Jesse James the cowboy

 

 

Jesse and Frank James, 1872

Jesse (25) and Frank James (29), 1872, Carolinda, Illinois.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown -

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Digital Visual Library

His Early Life:
Jesse Woodson James was born in Clay County, Missouri, USA on September 5, 1847.
He had an older brother, Alexander Franklin James called "Frank", and a younger sister, Susan Lavenia James. His father, Robert S. James, was a farmer and Baptist minister in Kentucky. His mother was Zerelda Elizabeth Cole from Woodford County, Kentucky.

The Civil War Years:
The American Civil War (1861 to 1865)  to determine the survival of the Union or independence for the Confederacy of the south. The James brothers were both in the Confederate guerrillas, called the Bushwhackers, in 1863, when Jesse was only 16 years of age, under "Bloody Bill" Anderson's group. This group was accused of participating in atrocities against Union soldiers, including the Centralia Massacre in which Bushwhackers killed or wounded some 22 unarmed Union troops. It was during this time that Jesse James learnt the horse and pistol skills that would make him a legend.

After the war:
Starting in 1868 at the Liberty Bank, Missouri, Jesse and Frank James began robbing banks, stagecoaches and trains, and by 1868 became part of the "James–Younger Gang" with Cole and Jim Younger. An 1869 robbery marked the emergence of Jesse James as the most famous of the former guerrillas and the first time he was publicly labeled an "outlaw," when the Missouri Governor set a reward for his capture. The gang dissolved in 1876, after the capture of the Younger brothers during an attempted robbery of the Northfield First National Bank. Three years later, Jesse James organized a new gang that robbed banks, trains and stagecoaches in Missouri, Kentucky, Iowa, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, and West Virginia.

His Death:
He was shot in the back of the head on April 3,1882 by one of his own gang members who wanted to collect the reward money.

SOURCES:
Official website for the Family of Jesse James

Long List of Cowboy Movies from the 60's

Do you have a favorite cowboy movie? Did it make the list below?

When I think back the first thing that really got me interested in cowboys and the ways of the west was my granma taking me to see an amazing movie which was set in the old west when I was very young. She may have taken me to it because she wanted to see it or because back in those days there were not many movies for kids or maybe she actually thought  I would like it but anyways I was young and impressionable and hence my live long love of all things cowboy and cowgirl. To this day I do not remember the movies name just the panoramic scenery, a few scenes like when an army guy has his leg amputated and I can hum a few bars of the film score but not so that anyone else can recognize it. I would love to know what movie it was.

• The Alamo: Directed by John Wayne; Starring John Wayne, Richard Widmark
• The Magnificent Seven Directed byJohn Sturges: Starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen
• The Comancheros: Directed byMichael Curtiz: Starring John Wayne, Stuart Whitman 
• The Deadly Companions: Directed bySam Peckinpah: Starring Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith
• The Misfits: Directed byJohn Huston: Starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter, Eli Wallach
• Two Rode Together: Directed byJohn Ford: Starring James Stewart, Richard Widmark.
• How the West Was Won: Directed by John Ford, Henry Hathaway,George Marshall, Richard Thorpe: Starring Henry Fonda, Gregory Peck, James Stewart, John Wayne,George Peppard, Karl Malden, Carroll Baker, Debbie Reynolds
• Lonely Are the Brave: Directed by David Miller: Starring Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands, Walter Matthau, Michael Kane, George Kennedy
• The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: Directed byJohn Ford: Starring Lee Marvin, James Stewart, John Wayne
• Ride the High Country: Directed by Sam Peckinpah: Starring Mariette Hartley, Joel McCrea, Randolph Scott
• Hud: Directed by Martin Ritt: Starring Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas.
• A Fistful of Dollars: Directed by Sergio Leone: Starring Clint Eastwood, Marianne Koch, Gian Maria Volonté.
• Invitation to a Gunfighter: Directed byRichard Wilson: Starring Yul Brynner
• Cat Ballou: Directed by Elliot Silverstein: Starring Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin, Michael Callan
• Shenandoah: Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen: Starring James Stewart, Doug McClure, Glenn Corbett, Patrick Wayne, Rosemary Forsyth, Philip Alford
• The Sons of Katie Elder: Directed by Henry Hathaway: StarringJohn Wayne, Dean Martin, Michael Anderson, Jr., Earl Holliman
• El Dorado: Directed by Howard Hawks Starring John Wayne, Robert Mitchum
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Directed bySergio Leone: Starring Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef
• Return of the Seven: Directed byBurt Kennedy: StarringYul Brynner, Robert Fuller
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Directed by George Roy Hill: Starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford
• Death of a Gunfighter Directed by Alan SmitheeRichard Widmark, Lena Horne
• The Desperados: Directed by Henry Levin: Starring Vince Edwards, Jack Palance
• Paint Your Wagon: Directed by Joshua LoganClint Eastwood, Lee Marvin, Jean Seberg
• True Grit: Directed by Henry Hathaway: Starring John Wayne, Glen Campbell, Kim Darby
• The Wild Bunch: Directed by Sam Peckinpah: Starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Warren Oates, Ben Johnson

SO MANY MOVIES SO LITTLE TIME

Of course this is the list of movies I have seen from the 1960's - there are hundreds more made in the 60's let alone before and after that. Here are a few that I am looking forward to finding and watching:

Charro! Directed byCharles Marquis Warren Elvis Presley, Ina Balin because Elvis is in a traditional western.

TepepaDirected byGiulio PetroniTomas Milian, Orson Welles because of Orson Welles.

If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your DeathDirected byGianfranco ParoliniGianni Garko, William Berger because of the title.

Lonesome CowboysDirected byAndy WarholJoe Dallesandro because of the director.

One-Eyed Jacks Directed by Marlon BrandoMarlon Brando, Karl Malden because of Brando both directing and starring in it.

Go Kill Everybody and Come Back Alone because of the title!

Going off to watch Django Unchained... oh by the way did you know there is a 1967 movie called Django, Kill... If You Live, Shoot!

Cowboy, Grant-Kohrs ranch, Montana, USA, around 1910

Are the true cowboy ways fading?

Code of the West.

• A cowboy always helps someone in need, even a stranger or an enemy
• A cowboy is loyal to his "brand," to his friends, and those he rides with.
• Never shoot a woman no matter what.
• Respect the land and the environment by not smoking in hazardous fire areas, disfiguring rocks, trees, or other natural areas.
• Honesty is absolute - your word is your bond, a handshake is more binding than a contract.
• Live by the Golden Rule.
• Look out for your own.
• Defend yourself whenever necessary.
• Never steal another man's horse. A horse thief pays with his life.
• Don't inquire into a person's past. Take the measure of a man for what he is today

LINKED UP AT: History and Home Link Party

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum




1928 World Series Rodeo Contestant signature card of Cowboy Morgan Evans



The National Cowboy Museum & Western Heritage Museum offers many educational opportunities. It is in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Here you celebrate the contributions of men and women of the American West including explorers, Native American leaders, writers, poets and politicians. You can see the world's largest collection of American rodeo, photographs and saddlery.

The Museum includes three Halls of Fame, including The Hall of Great Westerners for actual people who lived through the frontier era to present. Other halls include the Hall of Great Western Performers, for actors, and the Rodeo Hall of Fame.

 
There is so much to see here so I will just focus on just one part the Hall of Great Western Performers which is a large exploration of interpretations of the West in books and in film. It includes the John Wayne collection of personal firearms, artwork, and memorabilia.
Hands-on activities have been incorporated into educational programs for elementary school children, and junior and high school students enjoy a guided tour of the Museum.

Reservations are required for all group visits.

Helpful info when planning your field trip: National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum School

Deadwood Dick

"If a man can't go out in the blaze of glory, he can at least go with dignity."

Nat Love, also known as Deadwood Dick (1854–1921) was an African American cowboy following the American Civil War. 

Love's autobiography, the Life and Adventures of Nat Love, was published in 1907. William Loren Katz describes it as "the only full-length autobiography by an African-American cowhand".

Life and Adventures of Nat Love, Better Known in the Cattle Country as "Deadwood Dick," by Himself; a True History of Slavery Days, Life on the Great Cattle Ranges and on the Plains of the "Wild and Woolly" West, Based on Facts, and Personal Experiences of the Author

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Chas Goodnight

Charles Goodnight, 1836 – 1929

One of the most prosperous cattle herders in the old American West.

He was a pioneer in cattle breeding - successfully crossing Texas longhorns with Herefords.

Bill Pickett - cowboy and rodeo performer.

A handbill from1922 advertising The Bull- Dogger movie starring Bill Pickett

William M. Pickett aka Bill Pickett aka Willie was born December 5, 1870?, Williamson county, Texas, U.S. and died April 2, 1932, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

He was one of of 13 children whose family ancestry was African, white and Cherokee Native American.

He invented the technique of bulldogging, which is grabbing cattle by the horns and wrestling them to the ground.

Bill Pickett with two of his brothers c.1890s.

 
Pickett and his 4 brothers started the Pickett Brothers Bronco Busters and Rough Riders Association. He also made a living demonstrating his bulldogging skills and other stunts at county fairs.

In 1905, Pickett joined the Wild West Show that featured  Buffalo Bill and Will Rogers where he was dubbed the "Dusty Demon."

Bill Pickett on his horse. Image from Texas Highways

He helped train Will Rodgers and other performers in the art of being a rodeo cowboy.

In 1932, Bill Pickett was kicked in the head by a wild bronco while working horses at the 101 Ranch and died of his injuries eleven days later.

Pickett was the first black man named to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1971.

Will Rodgers

Cowboy hats

Colonel William F. Cody - Buffalo Bill Cody - in 1903

John Batterson Stetson made a hat for himself while roughing it in the wilderness in 1860 panning for gold.  It was a large felt hat made from hides. Stetson grew fond of the hat for its ability to protect him from the elements. It had a wide brim, a high crown to keep an insulating pocket of air on the head and was waterproof.

The story goes that a cowboy rode up and paid Stetson with a five dollar gold piece for the hat. This was the original “Boss of the Plains” hat that that would become the cowboy hat.

Notable people who wore Stetsons in the American Wild West included  “Buffalo Bill”, Calamity Jane and Annie Oakley.

Calamity Jane in 1895 by H.R. Locke

Cowgirls

Rodeo Cowgirl drawing by Charles Marion Russell (1864–1926)

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame has made significant contributions to document the role of women in the wild west.

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Movie cowboy

This is a still from The Great Train Robbery, an American Western silent film, made in 1903 by Edwin S. Porter. It is the famous shot of the robber firing his gun at the camera which could be seen at the beginning of the film or the end or both!  While the movie is only twelve minutes long, it was considered amazing when it was made for it's genuine portrayal of the outlaw bands of the frontier and its innovative techniques including on location filming.

Frontier Lawman of the Wild West

Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp 1848 – 1929

Wyatt Earp had many occupations in his 80 years. He started as a farmer, of his families 80 acre farm, at 13 years of age when all the other men folk joined the army.

He drove a cargo wagon with a team of horses, he bought and sold real estate including saloons, he was listed as a gambler in the San Diego City Directory in 1887. In 1869 he was appointed local constable at  Lamar, Missouri.  He was a city marshall, or police officer, in Wichita from 1871 to 1876, and later various other frontier towns such as Deadwood.

He is best remembered for the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, with two of his brothers,Virgil and Morgan, and his friend Doc Holliday. The shootout resulted in Wyatt Earp being thought of as one of the best and toughest gunmen of the times.

 

Linked up at History and Home

Spurs

Spurs were standard equipment for cowboys. They attached to the heel of the boot. They had a metal shank, usually with a small serrated wheel attached. This was so the cowboy could  give a stronger leg cue to the horse. Note the heart design on these leather and metal spurs.

(For the sake of these chronicles cowboys means male or female as both often worked side by side doing the same tasks)

One of the first photos

John C. H. Grabill took the photo in Sturgis, South Dakota in 1888. The very next year they named it Meade County, South Dakota. Reckon it was called that after Fort Meade named for General George Meade. Meade County would be about the largest county in South Dakota. It is also known for the pine forested Black Hills that look so dark from a distance due to all the trees.