panama. In 1850, he made enough in gold to settle in Sacramento. There, he went into business. He is known to have built a hotel and general store.

Benjamin Francis Tarr came to California in 1849 from Chillicothe, Missouri. He mined gold on the Feather River. His letters home are about his experience on the Overland Trail, St. Louis to Sweetwater, Wyoming. And later, his letters are from California. And yes, for Tarr there are letters from his wife Emily Watson, and one letter from James B. Powell who was a member of his overland Company.

Of his overland journeys to the Pacific, Benjamin Watson talks about how he left Springfield, Missouri, on March 27th, 1849, and headed to California to work the mines during the Gold Rush. He left his wife Emily Watson who was expecting their second child and a 2 year old son behind. His wife gave birth sometime in the late fall of 1849.

Watson's letters recount his travel with his company through Nebraska Territory following the Platte River. Watson crossed the Green River by ferry, continued past Independence Rock, South Pass, and took the Nevada Route to California.

He arrived in California sometime in August or September of 1849. He worked the mines in the Lassens and Reddings Diggings area, as well as the American River. He later spent time in Sacramento. 

He had only minor success at digging for gold due to the worked over country and the good claims already staked. But that didn't stop him from setting up a retail business of which the exact nature is not specified in his letters. According to his letters home, his business was very profitable and he survived the great flood in Sacramento on January 8th, 1850. 

At the peak of his business he and his partner were both netting $700.00 per month. The sum of $700 a month in the year 1850 is worth $20,577 a month in 2016. So yes, while Benjamin A Watson may not have made a fortune in gold mining, he did make a small fortune in business in California. In fact, so much so that when he returned home sometime late in 1850, he built a resort and hotel at Perry Springs, Illinois. And there, well he was a successful business man for many years in Pike County, Illinois.

George Falkenborough Smith, also known as "Fortenberry" Smith, crossed the plains and arrived in Stockton, California, in 1849. He had little luck mining and soon started farming and ranching in the San Joaquin Valley. He married Jane Bell. Her brother Andrew came to California in 1848 and became prominent in Inyo County.

James William Denver was said to be a lawyer and a soldier. In the spring of 1850, attracted by the gold discoveries in California, he traveled to Sacramento by way of Salt Lake and engaged in trading. Believe it or not, he was elected state senator and served from 1852 to 1853.

In 1852, California Governor Bigler placed him in command of the supply trains which had been provided for the assistance of overland immigrants who were pouring over the mountains. It is said that the immigrants into California were meeting great hardship and needed the assistance to stave of death. 

Criticism of the project came from Edward Gilbert, the editor and chief of the Daily Alta California newspaper. This resulted in a duel between Denver and Gilbert on August. 2nd, 1852. Gilbert was killed. And no, I haven't been able to find out what happened to James William Denver after that.

George Gordon came to California in 1849. In 1850, after being a little successful in the gold fields, he built Howison's Pier which was one of the earliest wharves in San Francisco. After that, he founded the San Francisco and Pacific Sugar Refinery.

Galen Clark was born in Dublin, New Hampshire on March 28, 1814. After the death of his wife, he journeyed to California during the Gold Rush. 

In 1853, Clark settled in Wawona, California, for health reasons. He is said to have discovered the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. And yes, he is the man who successfully lobbied the federal government to protect the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove. 

Through his good work, and the efforts of others, to preserve the Yosemite, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill on June 30th, 1864, thereby creating the Yosemite Grant. That enabled the United States Congress to establish Yosemite National Park on October 1st, 1890.

Yosemite National Park occupied parts of Tuolumne, Mariposa, and Madera Counties in eastern California. The Paiute and Sierra Miwok tribes inhabited the area before the Gold Rush. Clark stayed in the Yosemite area operating a hotel and a guide service. He later wrote three books about Yosemite. He died in Oakland, California, on March 24th, 1910. 

Charles C. Newton wrote two letters. In February of 1853, Charles is writing from a mining town in Nevada County which went from boom to bust between 1852 and 1860. He wrote how he traveled about 12 miles from Nevada near a small town called Waloopa. 

He had arrived there the previous fall and found enough gold to encourage him to build a cabin with five partners. But then, no water and then too much snow hampered their efforts at mining. No more gold came out of that place.

The winter being hard in the Sierra mountains, snow kept supplies from reaching the camp. Charles wrote a graphic description of their sad situation: 

"Casting my eyes around I gaze with affrighted look in the corner of the cabin. There stands the once filled 50 lb Flour Sack like a Corporal two days gone with the Cholera. Beside it the Sugar Sack already doomed to the Camp Kettle to try out the remnants caked to its inner side. Above these on a shelf are gloriously arrayed several empty bottles but they emit no fragrance of having once been filled with Molasses, vinegar, etc."

The following December, Charles had returned from a prospecting trip in the mountains and is disappointed to find no mail. He suspects that a Charles H. Newton is claiming his mail and asks "... please advise all my dear friends make my middle initial a little more conspicuous."

He talks of being discouraged as he describes his recent treks searching for gold:

"I cannot think of any incidents occurring during my recent tour that would afford you interest. Prospecting, searching for new diggings is decidedly the hardest part of miners life. Imagine me with a roll of blankets, a sack of provisions slung to my back, pan pick & shovel, climbing a steep mountain four or five miles to the top. You may think this ancient but I tell you there is as much of it done now as in '49 or '50. As fast as the country is over run with new comers the old miners up camp and travel. I trust the day is not far distant when I shall have done with it, as I am too weary of it."

Simon Stevens was born in Union, Maine, on January 26th, 1831. He felt the lure of gold in California and worked his way "around the Horn." In the early 1850s, he arrived and worked mining claims in Tuolomne County.  

On June 5th, 1853, Stevens wrote a letter from Sonora, California. He sent it to John Adams of Rockland, Maine. He addressed it, "Dear Cousen". 

Stevens reports on his current situation, having just concluded an unsuccessful mining venture at Poverty Hill: "I went astern 250 dollars while i worked in them diggins." 

He is now working for the Hydraulic Water Co., earning $100 a month and board. Stevens mentions mutual friends in California and encourages his cousin to write often: "It givs me new currage to hear from hom."

Steven is unusual from the vast majority who wrote letters because his letters contained explicit language in regard to sexual matters. Believe it or not, that type of communication is said to have been extremely rare in letter from the California gold rush. And frankly, letters with that sort of language were always men writing to men. It was never a man, husband or otherwise, writing to his wife or a female relation.

In 1859, Stevens married Nancy Jane Chisum. By then he had settled in Coulterville, and he'd established himself as a logger. Later he became a member of Yosemite Lodge No. 133 of the Masonic Order. 

It is said that Simon and Nancy Stevens raised a family of eight children. Most all are said to have remained in California. As for Simon, the California Gold Rush Argonaut, well he died in Coulterville on March 25th, 1880, at the age of 49.

I would like to thank the California State Library for making it possible to use these letters, I hope you found this as interesting as I do.  

Tom Correa

Kansas Cow Towns, 1866 to 1886

From 1866 to 1886, cowboys pushed herds of cattle up the trails from Texas to the railheads in Kansas. Before the start of the drive, each cowboy was issued ten horses for the hard journey. As for the herd, it's said that it stretched for a mile or more along the trail. At the end of the trail was the infamous cow towns, the so-called "Sodoms of the plains".

In 1867, Joseph G. McCoy was a young cattle dealer from Illinois. He decided that Abilene would make a good railhead. Abilene was the first of the Kansas cow towns. The last big year for Abilene was in 1871 when more than 40,000 head of cattle are said to have been shipped out by rail.

Ellsworth came next to pick up the herds that Abilene was never to see again. The reason was that the Drovers Cottage was moved to Ellsworth in 1872. The Drovers Cottage was said to be able to accommodate 175 guests. And yes, its stable held 50 carriages and 100 horses. Ellsworth would dominate the market from 1871 to about 1875 all while standing up to competition from Wichita.

Elgin was a town that was established in 1869. It is located on the Kansas-Oklahoma state line and was once known as one of the largest cattle shipping cow towns in Kansas. And yes, it was where the Dalton Gang was known to hang out as well. After the cattle boom went bust, it was kept alive by oil but then that dried up and today Elgin is classified as a Kansas Ghost Town because it has a population of a little over 80 people.

Back in 1872, the Wichita and South Western Rail Road line reached Wichita, Kansas to provide a needed link with the Santa Fe Railroad. All of which would carry cattle to Eastern markets. 

By 1873, it's said that 66,000 head of cattle were shipped out of Wichita. That was twice as many head of cattle that were shipped from Ellsworth. And as for where to go and not to go in Wichita, the "Delano" district was where the gambling and drinking were located in that town. It was as bad as one could find in any cow town. Yes, it was where dance hall owner "Rowdy Joe" Lowe shot and killed his business rival who was known as "Red Beard."

From 1875 to 1876, the now famous Wyatt Earp served on the Wichita police force before moving on to Dodge City. He almost ended his own life in a freak shooting accident on Sunday, January 9th, 1876, while sitting in the back room of the Custom House saloon. what happened was that his Colt Single Action Army slipped from his holster and fell to the floor.

Unlike the modern Ruger Vaquero Single Action which has a transfer-bar-safety, the Colt Single Action Army does not even today. So when Wyatt Earp made the dumb error of leaving Colt's hammer resting on a loaded chamber, it went off when it hit the floor. That .45 caliber round could have shot Wyatt Earp in the rear but instead went through his coat and into a wall.

Of course, the prosperity of the cow towns continued only as long as the railroad provided a railhead to ship cattle. As the railroad moved farther West, towns dried up while others took their place of importance. Some towns like Newton, Kansas, only lasted one season. Junction City was located on the Kansas Pacific Railroad line, but it was just a secondary shipping point. So like Hays City and Great Bend, Junction City was really never a major cattle market town though it did receive some business.

Founded in 1872 just before the Santa Fe Railroad reached Ford County, Dodge City served primarily as a civilian community to the U.S. Army at Fort Dodge. Of course, besides the needs of the soldiers and their families at Fort Dodge, the city also catered to those selling buffalo hides. 

Stacks of buffalo hides towered along Front St. and filthy buffalo hunters and traders filled the town's establishments. Yes. that's where the term "stinker" was coined. Yes, when it comes to buffalo hunting, Dodge City was the buffalo capital. That is until the mass slaughter destroyed the huge herds, and left the prairie littered with decaying carcasses. 

All in all, it is estimated that 1,500,000 buffalo hides were shipped from Dodge City in just the years 1872 to 1878. And for years after that, farmers were said to have gathered the bleached buffalo bones and sold them for six to eight dollars a ton during hard times. The bones were used in the manufacture of fine china and plant fertilizer. 

So by 1875, buffalo were gone as a source of revenue for Dodge City. But because the railroad pushed to Dodge City, longhorn cattle from Texas were driven there. And for ten more years, believe it or not, it's estimated that over 5,000,000 head of cattle were shipped out of Dodge.

The fact is when quarantine laws closed Wichita to the cattle trade, Dodge City emerged as the "Queen of the Cowtowns."  And yes, from 1875 to 1885, it's said that more than 75,000 head of cattle were shipped each year. And besides those shipped east, there were thousands of head of cattle that were driven through Dodge City to stock northern ranges or to be shipped from other railheads.

And as for shootings, it's believed that 15 people were killed in 1872. And by early 1873, the local merchants were so concerned about the violence that they hired Billy Brook as a private lawman. When he proved ineffective, a vigilance committee was formed. The vigilantes managed to rid the town of some of the worst offenders, but soon some of the members of the vigilantes became the problem.

One example was what took place on March 13th, 1873, when saloon owner Tom Sherman ran a man out of his dance hall and shot him in the street. After shooting and seriously wounding the man, Sherman walked over to the man who was said to be writhing in pain. Sherman then asked the crowd that had formed, "I'd better shoot him again, hadn't I boys?" And with that, Sherman aimed his pistol at the man's head and pulled the trigger at point-blank range.

The violence is said to have climaxed on June 3rd of that same year when two vigilante members killed William Taylor. He just so happened was the servant of Col. Richard Dodge, the commanding officer of Fort Dodge. 

It's said that Col. Dodge was so outraged that he wired the Governor of Kansas, and almost immediately obtained permission to arrest the guilty. With that Col. Dodge sent armed troops to Dodge City the next day and arrested Bill Hicks who was later convicted. Then on June 5th, he sent troops into Dodge City again. That time it was to arrest five of the worst of the vigilantes. Yes, that included Tom Sherman. It was after that that Ford County Sheriff Charlie Bassett was appointed. 

So yes, after following a slow-moving herd of cattle along a long and dusty trail for as many as three to four months, Kansas cow towns offered cowboys a place to take a bath, buy new clothing, new boots, tack, a saddle, and even a new hat. Besides the shops and stores which made a lot of money after the drives, the cowboys would gamble, find a "soiled dove", dance, eat good food, and generally let off some steam as young men will do.

Because they liked the huge money that the cattle drives brought with them, most towns accommodated their visitors with a wide-open attitude towards their rowdy behavior. Out of this two political factions emerged in Dodge City. One faction was those who wanted a wide-open town with gambling, saloons, and prostitution. The other wanted a town of strict law and order.

There were limits though, and many of the cow towns hired enforcers to maintain a semblance of law and order. Some of these enforce took up the role of Lawmen, but that was in many cases just window dressing.

Most lawmen worked for small salaries, they made their real money by getting a percentage of the fines collected and a set price for each arrest they made. Yes, more fines and arrests meant more money in their pockets.

During a great many years of the 1800s and well into the 1900s, the County Sheriff was the top lawman and also the county tax collector. He usually got 10 percent of all of the taxes that he could collect. That was quite an incentive to collect taxes from people who didn't want to pay or who were paying too little.

Well, most towns used their City marshals the same way to collect taxes and fines from businesses that violated city ordinances. Of course, in some towns in the Old West, that led to City Marshals banning guns and extorting money from businesses, and placing fines on citizens who were innocent.

In 1882, a cowboy on a drive was paid $30.00 a month. That is the equivalent of approximately $520.00 in today's dollars. He didn't get paid until the end of the drive. After three or four months on the trail, he's hitting town with a nice sum of money coming to him. And yes, besides stores and saloons, the law wanted some of that in fines.

It's said that the town of Caldwell challenged Dodge City for the cattle market in the early 1880s. Known as "the Border Queen," nearly 100,000 head of cattle were shipped out on the Santa Fe line in 1882 and 1883. And yes, the rowdy behavior witnessed in other cow towns was the same as what took place in Caldwell during its cow town period from 1880 to 1885. Of course, Caldwell had other problems besides rowdy cowboys fresh off the trail.

On April 30th, 1884, the citizens of Caldwell were shocked to learn that their own City Marshal and his assistant were bank robbers and murderers. It was on that day that their City Marshal and his assistant and two cowboys rode to the town of Medicine Lodge to rob the bank there early that morning.

While attempting to defend his bank, the bank president was killed by the Caldwell City Marshal. Then his assistant immediately killed the cashier so there wouldn't be a witness. Then after coming to grips with the fact that their plans to rob the bank had failed, the four robbers fled as fast as they could heading back to Caldwell.

Within hours, a posse from Medicine Lodge captured the four bank robbers in a box canyon outside of town. The Medicine Lodge City Marshal was able to secure his prisoners in the town's jail, even though the citizens of Medicine Lodge were ready for a lynching.

By the evening of April 30th, 1884, everything changed when a mob overpowered the City Marshal to get to the four prisoners. The prisoners saw what was happening and actually attempted to escape when the doors to the jail were opened. Shots were fired and the Caldwell City Marshal was killed immediately. After that, the three remaining prisoners were taken to an elm tree east of town and hanged.

In the 1880s, Hunnewell, Kansas, is said to have flourished briefly as a shipping point for Texas cattle. It is located on the Kansas-Oklahoma border in Sumner County, and the Leavenworth, Lawrence, and Galveston Railroad provided easy access to the Kansas City stockyards from there. Hunnewell is said to have been very typical of cow towns in that the business district consisted of a hotel, two stores, a barbershop, two dance halls, and eight or nine saloons.

In 1884, in Dodge City, Pat Sughrue was said to work as a blacksmith when not serving as a policeman. That was the same year that he was elected Sheriff of Ford County. He was in office during the final days of the cattle era for Dodge City. 

In 1884, an epidemic of splenic fever among the Texas longhorns sent local cattle growers and eastern buyers into a panic. The governor of Kansas ordered Sheriff Sughrue to turn back herds and drovers from the Kansas border. This situation, along with low beef prices and the decrease of availability of open range due to barbed wire, is believed to have been contributing factors that led to the passing of the cattle drive era after 1885 for Kansas.

At the time, Mike Sughrue served as Deputy Sheriff of Ford County under Pat who was his twin brother. For Mike's heroic efforts in capturing a known murderer at the time, the citizens of the town of Ashland in Clark County actually elected him their City Marshal in 1885.

By the mid-1880s, many events came together to end the cattle drive era in Kansas. While Dodge City lasted much longer than most Kansas cow towns when the railroads finally stretched their tracks into Texas and the open range was being closed by barbed wire, Dodge City's days as a cow town ended.

Rail lines had reached directly into Texas, and of course more and more there was a growing demand for better-bred beef. At the same time quarantine laws were continuously closing off more and more of the open range. And as for what was left, well it was being filled with more and more homesteaders. 

Although the trail drives were over by 1886, the cattle business in Kansas did not end. By 1890, the state ranked third in the nation in cattle production. And as of 2015, Kansas still ranks third in the nation in cattle production by producing 6,000,000 head of cattle. Yes, that's 6.68% of the entire production of cattle in the United States. And friends, that ain't bad considering they started out as cow towns more concerned about shipping than producing. 

Tom Correa

Panhandle Wildfire Relief Fund -- Let's Help!

Several counties in the Texas Panhandle have experienced catastrophic wildfires in March. Homes, barns, fences, livestock and, most tragically, several lives have been lost. In an effort to help those who have been affected by this event, we have developed the Panhandle Wildfire Relief Fund.

Click here for details of the relief fund and how to apply for assistance.

This program will collect and distribute monetary contributions only.

If you prefer to pay by check, it should be made out and sent to:

Texas Farm Bureau Agriculture Research and Education Foundation
Panhandle Wildfire Committee
P.O. Box 2689
Waco, TX 76702-2689
Attn: Cyndi Gerik

UPDATED MARCH 22:

For general questions about donations or needs, call 806-677-5628.

Livestock Supply Points will be closing soon.

Gray County
Clyde Carruth Pavilion
301 Bull Barn Drive
Pampa, TX

Contact: Mike Jeffcoat, CEA
Office: 806-669-8033
This location will suspend daily operations on March 24. Supplies will be loaded by appointment only by calling 806-669-8033.

Hemphill County
Canadian AH&N Ranch Supply
100 Hackberry Trail
Canadian, TX

Contact: Andy Holloway, CEA
Office: 806-323-9114
This location plans to close in early April. They will stop accepting donations of materials and hay on March 24. Financial donations can still be made.

Lipscomb County
Lipscomb County Show Facility
202 West Main Street
Lipscomb, TX

Contact: J.R. Sprague, CEA
Office: 806-862-4601
This location will stop taking supplies on March 24. Anything further should be scheduled by calling 806-862-4601. Ranchers donating or picking up supplies may have to load and unload it themselves.

For monetary donations, make checks payable to the bold entry and send checks to the address indicated:

Lefors Volunteer Fire and EMS
Lefors Credit Union
Attn: Carole Watson
P.O. Box 425
Lefors, TX 79054 

Canadian Volunteer Fire Department
Happy State Bank
Attn: Scott Brewster
P.O. Box 300
Canadian, TX 79014 

Lipscomb County Firefighters Association
FirstBank Southwest-Booker Branch
Attn: Pam Sanders
P.O. Box 636
Booker, TX 79005

Wildfire Relief

• USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) can help landowners with wildfire recovery and restoration. The NRCS can provide land management advice, and in some cases, financial assistance, to install measures that reduce post-fire damage and aid in the rehabilitation process. To learn more, click here.

• The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers disaster assistance and low-interest loan programs to assist agricultural producers in their recovery efforts following wildfires or other qualifying natural disasters. To learn more, click here.

• For more details and questions, contact your local FSA office. To find your local FSA county office, visit www.offices.usda.gov.

For questions you may have, please review the following resources:

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has a Disaster Education Network with many resources and a checklist of considerations for post-fire management.

Texas Animal Health Commission website has been updated with relief information: http://www.tahc.texas.gov/emergency/index.html.

Livestock Indemnity Program

The Livestock Indemnity Program is authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014 to provide benefits to farmers and ranchers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather or disasters.

For more details, contact your local FSA office. Find your local FSA county office here. To learn more about FSA disaster assistance programs, visit www.disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

Texas Department of Agriculture Hay Hotline

The Texas Department of Agriculture Hay Hotline helps farmers and ranchers locate forage and hay supplies for sale. If you need hay or would like to donate hay, visit www.gotexan.org/hayhotlinehome.aspx or call 877-429-1998.

Texas Hay Import Precautions:

Various types of hay can be carriers of pests and diseases that are harmful to other crops. Some hay shipments containing corn, broomcorn, sorghums and sudan grass may have restrictions on entry into Texas. Also, hay imported from fire ant-infested areas of other states will be limited to distribution in fire ant-infested areas of Texas. For more information about restrictions on hay movement, please contact the TDA Agriculture and Consumer Protection Division at 800-835-5832.

Carcass disposal

For questions about carcass disposal, call the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) at 800-832-8224.

Lost or Found Livestock

If you find cattle or other livestock with official identification, document the number, location of the animal(s) and call the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) at 512-719-0733 or 806-354-9335. TAHC will contact the owner.

If you find stray cattle that have a brand, call Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association at 817-332-7064 for brand identification.

If cattle have strayed onto your property, you must report them to the sheriff’s office in the county you are located in within five days of discovery to be eligible for reasonable payment for maintenance of or damages caused by the estray livestock.

For more information regarding Texas’ estray laws, visit Texas Agriculture Code, Chapter 142.

Texas Department of Agriculture STAR Fund

If you are interested in giving to the TDA STAR Fund (State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund), visit the STAR Fund home page.

Reporting Losses: Affected Ranchers

Affected ranchers are being asked to call their AgriLife extension offices with any reports of dead or injured cattle. Office numbers of affected counties are:

• Gray County (Pampa), 806-669-8033 
• Hemphill County (Canadian), 806-323-9114 
• Lipscomb County (Lipscomb), 806-862-4601 
• Ochiltree County (Perryton), 806-435-4501 
• Roberts County (Miami), 806-868-3191 
• Wheeler County (Wheeler), 806-826-5243

Resources for other states affected by wildfires

Colorado:

Checks can be made payable to Colorado Farm Bureau Foundation. Cash and credit card payments are being accepted at this time. Please note “Disaster Fund-CO Wildfire” in the memo line on the check.

Cash and checks can be sent to:

Colorado Farm Bureau Foundation
Attn: Disaster Fund
9177 E. Mineral Circle
Centennial, CO 80112

Kansas:

For those wanting to donate hay or money, Kansas Farm Bureau encourages people to contact the Kansas Livestock Association at 785-273-5115. Checks can be mailed to the Kansas Livestock Foundation at 6031 SW 37th St., Topeka, KS 66614. “Fire relief fund” should be written in the memo line.

Kansas Farm Bureau is working with the Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) as they organize hay and fencing material donations for delivery to affected areas in Kansas.

To make in-kind donations, call KLA at 785-273-5115. Cash donations will be made through the Kansas Livestock Foundation (KLF), KLA’s charitable arm. Funds generated through donations to the Kansas Livestock Foundation will be used to support ranchers impacted by the fires. A donation form can be found here.

Ashland Veterinary Center is coordinating livestock needs, tanks, portable corrals, fencing materials and personnel. Their support is much appreciated. Contact them at 620-635-2641 or feel free to call the KLA office at 785-273-5115.

Oklahoma:

Oklahoma Farm Bureau has partnered with Love’s Travel Stops and Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma to fund relief for fire victims.

The three organizations have furnished gift cards for fuel to those transporting donated hay to the affected area.

Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma also will provide 0 percent interest agricultural operating loans for those directly impacted by the fires.

If interested in donating additional funds, please contact the Oklahoma Farm Bureau office at 405-530-2681.

OKC Cattlemen

If you would like to donate to this relief effort, you can do so by mail or online. Make checks payable to Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Foundation and put “Fire Relief” in the memo line and send to P.O. Box 82395, Oklahoma City, OK 73148. To donate online, visit www.okcattlemen.org.

If you would like to donate hay or trucking services for hay, you can do so by contacting either the Harper County Extension office at 580-735-2252 or Buffalo Feeders at 580-727-5530 to make arrangements or provide trucking services.

PLEASE HELP! 

If anything, please share this information.

Friends, I cut and pasted the information above in an effort to get the links right so that we can go to where they're supposed to lead us. I hope they all work as they're supposed to.

While I haven't heard about this on the news, any media, I know we can get the word out. We need to help those who have lost everything. So please, share this, forward this information, tell a friend that there are American ranch and farm families in need as a result of this horrible fire.

While I thank God that my wife and only came close to losing everything in a wildfire in 2015 but didn't, I know first hand how people in this situation need help, need information, need to put their lives back in order as well as can be expected. 

So please, let's help.

Thank you, and God Bless you.

Tom Correa

The American Cowboy Chronicles