Dispatch 28 (Spring 2009) - Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum

Transcription

The
Issue 28, Spring 2009
Texas Ranger Dispatch
™
Magazine of the official Museum, Hall of Fame, and Repository of the Texas Rangers Law Enforcement Agency
Seminole Freedmen
A history of the Black Seminoles
by Texas Ranger (ret.)
Lee Young
page 4
14
One Riot, One Ranger
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum
18
Colt 1860 Richards
Transition Army Conversion
16
New Forensic Science/
Criminal Justice Studies
25
Panhandling
for History
This issue of the Texas Ranger Dispatch is funded in part by a
grant from the Texas Ranger Association Foundation. Their
generosity makes this publication possible.
http://www.thetexasrangers.org/
Founded in 1964, the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
is a nonprofit historical center owned by the people of Texas. It is
hosted and professionally operated by the city of Waco, Texas. It
is sanctioned by the Texas Rangers, the Texas Department of
Public Safety, and the legislature of the State of Texas.
http://www.texasranger.org/index.htm
Texas Ranger
Dispatch
Production
Team
Robert Nieman - Managing Editor (Volunteer, Museum Board)
Pam S. Baird – Technical Editor, Layout, and Design
Byron A. Johnson - Director, Texas Ranger Hall of Fame
Sharon P. Johnson, Volunteer Web Designer, Baylor University
Christina Stopka, Archivist, Texas Ranger Research Center
Amanda Bailey, Collections Manager, Collections Division
Christine Smith, Research Librarian, Texas Ranger Research Center
Texas Ranger
Dispatch
Issue 28, Spring 2009
Table of Contents
Click on title to go directly to article.
Click on Texas Ranger emblem at the top of any article page to return to Contents page.
4 The Seminole Freedmen.........................................................................Lee Young
14 “One Riot,One Ranger”.................................Heart of Texas Electric Cooperative
16 TX Rangers, catalysts for Forensic Science/Criminal Justice studies at ETBU
18 A Unique Colt 1860 Richards Transition Army Conversion.............David Stroud
25 Panhandling for History (Navigatin’ with Nancy)............................... Nancy Ray
29 Texas Ranger News
29 Texas Ranger Stats 2008
30 Texas Ranger Association Foundation annual meeting
32 Ranger Interviews now available at Texas Ranger Hall of Fame
32 Colonel Stan Clark is new Texas Department of Safety director
33 Tornado damage at Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum
Book Reviews
Reviewer
34 John James Dix: A Texian by Dan R. Manning............................Chuck Parsons
36 A Texas Journey: the Centennial Photographs 36 of Polly Smith
by Evelyn Barker..........................................................................Sharon Johnson
37 Best of Covered Wagon Women by Kenneth Holmes....................Linda Hudson
38 Unbridled Cowboy by Joseph Fussell; E.R. Fussell, ed. .............Chuck Parsons
40 Journey to Gonzales (Mr. Barrington’s Mysterious Trunk series, Bk. 3)
by Melodie A. Cuate............................................................................Nancy Ray
41 Harvey Girl by Shelia Wood Foard......................................................Nancy Ray
Graphics credits: Cover, pp. 4, 12- www.thegreasygrass.com; p.16- www.sbac.edu;
p.32-www.office.microsoft.com; p.33- www.dreamstime.com.
Seminole Freedmen
The
Seminole
Freedmen
A History
by Kevin Mulroy
Analysis and review by Lee Young, Texas Ranger Sergeant (retired)
Retired Texas Ranger Lee Young is a descendant of Black Seminole scout Sergeant John Ward, a
recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, and of John Kibbetts, Chief of the Black Seminoles.
A study of the relationship between African Americans and Seminole Indians can be very
complicated. The connection has sustained a variety of interpretations, oftentimes dependant upon
the writers, their motivations, and the historical time period of the study. In this article, I analyze
Kevin Mulroy’s book, The Seminole Freedmen: A History. I have conducted the analysis utilizing
historical data from several comparative sources such as scholars, researchers, and demographers.
Many of these are designated as experts in their subject matter.
I find that Mulroy’s book is an excellent scholarly research that transports the reader on the
complicated historical trail of relationships between Africans and Seminole Indians from 18th century
Florida to the Oklahoma Indian Territory. Some confusion may occasionally occur due to the use of
Above: Drawing of a Black Seminole fighter, artist unknown. All photos courtesy of Lee Young.
Contents and design of the Texas Ranger Dispatch™ are copyrighted by the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum and other named copyright holders. Permission is granted
to print copies or excerpts for personal use and educational coursework. Commercial use or redistribution requires written permission from the Office of the Director, Texas
Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, PO Box 2570, Waco, TX 76702.
4
Seminole Freedmen
some terms that Mulroy applies to the Black Seminoles and Seminole Freedmen.
The Seminole Freedmen is volume two in the series, Race and Culture in the American West.
It was written to continue from the end of volume one, Freedom on the Border: The Seminole
Maroons in Florida, the Indian Territory, Coahuila, and
Texas, which failed to complete the interesting saga of the
Black Seminoles.
Mulroy has assembled a significant amount of
information on African American and Seminole Indian
relationships. This data has enabled him to perform an
analysis of these complicated affiliations. He reasons that
the Seminole Freedmen are not Seminoles, Africans, or
Black Indians. Mulroy proposes that they are Maroon
descendants who inhabit their own racial and cultural
identity, which he calls Seminole Maroon. He relates that
the historical data demonstrates that these Maroons,
although allied with Seminoles, formed independent
communities that interacted differently with white American
society than did the Indians or African Americans.
Compared to other Native American Indian groups, the
Seminole Indians are of fairly recent origin. During the 17th
century in the southeastern United States, nearly every
Indian not a Cherokee, Choctaw, or Chickasaw was believed
Lee Young
to be a Creek. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the
author
Spanish and English were engaged in a struggle for control
of the Southeast. The English formed an alliance with the
Creeks and encouraged them to make war on the Indian tribes in Florida. After the conflict ended,
many Creeks relocated into the Florida areas previously occupied by other Indian tribes and became
known as Seminoles around the beginning of the 18th century.
The term Seminole is said to be of Spanish origin, derived from cimarron or cimarrones,
meaning “wild and untamed.” It referred to hostile nonwhites and Africans whom the Spaniards
had to contend with on their frontiers. There is no “R” in Hitchiti or any of the Muskhogean languages,
so when Indians attempted to identify themselves as Cimarrones, “R” became “L,” Cimarron became
Cimallon, and Simallone eventually became Seminole.
Often, when Southeast Indians were attempting to identify themselves to Europeans, they
were trying to say they were not Creeks. To further complicate matters, the British designated all
Florida Indians as Seminole Creeks during the American Revolution. However, the Spanish continued
to refer to them as Cimarrones. The traditional founding Indians of the Creek Nation were Cowetas,
Kasihtas, Coosas, and Abihkas. When interacting with whites, they often referred to themselves
as Creeks.
Mulroy refers to the Seminole native language as Creek. Several other terms are frequently
utilized in the text, and it is appropriate to attempt an explanation of them. Muskogee is the language
spoken by most Creeks. Muscogulges are Southeastern Indians who were usually known as Creeks
and Seminoles. Muskhogean refers to the dominant linguistic family in the Southeast, which includes
Muskogee, Hitchiti, Choctaw, and other distinct languages and dialects.
Contents and design of the Texas Ranger Dispatch ™ are copyrighted by the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum and other named copyright holders. Permission is granted
5
Seminole Freedmen
Osceola, Seminole leader in
Florida, where he died. Therefore, he did not go to the Indian Territory.
By the 18th century, Muscogulge culture had evolved into
a blend of Indian, European, and African customs. While it is
impossible to assign percentages to the principal Muscogulge
racial mixture, all of these cultures were represented as integral
parts of the Creeks and Seminoles. As an example, observe
Southwestern culture, which has developed into an admixture
of European (white), Mexican (Spanish), and Indian ways of
life. When cultures interact, there is often an exchange of some
traits between the participants.
European society can probably be held responsible for
most of the tribal name confusion. There was no mention of
Creeks in 17th century accounts of interactions with Indians.
The term Creek is of European origin, and it developed in the
late 17th and early 18th centuries. The name was originally
applied to Southeastern Indians who lived on the fertile regions
that included many rivers and streams. Creeks was applied to
these Indians just as Alabamians, Mobilians, and Apalachicolas
designate Indians living on those rivers.
Over a period of approximately two hundred years, slaves
in neighboring states fled to Florida, where many found refuge among the Seminole Indians. They
migrated into Florida from Georgia and Alabama and settled on lands abandoned by earlier Indians,
many now extinct. An Indian in Alabama might be called a Creek and the same Indian called a
Seminole in Florida. Another source of confusion was the fact that in the late 18th century, a close
examination of many of these Indians revealed that they
dressed in the usual native fashion. However, their skin
was black and they had Negroid features. The African
influence among the Southeastern Indians had already
become significant during this period.
Maroon is a term which has historically been utilized
to refer to runaway slaves and government-wary free
Blacks who formed communities in North and South
America from the early 1500s through the late 1800s.
The English word maroon also comes from cimarron,
the Spanish term for “wild and untamed.” Maroon
settlements once dotted the edges of plantation lands
from the southern part of the United States to Brazil
and Peru. The Maroons who escaped to the Everglades
region of Florida integrated with the Seminole Indians
Black Seminole Maroon women
and assimilated their culture.
As reported in some historical data, the relationship
between Blacks and Seminole Indians suggests the
Seminoles, in the estimation of whites, practiced a modified form of slavery. Maroons essentially
lived in their own villages, farmed their own crops, controlled most aspects of their existence,
owned property, possessed weapons, and had their own leaders.
6
Seminole Freedmen
An example of the
property accumulated by
a Maroon is that of John
Horse. He had a herd of
more than ninety head of
cattle. On his last journey
from Florida to the Indian
Territory, he was part of
a group of over one
hundred
Seminole
captives. Because of low
water in the Arkansas
River, continued travel
there was halted. Horse
loaned
$1,500
to
Black Seminole scouts
Lieutenant Canby for the
Sgt. John Ward, front row, left; and Trumpeter Isaac Payne, seccosts of transportation in
ond row, far left. Both were awarded the Congressional Medal of
order that the journey to
Honor for rescuing Lt. John Bullis in an 1875 campaign on the
the Indian Territory could
Pecos River. The Seminole-Negro Indian scouts were well recontinue.
garded by their officers. Lt. John French referred to them as his
The Maroon culture
“old warriors,” an indication of respect.
was a mixture of
Seminole, African, and
white customs. The only obligation Maroons had to their Indian owners was the payment of an
annual tribute, which was a percentage of their crop. Not many Black Seminoles became part of
Seminole clans. However, membership was extended to some leaders such as John Horse (Juan
Caballo) and John Kibbetts (Sitteetastonachy, a Seminole warrior name meaning Tearing Warrior).
Black Seminoles were influential in military and political matters. The Seminoles utilized the
Maroons as interpreters and intermediaries in negotiations with whites because they spoke English
and Spanish.
Some intermarriage did occur between the neighbors. More significantly, both groups shared
the common burdens of continual resistance to white intrusions into their homelands and their
tenacious fight for independence.
Were the first Maroons to come into contact with Indians slaves or allies? Or did the Indians
begin to refer to the Maroons as slaves following the intrusions of whites attempting to capture
Blacks and place them into slavery? A prevalent thought of whites during this period of time was
that a Black person could only be a slave––not a free person. Could this ideology have prompted
the Seminoles, in their protection of their allies and relatives, to refer to the Blacks living near them
as slaves?
The Black Seminoles joined with the Seminoles as soldiers against the United States in the
Second Seminole War (1835-1842). Their involvement proved instrumental in the longevity of the
conflict. At one time, US Army General Philip Jessup said that the Second Seminole War was
“against the Negro, not the Seminole Indians.” Many former slaves fought alongside the Seminoles
in wars against the United States.
7
Seminole Freedmen
Seminole-Negro Scout Detachment
1st Sergeant Ben July, my greatgrandfather, standing at parade rest,
armed with his Springfield carbine.
The site is the Seminole camp on the
Fort Clark Military Reservation, circa
1896. The scouts were then operating out of Fort Duncan at Eagle Pass
but returned frequently to the camp
to visit their families. July’s only child
was my grandmother, Cerilla July,
born October 4, 1896, at Fort
Ringgold. She would had been an infant at the time of the photograph. In
all likelihood, Sergeant July’s children
and his home are also pictured.
Following the First and Second Seminole Wars (1817-1818 and 1835-1842), some Maroons
sought refuge in the Bahamas. Others were removed with their Native American allies to the
Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). Years later, some of them moved to Mexico, where their
descendants, known as Indios Mascogos, still live today.
In the mid-1800s, the Seminoles and many former slaves who had fought alongside them in
wars against the United States were relocated to Oklahoma and given a reservation. In 1866, the
Seminoles in Oklahoma signed a treaty with the United States government under which the blood
Seminoles and the Black Seminoles were accorded equal rights. Thereafter, the Black Seminoles
of Oklahoma were known as Seminole Freedmen.
Many Black Seminoles appear to have lived in a relationship distinctly different from what is
portrayed by Mulroy in Seminole Freedmen. This traditional interaction between Seminoles and
Blacks began to deteriorate following their forced relocation to the Indian Territory in Oklahoma.
The Creek acculturation consisted of the adoption of the white attitudes towards Black relations.
In 1861, Creeks in Oklahoma allied with the Confederates, who fought to keep their slaves and
save the Southern plantation lifestyle. The terms slave, Black, and Negro were used interchangeably
by whites and eventually by some wealthy Creeks and Seminoles. Both Seminoles and Blacks
suffered harsh treatment at the hands of the slave owners and oppression from the Creeks in the
Indian Territory. They began to contemplate their relocation from the Indian Territory to a place
where they could live in freedom.
In the late 1840s, runaways from the Seminoles, Blacks, and others began migrations into
Mexico. In 1850, the Seminole leader Wild Cat (Coacoochee) and Black Seminole Chief John
Horse (Juan Caballo), lead a party of Seminoles and Black Seminoles on a year-long journey from
the Indian Territory across Texas and into Mexico. During this flight, they camped near Waco along
the Llano River and at Las Moras Springs near Fort Clark and Brackettville. They hunted and
raised crops when possible, for they were continually pursued by slave hunters.
8
Seminole Freedmen
Apache Chief Costelitos and Teresita
Apache Chief Costelitos and his daughter
Teresita. On May 18, 1873, Col. Ranald
MacKenzie led 34 Black Seminole and Lt. John
Lapham Bullis on a suprise attack on the Indian
village at Remolino, Mexico, which was defeated
and burned to the ground. Black Seminole Scout
Renty Grayson roped Chief Costelitos. Several
Indians were captured; one was Teresita, the
chief’s daughter. She and the chief made their
home in a jacal on the compound at Fort Clark
(as pictured). Teresita married Black Seminole
scout James Perryman and assisted the scouts
on several occasions as a tracker. I grew up
knowing Warren Perryman, the son of Teresita
and James Perryman and attended school with
his grandchildren.
In June 1850, a group consisting of more than three hundred Seminoles, Black Seminoles,
and some Kickapoos who had joined the group in Texas crossed the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass,
Texas. The Mexican government granted the Black Seminoles, Seminoles, and Kickapoos titles to
land (sitios) in the state of Coahuila and provided them with supplies, farm implements, and
provisions. Because of their reputation as fierce fighters, horsemen, and expert marksmen, the
Black Seminoles and Seminoles were obligated to the Mexican government to provide protection
from Indian raids along the Mexican northern border. Many fought in the Mexican Army, where
John Horse was commissioned a captain.
The group originally settled on land south of Piedras Negras, Mexico, enjoying being free
people in Mexico. However, their peaceful existence was soon destroyed by the greed of a slave
hunter and a serious error in judgment committed by a Texas Ranger captain.
In 1855, the Texas treasury was in dire straits. The state called for rangers to take to the field,
supplying their own weapons, ammunition, and horses, and the state legislature promised pay
sometime in the future. Indian raids along the frontier prompted the formation of approximately six
companies of Texas Rangers. One of the first organized was commandeered by Captain James
Hughes Callahan.
On a scout near Eagle Pass, Texas, Captain Callahan’s company encountered a band of men
lead by William R. Henry. Henry was a slave hunter who claimed to be a former Ranger––which he
was not. Actually, he was a soldier of fortune who was willing to fight on either side of the Rio
Grande.
On October 2, 1855, Callahan and Henry staged a raid into Mexico to recover runaway slaves.
They were defeated at La Maroma by Mexican forces aided by the Black Seminoles and Seminoles.
In order to cover their escape and plundering, Callahan ordered the burning of Piedras Negras. As
a result of that unwarranted action, Governor E. M. Pease dismissed Callahan from the Texas
Ranger service.
9
Seminole Freedmen
Fay July, a brother of my great-grandfather Ben July. Date unknown.
Scout Fay July and family in Las Moras.
Following this raid to forcefully remove them from their freedom, the Black Seminoles realized
they had not escaped the continual efforts of slave hunters or the anti-abolition sentiment that
dominated Southern culture. The Mexican government, fearing a breach of the Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo, decided to move both the Black Seminoles and the Seminoles to a tract of land at the
Hacienda de Nacimiento, located in the interior on the Rio San Juan Sabinas. They formed a
community called Nacimiento at the headwaters of the river, northwest of Muzquiz, Coahuila. One
leader of the Black Seminoles in Mexico said, “When we came fleeing slavery, Mexico was a land
of freedom, and the Mexicans spread out their arms to us.” The Mexican government officially
began to refer to the Black Seminoles as Mascogos, a term still used today to describe the inhabitants
of Nacimiento.
Upon their arrival in Coahuila, the Black Seminoles discovered that they had been preceded
by a group of Black Creeks, mostly of the Warrior and Wilson families, and a family of Biloxi
Indians. These groups eventually joined and became a prominent part of the Black Seminole
community. By 1861, all of the Seminoles had returned to Indian Territory, ending the alliance with
the Mascogos.
During the 1860s, the Black Seminoles in Mexico experienced internal problems resulting in
dividing the group into three groups. Separate groups settled at the Laguna de Parras, Nacimiento,
and Matamoras. Another band, led by Elijah Daniels, settled across the border in Texas. In the
sparse and rough terrain along the border, the Black Seminoles quickly adapted to the land and
learned their way around. They soon made a name for themselves as expert trackers, marksmen,
and horsemen. The United States Army admired their swift and effective style of fighting and
began negotiations to recruit them as scouts.
Talks began with John Kibbetts, the leader of the Black Seminoles at Nacimiento, to employ
his men as Indian scouts and fighters in Texas. At Fort Duncan on August 16, 1870, Kibbetts was
10
Seminole Freedmen
commissioned a sergeant, and ten of his followers
enlisted as privates. The Black Seminoles entered
into a treaty with the United States to fight in exchange
for land, food for their families, and compensation
for their efforts.
On August 16, 1870, Kibbetts and his original
group of ten Black Seminoles were recruited by Major
Zenas Bliss to come to Texas to fight Native
Americans. They served as the Seminole NegroIndian Scout Detachment of the US Army out of Fort
Duncan at Eagle Pass, and Fort Clark at Brackettville.
Performing reconnaissance duties, they tracked the
movements of American Indians who refused to go
to reservations. Another area scouted was out of Fort
Ringgold at Rio Grande City (birthplace of my
Pompey Factor
grandmother Cerilla July, born in 1896,
Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
granddaughter of Chief Kibbetts). The scouts’
knowledge of English, Spanish, and otherIndian
dialects proved valuable to the Army.
In 1873, Lieutenant John Lapham Bullis joined the 24th Infantry. He promptly saw the potential
of the scouts as a mobile force that could quickly strike the enemy. Bullis was a military officer who
had developed a successful record for his work with special troops, including the US Colored
Troops, during the Civil War. The scouts served under Bullis’s command for eight years and saw
combat during twenty-six expeditions, engaging in twelve battles without losing a single scout in
combat. The old former scouts said they always prayed for protection and safe return before going
into battle. They fought on and expertly tracked in some of the most arduous terrain along the
border between the United States and Mexico. Many of their actions are noted through anecdotal
history.
The Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts entered Mexico with the 4th Calvary, commandeered by
Colonel Ranald MacKenzie. They saw action against the Lipan Apaches and Kickapoos at Remolino
and also accompanied MacKenzie against the Southern Plains tribes at Palo Duro Canyon in
1874.
Never numbering more than fifty at a time, the scouts distinguished themselves in the Indian
Wars. Four of them were awarded the Medal of Honor: John Ward, Isaac Payne, Pompey Factor,
and Adam Payne. The first went to Adam Paine, who performed admirably at the Battle of Canyon
Blanco in 1874. The second, third, and fourth went to a group comprised of Sergeant John Ward,
Trumpeter Pompey Factor, and Isaac Payne for their valiant efforts in the rescue of Lieutenant
Bullis after he was separated from his horse during a battle in 1875 on the Pecos River West of Del
Rio, Texas.
Originally, the Army classified the scouts as Indians and thought they could be settled in the
Indian Territory, but Indian agents questioned their ethnicity. Some mixing did occur between the
Black Seminoles and Seminoles, but the Black Seminoles had always maintained their individual
separate identity. The ensuing battle between the Army, Indian Bureau, and Department of the
Interior left the Black Seminoles with an unfulfilled treaty.
As a boy growing up in Brackettville, I recall hearing a story told by one of these last remaining
11
Seminole Freedmen
scouts. He said they had been pursuing Indians for several days when they came upon a water
hole that they expected to use for themselves and their horses. They found a polluted carcass of
a dead horse placed there by the Indians. Finishing this story, the scout said that they just got
down to the water, cleared a spot with their hands, drank, and filled their canteens.
Another account related the mental and physical endurance the group sustained as a unit.
Lieutenant Bullis and twenty-nine mounted scouts tracked Apache warriors for over a month in the
desert, their journey lasting over a thousand miles.
Educator and Black Seminole spokesperson Charles Emily Wilson was my first grade school
teacher at the George Washington Carver School in Brackettville, Texas. She wrote in the 1992
Festival of American Folk life catalogue:
Our people, the Black Seminoles, have lived in Texas for over one hundred years. Before
that we were in Mexico, where some of us still live, and before that we were in Oklahoma,
and even earlier than that, Florida. And before that, we came from Africa. As far as we’ve
come, in all our travels, we have never lost an awareness of our identity and a pride in
freedom, because it is our freedom which makes us different from other Americans of African
descent.
The scouts amassed an impressive record as warriors on the frontier. In spite of their successes,
however, their families endured racial violence, discrimination, and governmental indifference.
Oral accounts say the Black Seminoles were promised land in return for their service to the Army
as scouts. No written record of that agreement has been discovered, but oral accounts relate that
it once existed. As the officers and officials involved moved on and commands changed, so did the
details of the agreement.
In spite of the harsh treatment from local citizens and the indifference of bureaucrats, the
scouts maintained a high level of effectiveness. They remained loyal to the Army, and more
importantly, proud of themselves and their accomplishments. Over one hundred and fifty scouts
served the Army until 1914, when the detachment was disbanded and their history of bravery and
sacrifice likewise came to an end.
Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery, south of Brackettville, Texas.
Pompey Factor is buried here. His headstone is dated 1872.
12
Seminole Freedmen
Seminole Freedmen
Lee Young
Bibliography
Boteler-Mock, Shirley and Mike Davis. Seminole Black Culture on the Texas Frontier.
Institute of Texas Cultures, University of Texas at San Antonio and the Office of the
State Archeologist of the Texas Historical Commission, 1997.
Debo, Angie. The Road to Disappearance: A History of the Creek Indians. Norman:
University of Oklahoma Press, 1941.
Henri, Florette. The Southern Indians and Benjamin Hawkins, 1786-1816. Norman and
London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1986.
Litchfield, Daniel F. Africans and Seminoles: From Removal to Emancipation. Westport,
Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1977.
McReynolds, Edwin C. The Seminoles. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1957.
Mulroy, Kevin. Freedom On The Border: The Seminole Maroons in Florida, the Indian
Territory, Coahuila, and Texas. Texas Tech University, 1993.
Mulroy, Kevin. The Seminole Freedmen: A History. Norman: University of Oklahoma
Press, 2007.
Wright, J. Leitch Jr. Creeks and Seminoles, The Destruction and Regeneration of the
Muscogulge People. University of Nebraska Press, 1986.
Seminole Negro Indian Scouts
Group of scouts in 1910.
13
Hear t of Texas Electric Cooperative
Established July 1, 2007
“one Riot,
one Ranger ”
The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Museum - Waco, Texas
“One riot, one ranger,” is a phrase made famous by Texas Ranger Captain W.J. McDonald
in the very early 1900s. McDonald was called upon by a Dallas mayor to stop a forbidden prize
fight and ease an angry mob. When stepping off the train by himself, the puzzled mayor asked,
“Where are the others?” To that McDonald replied, “Hell, ain’t I enough? There’s only one riot, isn’t
there?” McDonald’s favorite trick was to play the lone hand against a mob. Time and time again he
outfaced hundreds. It was the reputation of McDonald and early Texas Rangers that personified
an icon of rugged individualism, courage, honesty and virtue. They have created an image that
criminals fear, children idolize and the media has exploited through movies, radio, television,
advertising, merchandise, sports teams toys and games. The Ranger legacy has always been
portrayed as romantic and adventurous. We have all heard tales of the heroic deeds that have
escalated the Texas Rangers’ popularity.
The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum located in Waco Texas has captured the rugged,
romantic, Wild West allure of the Texas Rangers’ mystique and put in on display for the public to
see. The museum was founded in 1968 to honor the history and legacy of the famous Texas
Rangers. The facility houses an astounding collection of artifacts and archives related to Texas
Rangers, past and present. It has been ranked, “1 of 10 best Hall of Fame Museums,” by USA
Today in 2008. Texas Highways has rated the museum to be in the top ten of Texas and True West
Magazine ranked The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame the #1 Western History museum in the state in
2003.
14
Ranger History
Groups like the Texas Rangers have existed
for hundreds of years in many cultures, usually
in the form of militia men. Volunteers are
mustered into a company to protect the homes
and families from enemies. The “Father of
Texas” Stephen F. Austin established his
“Rangers” on this principle in 1823, making them
the oldest law enforcement organization on the
North American Continent with statewide
jurisdiction. At this time in history Texas was still
a Spanish Province under Mexico’s control.
Austin called on the 600-700 people living in the
province to organize and “range” over the Texas
territory. By 1835, Texas had won its
independence from Mexico.
The primary job function of the Ranger in
1835 was to protect Texas pioneers from
Mexican and Indian incursions. The Rangers
also worked as land surveyors. Rangers who
were ordered to scout for raiding parties used
these opportunities to explore remote areas of
Texas for future settlement. As the times
changed, the responsibilities of the Texas
Ranger have changed from military protection
to law enforcement. Today, the department has
been described as a “state FBI agency.”
The historic role of the Rangers has been
glorified by the media through print, radio and
television since their existence. Popular pop
culture Texas Ranger icons include the Lone
Ranger and Walker, Texas Ranger, among
numerous others. The popularity of movies such
as The Cisco Kid, Lone Wolf McQuade, From
Dusk till Dawn; and more recently, Man of the
House exhibits our fascination with the image
of the Texas Ranger.
Walls of Fame
The walls of the Texas Hall of Fame and
Museum tells the heroic story of the Texas
Ranger from their birth to modern day. Through
authentic artifacts, archives, antique weaponry,
interactive exhibits and a short film, visitors will
be enveloped with Texas pride as they discover
the honor in being a Texas Ranger.
Junior Texas Rangers Program
The Junior Texas Rangers Program brings
the experience to life for children. In the 1930s,
the radio programs Riding with the Texas
Rangers and The Lone Ranger sponsored
children’s clubs that proved to be very popular.
Thousands of kids and their parents joined and
received toy badges and certificates. They
imagined life as a rugged Texas Ranger hunting
bad guys in the Wild West and saving the day.
Decades later, your child can experience riding
the imaginary plains for justice and solving
criminal mysteries through this special program
offered through the museum.
Teachers can take advantage of the
museum’s educational resources, both webbased and on site. The museum offers a special
scavenger hunt for school groups touring the
museum. Through the museum’s website,
teachers can view ready-made lesson plans that
incorporate various subjects including Texas
Ranger History, simple and complex
mapmaking, art and literature.
If you would like more information on
the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and
Museum, you can visit on-line at:
www.texasranger.org
15
Forensic Science/Crimnal Justice
http://www.etbu.edu/
Texas Rangers
are catalysts for new
For
ensic Science/
orensic
Criminal J
ust
ice
Just
ustice
studies at ETBU
Dane Fowlkes
In a casual conversation last year with Dr. Dane Fowlkes
of East Texas Baptist University, Texas Rangers Association
Foundation board member Tom Lacy of Waco asked if ETBU
had ever considered matching the scholarship provided by
the Texas Rangers Association Foundation for Texas Ranger
dependents. Dr. Fowlkes, Director of Major Gifts for ETBU,
assured Mr. Lacy he would follow up on the idea.
The result has been much larger than either could have ever imagined. First, depending on
the applicant’s academic record, leadership involvement, etc., the university agreed to do much
more than match the TRAF scholarship. Next, another TRAF board member, Mr. Rusty Howell of
Marshall, initiated discussion with Dr. Fowlkes about ways to assist Ranger dependents by receiving
a college education from a small private Christian university. He also expressed the need for new
academic programs in the field of forensics-criminal justice studies.
Mr. Howell also mentioned these ideas to several Texas Rangers and Mr. Stan Clark of the
Texas Department of Public Safety. The result was a visit to Marshall by Lorna Beasley for the
purpose of providing input on an appropriate curriculum for such a program. Mrs. Beasley, a
section supervisor for the serology DNA section of the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime
Laboratory in Garland, was accompanied by Melissa Haas, a forensic scientist with Texas
Department of Public Safety and a 2000 graduate of East Texas Baptist University. In addition to
the input from Mrs. Beasley, Lt. Tony Bennie of Company B in Tyler offered several helpful
suggestions concerning the program.
A gift from Rusty and Joy Howell in the amount of $200,000 has made it possible to see the
plans become a reality at East Texas Baptist University, and classes will begin in the fall 2009
semester. In addition, plans are underway for constructing a new wing on the Murphy Science
16
Forensic Science/Crimnal Justice
Building to house the programs. A lead gift of $200,000 has been received from the Weir Charitable
Trust toward construction of the $1.6 million dollar state-of-the-art facility.
A certificate in forensic science will be available to students who desire to prepare specifically
for jobs in which crime scene evidence is collected and analyzed. Examples are crime scene
examiners or forensic scientists working in crime laboratories and analyzing evidence collected at
crime scenes from DNA, drugs, firearms, and trace evidence as well as evidence from samples of
blood and urine.
To earn a certificate in forensic science, students must complete:
·
·
·
·
·
·
A major in either biology or chemistry
AND
A minor in biology or chemistry, including the following courses:
(BIOL 4305) Molecular Genetics
(BIOL 4304) Toxicology
(CHEM/BIOL 4367) Biochemistry Techniques
(CHEM 4200) Forensic Chemistry Laboratory
The criminal justice major will be offered on both the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of
Science degrees. Courses in the major include:
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
(CJUS 3304) Introduction to the Criminal Justice System
(SOCI/PSYC 2332) Introduction to Research Methods
(SOCI 3303) Criminology
(CJUS 3305) Criminal Law and Procedure
(CJUS/ SOCI 3306) Violence and Victimization
(CJUS 3307) Seminar in Moral, Ethical, and Religious Issues
(CJUS/SOCI 3312) Juvenile Delinquency
(CJUS/SOCI 3311) Correctional Systems and Practices
(CJUS/PSYC 3313) Drugs & Drug Policy
(CJUS 4331) Applied Social Research I
(CJUS 4131) Applied Social Research II
In addition to courses offered on the East Texas Baptist University campus, courses in the
new program areas will be available to be taken online, beginning in the fall of 2009. This is
presented with the realization that the programs may be of great interest to existing law enforcement
officers who wish to complete a college degree. ETBU also offers a Bachelor of Applied Science
degree that allows students to gain up to thirty-six semester hours of credit for educational
experiences outside the university setting. In light of the fact that law enforcement officers do
extensive continuing education to remain current in their field, East Texas Baptist University
welcomes the opportunity to speak with these individuals concerning how these educational
experiences may accelerate the process of completing a college degree.
For more information about the forensic science/criminal justice programs, please contact Dr.
Lynn New, Dean of the East Texas Baptist University School of Natural and Social Sciences, at
903-923-2091.
17
Colt 1860 Richards Transition Army Conversion
Richards M
Richards N
A Unique Colt 1860
Richards Transition Army Conversion
David Stroud
All photos courtesy of David Stroud
In the 2005 summer issue of the Dispatch, my article about a converted Whitney revolver was
published. In the introduction, I mentioned an old 1860 Army Colt Conversion with nickel “R” and
“S” depressions in the wood grip. That was my first antique Colt, and a few years later, I traded it
for a First Model Colt Dragoon at Jackson Arms in Dallas. I needed the trade to help offset the
cash difference, but I never forgot that old Colt. The salesman had told me, “It’s a Conversion;
nobody wants them.”
During the 1960s, 1970s, and even into the 1980s, Colt Conversions were considered by
collectors as the ugly ducklings of Colt firearms.1 It was true: no one wanted them. Even the owner
of a factory-engraved 1860 Colt Army with 65% finish in perfect working order was unable to sell
his gun for $50.00 over his purchase price of $185.00. He was told that it wasn’t worth that kind of
money, and the engraving didn’t add anything to its value.2 Collectors considered Conversions as
non-original Colts, much like flintlocks that were converted to percussions, or even worse, flintlocks
1 David Stroud, “Colt’s Lightning’” Dispatch, Spring 2003. http://www.texasranger.org/dispatch/10/
Pages/ColtLightning.htm
The Colt Lighting and the Colt Thunder were also considered Old West undesirables.
2 R. Bruce McDowell, A Study of Colt Conversions and Other Percussion Revolvers (Iola Wisconsin:
Krause Publications, 1997), introduction.
18
converted to percussions during period of use and then reconverted back to flintlocks during the
20th century. One’s money was better spent on original, lesser conditioned Colt cap-and-ball
revolvers or single-action Armies.3
Those days are gone and they’re not coming back. Colt Conversions have become very
desirable, and in some cases, even more so than some of the percussion Colts. Blacksmith
conversions with shortened barrels and belly guns with only a hint of a barrel are eagerly sought
after by today’s collectors.
There are several reasons these ugly ducklings have become beautiful swans. As the price of
antique weapons increased, modest-income collectors turned to the less costly examples and
were able to purchase better conditioned Colt Conversions for less money than antebellum Civil
War and Single-Action Armies. The percussion Colts were converted in 1868-1873, an extraordinarily
short period of time. During these years, Old West gunfights began, and this adds great interest to
theses relatively rare revolvers. In fact, there were forty-eight Western gunfights between 1854
and 1867 and ninety-six from 1868 through 1873. In that time, thirty-four of the all the encounters
were in Texas.4 Those years only encompass Colt’s Single-Action Percussions being converted
into single-action, metallic-cartridge firing revolvers by the factory. However, Colt Conversions
were used by gun-carrying individuals for many years after the introduction of the Colt SingleAction Army in 1873.5
The reason Colt began converting cap-and-ball percussion revolvers to fire metallic cartridges
during 1868 is that Smith and Wesson’s patent protecting their invention of an “improved selfcontained centerfire metallic cartridge” expired that year. However, Rollin White’s patent protecting
his invention of “extending the chamber of the rotating cylinder right through the rear of said
cylinder for the purpose of enabling the said chamber to be charged at the rear either by hand or
by a self-acting charger” did not run out until 1869.6
With the expiration of Smith and Wesson’s patent, the Colt factory began producing its first
Conversion, known to collectors as the Thuer Conversion. Without violating White’s patent, F.
Alexander Thuer had patented his design of loading a metallic cartridge through the front of the
cylinder.7 Colt manufactories were eager to produce self-exploding, metallic-cartridge handguns,
so rather than wait until White’s patent expired, they began converting their large stock of unsold
percussion revolvers by Thuer’s method. Therefore, Thuer Conversions were the first to be offered
in 1868.8
3 Colt was considered the collectable of collectable revolvers in the 1960s through the 1970s and
much of the 1980s. Remingtons were a distant second; then Smith and Wesson’s, Manhattan
Fire Arms. Flintlocks converted to percussions during period of use were undesirable, but those
reconverted back to Flintlocks by dealers in the 20th Century to sell as original Flintlocks were—
and still are—considered the worst type of Conversions.
4 Bill O’Neal, Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters (Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma
Press, 1979), 10-11.
5 O’Neal, 10-14. Bill O’Neal defined the Old West Gunfighters Period as the years 1854-1924.
6 McDowell, 8. White had entered into an agreement with Smith and Wesson, giving them permission
to produce bored-through cylinders for twenty-five cents a revolver until his patent expired.
7 R. L. Wilson, Colt: An American Legend (New York: Abbeville Press, 1985), 157.
8 Charles T. Haven and Frank A. Belden, A History of the Colt Revolver and Other Arms Made by
Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company from 1836 to 1940 (New York: Bonanza Books,
1940), 130-132. Thuer cartridges that could be reprimed and reloaded were also produced.
19
However, before the 1860 Army (contemporarily listed as New Model Holster Pistol and New
Model Army Pistol9), there had to be 1860 Armies to convert. Those lighter-weight, .44 caliber
handguns became possible with the introduction of silver spring
steel. This new material allowed Colt to produce two-pound,
two-ounce, Army-caliber revolvers to replace the Walkers (four
pounds, nine ounces) and three Dragoon models (four pounds,
two ounces10) on the eve of the Civil War. The popularity of
the Colt Army during that bloody conflict is historically
documented by the 127,157 of them purchased by the US
War Department, 997 by the US Navy, and another 1,064 sold
through open markets between 1861and 1865. This was a
grand total of 200,500 before production halted in 1873.11 Add
to those numbers privately purchased 1860 Armies during the
war, and the total becomes 153,000.12 No other handgun
neared those sales during 1861-1865.
Little wonder that Colt management realized the instant
popularity of an Army Colt firing the metallic cartridge. The
most economical way to produce them was converting
inventoried 1860 Armies by Thuer’s method of alteration. This
incorporated the method of building unassembled 1860 Armies
to fire metallic cartridges rather than percussion caps, which
ignited black powder to fire a lead ball seated in the cylinder’s
chamber.
As previously stated, because Smith and Wesson’s patent
would not expire until 1869, the Thuer method was incorporated
Thuer Revolver
to produce cartridge-firing 1849 Pockets (.31 caliber)
1851,1861 Navies, 1862 Pocket Navies (.36 caliber), 1860
Armies (.44 caliber), and a few Walkers, Dragoons, and 1855 Side Hammer Roots (.28 and .31
caliber). The approximate total was 5,000 between 1868 and 1871.13
Thuer-altered Colts never gained the popularity the company hoped for. With the Rollin White
patent expiring on April 3, 1869, Colt began designing metallic-cartridge revolvers with boredthrough cylinders for production.14 The first of several types of converted Armies to be offered by
Colt was the Richards Conversion.
9 Haven and Belden,101. Army meant .44 caliber.
10 Haven and Belden, 50, and Tom LoPiano “Traitor or Capitalist: An Inscribed Colt Model 1860
Army from a Shipment of 500 to Richmond, Virginia, on April 15, 1861,” Man At Arms, XXXI
(No.1, 2009), 40.
11 John D. McAulary, Civil War Pistols (Lincoln, Rhode Island: Andrew Mowbrary, Inc., 1992), 37,
44. and Norm Flayderman, Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their value,
8th edition (Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Press, 2001), 80.
12 Wilson, 365.
13 Wilson. 364.
14 McDowell, 137.
Because of the rarity and relative high price of Thuer Conversions, many unscrupulous dears
have produced fakes, and sadly a few collectors have unknowing purchased them.
20
Richards J
Charles B. Richards was an inventor employed by
Colt and serving as assistant factory superintendent at
the dawn of the metallic-cartridge age. He had been
awarded three patents by the fall of 1871: a breach-lading
firearm in August 1868; the Richards Conversion in July
1871; and the House Pistol, also called the Cloverleaf
because of the shape of its cylinder.15
The Richards method of converting 1860 Army Colts
required a rebounding firing pin, a new breech plate that
Richards Revolver
collectors call a conversion ring, and a complex cartridge
extractor assemble.16 The conversion ring has an assembly number stamped on its outside, the
loading gate, the cylinders back, under the barrel, the underside of the frame, the cylinder arbor,
and the top of the ejector assembly. The revolver’s serial number is found in the usual places for a
Colt Army.17 The left side of the frame has the original Colt patent stamped in two lines without the
Richards patent dates.18 The serial numbers for the Richards Army Conversions are from 1 to a
high 5,000. They were advertised as Colt’s Metallic Cartridge Revolvers, and an ad for 1872 Colts
priced them at $16.00 for a non-engraved with standard grips.19
15 McDowell, 137.
*The House Pistol was .41 caliber and produced by Colt in the early 1870s.
Haven & Belden,167.
16 McDowell, 139, 198.
17 McDowell,161, 169.
18 McDowell, 152-153.
19 McDowell, 158-159.
The illustrated ad shows a sketch of a Richards Conversion fitting this description. In 1860, nonskilled workers averaged between nine and fourteen cents per hour for six ten-hour days. A
laborer would have to work about 130 hours to pay for the 1860 Army Colt Conversion had it
been available for that price in that year.
Herbert G. Houze, Colt Presentations from the Factory Ledgers 1859-1869 (Lincoln, RI: Andrew
Mowbrary, Inc. 2003. 17 (Note: Hourly wages and work weeks were probably the same in 1872.)
21
Although the Richards Conversions were
excellent firearms, they were expensive to produce
because of the rebounding firing pin and complicated
cartridge extractor assembly. Therefore, the Richards
Transition (Type 2) Conversion Ring, which did not
require a rebounding firing pin, replaced the old ring,
and a new hammer was created that could fire rim- or
center-fire cartridges.20 Also, the Colt factory had
depleted its inventory of percussion 1860 Army barrels
during the production of Richards Conversions, so new
barrels with “an S-shaped lug contour with no loading
notches or rammer/ plunger cut-outs” were
manufactured.21
On July, 2, 1872, Colt employee William Mason
was awarded a patent for a simpler, less costly
cartridge extractor, and he assigned it to the company
so it could be used for the new barrels.22 The Colt
pistols using the Richards patent and Mason ejectors
are the Richards-Mason Conversions and consist of
the 1860 Army, 1851 Navy, 1861 Navy, 1862 Police
Navy, and Pocket Navy.23
The 1860 Colt Army Richards-Mason Conversion
serial number range is from 5900 to 7300. Assembly
Mason Revolver
numbers are stamped in the usual places.24 The
weapon has a .44 caliber center fire, a new 8” barrel
with the “S” contour, two-line patent dates with dashes on the left of the frame, and this inscription
on top of the barrel:
-COLT’S PT.FA. MFG. CO. HARTFORD. CT.U.S.A.Many collectors consider that the Conversion era ended in 1871 when the company began
manufacturing the .44 caliber Open Top rimfire revolvers. However, both Richards and RichardsMason Conversions were also still in production.25 Open Top revolvers are similar in appearance to
1851 Navy Conversions with the exception of a rear sight on top of the barrel near the cylinder.
However, they were classified as non-converted revolvers on the eve of Colt Single-Action Army
production because the cylinders, barrels, and frames were constructed only for metallic rimfire
cartridges, with grip assembly and internal parts identical to 1851 Navies and 1860 Armies.26
20 McDowell, 198.
21 McDowell, 198.
22 McDowell, 198. Typos magically appear in books after publication. The text date for the Mason
patent is July 2, 1862; however, the patent illustration is dated, July 2, 1872.
23 McDowell, 198-199. (A detailed listing of each of these revolvers.)
24 McDowell, 199-200. (A complete list on the Richards-Mason 1860 Army Colt’s features.)
25 McDowell, 206.
26 Wilson, 164-165, 364.
22
As previously stated, all Colt Conversions are relatively rare when compared to the production
of Percussion revolvers and Single-Action Armies. The total number of Conversions is 46,100,
which includes the following:
• Police and Pocket Navies
• Thuer Conversions
• Richards Conversions
• 1851 Navy Richards-Masons
• 1861 Navy Richards-Masons
• 1871-1872 Open Tops
• Richards Transition Conversions
the largest number (24,000) produced in .38 caliber.
5,000 in all calibers
9,000
3,800
2,200
just under 6,000
2,100 (the fewest converted Colt’s manufactured)27
The featured gun in this article, a Richards-Mason 1860 Army Colt, maintains the Richards
barrel and ejector but has the Richards-Mason hammer. The left side of the frame has the Colt
patent and the two Richards-Mason patent dates of July 25, 1871/July 2, 1872, in two lines. There
is no assembly number, but “195881,” its serial number, places it during the 1872 percussion
production year and is stamped in the usual place for an 1860 Army Percussion. The last four
numbers, “5881,” are on the surface of the cylinder where the Colt patent and the Texas and
Mexican Naval battle scene appeared before they were gradually worn off by use. Those last four
serial numbers are also stamped on the Conversion’s ejector housing (loading gate), unlike the
assembly number that Colt factory-converted percussions have. The barrel address is the same
as cap and ball Colts and Open Tops:
–ADDRESS COL. SAM COLT NEW YORK U.S. AMERICA—
This is not the address found on inventory Percussion 1860 Army Colts converted to fire
metallic cartridges by the Richards-Mason method. Although the well used but not abused featured
Richards address
27 Wilson, 163
Flayderman, 85. Although the Richards-Mason Transition is the rarest revolver produced during
the Conversion period, collectors value the Thuer and Open Top more.
23
Richards Transition Army Conversion
Colt appears to be a Mystery, the serial number places
it 2,381 numbers above the last known Mystery
Conversion, and it has the two-line patent dates that
neither Mysteries nor Blacksmith Conversions have.28
Therefore, the explanation may be that the Colt was
purchased as a cap-and-ball and later returned to Colt
for conversion during the Richards-Mason transition
period. Therefore, there was no need for the “S”
contoured barrel, serial number, or an assembly
number. The Richards-Mason production era was brief,
and only a few variations are known.29 The gun featured
in this article may be one of those few.30
Because many Colt Conversions saw heavy use
and ill treatment in Texas, Mexico, and the western
frontier during the 1870s and 1880s, they are generally
found in poor to fair condition. However, slight or careful
handling may have left them in fine condition with the
majority of original Colt finish still present.31
The featured Colt is in the former category of heavy
Double V
use with no finish, no cylinder scene, and a well-worn
barrel address. Nevertheless, it is not abused. There
are reasons for my assessment. The letters “D” and “V” have been scratched into the brass trigger
guard strap, with the “D” scratched into the brass forward of the trigger guard. The two parallel
scratches on the brass strap behind the trigger guard appear to be either “V” or an uncompleted
“A.” Needless to say, these could be the initials of one owner who spent more time on the “V” (or
“A”) than the “D.” They could also be the initials of two separate owners of the Colt. We know there
were numerous outlaws, lawmen, and Texas Rangers whose names contained those letters during
the Colt Conversion period and into the early years of the Single-Action Army.32
The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Museum has one of the finest collections of firearms to be
found anywhere. Several Colt Conversions and Open Tops are displayed for readers who wish to
see the firearms bridge between percussion Colts and the Single Action Army as well as other
Colts that both predate and postdate Conversions.33 A visit to the museum is well worth the time.
28 McDowell, 399. Mystery-converted 1860 Armies and 1861 Navies have serial numbers 152,000193500 and are non-factory conversions. McDowell classifies Blacksmith Conversions as Private
Conversions.
29 McDowell, 206.
30 A Colt letter may solve the mystery. However, living up to my Dispatch nickname, “Deadline,”
I’ve not yet sent for one. When I do and if the information solves the mystery, I’ll provide an
update in the Dispatch.
31 McDowell, 323.
32 O’Neal, 6.
33 R. Bruce McDowell’s A Study of Colt Conversions and Other Percussion Revolvers is an
outstanding, in-depth study of Colt Conversions as well as others such as Remington, Cooper,
Freeman, Rogers and Spencer, Starr, and Whitney foreign Conversions.
24
Panhandling for History (Navigatin’ with Nancy)
Navigatin’ with Nancy(& Eddie, too!)
for History
Panhandling
Panhandling for
Nancy Ray
Sign in Old Jailhouse Museum,
Quanah
One view of Caprock Canyon State Park
All photos courtesy of Nancy Ray
As summer changes to fall, the Texas Panhandle becomes a world of blue sky, pleasant
temperatures, and monstrous equipment used by farmers harvesting their crops. Eddie and I
spent part of October and November panhandling. No, we didn’t accost anyone, and our only
begging was for interviews with retired Texas Rangers. The weather was gorgeous for the entire
trip, and we met some of the friendliest people in the state. We recommend visiting the Panhandle
during the fall of the year.
Life in the Panhandle is certainly different from life in East Texas. Thousands of acres of crops
such as cotton, maize, and peanuts were being harvested during this time, and I was just amazed
at the sheer size of these fields. I was also fascinated with the various types of the machinery and
curious about how the coops and grain elevators worked. One night in Dumas, we could hear the
whine of the dryers in the local elevators.
We started the trip by interviewing retired Rangers Lee Young in McKinney, Johnny Waldrip in
Sherman, and Sid Merchant in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Oh, the stories we heard from these guys!
When we entered the Panhandle in Canadian, we met retired Ranger Gary Henderson, who
is sheriff of Hemphill County. Then it was off to Dumas to meet with Jim Gillespie. From there, we
25
stumbled into football mania in Lubbock, where we interviewed
Carl Weathers, Warren Yeager, and Jackie Peoples. Our
interview with Captain Weathers occurred on the afternoon
of the game between the Texas Tech Raiders and the Texas
Longhorns. Captain Weathers said he could talk to us as long
as we finished by 7 p.m.––kickoff time for the game. We didn’t
tell our Longhorn son that we became Red Raider fans on
this trip.
On November 4, Election Day, we arrived in Brownfield.
The next day, we interviewed Larry Gilbreath, who had been
elected of sheriff of Terry County. Later that week, we passed
through Turkey, Texas, where Ranger Gilbreath had spent
time as a Highway Patrolman. He had told us that Turkey
was a wild place back then and related a story that proved
his point. I wonder about the drink, Wild Turkey, and where
the name originated!
Our next stop was Caprock Canyons State Park, where
we
wanted
to enjoy the vastness of the land. As we hiked
Canadian River Wagon Bridge
through some of the thousands of acres there and walked
the well-marked trails up and down through the canyons, I
could only imagine the futility the early settlers felt when reaching top of a canyon and seeing only
more of the same. Add that to other hardships they faced: rattlesnakes, weather, loneliness,
lawlessness, and more, and you realize how easy life is now with our highways, WalMart stores,
medical facilities, and other conveniences.
Stories about the early Rangers popped into
my head. I could see them on horseback fighting
Indians and other hooligans of those days.
During one hike, we met two groups of riders on
horseback, but we didn’t see any tough Rangers!
I certainly admire the settlers and the Rangers
for taming this beautiful country so that we can
enjoy it today.
Finally, we left the Panhandle for Wichita
Falls, where we interviewed Dick Johnson and
Bill Gerth. We enjoyed meeting these retired
Rangers and hearing about their careers spent
serving the state of Texas. You can periodically
check www.texasranger.org to find new
interviews as they are added to the website.
Quanah Acme & Pacific Depot Museum
Although we didn’t strike gold during our
“panhandling,” we certainly tapped into a wealth
of Ranger history. For years, we have traveled to Colorado, and we always zipped right through
Quanah, a small town between Childress and Wichita Falls. Ranger Warren Yeager is from Quanah,
and during his interview, he told us about the Ranger history in his hometown and how it influenced
his decision to become a Texas Ranger.
26
To learn some of the history for ourselves, we
stopped at the Quanah Acme and Pacific Depot
Museum to learn about the legendary Texas
Ranger Bill McDonald. We were greeted by Scarlet
Daugherty, a retired kindergarten teacher who is
now the museum’s curator. I must say, this lady is
passionate about her job as curator, and she loves
to share her stories. Mrs. Daugherty is a walking,
talking history book. As we asked questions, she
told one story after another about the local history.
When we asked about Ranger McDonald, she took
time to type the following story about how Quanah
became the county seat of Hardeman County:
Texas Ranger Bill McDonald was very well
known in these parts, and was probably
instrumental in Quanah becoming the county seat.
Curator Scarlet Daugherty
Many years ago, the county seat was in Margaret.
with Quanah Parker statue
When the news came that the train was coming,
Margaret decided to build a $40,000 courthouse
to keep interest in their town. Bill McDonald and his friends went over and paid them a visit. When
they left, the people in Margaret decided they didn’t need a new courthouse. The people needed to
do the democratic thing and vote. To be eligible, you had to do
your laundry six weeks in a row in the same town. When
election time came, Margaret had 134 votes, Quanah had 688,
and Chillicothe had 1. Of course, if you voted the right way in
Quanah, you could go to the local saloon and get a free beer.
In the early to mid-1880s, William Jess (Bill) McDonald
settled in Hardeman County, which was unquestionably a
lawless place at the time. He became a deputy sheriff and
faced thieves and other dangerous outlaws, becoming known
for his courage, his determination, and his ability to bring law
and order to the area. He was described as a lawman that
“would charge hell with a bucket of water.”
Stories abound about McDonald’s bravery and efforts to
tame the land. He is also credited with the legend, “one riot,
one Ranger,” which is well known to all Rangers, their families,
and those interested in the history of the great organization.
There are too many stories about Captain McDonald to include
here, but take time to learn about this renowned Ranger and
Marker at
the impact he had on people of the past, present, and future.
Captain McDonald’s grave
After a personal tour of the Quanah Acme and Pacific
Depot Museum and the Old Jailhouse Museum, we asked for
directions to the cemetery where Captain McDonald is buried. Mrs. Daugherty, in her rapid-fire
manner, also told us about three other Texas Rangers who are laid to rest at the same location:
James Thomas Bird, Homer A. White, and George R. Adamson. If you visit Quanah Memorial
27
Park Cemetery, Ranger McDonald’s grave is easily identified by an impressive tombstone that is
inscribed with his motto, “No man in the wrong can stand up against a fellow that’s in the right and
keep on a comin’.” While there, also look for graves of the three other Rangers.
When you travel through Quanah, allow some time to visit the two museums and spend some
time with Mrs. Daugherty. Her objective is to preserve stories of the past for future generations.
Quanah is proud of the abundant Ranger heritage and its impact on the city. The aim of the Oral
History Project, sponsored by the Texas Ranger Association and Foundation, is to preserve the
history of the Rangers.
As we left Quanah, we drove a dusty, country road to look at the land before returning to the
Piney Woods of East Texas. We spotted a yearling calf in the road that had escaped the rickety
fence around the pasture. The mama cow had her eye on us as we stopped to help. Eddie opened
the wire gap, and I tried to shoo the yearling through the opening. After several attempts, the calf
went through the opening where the mama was waiting. As we drove away after reuniting the two,
I recalled some of the interviews with Rangers who worked for Captain Jim Riddles. Each one had
told us that the advice of Captain Riddles to his Rangers was just to “do the needful.” As we saw
the yearling separated from the mama, we had also heeded the captain’s counsel. I guess he is
still giving advice!
places
of
Click on these websites for information
about things to do in the area:
n te re s t
I
Lubbock:
American Wind Power Center & Museum
Visit Lubbuck
Quanah:
Texas Escapes
Hardeman County Historical Museums, 940-663-5272
Chillicothe:
Valley Pecans
Canadian:
Canadian, Texas
Caprock Canyons State Park
28
Ranger News: Stats 2008
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
Criminal Statistics, Texas Ranger Division, 1/1/2008 to 12/31/2008
Investigations - Offenses - Cases
Developed
Offenses - Activities*:
Charged Offenses:
Completed
Closed Files:
Criminal - Activity Disp*:
Totals
5,180
1,797
Murder
828
282
Robbery
179
129
Burglary
269
129
Theft
786
375
Other*
3,118
882
2,683
2,622
418
219
97
84
149
164
440
354
1,579
1,801
Arrest - Conviction Results
Number of Arrest
Felony:
Misd.:
Activities*:
1,517
190
703
2,410
Convictions
No. Of:
Years:
Life:
Death:
1,701
7,457
59
4
Fines - Restitution
Felony + Misd Fines $: 990,495
6,482,942
All Restitution $: 5,492,447
Monetary Recovery
Stolen Property $: 2,192,545
3,867,392
Contraband $: 1,674,847
Reporting
Files - Reports
Files Opened: 3,219
Files Closed: 2,683
Criminal Special Files:
21
Criminal Reports: 9,222
n/a
Non-criminal Reports:
n/a
Confessions:
Witness:
Hypnosis:
Statements
671
3,951
3,263
17
Report Period Totals:
* Other is all other criminal offenses: (fraud, forgery, assault, etc.)
* Activities are Warrant, Civil, Subpoena and Fugitive
29
Ranger News: TRAF Board Meeting
Rang
er N
ews
anger
Ne
Directors Danny Chandler and Tony Hill
Capt. Hank Whitman (Co. D, San Antonio)
Capt. Jack Dean (Retired Capt., San Antonio)
Director Jimmy Hasslocher
TRAF Board Meeting
2009
The Texas Ranger Association Foundation recently held its annual winter board meeting in
February 2009. This year, directors from Company A (Houston) hosted the meeting and the
gala held on Saturday night.
Asst. Senior Ranger Capt. L. C. Wilson
and Director Constance White
Dispatch Managing Editor Robert
Nieman and Lt. Jeff Robertson
Director Charlie Rankin
Capt. Kirby Dendy (Co. F, Waco)
Capt. Randy Prince (Co. C, Lubbock)
30
Ranger News: TRAF Board Meeting
Rang
er N
ews
anger
Ne
Asst. Senior Ranger Capt. L. C. Wilson
Capt. Jerry Byrne (Co. E, Midland)
Capt. Skylor Hearn (Co. G, McAllen)
Capt. Al Alexis (Co. B, Dallas)
Texas Ranger Hall Museum Dir. Byron Johnson
Museum Educ. Coordinator Casey Eichhorn
Association Sec. Kathy Wood
TRAF Board Meeting
2009
Board Chairman Bubba Hudson
Directors Lee Kidd and Vernon Foreman
Z
Capt. Jack Dean (Ret. Captain, San Antonio)
Director Gary Crawford
Capt. Dino Henderson (Staff Captain, Austin)
31
Ranger News: Interviews, Clark
Rang
er N
ews
anger
Ne
Texas R
ang
er
Rang
anger
Inter views
at Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
Through a joint effort by the Texas Ranger Association Foundation
and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, an ongoing oral
history program is being produced to interview all
former Texas Rangers. Click on link below to view
the current collection.
http://texasranger.org/E-Books/
Main_Page.htm
C ongratulations
to Colonel Stan Clark on
being named the director of
the Texas Department of
Public Safety. Since Colonel
Tom Davis’s retirement in
2008, Colonel Clark has been
the interim director.
32
Ranger News: Tornado at TR Hall of Fame
Rang
er N
ews
anger
Ne
Tornado Damage at the
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
About 10 p.m. on February 11, 2009, Waco
was hit by a large storm front, part of the system
that wreaked havoc in Oklahoma. The Texas
Ranger Hall of Fame was in the path of what
meteorologists call a microburst or possibly a
micro tornado.
Unbelievably, the wind did not damage the
large flag in front of the museum or the flag on
the horse sculpture by the parking lot. All
employees escaped intact, but the huge old
sixty-foot elm tree by the entrance to the
building was twisted and destroyed. Luckily, the
elm fell just right and did not damage the
museum or either of our outdoor sculptures,
although it almost got the George Erath
sculpture. The wind blew all of the fence down
around the archaeological site, but it left two
work trailers (tornado magnets) untouched.
The new Ranger Headquarters and Education
Center in the park were undamaged.
The Parks Department responded
immediately. They did a great job in removing
most of the debris so the museum could open.
- Byron Johnson, director
Before (summer)
33
Book Review: John James Dix
Book Reviews
John James Dix: A Texian
By Dan R. Manning
Goldminds Publishing, LLC. P.O. Box 11109, Springfield,
Missouri 65808-1109. Chapter endnotes. bibliography. 14
illustrations. Soft cover, $24.95.
www.goldmindspub.com
Book review by Chuck Parsons
With this first full-length biography of Texian John James Dix, Dan R. Manning proves
that his years of research into the life of his wife’s great-great grandfather were well
spent. This is a highly readable and accurate account of a man whose life was crowded
with adventures that others may have merely dreamed of.
Manning has had previous success in writing articles for highly respected historical
publications. Perhaps the best examples are his works published in the Southwestern
Historical Quarterly and Military History of the West. The name of his subject in this
biography is not a household word, even among Texans, but perhaps J.J. Dix will become
better known with this publication. (The word Texian generally was used throughout the
period of the Texas Revolution and Texas Republic.)
John James Dix, who landed in Texas with his family at the age of seven, heard the
gallant stories about his grandfather, a minuteman at Concord in 1775 at the beginning of
the American Revolution. Perhaps he even consciously determined that he wanted to
experience adventure himself. John’s father brought the growing family to Austin’s Colony,
and this is where John James grew up. When author Manning discovered his wife’s
relationship to this historic Texas figure, he began his three-decade study of available
documents, which now form the biography.
John James Dix participated in some of the great events in Texas history. No doubt
his early training as a surveyor, probably learned alongside his father, placed him among
34
Book Review: John James Dix
Book Reviews
important individuals, and he developed a reputation for his meticulous work. Having
located in Corpus Christi, he was hired in 1845 to survey land for the United States in the
Nueces County area. This placed him in a position for other work with the army, and he
had to put his managerial skills to the test when he was in charge of an army freight train
bringing goods from Matamoros at the end of the Mexican War. He was in command of a
large train of wagons; Juan N. Cortina was second in command. At their destination in
Fayette County, Texas, a dispute arose between Cortina, his freighters, and some
Americans. This confrontation could have ended with bloodshed, but Dix managed to
quiet all the hot tempers and the situation was settled peaceably.
In the Civil War, Dix served under Colonel John S. “Rip” Ford. During Reconstruction
in Duval County, he was a deputy sheriff, county commissioner, and county surveyor. All
these positions were of great responsibility, trust, and honor. These accomplishments
worked in his favor politically, as he became representative of the 83rd District in the 22nd
Texas Legislature.
For the Texas Ranger aficionado, the greatest appeal of this biography will be in
Dix’s service as Ford conducted a foray into Mexico, ignoring the Rio Grande as a legal
barrier between the two countries. Dix, Lt. William Howard and Pvt. George Morris all had
Cortina in their gun sights on at least one occasion. Due to poor light and perhaps poor
aim, however, Cortina lived to fight another day, much to the dismay of Capt. Richard
King and many other South Texas Ranchers.
Dan R. Manning has produced a well-documented biography of a Texas hero who is
not familiar to most Texans. This work will aid in his getting the attention he deserves.
35
Book Review: A Texas Journey
Book Reviews
A Texas Journey:
the Centennial Photographs
of Polly Smith
by Evelyn Barker
Dallas Historical Society, February 28, 2008.
10.2 x 9.8 x 1.2 inches, hardcover $49.95: 216 pages.
ISBN-10: 0980055709, ISBN-13: 978-0980055702
Review by Sharon Johnson
In 1936, officials of the Texas Centennial Exposition hired Polly Smith, a 27-year-old relatively
unknown photographer, to travel the state and compile the first photographic representation of
Texas, capturing its diverse landscape and cultures. The time was during the Great Depression,
and Polly traveled the entire state with her Graflex 5x7 camera, filling “the state’s photographic
gap” and illustrating “Texas for Americans.”
In A Texas Journey, Evelyn Barker provides biographical information about Polly’s family and
early life, her education, her professional years as a photographer, and her battle with cancer.
Polly loved Texas. “In her life she journeyed from Amarillo to McAllen and saw everything between
the Piney Woods of East Texas and the mountains of West Texas.”
Until Polly’s photos, Americans knew about the cowboys, but little else about Texas. Her shots
tell the story of the state at that time and the diversity that made it great.
The photographs cover a broad range of industries: chiseling a stone at the quarries, oil
drillers in East Texas, refueling a Pan American airplane in Brownsville, and working on the assembly
line. They also portray tasks related to the milk industry, agricultural production, and other pursuits.
In addition, the photos capture the big-town images of Dallas, Austin, and typical barren, smalltown streets.
Polly’s striking portraits of people show the multicultural and ethnic diversity of Texas in 1936.
She gives us haunting images of African-American children in cotton-picking country, a small
Hispanic child in front of a large maguey or century plant in Rio Grande Valley, and a blind beggar
at San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio. Her photographs reveal the uniqueness of Native
Americans living in Texas, such as Cara Aspero, a Tigua Indian in El Paso, and Josephine Battise,
a basket weaver on the Alabama-Coushatta Reservation in Polk County.
Whether Polly was shooting buildings, individuals, crowds, nature, an oil rig, or a street scene,
her photographic skills help to provide an excellent view of the diverse landscape and life in Texas
during 1936. Evelyn Barker has provided valuable information about the life of Polly Smith and her
photographic accomplishments.
36
Book Review: Best of Covered Wagon Women
Book Reviews
Best of
Covered Wagon
Original Introduction and Editorial Notes by
Kenneth L. Holmes
with a new introduction by Michael. L. Tate
Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 2008.
Contents, illus., notes, index, map. 304 pp. Paper, $19.95.
Review by Linda Hudson
First published in 1983, Kenneth L. Holmes of Western Oregon University compiled eleven
volumes of unedited diaries and letters written by nearly 100 women who crossed the western
plains. Each volume of the Covered Wagon Women series is dedicated to specific years ranging
from 1840 to 1890. Of the approximately 500,000 people that crossed the plains by wagon
train, about 2,000 kept journals, diaries, or published memoirs. Holmes selected accounts for
their uniqueness, entertainment value, and literary merit, and he excluded those records of
distance traveled and weather encountered.
The eight accounts in this paperback edition were selected by Professor Michael Tate of
the University of Nebraska. They feature the writings of women traveling west to Colorado,
Oregon, and California between 1848 and 1864, the peak years of westward migration. The
accounts portray the daily monotony they experienced and tell of accidents, disease, and
encounters with Native Americans.
The subjects speak for themselves as original compiler Holmes uses the grammar and
spelling as originally written, with a few alternations made in punctuation and in the spacing of
diary entries. The book has a map of the trails, cities, rivers, forts, and landmarks in the states
today. The lower route to California is shown through Texas, but none of the women featured
traveled through Texas.
The account by Mary Ringo of Missouri, who started to California with her family in 1864,
is of most interest to Texans. Ringo was the mother of the Mason County, Texas, cattle rustler
Johnny Ringo. Johnny was fourteen years old when he witnessed his father die of a selfinflicted, accidental shotgun blast to the head in Wyoming and then saw the disfigured face of
the stillborn child that his mother delivered in Nevada. This book gives a sample of the pioneer
literature found in the larger series, and it lists other published sets of pioneer experiences.
37
Book Review: Unbridled Cowboy
Book Reviews
Unbridled Cowboy
by Joseph B. Fussell
edited by E.R. Fussell
Kirksville, Missouri: Truman State University Press. One photograph;
one map. xviii + 278 pages. Soft cover only, $19.95. ISBN 978-1931112-77-2.
Review by Chuck Parsons
Cowboy Joseph B. Fussell was born on September 24, 1879, near Tyler, Texas. He was too
late for the wilder days of driving cattle up the trails but not too late to emulate tough men who had
lived during Reconstruction and the wildest days of the Old West. He eventually wrote his memoirs,
which he finished in 1947. Apparently, the pages lay relatively undisturbed until his grandson E.R.
decided the tale was one that needed preserving. He edited the memoirs, keeping intact the style
of speaking his grandfather used and only changing the misspellings and adding accepted
punctuation
As a young hell-raiser, J.B. Fussell realized that he yearned for the days of lawlessness. He
“had wild daydreams of living in the great open spaces astride a good cow horse, a lariat hanging
from the horn of my saddle, a six-shooter on my hip, a carbine stock forward suspended from my
saddle, and all the other trappings of old-time western characters. I was going to make John
Wesley Hardin, Ben Thompson, and others of their ilk look like pikers.”(5) Born a generation
earlier, he might have easily become part of that group of desperadoes.
Although Fussell may have thought of making a John Wesley Hardin and others “look like
pikers,” he did not become a murderer. For years, however, he defied structured authority, beginning
with his frequent running away from home as a child. His escapes continued for years, living as a
transient in a hand-to-mouth existence as he journeyed on horseback, on foot, or occasionally
hopping on a railroad boxcar. The yearning to see what lay over the next hill kept Fussell on the
move for a long period of time. In those “wild oats” days, he not only had some scrapes with the law
but also served the law.
Occasionally, Fussell left his wanderings to visit home. On one trip in 1898, he met Texas
Ranger Captain W.J. “Bill” McDonald. At first, he thought he was being taken in for some illegal act
because McDonald and Ranger Billie Olds ordered him to “reach high”––which he certainly did! As
it turned out, McDonald knew Fussell’s father and merely needed a guide to go into a section of the
38
Book Review: Unbridled Cowboy
Book Reviews
country where men were feuding and killings were imminent. Fussell was sworn in as a Ranger but
apparently experienced no action at that time.
If he had stayed with Captain McDonald, perhaps Fussell would not have endured some of his
horrific “adventures.” Once, he and a companion in Mexico were ambushed and taken prisoner by
bandits. Fussell just barely managed to escape, but his friend was tortured and killed. As a result,
Fussell harbored a bitter hatred of Mexicans in general and those nine bandits in particular. He
swore then that if he ever had the opportunity to return, he would somehow take vengeance––an
eye for an eye––against those nine who had killed his companion.
And this he did. Fussell’s account of how he searched many miles of countryside for those
nine men reads like a well-written novel, but we can accept this as fact. He disposed of those
bandits much like Captain Leander McNelly’s executioner Jesus Sandoval dealt with cattle thieves
on the Rio Grande frontier––leaving them at the end of a rope. With no paper trail, it is impossible
to determine if it is all true, but most likely Fussell did lose a friend and avenge his death. At the end
of the account of his manhunt, he writes:
When I now look back over the incidents attending that trip: the terrible mess in which I
became involved, my miraculous escape from a horrible death, my insatiable desire for revenge,
the racial hatred created in my own heart, and the unhappy hours I have endured because of it all,
I often wish that I had stayed at home, stepped in between plow handles and pulled the bell cords
over a team of hard tails for that one year at least, rather than go wandering aimlessly over the
country looking for excitement. (104)
No doubt, many an hour was spent looking back over his life. He probably figured that if he
had stayed in school, obeyed his parents, and perhaps remained with Captain McDonald, he
would not have had those many unhappy hours.
Joseph B. Fussell recorded a fantastic life and career. In the memoir, he changed some
names to avoid embarrassing the persons involved. As far as the action, however, none of it is so
outrageous that we should doubt his word.
In Unbridled Cowboy, a grouping of photographs would have added to the pleasure of the
reader. Also, there are no endnotes or evidence of any paper trail. A serious student of turn-of-thecentury Texas history will hopefully use this recollection as the basis of an objective study, which
would certainly not be an impossible task.
39
Book Review: Journey to Gonzales
Book Reviews
Mr. Barrington’s Mysterious Trunk series, Book 3
Journey to Gonzales
by Melodie A. Cuate
Texas Tech University Press. Hardback, $17.95. 155 pp.
ISBN 978-0-89672-624-6.
Review by Nancy Ray
Journey to Gonzales is the third book in the Mr. Barrington’s
Mysterious Trunk series. As in the previous books, author Melodie
A. Cuate weaves a story using both non-fiction and fiction to enlighten readers about actual events
in Texas history. Modern-day characters are thirteen-year-old Nick, his twelve-year-old sister Hannah,
and Hannah’s friend Jackie.
In Book 2, Journey to San Jacinto, Nick became friends with a young man who lost his life in the
battle. Nick wanted to return to San Jacinto to alter history and save his friend’s life. However,
when he opened Mr. Barrington’s trunk to trigger his time travel, Nick ended up in Gonazles instead
of San Jacinto. Concerned about Nick, both girls followed him to Mr. Barrington’s attic. When
Hannah touched the trunk, she “lifted the lid an inch. With an explosion, the trunk popped open,
the lid bouncing on its hinges. A funnel of smoke swooped up from the interior.” In that cloud of
smoke, Hannah and Jackie were gone and the adventure began.
In Journey to Gonzales, Nick, Hannah, and Jackie end up in 1835 through the magic of time
travel. Trouble is brewing in Gonzales. The story begins on a Saturday morning as Nick and
Hannah yell and scream at each other– the typical brother-sister relationship. Things are so bad,
Jackie told Hannah, “Your brother makes me happy that I’m an only child.”
I enjoyed reading Journey to Gonzales even more than the two earlier books. The author has a
talent for presenting history in such a way that the reader experiences the events instead of just
reading dry facts. In the acknowledgments section of this book, the author explained that she
wanted Nick, Hannah, and Jackie to “take the reader through a myriad of emotions as they interacted
with the historical characters and their families.” One example where this happens is when Ms.
Cuate introduced a fictional character named Jonah, a young slave about Nick’s age. Because of
the interaction between Nick and Jonah, the reader feels some of the emotions experienced by the
two boys.
I recommend Journey to Gonzales as well as the other books in the Mr. Barrington’s Mysterious
Trunk series. Ms. Cuate’s writing style is such that the reader becomes an active part of the story
instead of a bystander. The events become more than just dates in history, and the people become
more than just names on the page. How can you go wrong when you are learning about history
and actually enjoying it? Oh yes, I hope there will be a fourth book in the series!
40
Book Review: Harvey Girl
Book Reviews
Harvey Girl
by Shelia Wood Foard
Texas Tech University Press. Paperback $16.95, 155 pp. ISBN
978-0-89672-570-6.
Review by Nancy Ray
Outstanding. This is my opinion of Harvey Girl by Shelia Wood Foard. The author created
a work of fiction that successfully tells about historical events while capturing the reader’s
attention. I was hooked from the beginning and could hardly put the book down before
finishing.
Picture a run-down farm in Missouri in 1910. Set in the Ozark Mountains, the Massie
family works hard each day to scrape up a meager existence. Fictional character Clara Fern
Massie is a strong-willed farm girl, and she and her domineering father have a serious
difference of opinion on her fourteenth birthday. Clara will not give in to her father’s demands,
and she runs away from home. With an “itch to travel,” she finally arrives in Kansas City,
where her cousin is employed as a Harvey Girl. Clara is tall in stature and looks older than
fourteen. With a makeover from her cousin and tips for answering interview questions, Clara
looks old enough and speaks well enough to apply for the following ad:
WANTED: Young women, 18 to 30 years of age, of good moral character, attractive
and intelligent, as waitresses in the Harvey Eating Houses on the Santa Fe Railroad in
the West. Good wages with room and meals furnished. Liberal tips customary.
Experience not necessary.
Although Clara lies about her age, she is hired and begins working as a Harvey Girl in
New Mexico. The Harvey Eating Houses were founded by Fred Harvey, a businessman who
frequently traveled by rail. As described in the book, he was “tired of eating greasy meals
served by surly hash cooks in filthy trackside beaneries.” In 1876, he opened the first Harvey
House in Topeka, Kansas, and served gourmet meals to railroad passengers. The food was
served quickly in formal dining rooms by waitresses called Harvey Girls. Through Clara’s
adventures, readers learn about the difficult training, strict rules, and high standards expected
of these young women. Harvey Girl is an enchanting story about how Clara “sheds her farm
girl image and becomes a confident, independent woman.”
41
Book Review: Harvey Girl
Book Reviews
Historically, Harvey Houses provided first-class meals to passengers of the Atchison,
Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. Railroads were an important part of American history, and
the Harvey Houses also had a role in bringing some refinement to the West. From the late
1800s through the mid-1900s, there were nearly 100 Harvey Houses and approximately
100,000 Harvey Girls. As stated by the author, “the Harvey Girls have drifted into American
History. Their proper training, efficient service, and precise manners popularized them as
the ‘women who civilized the West’.”
Harvey Girl is an excellent book. Author Foard effectively teaches a history lesson while
weaving a story about a high-spirited Ozark farm girl from “Missourah.” This historical fiction
also includes a short section about the real Harvey Houses and Harvey Girls, along with
pictures from that era. Although it is easy-to-read and targets middle/youth ages, I thoroughly
enjoyed learning about Clara and the Harvey Girls. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
Texas Ranger Dispatch
™
42

Dispatch 28 (Spring 2009) - Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum

Transcription

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