Archive for June, 2008
How did people in the Old West really know what time it was?
We have atomic clocks that can keep track of the “real” time in millionths of seconds — but how did someone living in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, etc., in, let’s say 1855, know what time it was?
Read more on How did people in the Old West really know what time it was?…
There really was a ‘Long Branch’ in Dodge City, but no Miss Kitty
In the fabled “Gunsmoke” television series, the Long Branch Saloon was the favored hangout and chief watering hole of Marshal Dillon, Chester, Festus, Doc, and most of the other main characters. It was owned by the dazzling but business savvy “Miss Kitty” — Kitty Russell, as I recall. It was, depending on the mood of the moment and the plot of the show, a convivial place filled with music, fun, card players, lovely ladies, and hard working trail hands, town merchants, and company.
Read more on There really was a ‘Long Branch’ in Dodge City, but no Miss Kitty…
Follow-up on that ‘Fair Weather Christian’ cartridge belt
I don’t know as I’ll ever find the answer to this one — why some of the post-Civil War cartridge belts used in the West were called “Fair Weather Christain” belts — but I’ve got a couple of things to pass along on the matter:
Read more on Follow-up on that ‘Fair Weather Christian’ cartridge belt…
Anyone know origins of name ‘Fair Weather Christian’ cartridge belts?
I was browsing through some Western history sources this morning and the phrase “Fair Weather Christian cartridge belts” caught my eye.
But I have spent much of the morning Googling and digging through books in my library — and no where can I find anything about the origins of that name and what in the world it had to do with the M1876 Cartridge Belt. Yes, I got that specific information from a site that makes and sells leather holsters, belts, and other Old West leather gear. They made reference in passing on that site to troops who had fought in the Civil War adapting some of their military belts to hold cartridges. I even found reference somewhere to a replica of Frank James’ 1875 Remington .44-.40 pistol, which showed a picture of the gun and a handmade replica of James’ holster and “Fair Weather Christian” belt.
Read more on Anyone know origins of name ‘Fair Weather Christian’ cartridge belts?…
Ever wonder why Abe Lincoln wore such baggy pants?
A friend of mine who’s quite a Western writer in his own right tipped me off to a great book, and a snippet of information in that book actually discusses clothing and fashion in the Old West — with a clever explanation of why old Abe Lincoln so often appears in photos wearing baggy pants obviously in need of a good pressing.
Read more on Ever wonder why Abe Lincoln wore such baggy pants?…
Truth about gunfighters: It was hard to tell ‘good guys’ from ‘bad guys’
One of the most respected lawmen of the Old West was Wild Bill Hickock. He and his faithful sidekick, Jingles, adventured throughout the west, settling into various jobs as deputies and marshalls, foiling the occasional stagecoach robbery or bank holdup.
Read more on Truth about gunfighters: It was hard to tell ‘good guys’ from ‘bad guys’…
Western writers of note: Richard S. Wheeler — no one does it better
Richard S. Wheeler’s novels run the gamut from shoot-em-up rip roarin’ tales to gripping historical novels set in the West. He does traditional westerns and he does terrific historicals.
Wheeler’s best known series novels are those crafted around a scruffy renegade mountain man named Barnaby Skye. At last count, there were 16 Barnaby Skye novels in print, though I haven’t kept up personally in recent years. The Skye character was shanghaied into the British Navy, jumped ship in the Pacific Northwest, and settled in as a mountain man, trapping and living with the Indians. He earned a reputation as a man of true justice, fearless courage, fearsome battle, and tenderness with his two Indian wives, Victoria and Mary.
Read more on Western writers of note: Richard S. Wheeler — no one does it better…