You Have to Eat…Everyday Restaurants in Wild Frontier Towns by Shirleen Davies

Did you ever think about what frontier town restaurants served to those who couldn’t or preferred not to cook for themselves?

In early frontier days, menu items were limited to local, seasonal foods. Meals were made up of the basics like meat, bread, syrup, eggs, potatoes, dried fruit pies, cakes, coffee, and vegetables. Beef was plentiful, and most everyone drank coffee.

19th Century Common Restaurant Fare

For dinner (or lunch) and supper, people usually ate bread and an overdone steak. Lamb fries (testicles) and Rocky Mountain oysters (bull testicles) were considered a delicacy. Some served rattlesnake meat. In parts of the southwest, the only vegetables were beans, corn, and squash. People ate wild onions sometimes to prevent scurvy.

Menu

Things were different in California with the gold rush. Bayard Taylor—a New York Times reporter, who traveled there in 1850, wrote, "It was no unusual thing to see a company of these men, who had never before thought of luxury beyond a good beefsteak and glass of whiskey, drinking their champagne at ten dollars a bottle, and eating their tongue and sardines, or warming in the smoky campfire their tin canisters of turtle soup and lobster salad."

Surprisingly, pioneers out west kept up with food fads. By the 1880s, French food was popular, and restaurants served a variety of meats, fish, vegetables, sauces of all kind, fancy desserts, cheese, and milk, plus the menus were often printed in French. The big trend was oysters shipped in from the coast.

Cost of Food

Saloons, hotel restaurants, and bars were known for their cheap eats.  Also, there was such a thing as a free lunch—at least at some saloons. Patrons had the option of eating the free lunch or paying for the lunch of the day if they preferred. The lunch buffet offered a wide assortment of free food like cold roast beef, corned beef, sardines, olives, various sandwiches, bread and butter, clams, clam-juice, bouillon, and much more. Some saloons also served a hot dish at noon, another at five o'clock, and a final meal at midnight. At some saloons, for the purchase of a 25¢ drink, you’d get a free meal that included soup, fish, roast, an entree, and dessert. 

 

Loin of Lamb

Where Did They Get the Food?

Restaurants served regional and seasonal food purchased from local farmers, hunters, fishermen, and dairymen, or from the public market. However, over the course of the 19th century, thanks largely to demographic changes and technological developments, a wider range of food became available to people living in cities, allowing restaurant menus to become more varied. In the latter 1800s oysters shipped in from the coast were a big trend.

Keeping Food Fresh

Before freezers and rapid transit, menus were grouped by season and the food was made fresh each day. This limited what could be served. If the restaurant was in a town where steamboats docked or on a main railroad line a variety of food products were available such as flour, fruits, spices, raisins, crackers, ketchup, mustard, vegetables, oatmeal, glycerin, hog lard, dried fruit, cane sugar, molasses by the barrel, baking soda and baking powder, cooking oils, maple syrup, corn meal, canned fish and meats, and more. In towns with a railroad depot, there'd be hogs, sheep, cattle, stockyards, corrals, pens, and a feedlot, so fresh meat was readily available.

However, restaurants were able to keep food fresh and have more variety once technology and the railroads advanced. With cold storage warehouses and refrigerated railcars, restaurants were able to buy out-of-season produce. Also, cheese and butter were easier to get since they were made in factories in the latter part of the 19th century. Moreover, once mechanically frozen ice was available, the restaurants used it to keep the food fresh. 

  

Well-Known or Infamous Frontier Towns

In the wild west of the 1800s, pretty much every frontier town had at least one restaurant. Boarding houses and saloons also served meals.

1.  The Occidental Saloon in Tombstone

This saloon was frequented by Wyatt Earp and his brothers, plus Ike Clanton, and Doc Holiday. You could get a 50¢ Sunday dinner which included the following choices:

Occidental Hotel, Tombstone

·     Soups:

Chicken Giblet and Consommé, with Egg 

·     Fish:

Columbia River Salmon, au Beurre Noir

·     Hot Meats:

Filet a Boeuf, a la Financier

Leg of Lamb, Sauce, Oysters

·     Cold Meats:

Loin of Beef, Loin of Ham, Loin of Pork, Westphalia Ham, Corned Beef, Imported Lunches

·    Boiled Meats:

Leg of Mutton, Ribs of Beef, Corned Beef and Cabbage, Russian River Bacon

Entrees:

Poulet aux Champignons

·     Pinons a Poulet, aux Champignons

·     Cream Fricassee of Chicken, Asparagus Points

·     Lapine Domestique, a la Matire d'Hote

·     Casserole d'Ritz aux Oeufs, a la Chinoise

·     Ducks of Mutton, Braze, with Chipoluta Ragout

·     California Fresh Peach, a la Conde Salade

Roasts:

·     Loin of Beef, Loin of Mutton, Loin of Lamb, Leg of Pork

·     Apple Sauce, Suckling Pig, with Jelly, Chicken Stuffed Veal

Pastry:

·     Peach, Apple, Plum, and Custard Pies

·     English Plum Pudding

2.  The Cowboy Bar and Outlaw Café in Meeteetse

In the 1800’s the town of Meeteetse, Wyoming had no law enforcement of any kind. So, the occasional bank robber used it as a sanctuary when a posse was hot on his tail after a holdup in Cody. Poses typically turned around when Meeteetse came into sight. And if that lucky outlaw was hungry or thirsty he’d go to the Cowboy Bar, which is still around today. 

Cowboy Bar & Outlaw Cafe Present Day

The Cowboy bar and Outlaw Café has been in continuous operation since 1893, serving food and drink to wild west gunslingers, businessmen, saloon girls, cattlemen and cowboys, as well as gold-seekers riding into town from the Kirwin mines.

Nowadays the Cowboy Bar and Outlaw Cafe is known for its prime ribs and pork chops and that was most likely the case in the 1800s as well, since steaks and chops were a standard menu item. 

3.  The White Elephant in Fort Worth

The White Elephant began as a modest saloon and short-order kitchen. Then, in 1885, cigar shop owner, John Ward, and his brother bought the business, transforming it into a premier establishment that attracted both high stake gamblers and Fort Worth high rollers. A year later, John Ward became the main proprietor, and he added an elegant restaurant that attracted its own clientele. Ward introduced family dining and gourmet food. He advertised in the local paper—‘Stop here for good dinner or lunch'.

White Elephant Saloon

In addition to steaks and chops, he added fresh fish and wild game, but the house specialty was fresh oysters imported from the gulf in ice-filled kegs. After their meals, diners were served the choicest wines and liquors and smoked cigars from the house stock.

In 1894 the White Elephant relocated to another building in Fort Worth since it had outgrown its original one. The restaurant’s reopening menu included lake trout, Spanish mackerel, black bass, Gulf trout, redfish, pickerel, and fresh lobster.

Angel Peak, book 12, Redemption Mountain historical western romance series, takes place in Splendor, Montana, a town with several old west restaurants and cafes. It is available in eBook and paperback.

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Why Arizona

by Rain Trueax

Writers choose locations for their books for many reasons. Sometimes it's about a 'wish i could live there' place, but sometimes it's where the person has lived or spent a lot of time. Arizona for my books comes out of the latter. I was first there in 1965 when my husband was accepted into the grad school in Tucson.

With our cat, driving south from Oregon with friends, who also were attending UofA, we first saw the Grand Canyon-- a very dramatic beginning. That year, we explored mostly Southern and Central Arizona with a lot of time in the back country. Although we moved back to Oregon to have our first child born, the love of Arizona never went away. 

As soon as our two children were old enough, we bought a small travel trailer and headed back as often as we could. The kids grew up, found their own special places, but we continued our ventures to the desert covering most of the state eventually.

Twenty years ago, we bought a second home in Tucson, a small development with desert all around. Today, with our son taking over some of the operation of the sheep and cattle ranch in Oregon, we debate whether it'll be our full-time home. We are in a time of transition and pulled between Oregon (where I have also based books) and Arizona. Old age though often requires making choices, and we may soon have to make one.

My strong love for the desert country has led me to place thirteen of my books (a fourteenth is on the way) in Arizona. I have tried, in these books, to tell readers what makes the state so special. Tucson itself is a product of prehistoric peoples and then Native Americans along with those up from Mexico as well as those with ancestors from Europe, Asia, and Africa. With that diversity, it has many religions with Native American beliefs often merged together into something new-- or New Age.  With the sky so important here, it's not surprising that mysticism is also strongly felt.

To me, Tucson is a land of love, of spirit but also danger. I try to put that into my books whether historical, contemporary, or paranormal. Where I have a love of this region, it's not hard to give that to the characters. To me, they are born out of the region whether their actual birthplaces were elsewhere. It's Arizona, with all its diversity, that has made them into who they are-- strong enough to fight against the wrongs they come across.

It's not only about Arizona for me but history and the writing of historicals. What makes them so popular? I think it's the wonder of times gone by. We like to look back at worlds that are now no longer with us and yet their stories still are. A writer does a lot of research to write such books, which makes us go back to that world both through the research but also in the writing. For a while, when I write an historical, I am there, wondering over the lighting of the home, which changed with the ages, studying the possible foods, means of transportation. Much fun for someone who likes history.

The first historical I based in Arizona was written in the 1990s. I never submitted it to any publishing houses as it was a love of my heart with the heroine a woman fighting against cultural rules that blocked her from living who she fully was. When she had a chance to break free, she took it and found adventure, love, but also danger because the love came with a price-- loving a dangerous man. The story has had several different titles but today, it's got the best and most fitting-- Outlaw Way. 


I began Abigail and Sam's story in 1883 to keep it away from the time the Earps were in Tombstone, where important action takes place. The different opinions on the Earps meant it was better to let the book begin after they were gone. The Earps are like George Custer-- no agreement on exactly who they were, what happened or why.

To be honest, I never thought there'd be a second book but years later, two of the characters seemed they had their own romance, Abigail's best Tucson friend and Tucson's marshal. Hence, I wrote Tucson Moon with a family mystery as part of it, natural events, and political complications of 1886 Tucson. 

Both of the books were set entirely in Southern Arizona with the characters moving to various areas down there-- all places where I have also walked. They were to be all-- until it turned out that a daughter grew up to find her own love story. That one again took a lot of research for what was happening in 1899. Forbidden Love took place just after the Spanish American War had ended and traveled from Tucson to the canyon country to the north. 

For these Arizona romances, which I call Hunters Moon Romances, there were so many options as Arizona is full of interesting history with the various cultural elements but also its beautiful and sometimes dangerous landscape. 

The problem I've had all along is getting the right covers to give a clue to what the books ae about. With a new launch, using the heroines, I think we (my husband is my editor and publisher) might've finally found the answer. 

Below is a banner to show all eight and how they form a circle, part of the cycle of life. Each book stands alone but shares characters often with earlier ones. They are all about the personal interactions, the passions plus the history and beauty of Arizona.

For now, these books are still available wide (B&N etc.). 

The links below are for just Amazon:

Outlaw Way

The Marshal's Lady


Forbidden Love


Rose's Gift


Echoes from the Past


Lands of Fire


Bound for the Hills


Frederica's Outlaw

BRINGING HISTORY TO LIFE by E. Ayers

 Spring Has Returned

Writing historical is not the same as writing a contemporary. I never realized how much different until I started to write one. My desire to recreate an accurate accounting of the families that went west to find, fame, fortune, or just a better life sent me into the history books. And that is when it hit me just how little we learn in school.

          History books are written based on wars. Maybe an event leading up to a particular battle might be included, but mostly, it’s based on wars. Take a second gander at our American History books. The Pilgrims came and then we worked up to the Revolutionary War. Then came that little tea party in the Boston Harbor... We did what? We tossed tea overboard because we didn’t want to be taxed and that cause this big revolt? Not really, but that is the way it’s portrayed in books.

         We did toss tea overboard. Guess we never figured tea would have an environmental impact. I’m sure plenty of fish got sick swimming in tea. Of course, nothing is said about that. No one said what the people ate or how they lived. Well, we know they gave up drinking tea.

         Sometime after George Washington crossed the Delaware River, we won that war with England, and several years later, we had a Civil War over slavery. Nope. That was not how it started, and slavery was barely a blip on the political horizon during the war. Actually abolishing slavery is one of the better things that came into being as a result of that war. But it was not the reason for the war.

         So if history somehow interests you, you probably didn’t get it from those schoolbooks. Chances are a teacher or someone else regaled you with tales of people. Or maybe something from your own family sparked an interest. Or maybe you read something like a biography? Florence Nightingale or Clara Barton?

         Of course, that family tidbit might not be as glamorous as a romance novel. I recently ran across a name on Facebook and asked if they were related to… They weren’t, but she did tell me that the grandfather was an orphan on an orphan train who was adopted by a family. Unfortunately that tale didn’t have a happy ending.

        The writers here at Sweethearts of the West take pride in getting history right. And we share that knowledge with our readers and other history buffs. But not all historical romances are historically correct. Do things slip through? I’m certain. Because no matter how hard we try, backing up 150 years or more can be difficult.

Word choice can be a problem. Did she say it was an oil lamp? When did lamp oil usage end? Don’t even try to argue that they were so wealthy that they preferred to use only oil. If tomorrow someone discovered a fuel for automobiles that cost only 10% of what gasoline cost, and it ran cleaner, was renewable, didn’t leave a major carbon footprint, was better for the engine, didn’t stink, produced as much or more horsepower, and was readily available, just how soon do you think we’d be pumping that instead into our cars? That’s like saying I will only put leaded gas into my car. Is leaded gas available? I don’t think so.

Lamp oil vanished and was replaced with kerosene. Kerosene saved our whales, lots of lives, and quickly phased lamp oil from our lives. Now we have “lamp oil” that is a new generation of lamp fuel. It burns cleaner, it’s supposed to be cheaper, and often comes colored and scented. But we aren’t using those lamps except in an emergency or maybe to add a certain ambiance to a room on a special occasion.

But in defense of those making mistakes, my own father went to his grave calling the refrigerator an icebox. I have an antique icebox. It’s decorative. I own a refrigerator. I grew up with a refrigerator. The icebox was replaced about four years before I was born with a fancy refrigerator. But that didn’t stop Dad from calling it an icebox. “Put that in the icebox!”

Words are fairly easily checked for usage. Dictionary such as Merriam Webster can tell you of its first known usage. But just because it was used in 1874, it probably took quite a few years before it was routinely used. Word usage is quicker today with the Internet and news media. But years ago, it spread slower when it had to be passed by individuals using it.

Hunting for the history of something gets tricky. I like to find the info directly from the patent offices. If you want to know exactly what sort of pen was used, try looking up the history of pens, such as Parker. Most manufacturers keep very good historical records because they are proud of their contributions.

Old photos can be misleading. I think this was taken in 1880 because someone wrote 1880 in the corner. Um, no! It had to be later than that because that building wasn’t built until 1904. And those shoes were not worn back then. It's odd, because 1880 might have been an index number for the photo and not the date. So the more we know the better we can be at discovering the errors.

The other problem is that great online encyclopedia. The Wik is great if you aren't looking to be super accurate. Yes, check other resources, except they also might be using Wik as the god of knowledge. Sources can be checked and if it winds up being a circle, then the accuracy is suspect.

The concept of owning a sewing machine came in the late 1800’s. They were expensive and bulky things. They had a single forward stitch. They were not easy to use. They were merely a commercial version that had been made smaller. The adorable Singer Featherweight didn’t come about until the 1930’s and it used electricity. Now to check when electricity became available in that part of the country. That's a different ball to chase.

A friend was writing a novel and I was reading it. Phone? That far back? Really? Yes. I was wrong and she was right. But who else had phones then? Only a fraction of the wealthy and some of the government facilities in that city. I had so much fun reading her story because it was filled with historical stuff that I knew nothing about. She was sending me photos. She lived in that part of the country and visited those museums, etc. Shipbuilding to her was as natural as breathing.

Too many novels have been written that simply ignore history. Does that make them bad? Not really. People read to escape. Do you like to escape and see life the way it really was or do you only read for the story? Is it all about the hunky guy and her beautiful dresses? Picking up one of my stories, you’ll escape into a different time and place with lovable and exciting characters, but you’ll look at the way they lived a little bit differently. Not only was life different, the way they perceived life was different, even their attitudes were different. I think it adds to the stories. And if you learn a little something along the way…I think that’s even better.

Huckleberry or Bearer?

By Christi Corbett

I got my first Smartphone several years ago, and promptly changed the text and email alert notification sound to the epic line from the movie Tombstone, “I’m your Huckleberry.”

But is it really Hucklebearer?

I get a lot of texts each day, and though I’m a writer (which is an amazing job and I love every minute) my family still wants things like food, so I do have to mingle with others on occasion. Invariably I’ll get a text or an email when I’m standing close to someone, and oftentimes a flicker of curiosity will cross their face, a flicker which rapidly turns to recognition.

Most can’t resist speaking up, usually along the lines of “Hey, I know that line! Isn’t that from that one movie? You know, the one that starred the guy from that other movie? Overboard I think it was called. And that guy with the voice was in it too. It also had that one guy from Top Gun in it, and he was super sick. He was the one who said that line actually. Wait, I know. It was Tombstone!”

I smile and nod, and invariably a discussion begins of the finer points of the movie, which character had the best mustache, was it Dana Delany riding down that hill sidesaddle or a stunt double, did you love or hate Jason Priestly in it, and our favorite lines and scenes.

One day, a bystander argued that the line was commonly thought of as Huckleberry, but it was really Hucklebearer.

I've since learned there are two definite schools of thought on the subject, and each has plenty of facts and history to back their word up. 

Check out a clip from the movie here and decide for yourself which team you're on, Huckleberry or Hucklebearer? 

So, did you get a good listen? Perhaps a few times to be sure?

Now, I reveal to you an angle that most don't consider...what word did the script call for Val Kilmer to use?

Sorry to disappoint anyone in the "Team Hucklebearer" category. In this article it's revealed the script definitely states "Huckleberry".

CLICK HERE for 10 Tombstone Facts you Never Knew Until Now.

Let's have some fun in the comments section...what’s your favorite scene from the movie?

WHO WAS THAT WOMAN? INA COOLBRITH, Part 2

By Arletta Dawdy

April is National Poetry  and Women's History Month

In her nearly 87 years Ina Coolbrith overcame incredible hardships, suffered humiliation but also found joys and recognition across the country and the world. Her early poetry while in Los Angeles brought her recognition as California’s singer-poet. Although she played the accordion and guitar, the “singer” appellation relates to her lyricism in writing of the beauty, variety and joy of the natural setting. Much of her life-long feelings for the state continued to be reflected in her written words.

            After the loss of her job at the Oakland Public Library(1893,) she floundered financially and emotionally. Still in Berkeley, she supported her niece and her children, often two brothers, Joaquin Miller’s daughter Calla Shasta, and others who came and went. Her savings soon dwindled and she was in dire straights with no idea of where her income might come from. As had happened before and would again, fellow writers and other artists came to her rescue. In later 1894, Ina returned to San Francisco and the Russian Hill area that was her emotional home.

            She sold her Berkeley house, lectured wherever she could and made some money with the sale of her first book and poems published elsewhere; friends helped as her earnings were meager. Her next job came in1898 as librarian at the Mercantile Library. Nearly 20 years earlier she had been made an honorary member of the exclusive men’s Bohemian Club, one of only four women so honored. The club continues to day as an enclave in the redwoods of Sonoma County as well as the Nob Hill institution. It has gathered politicos, wealthy men, artists and educators…still dominated by men. Ina was offered a position as the librarian in 1899. Both positions were won for her behind the scenes by friends who battled sexism on her behalf.

            Throughout her life, Ina collected boarders, lovers, and substitute sons, sharing her home and earnings to support their talents and whims. Charles Warren Stoddard who, with Bret Harte she’d worked at the Overland Monthly in the 1870’s was a special friend, probable lover.  On a trip to Hawaii, he took a young lover….revealing his homosexuality. Ina appears to have continued to love him, with visits, letters and mutual support. Late in life, Ina became enamored of young Carl Seyfforth, a Norwegian gay pianist of promise. She encouraged Seyfforth even when he failed to follow treatment for his TB and depression, often squandering funds she provided or secured for him. He died in 1927 without fulfilling his promise.

            Ina didn’t want for women friends, supporters and assistants. In 1895 she got peritonitis followed by pneumonia to the point there were news stories of her impending death. Josephine Zeller, a friend, moved in and nursed her, staying on as housekeeper. It was a relationship that continued until the 1920’s. Zeller became severely mentally ill with rages and threats to Ina whose frail health imperiled her.  By mid-life, Ina had rheumatoid arthritis that affected her breathing, and her limbs, especially her feet and hands; as she aged walking became increasingly difficult as did her breathing. By her 80’s, Ina spent four winters in NYC, escaping SF’s fog and Zeller. Her stays in NYC brought relief but she couldn’t afford summer rates and would return to CA. She spent her last three years or so with her niece, Ina Lillian Cook, in Berkeley.

            April 18, 1906 brought the horrendous earthquake and fire to Ina’s doorstep. By this time Ina had two nearly completed manuscripts: an autobiography and A History of California Literature. She had a collection of some 3000 signed first editions, untold numbers of letters, paintings by William Keith, Indian baskets and mementos of her life. Robert Norman, her renter, found and returned her scrap book of poems, clippings and other pieces. Her home survived the earthquake but not the deliberate dynamiting and fires. Once again, friends and connections came to her rescue, helping with housing, funding and emotional support.

            As early as 1865, Ina hosted salons in her home. These continued for while in her isolation in the East Bay but diminished as her low energy, long hours at the library and inability to write continued. In1895, she resumed her tradition which served to sustain her emotionally and creatively Wherever she lived, she persisted in welcoming artists into her presence, including in NYC where she was often feted and celebrated.

The world of poetry was changing at the end of the 19^th and beginning of the 20^th centuries. Romanticism and nature took a back place to works of writers like e e cummings, Amy Lowell, Ezra Pound and the rise of free verse. California writers were generally poorly understood or accepted by the Eastern literati for many decades. While Ina was resistant to the newer forms in poetry as they grew, she still gathered many admirers who championed her work.  In 1915, in anticipation of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition coming that fall, she was named California’s first Poet Laureate…therefore, also the first woman and the first laureate among all US States. It took the legislature four years to acknowledge her status and they did not provide a stipend.

            Ina Coolbrith’s poetry appeared in many newspapers and magazines. As her output slowed in the latter part of the 19^th century, it was hard for her to find resources and friends often gave her leads or introduction. She produced only three collections of her Poetry A Perfect Day and Other Poems, 1881; Songs of the Golden Gate, 1895; and Wings of Sunset, (1921?)

                                                     

"And away, away, on passionate wings, My heart like a bird at thy window sings." from FEBRUARY

" Today I call my baby's name. and hear no lisped replying: Today--ah, baby mine, today--God holds thee in His keeping." from THE MOTHER'S GRIEF

"Hark, from the budding boughs that burst of song!  And where the leagues of emerald stretch away. How rings the meadow-lark's ecstatic lay And all the hills the liquid notes prolong." from MARCH

"With meadow scents your breath is rife; With redwood odors and with pine: Now pause and thrill with twofold life Each spicy leaf I twine." from WITH A LEAF OF LAUREL; commemorates Ina and Joaquin Miller planning a laurel wreath for him to lay at Lord Byron's grave

Photo by Ansel Adams, 1924

           Ina died on February 29, 1928 and is buried next to her mother at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. Her Mormon background and kinship with its founder Joseph Smith, her disastrous marriage and the loss of her infant son were not widely known until after her death. A marker was placed on her grave 60 years later; a small park on Russian Hill shows her beloved city below and a mountain near  Beckworth Pass bears her name.. The Ina Coolbrith Circle first met in the December before her death and continues now.

References:

1. Wikipedia, biography and Ansel Adams portrait of Ina

2.George. Aleta,  Ina Coolbrith: The Bittersweet Song of California’s First Poet Laureate, Shifting Plates Press, 2015

3. Coolbrith, Ina, A Perfect Day and Other Poems, 1881, Classic Reprint Series, Forgotten Books, date unknown. Source for above snippets of her work

Arletta Dawdy lives and writes in the Northern CA and rites of SE Arizona, . Her Huachuca Trilogy is available on Amazon and your favorite bookstore by request: Huachuca Woman, By Grace and Rose of Sharon.

SHERIFF VS MARSHAL By Cheri Kay Clifton

Often historical western books depict one of their characters as a sheriff or marshal of a town including the book I’m writing now. But before I decided which one my character would be, I wanted to know the difference between them. Following is a brief overview of the duties and jurisdictions of a sheriff and marshal in the Old West.

Traditionally, the sheriff was an elected county official. Towns elected or appointed marshals. A U.S. Marshal was a federal appointment and covered outlaws who broke federal laws. A federal marshal or deputy marshal could also pull double duty as a sheriff, sheriff’s deputy, or town marshal.

The sheriff was elected to uphold the law in a particular town or county, but as soon as he crossed the town or county borders, he had no authority. Trouble was, unlike today, the borders weren’t as clearly drawn in the Old West, so the jurisdiction was sometimes uncertain.

U.S. Marshals had jurisdiction everywhere since they worked for the federal government. Their job was to apprehend fugitives from justice. A marshal’s authority could supersede that of the sheriff insofar as apprehending wanted fugitives were concerned.

Many lawmen received no pay other than a percentage of money that those they arrested might be fined, or the collection of bounties on the heads of wanted men. Consequently, some had second jobs to supplement their income as stagecoach guards; others ran saloons!

Of those who did make a salary, it was often very low, and their duties often included tasks that many felt were beneath them, such as keeping the streets clean and other municipal duties. Much of their work consisted of weeks of boring tasks, interspersed by periods of high danger and sometimes deadly altercations.

For these reasons and more, few of even the most famous lawmen spent that many years wearing a badge, including Wild Bill Hickok, who only served a few years in various 

roles and Wyatt Earp, who worked in a few Kansas cowtowns, before gunning down the Clantons in a showdown at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.

Below is a bronze sculpture of one of the most iconic fictional marshals ever portrayed on TV – Marshal Dillon.

If you're going to make a life-size statue of James Arness, you're going to need a lot of bronze. The Western star stood at a towering 6' 7". No wonder his character Matt Dillon was such an imposing figure on Gunsmoke.

For twenty seasons, Marshal Dillon kept the peace on the dusty streets of Dodge City. Now, the real-life Dodge City, a town of about 27,000 residents in southwestern Kansas, has its own Matt Dillon. On July 30, 2017, a bronze likeness of the character was installed next to the Dodge City Visitors Center on Wyatt Earp Boulevard.

 Please visit my website: www.cherikayclifton.com

Civil War Facts

By Paisley Kirkpatrick

With all the Civil War re-enactments over the years, I thought it would be fun to check out these facts:

The first aircraft carrier was a boat designed especially for hauling hot air balloons.

The first flares for marksmen shooting at night were calcium lights developed by a Major Edge, of Berdan’s Sharpshooters, a famous Federal regiment.

The first economic warfare was used by the North in massive counterfeiting of Confederate currency. Union printers flooded the South with this bogus money, its only defect being its superiority to the genuine article. Printers went so far as to duplicate five-cent notes of Confederate towns and business enterprises, as a spur to inflation.

Despite the modern developments spawned by the war, thousands of men went into the early fighting in body armor, assured by newspaper advertisements that iron breastplates would shield them from death. Heavy casualties attested to the tragic inefficiency of the gear.

Many of the inventions pouring into the warring capitals bordered on lunacy, but some forecast the future. A federal balloonist went aloft with grenades and bombs, with the bottom of his wicker carriage shielded against ground fire by an iron plate. And one inventor tried in vain to interest the US in a rocket-driven torpedo which behaved like a guided missile in its tests.

Both Union and Confederate inventors turned out weird forked-barrel cannons, designed to fire two shots simultaneously, joined by chains, so that enemy troops would be mowed down if they stood in a convenient place.

Confederates built a steam-powered cannon of mammoth size which flung balls from a hopper without benefit of gunpowder, but too many shots merely trickled from the barrel.

The Federal armies were offered a miraculous water-walking device which would make military bridges a thing of the past – each soldier would wear tiny canoes on his feet, and drive himself over the water with a small paddle.

The Civil War, Strange & Fascinating Facts, by Burke Davis author of Gray Fox