On Friday and Saturday,
September 8 and 9, I participated in the 29th annual Cowboy Symposium and
Celebration. Programs, entertainment, and special events were staged in
Lubbock's big civic center. And on the field north of the civic center was an
array of chuck wagons, plus a few tepees. There also was outdoor entertainment
and a parade. On Sunday, September 10, there was a Cowboy Church Service, with
live music and appropriate cowboy poetry and a devotional message. As always,
Lubbock's Cowboy Symposium and Celebration provided a splendid event built
around the iconic Texas cowboy.
 |
Vendor Aisle
|
Monica Hightower, the
lovely and highly efficient boss wrangler of the Symposium, invited the State
Historian to provide a program for the fifth consecutive year. She wanted me to
continue the theme of Western outlawry which has attracted large audiences
during these five years, and I developed "Cow Country Outlaws." Of
course, most Cow Country Outlaws were rustlers, and I began the presentation by
tracing the Regulator (later Vigilante) movement in America back to the
colonial period. By the time open range ranching in the Old West began,
rustlers preyed on the livestock. I detailed the methods of theft, as well as
the violent retaliation by cattlemen (lynching, lynching, lynching!).
 |
| With Monica Hightower, Boss Wrangler of the Cowboy Symposium |
Alvin Davis, the
Founding Father of the Cowboy Symposium, attended my first presentation shortly
after the Friday lunch event celebrated his 90th birthday. I acknowledged Alvin
in front of the large crowd that had gathered to hear about Cow Country
Outlaws, and the audience responded with an enthusiastic round of applause.
Alvin's charming wife announced that she had brought the remaining portions of
Alvin's birthday cake, which we all enjoyed.
 |
| Alvin Davis, Founding Father of Lubbock's Cowboy Symposium |
I presented "Cow
Country Outlaws" on both Friday and Saturday afternoons. Also on Friday I
emceed a writer's panel. The other author/presenters were Karen Fitzjerrell and
Nathan Dahlstrom. The three of us have worked together before, and our hour
passed rapidly.
 |
| Author Panel: State Historian, Karen Fitzjerell and Nathan Dahlstrom |
 |
Two recent former presidents of the West Texas Historical Association,
the State Historian and Marisue Potts |
 |
| Part of the Friday audience |
On my way to Lubbock
from my home in Carthage I experienced several historic sites. I departed
Carthage on Wednesday so that I could do some research in Midland's Haley
Library and Museum. The Haley Library and Museum features the immense research
collections of legendary rancher and author J. Evetts Haley. About 20 years ago
I visited the Haley Library in search of material about Pink Higgins, and I
found excellent sources. On last Thursday I was aided by museum director Pat McDaniel,
who assembled a vast array of materials for me to examine for my biographical
project about cattle king John Chisum.
It was a long drive from Carthage to West Texas, so on the first night of the trip I stayed in Stanton, which is less than 20 miles from Midland. Fortunately I arrived in time for a visit to the Martin County Museum in Stanton. The museum director, Ruthie Billett, welcomed the State Historian and pointed out all kinds of historical treasures that are on exhibit in this fine museum.
 |
| Martin County Historical Museum Director Ruthie Billett |
On Thursday afternoon,
as I drove from Midland to Lubbock, I took a break in the little town of
O'Donnell, where Dan Blocker (the future Hoss Cartwright) graduated from high
school. Blocker was born in DeKalb in northeast Texas, but the family later
opened a business in O'Donnell. Blocker became a football star at Sul Ross
State Teachers College. He taught and coached and served in the army during the
Korean War, before pursuing an acting career. In a downtown city park a statue
and a historical plaque proudly make the connection between O'Donnell and Hoss
from the TV series Bonanza.
 |
| Statue of Dan Blocker |
No comments:
Post a Comment