Legends Letter

Hey, friends and neighbors, hoping all of you are having the greatest of holiday seasons, and wishing you a wonderful new year.

As usual, I'm combining November and December's newsletters - it just gets too busy this time of year to keep up. And, I've been inundated with the "must dos" required of any small business -- unfortunately keeping me away from doing the stuff I like best -- writing and traveling. Instead, I've been shipping packages, took a quick trip to Texas for Thanksgiving, preparing for holiday guests, and boringly consumed with transitioning some 5,000 postcards to a new shopping cart that provides you with a choice of Google Checkout or Paypal. This is kind of a test, to see if you like it better, though I haven't seen a large difference so far. In the meantime, this transition also expanded our postcard offerings to include every state in the Union with hundreds of new postcards never offered before. Check them out!

On a more creative note, I've also been designing a new line of our own custom postcards. These unique postcards incorporate a 'lil bit of my own artistic abilities, along with old photos, and many of our own pictures taken throughout our travels. Take a look and I would love to hear some feedback from postcard enthusiasts. I've been pretty focused on Route 66 and the Old West, but am expanding out to "Greetings From ..." each state, and whatever else you might like.

And, as to the postcards, Dave is calling me a "postcard nut!!." Yes, I can be a little obsessive-compulsive and I did have postcards stacked up in three rooms all over the @*#*! He's right about the "mania," but he also just likes to have a good laugh at me. Hehehe!

Unfortunately, with all these mundane business tasks, you won't see a lot of new material recently, but rest easy, the new year is just around the corner.

I've also been working on a custom line of of small books which will incorporate much of the writing here, historical texts, and our  vintage photographs. Look for those in the early part of 2009, as well as a bunch of other new titles as we expand our book offerings.

Ok, enough of the tedious - on to more interesting topics.

In the meantime, I truly hope you enjoy the newsletter and the website!!

New Additions & Feature Stories

Featured Travel Destination - Tombstone, Arizona

The Old West - George Maledon - Prince of the Hangmen

Ghostly Legends - Hell Dogs of Eldorado Canyon

Featured Book - Route 66 Map Series

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New Additions and Feature Stories

Well, I did get time to add a little new material, but not nearly on the scale as usual, so I'll also "re-run" a couple of interesting older items.

After a reader brought an error to my attention on those outlaw Younger Brothers, I decided that I just hadn't given them proper attention, simply having grouped them with the others on the Outlaw List, so you'll see an expansion on these lawless dudes and their capers.

To our endless lists - I have once again been expanding on Old West Forts, and you will now see feature stories on Fort Supply and Fort Washita, Oklahoma as well as More Oklahoma Fort Summaries including Camp Nichols, Fort Arbuckle, Fort Towson and more.   

We've got a new section on Cowboy Songs & Frontier Ballads. I just love these old jingles that tell the story of the Old West, sometimes with eloquence and sometimes with cowboy lingo. Check out just a few of these: The Cowboy's Dream, Git Along Little Dogies, The Last Longhorn, San Antonio Rose, and dozens more.

I also rustled up a few more frontier characters including the fascinating story of Albert Jennings Fountain, a soldier, lawyer and politician who, after making a number of enemies during his career went missing, along with his 8 year-old son, in the desert of southern New Mexico. His  mysterious disappearance has been the subject of many a writer and investigator, but yet today, remains unsolved. 

Adding yet another "bad boy" to our long list of outlaws, you'll see "Doc” Middleton - The King of Horse Thieves. Leading a horse thieving gang known as the Pony Boys, Doc Middleton probably stole more horses in his time than any other outlaw.

And, on the "white hat" side of the Old West, is Daniel Boone May, a shotgun messenger on the Deadwood Stage, who, in the line of duty,

killed several stage robbers in the 1870s and built, for himself, a fierce reputation as not a man to contend with.

I also dug up an old article entitled Triggerfingeritis, which was actually a chapter in a book entitled The Red-Blooded Heroes of the Frontier by Edgar Beecher Bronson, written in 1910. Shoot, just the title was enough to get my brain a itchin'. 

On another note, let's revisit an old article called Old Time Cures & Remedies. Recently, I had a bad bout with a wicked head and chest cold and I'm tellin' ya, I was so desperate I might just of tried some of these crazy cures. Thank goodness I didn't, cuz I'm still here to write about it. Imagine, gargling with cow dung, or packing sheep droppings around your neck. Really, don't try these remedies. They're funny but very scary.

And last, but not last, take a peek an at old-time Pioneer Christmas, where, in some places was not so different than today, but for others, 

far away from "civilized" life -- pioneers, cowboys, explorers, and mountain men, usually celebrated Christmas with homemade gifts and humble fare.

On a final note, some of ya'll have been tellin' me that you want to know me better and here's a way -- Facebook -- No, it isn't just for teenagers. In fact, I recently connected with one of my oldest and dearest friends that I had lost track of for 25 years. Great fun! Meet my friends and family - just look up "Kathy Weiser" and request to be "my friend."

Ok, moving on ...

Bumper Sticker Wisdom 

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Old West Wisdom:

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Legends Exclusive Custom Products - Legends of America and the Rocky Mountain General Store now provide a number of exclusive products that you won't find anywhere else! You'll find lots of crazy bumper stickers; Old West prints, postcards, t-shirts and Route 66 products

Featured Travel Destination 

Tombstone - The Town Too Tough To Die  - As I stare out the window at the drizzling sleet and shiver at the plunging temperature gauge, I can only dream of warm places and re-live fond memories. And, immediately, one of my most favorite destinations comes to mind -- Tombstone, Arizona. Filled with history, ghostly legends, and high temperatures, I wonder what Christmas looks like in the Arizona desert.

One of the most lawless mining camps in the American West, Tombstone was soon dubbed "The Town Too Tough to Die.” The mining camp was born when a prospector named Ed Schieffelin looked out on the mountains from where he stood at Camp Huachuca, Arizona. Thinking that the rich colors of the mountains looked like a promising place to prospect, he commented on this to a nearby soldier. However, the soldier was quick to warn him that the area was controlled by Apaches and responded him "All you'll find in those hills is your tombstone."

However, Schieffelin was not deterred, and the next year, in February 1878, he set out to hills alone in search of his fortune. After hiding for two nights from the Apaches he spied what looked like it might be a silver vein on a ledge high above his hiding place. Climbing to the ledge, he pried out several pieces of pure silver and was elated when he estimated the vein to be some fifty feet long and twelve inches wide. Remembering the soldier’s warning he called his vein, which would later become a mine, "Tombstone.”

After filing the first two claims he found two more sites laden with silver ore, which he dubbed the "Lucky Cuss” and the "Toughnut." In no time at all, word spread that silver had been discovered and other prospectors began to search the area. Before long, more mines began to open including, the Grand Central, the Charleston and the Contention mines, and a mining camp was born named after Ed’s first claim – Tombstone.

Tombstone's post office was established December 2, 1878 and has never been discontinued. On March 5, 1879 an official town site was laid out and lots were sold on Allen Street for five dollars each. Soon, Tombstone had some 40 cabins and about 100 residents. More people began to travel to the area including the Earp brothers, Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Charlie Storms, and other notable frontier characters. The Clanton Gang was already "working" in the area, rustling cattle and making mischief, which would ultimately lead to the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Unlike many old frontier towns, Tombstone still "lives" on, with its dusty streets and frontier character still intact. Infamous Allen Street, once full of bars, casinos and bordellos has been restored for visitors and the original 1882 Cochise County Courthouse and gallows are now a State Historic Park. This old town, full of life and history, survives the test of time and is well worth the visit. 

More ....

The Old West

George Maledon - Prince of Hangmen - George Maledon earned the moniker of the Prince of Hangmen while serving as Judge Isaac Parker's chief executioner during the lawless days when Parker served as judge of the Federal Court for the Western District of Arkansas.

Maledon, a diminuitive man standing at just about five and a half feet, was described as a "whispy" little fellow, with dark eyes and hair, a fair complexion and a long beard. Quiet in nature, he rarely smiled and was almost always dressed in black, an "appearance" that would soon seem appropriate to his new profession.

After the Civil War, Maledon worked as a deputy sheriff at Fort Smith before being hired as a turnkey at the federal jail in May, 1871. The next year, he was appointed as a "special deputy" incharge of execution of the condemned prisoners. For the next 22 years, he would execute more than sixty criminals and was forced to shoot five prisoners during escape attempts, two of which were killed. In no time, he was given the title of the "Prince of the Hangmen" by the local newspaper - the Fort Smith Elevator, who was only too happy to publish each and every morbid detail of Maledon's handiwork for the "entertainment" of its readers.

On September 3, 1875, the largest group ever to be executed at once occurred when Maledon hanged six men. The schedule event had been widely publicized in the media and a week before the execution was to occur, the city began to fill up with strangers from all over the country.

This event earned Judge Isaac Parker the nickname of "The Hanging Judge” and called his court the "Court of the Damned." 

Ironically, though the public flocked to watch these gruesome displays, Maledon was shunned by the community, as the town folk were afraid to associate with the "Prince of Hangmen."

However, there was one man who was morbidly attracted to Maledon's occupation - Heck Thomas. One one occasion while Thomas was at Fort Smith, he was asking Maledon for all the particulars when the executioner proudly displayed a collection of leg irons, straps, and ropes that were actually utilized in some of the hangings.

After more than two decades carrying out these gruesome tasks, Maledon retired from the federal court in 1894. Later, he left Fort Smith and took a "show" on the road where he displayed relics from hangings, including ropes, pieces of the gallows' beam, and photographs of some of the nation's most notorious outlaws. Setting up a tent in various cities, hundreds of people flocked to the show to hear Maledon speak and view the gruesome displays.

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Ghostly & Other Strange Legends

Hell Dogs of Eldorado Canyon, Nevada -

Man per man and mile per mile, Eldorado Canyon has a wider range of historical events than anywhere in the Wild West. This rich history, coupled with the turbulent events taking place in Eldorado Canyon in the 19th century has led to numerous ghost stories of dead miners, Indians and pioneers who once roamed the area.

However, some of the most fascinating are the ghostly tales of canine spirits. Reportedly, during the rowdy mining days, many of the prospectors kept dogs at their claim sites to protect their property. Reared to attack at the slightest trespass by strangers, the dogs were often extremely vicious.

"Man’s best friend” or not, many of these dogs were shot, left chained at the claim site to die, or released into the wild, when the gold played out and the miners left the area. Over the years, numerous tales of sightings of these many spectral hounds have been told by exploring visitors and locals alike. A few even tell of being attacked by these ferocious canine apparitions.

One story describes two brothers who were compelled to test the validity of the canine tales. Exploring the area, they soon found an old mine shaft where they noticed an ancient weathered chain embedded into the rock wall near the entrance. Entering the old mine, they came upon a pile of bones that appeared to be those of a large dog. As the sun was quickly setting, they determined to camp near the mine shaft.  Sitting around a small campfire, they listened to what sounded like coyotes yipping in the distance. Not alarmed, they ate dinner around the fire until both men began to feel uneasy as the atmosphere changed, seeming thick and somehow charged. Before long, they heard the sounds of large dogs panting in close proximity, followed by low and hateful growls.

More ...

Feedback and Suggestions

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Legends of America

A Travel Guide for the

Nostalgic & Historic Minded

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Kathy Weiser

Owner/Editor

  www.legendsofamerica.com

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