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Legends Letter |
July, 2007 |
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 Well after my foray into
Arizona, followed by several
weeks of trying to catch up, I take off to down to our little bitty ole'
Lake Shack at the Ozarks for a little R&R and a lot of lake shack work
-- renovation and restoration -- does that apply to lake shacks? Dunno 'bout that, but a little physical labor always has a good effect
on uncluttering the mind.
Then back to K.C. for a few days of more catch-up before
dashing off to Dallas,
Texas. Hubby Dave in meetings while I try to find day
trip opportunities. Whew, that's a lot of work -- day tripping out of
Dallas -- getting thru traffic in and out of town takes longer than
arriving at the final destination. One 150 mile trip took 12 hours, a
good portion of which was stuck in traffic. Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! Nope, no
more of that!! Destination objective: out of the way places!
Focus, Kathy, focus.
Well, here I am once again, carrying on about my
"adventures." Got lots of feedback about our
"scary" trip along the Mexican border several weeks ago. Though I
do "take on," believe me, I'm loving every minute of it!!
On a different note, I finally got my first book
published --
Great American Bars and Saloons
.
Whew!! That was an adventure in and of itself. Was "hired" to write the
captions for a
Saloon Book, to be published under my name. Though my part was
"done" within days, it took forever to hear anything about publishing.
In fact, when I finally got paid, I never heard another word. Ok,
so they couldn't find a publisher, I figured. Well, that was until Dave
was snooping on the internet and discovered that not only was it
published, it was published like almost a year ago!! More on that fiasco
on my blog
HERE! Anyway, it is kind of exciting, nonetheless.
In any event, guess I better get to writing
up some new material and finishing this here newsletter.
In the meantime, I truly hope you enjoy the
newsletter and the website!!
Kathy Weiser, Owner/Editor
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In this Edition:
New Additions
Featured
Travel Destination - Gold Point, Nevada
The Old West
- Forts, Forts & More Forts
Featured Book -
Great American Bars & Saloons
Ghosts &
Mysteries - The Haunted Bullock Hotel in Deadwood
~~~~~~~
Bumper Sticker
Wisdom
EARTH FIRST! We'll strip-mine the other planets later.
I had a handle on life but it broke.
Shhh ... I'm listening to a book.
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New Additions to Legends of
America |
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It's been a busy month and you'll find a
lot of new stuff here as I try to diversify a little and add some
new Old West People,
treasure tales, and
destinations.
Our favorite, those
Old West characters, now
includes
Buckshot Robert's Last Stand,
where one man was in a gunfight with six skilled
gunslingers in Lincoln County,
New Mexico;
Charles Angelo Siringo,
one of the most famous detectives of the
Pinkerton
National Detective Agency;
and Gordon William "Pawnee Bill" Lillie,
a wild west performer that gave
Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show some stiff competition. From our
reader, Allen Bristow,
comes the tale of James L. Smith, a
lawman
and long-time railroad detective who was better known as "Whispering
Smith." And, last but not least, a
fascinating tale of a little boy named
Jimmy "Santiago" McKinn,
who was captured by the Apache in 1885 and cried when he was rescued
and had to go home.
While I was delving into
Apache
"territory," I also added up a new
Apache Photo Gallery,
which features
great vintage photographs and summaries of
Apache life in
the 19th century, including
Geronimo,
Mangas Coloradas, the
Chiricahua
"great mountain"
Apache, and
more.
You'll also find a page, filled
with vintage photographs, dedicated to just the fierce
Apache
Chief
Geronimo,
who was probably the most photographed
Native
American
of the time. Many of you love to read about
Native
American Myths and Legends, so, focusing on the
Apache, we've
added up several new legends including
Old Woman White Hands,
Killing Of The Monsters, The Man Who
Helped the Eagles,
Releasing the Buffalo, and
The
Supernatural Person in the Lake.
While I was in
Texas a
couple of weeks ago, I just had to visit
Fort Griffin, one of the wildest places in the
Lone Start
State during the 19th century. (This was the 12 hour trip from
Dallas.) In fact, in 1874, the place was so bad that the commander of the
fort placed the town under its control, declaring martial law and forcing
many of the undesirable residents to leave. Not a lot left of this old
place, but a fascinating history.
Texas,"
I also added up a few more of those many squabbles they were so fond of in
the 19th century -- the
Lee-Peacock Feud, which was more than just a dispute
between families, but a
continuation of the
Civil War,
lasting four bloody years after the rest of the nation had
laid down their arms. You'll also find the
El Paso Salt War that occurred over the salt flats of the Guadalupe Mountains.
For our treasure hunting enthusiasts, you'll
find new
Utah
Treasure Tales, including the
Spring Canyon Treasure
and
Hidden
Loot in Winters Quarters
from our
reader,
Chuck Zehnder, and a couple of more we
dug up --
the
White Cliffs Lost Gold Ledge
and the
Castle Gate Lost Treasure.
Hold tight, we've just started with Utah - there will be more!!
And, last, but not least, there's my new book.
Check out
Great American Bars and Saloons HERE!
Time to mosey. |
Did you know?......
Every plant in
Tomorrowland at Disneyland is edible.
North Dakota
grows more sunflowers than any other state.
Kool-Aid was
invented by Edwin Perkins in 1927 in Hastings,
Nebraska.
Old West
Wisdom
Tumbleweeds are best left to themselves.
Don't run down narrow stairs when your wearing spurs.
Never get up
before breakfast. If you have to get up before breakfast, eat
breakfast first.
Never let your yearnin's' get ahead of your earnin's.
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Featured Travel Destination |
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 Gold Point,
Nevada - Waxing &
Waning Thru Time
The area that would become
Gold Point,
one of
Nevada's
best ghost
towns, was first settled by ranchers and a few miners around 1880. A small camp was formed a few hundred yards west of the present day town
site at an outcropping of limestone, and was called Lime Point.
When new discoveries of both gold and silver
established the major mining towns of Tonapah and
Goldfield,
Nevada in
the early 1900s, a flood of prospectors returned to the old Lime Point
mining camp to try their luck.
In 1902 silver was
discovered in the area and within no time, the old camp was revived and
renamed Hornsilver for a particularly rich source of ore.
In 1905, the Great Western Mine Company began operations about
a half mile southeast of Hornsilver and after discovering a rich
silver vein, another flock of miners descended on the camp. The town
soon sported numerous businesses
sprouted up, including as many as 13 saloons, a population of around
1,000, and over 225 wood-framed buildings, tents and shacks throughout the
camp.
Unfortunately, the town’s original founders didn’t find the boomtown
they had hoped for, as the strike proved to be short lived. Though limited
mining continued over the years, the town died as quickly as it was born.
Today, many of the buildings in this old camp have been restored
and two museums are available to the public on most weekends.
Gold Point
is about 40 miles southwest of
Goldfield off
of highway 95. It is well worth the trip for a view of an authentic turn of
the century mining camp.
More ...
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What our readers are saying about Legends
of America:
A subject as broad and diverse as early
American
history would be beyond the scope of most people, but you have
done a superb job. I can't say it better than that - superb. You have
enriched my understanding and whetted my appetite for more. Many thanks
and continued success for this wonderful venture. - Jumbuk, Victoria,
Australia
I found your site to be awesome. from the
Old West photos you have & the stories that are told about them. I'm a
Jesse James
buff & I've found that your story is the closest to being the truth than
any other site I've seen. So, it makes me trust your stories about other
outlaws as
well. Thank you for the info. - Michael,
Missouri
I found this site to be the most informative
historical site concerning the
Indian Territory and western
Arkansas
that I have seen. The era of the
Civil War to
the early 1900's is very much of interest to me. I think it is a
fantastic site. - James,
Arkansas
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The Old West |
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 Forts, Forts, and More Forts!!
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The
forts of the
American
West varied in type from military posts, to fortresses established by
fur trading companies, to private enterprises built solely to protect the
pioneers within.
Most often when we think of
Old West forts, we imagine a high stockade
type wall of sharpened logs that surround a number of buildings. Inside
these walls are hardy pioneers and soldiers, valiantly defending
themselves from hostile
Indians
on the outside. Though western films have perpetuated this idea, and
sometimes
forts
were built in a stockade type manner, the purpose and style of
forts varied
widely and this "typical" scenario was the exception rather than the rule.
Contrary to the myths perpetuated by
western films, most military
forts
of the
American
West
were not established to protect the settlers from
Indians;
rather, they were built to maintain peace among the tribes, as well as
between
Native
Americans and white emigrants.
Furthermore,
they were seldom solidly constructed stockades with numerous permanent
buildings. Sometimes, they were little more than a couple of
blockhouses. Other types of fortifications were constructed by traders
to protect their businesses and by settlers to protect their homes.
As more and more
settlers moved west in the 19th century Army posts were
established on the basis of anticipated use, sometimes to keep the
Indian
tribes from waging war with each other and at other times, to keep
white settlers from encroaching upon native lands.
It was generally only
when white settlers insisted on encroaching upon native lands,
especially during the many gold and silver rushes, that the
Indians
retaliated. Only then did the
forts'
primary purpose change to protecting the settlers. As westward
expansion continued, threatening the
Indian's
livelihood, war between the whites and
Indians
intensified, resulting in the push of
Native
Americans onto
reservations. Once the
Indians
were placed on reservations, some
forts
served as
Indian
agencies and distribution points for annuities given to tribes under
treaty agreements.
More ...
I see these many old forts kind of like
ghost towns and
there are so many!! So, stay tuned, as you see more and more of them
added up here on the website. For a list of those we've covered so
far, see
List of Forts.
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Old West
Factoids:
On September 6,
1870 Louisa Ann Swain, a seventy-year-old woman, becomes the first woman
in America to vote in a public election at
Laramie,
Wyoming.
The main
characters of the
Dalton Gang
-- brothers,
Grat,
Bob and
Emmett all wore badges before moving to the
other side of the law.
Clay Allison, after sitting
in a dentist's chair in
Cheyenne,
Wyoming,
forcibly pulled one of the dentist’s teeth when he doctor drilled on
the wrong molar. He would have continued pulling the dentists
teeth, but the screams of the dentist brought in people from the
street.
On August 19, 1884
John H.
'Doc' Holliday shot bartender Billy Allen in the arm over $5 at
Leadville,
Colorado.
~~~~~~
 Legends
of America Advertising!
See your ad HERE! - Feature
your business or a specific product in our
newsletter or web pages.
Include photos, logo, and text. For information and ad rates, click
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lodging right
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Ghosts & Mysteries |
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 The Haunted
Bullock Hotel in Deadwood, South Dakota -
When
Deadwood
"struck gold" in 1876, not everyone flocked there to make their fortunes in the
mines. For
Seth Bullock
and Sol Star,
they intended to make their fortune supplying the miners with their equipment
needs. And, that they did prosperously. However, after the second time Deadwood
and their hardware store suffered from a blazing fire, the pair changed tactics
and built the
Bullock Hotel. In 1895, Seth Bullock, who had formerly served as
sheriff during Deadwood's early and lawless days, began building the finest
hotel Deadwood had ever seen.
When it was
complete it boasted a restaurant that could seat 100 people and offered such delicacies as
pheasant and lobster. The large lobby featured red velvet
carpeting, brass chandeliers, oak trim and a Steinway grand piano. Upstairs, the 63 rooms were furnished with oak dressers and brass
beds, each floor had a bathroom, and a library and parlor were located
off the balcony. In no time at all, the hotel was the most
sought after luxury hotel of its time.
Completely renovated, the
Bullock Hotel continues to host guests in its original historic
appearance and grandeur. But, according to staff and guests, tourists are not
the only ones to continue to visit the historic property.
Seemingly, Seth Bullock, himself, continues to look
after the property. The tall ghostly figure of
Bullock
has been spied in various areas of the hotel, he has been heard whistling
or humming a tune, plates and glasses have been known to shake and take flight
in the restaurant, and all manner of strange occurences, all attributed to
Bullock.
More ...
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Feedback and Suggestions |
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We always appreciate feedback about the
website and our
newsletter. Do you have a suggestion about content that you would like to see, or
perhaps, would like to contribute a photograph or a story? We
would love to hear about it! We also want to hear about
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picture that doesn't appear -- please let us know. Just drop us a
line at our Email
address and tell us what you think.
This
newsletter
is copyrighted 2007 by
Legends of America.
Our reader's e-mail addresses are never
sold, rented or
otherwise made public.
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Legends of America
A Travel Guide
for the
Nostalgic &
Historic Minded
P.O. Box 19423
Lenexa, KS 66285
913-708-5119
Kathy Weiser
Owner/Editor
www.legendsofamerica.com
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