A supplemental curriculum guide for teachers for Rochel Garner Coleman’s performance of I, NAT LOVE The Story of PLEASE INQUIRE ABOUT ROCHEL GARNER COLEMAN’S OTHER SHOWS OR WORKSHOPS:

MLK - AMAZING GRACE “Each of us has an ability to create a ripple effect upon our world.” Characters trace The U.S. Civil Rights Movement through their encounters with Dr. Martin Luther King. Written by Rochel Garner Coleman from collected stories. Performed with Valerie Tutson.

Tuskegee Airmen Patriotic African American Cadets training at a small airfield in Alabama struggled through the nightmare of red tape defining how their country felt about them, forging themselves in the fires of her highest principles.

SHADOWBALL The story of “Cool Papa” Bell and the Negro Leagues. Written by Rochel Garner Coleman. Directed by Barbara Leonard.

I TOO, SING AMERICA A celebration of African American tradition, poems, and stories. Stories collected, invented, new, old, and rented.

MR. COLEMAN IS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR WORKSHOPS DESIGNED TO YOUR STUDENTS NEEDS THAT TEACH SKILLS OR BUILD DRAMAS.

ARTIST RESIDENCIES, DIRECTING RESIDENCIES AND TEACHERS WORKSHOPS ALSO AVAILABLE.

Please contact us at: 69 Governor St., PMB#248, Providence, RI 02906-3075 Toll free: 1 (888) 223 2092 • On line: [email protected] BIBLIOGRAPHY I, NAT LOVE

Dunham, Phillip & Jones, Everett, ADVENTURES OF NEGRO COWBOYS. New York: Dodd Mead & Co., 1965-66. THE PROGRAM I, Nat Love is a one-man show which brings U.S. History to life through the journeys of the black . Rochel Forbis, William, THE COWBOYS. New York: Time Life Books, 1973. Garner Coleman recreates the life and times of Nat Love, a.k.a. Deadwood Dick, in a series of stories based on Nat Love’s autobiography. Dressed in cowboy attire of the period, Deadwood Dick comes to life. The focus of Mr. Grant, Bruce, THE COWBOY ENCYCLOPEDIA. New York: Rand McNally, 1969. Coleman’s program is the recreation of a historical character and his personal pursuit of freedom. Born a slave in , Nat Love went west at the age of fifteen to seek freedom and equal opportunity. He earned the name Katz, William, EYEWITNESS: THE NEGRO IN AMERICAN HISTORY. New York: Pitman Publishing Corp., 1967. Deadwood Dick on July 4, 1876 by competing in a which included roping, riding and shooting. Nat took on all comers and was the best at every event in the competition. He was also called Red River Dick when he was head- ing cattle drives from to Kansas. He had the distinguished position of chief brand reader, which ranked him as Love, Nat, THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF NAT LOVE. Baltimore: Black Classic, Press, 1988. an outstanding cattleman. He was one of the most prominent in the early history of the West. The atti- tude regarding race relations between cowboys were non-existent at that time. For most people, a cowboy was a cow- Pelz, Ruth, BLACK HEROES OF THE WILD WEST. : Open Hand Publishing, 1990. boy. Deadwood Dick was a bronco-buster, sharpshooter and one of the most trusted cowboys of his era. In his days as a cowboy, he was befriended by many of the noted ‘good & bad men’ of the time, such as , the James Brothers, and .

Within the format of the presentation, there will be many opportunities for students to address questions to Deadwood Dick. These segments are distributed throughout the performance, between dialogues and narratives, rather than in one long question period after the performance. We feel that it is vital for students to be well prepared. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES About ROCHEL COLEMAN The Restless Centuries, Peter N. Carroll, David W. Noble. (Burgess Publishing, 1979.) Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Rochel started singing professionally at The Slave Community, John W. Balassingame. (Oxford Univ. Press, 1979.) the age of nine. With the Men and Boys’ Choir of Christ Church Cathedral and then with the Berkshire Boys’ Choir, he distinguished The Black Book, Middletoon Harris. (Random House, 1974.) himself as a soloist, performing with Pablo Cassals, King’s College Choir, and the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood. Opening the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, he had his first taste of acting. He toured with the show for two years, ending the run at Lincoln Center in New York City. Rochel continued to study music and drama at Indiana University and toured several operas under the direction of the Indiana School of Music. From St. Richard’s School, to Brebeuf Preparatory School, and finally at Colorado College, he con- tinued to have an interest in drama, participating in regional produc- tions. Rochel worked on a number of daytime dramas. When the opportunity came to study at Trinity Repertory Conservatory, he moved to Providence, RI. Rochel continues to expand his achievements through writing and directing.

* You will find Mr. Coleman’s complete study guide on the life of Nat Love and the black cowboy located in the ______. It contains expanded prep and post activities including discussion topics, vocabulary words, games, writing projects, related art activities, and a bibliography. The preparation and follow-up activities contained in the guide are meant to be used by the teacher to extend Mr. Coleman’s presentation far beyond the time he will actually spend with the students. Teachers are welcome to make copies of this guide for their students. The daily stragety of a typical spring round-up focused on a moving chuck wagon from which the men fanned out in the morning and to which they circled back with the cattle for sorting and branding each afternoon. This guide has been prepared by ROCHEL GARNER COLEMAN, questions regarding information contained within or regarding Mr. COLEMAN’s performance may be addressed by contacting us at: (888) 223 2092 - toll free • E-mail: [email protected] I, NAT LOVE POST-PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES

(THE STORY OF DEADWOOD DICK) LANGUAGE ARTS:

1 Discuss words that may be new to students INTRODUCTION 2 Give an oral review of the program

Nat Love, born a slave in Tennessee, went west at Within the format of the presentation, there will be the age of fifteen to seek freedom and equal many opportunities for students to address ques- DISCUSSION TOPICS: opportunity. He earned the name Deadwood Dick tions to Deadwood Dick. These segments are dis- 1 Compare the life and times of Deadwood Dick as a cowboy in the west versus his life had he remained in the south. on July 4, 1876 by being the best cowboy in a tributed throughout the performance, between competition which included roping, riding and dialogues and narratives, rather than in one long shooting. Nat took on all comers and was the best question period after the performance. We feel 2 What did quality of life mean to Deadwood Dick? at every event in the competition. He was also that it is vital for students to be well prepared. The called Red River Dick when he was instrumental in preparation and follow-up activities contained in heading cattle drives from Texas to Kansas. He had this guide are meant to be used by the teacher to WRITING ACTIVITIES: the distinguished position of chief brand reader, extend Mr. Coleman’s presentation far beyond the 1 Write a book report on a which ranked him as an outstanding cattleman. He time he will actually spend with the students. was one of the most prominent black cowboys in Negro hero of the frontier or the early history of the West. The attitude regard- another hero of the early west. ing race relations between cowboys were non-exis- * Teachers are welcome to make copies of this tent at that time. For most people, a cowboy was guide for their students. a cowboy. Deadwood Dick was a bronco-buster, ARTS ACTIVITIES: sharpshooter and one of the most trusted cowboys of his era. In his days as a cowboy, he was befriend- 1 Draw a map of the old west ed by many of the noted ‘bad men’ of the time, and compare it with the west of such as Billy the Kid, the James Brothers, and Bat Masterson. He was also adopted by more than one today. Indian tribe.

2 Write a poem or short story of ROCHEL GARNER COLEMAN, actor, poet, and sto- ryteller, recreates the life and times of Deadwood your own about the old west. Dick in a series of stories based on Nat Love’s auto- biography. Dressed in cowboy attire of the period, Deadwood Dick comes to life. The focus of Mr. READING ACTIVITIES: Coleman’s program is the recreation of a historical 1 Research other accomplish- character in his personal pursuit of freedom. Rochel Coleman at Paramus Parkway School, New Jersey. ments that Deadwood Dick made

in helping others to adjust to life in

the Wild West.

Cowboys on a drive advance in formation as shown in this diagram. While the trail boss rode ahead to scout for water and pasture, the cowhands rotated among the other positions. PRE-PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES I, NAT LOVE: NOTE: Rather than the present day terminology of Blacks when referring to this ethnic group, the text uses the terminology common in the 19th century of Negroes or colored. The Story of Deadwood Dick

DISCUSSION ACTIVITIES: 1 It is important that students view Deadwood Dick’s experiences in the old west as as individual he exact date in June 1854 when Nat Love was money even though breaking horses was fun to him. caught up in the times and adventures of molding this part of American History. born on his master’s plantation in Davidson The experiences gained in riding during those times TCounty, Tennessee is not known. In those days, no stayed with Nat for the rest of his life. record was kept of such trivial matters as the birth of a 2 Review and discuss the narratives found within the text of this guide. slave baby. Nat’s father and mother were owned by When he was about 15 years old, Nat won the same Robert Love, who was an extensive plantation owner horse in a raffle twice and sold the horse for $50 each 3 Discussion topics: and had many slaves. Nat’s parents were so busy that time. He shared the money with his mother and decid- they had little time to look after him, so he mostly ed to go west. On February 10, 1869, Nat left his uncle a) The life of a cowboy in the Old West. looked after himself. He had a sister named Sally, who and his brother in order to care for his mother. He b) How was life different in the north for a colored individual or other ethnic individuals? was about eight years older and a brother named packed his clothes and started out alone in the world. He came to Dodge City, Kansas, which was a great cattle c) How the building of the railroad changed life in the west. Jordon, who was about five years older. center, full of cowboys and their horses. This was a great Nat was 10 years old when the Civil attraction for Nat. He loved horses 4 Reading Activities: War broke out. There was little else and wanted to become one of the talked about among the slaves, as cowboys. He went to the cowboys’ a) The Life And Adventures Of Nat Love (Autobiography) well as the slave owners. All the camp, arriving while they were eat- b) The Black West, William Loren Katz slaves and their children wanted to ing breakfast. They offered Nat go to war and fight for the Union some food. During breakfast, he c) The Cowboys, Time-Life Books Army. When Lee surrendered and had the chance to ask questions, d) The Real American Cowboy, Jack Weston slave masters returned to their learning more about them and what it was like to be a cowboy. e) Black Heroes Of The Wild West, Ruth Pelz homes, they did not tell their slaves that they were free. It was not until The outfit was from Texas with sev- f) The Restless Centuries, Peter N. Carroll & David W. Noble much later, when the slaves learned eral colored cowboys among them. of their freedom. Once free, Nat’s After breakfast, Nat asked the boss father started his own farm, which for a job. The boss told him that if THEATRE GAMES: produced enough crops and was Nat could ride a wild horse, he successful enough to provide food would give him a job as a cowboy. 1 Role playing: for the family as well as earn a liv- He then told one of his colored ing. During the winter months, cowboys to rope and saddle old a) Create a cattle drive, partake in a play, or do a narrative of early western life. when farming could not be done, Good Eye, and put Nat on his back. Nat was taught at home. There The cowboy, Bronko Jim, gave Nat were no schools that a black child a few pointers on how to ride the could attend at that time. Nat Love and his family worst horse that he had ever ridden VOCAUBULARY: to this point in his life. After the Nat got a job about six miles from home, which paid ride, the boss gave Nat the job for a starting wage of $30 badlands bit brand branding iron breaking $1.50 a month. In less than a week, Nat began bringing a month, and said that the boys would call Nat “Red bridle buckskin buffalo soldier bushwhacking cattle drive food home, which he rustled in various ways. He also River Dick.” Nat would work with this outfit for over had a bundle of old clothes given to him by neighbors, three years. cattle king chaps chips chuck wagon colt 45 which was enough for all the family members to wear. In corral cowpoke cutting out foreman herd his second month of work, Nat received a raise of fifty The boss took Red River Dick to the city and bought him horn jack rabbit lariat line camps longhorn cents. He worked so well that his pay was up to $3.00 a an outfit, which consisted of a new saddle, bridle and outfit pitchin’ pony prairie schooner range month by the third month. Not far from Nat’s house was spurs, chaps, a pair of blankets, and a fine 45-Colt a horse ranch owned by a Mr. Williams, who had two revolver. The first outfit that Nat worked for was the steer tenderfoot Winchester wrangler sons. Nat would visit the boys on Sundays because he Duval Outfit of Texas. On the way home from Dodge was fond of riding horses. The oldest boy said he would City, the outfit encountered a band of Victoria Indians give Nat ten cents for every colt that he broke. Nat who attacked them. There were only 15 men in the would go every Sunday and break horses for the Duval Outfit, but they stood their ground to over 100 Williams boys. Nat had no problem about taking the Indians. These were the first Indians Nat had ever seen; his first Indian fight. Nat had never fired a gun before. On July 3, 1876, Nat and his company arrived in He was too scared to run, so he did as the other cowboys Deadwood with the cattle. On July 4th, the gamblers did and shot his gun. After the first shot, he lost all fear and mining men made up a purse of $200 for a contest and fought like a veteran. After this encounter with the between the cowboys. The contest involved roping and Victoria Indians, Nat lost all sense of fear and thereafter, riding a vicious horse, and shooting a 45-Colt revolver during his whole life on the range, he would never know and a rifle. Nat won every contest and was the hero of fear of anything or anyone again. the day. Because Nat had proved himself to the people of Deadwood, they named him Deadwood Dick, a name at’s home ranch was located on the Palo Duro that he carried for the rest of his life. River in the western part of the Pan Handle of NTexas. While with the Duval Outfit, he made reg- On October 4, 1876, while riding alone to hunt strays, ular trips to Dodge City with herds of horses and cattle, Nat ran into a party of Indians. After a bloody battle in as well as to ranches all over Texas, Wyoming and the Yellow Horse Canyon, Nat was wounded and captured. Dakotas. With his strict attention to business, being born Because he proved to be so brave in his single hand-to- of a genuine love of the free and wild life on the range, hand combat with the Indians, his life was spared. The and because of his absolute fearlessness, Nat became Yellow Dog Tribe was composed largely of half-breed known throughout the country as a good all-around Indians, and they wanted him to become part of their cowboy and a splendid hand in stampedes. tribe. About a month after he was captured, Nat man- COWBOYS (TRY ‘N FIND) aged to escape. He rode 100 miles in 12 hours back to In the fall of 1872, Nat accepted a better position with the safety of his ranch. He claimed to have 14 bullet the Gallinger Company, located on the in wounds on his body. He often bragged that these Words about blacks in the West are hidden in the block below. southern . The new position meant more money wounds were sufficient enough to kill an ordinary man, See if you can find them: and experience, and proved what a trusted man Nat had but not him. become. He was now taking an important part in all the big round-ups and cuttings throughout western Texas, •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• BLACK COWBOY BUFFALO SOLDIER Arizona, and other states where the company had inter- ests to be looked after, sometimes riding eighty miles a at Love’s life as a cowboy was filled with exciting PIONEER CATTLE DRIVE TRAIL day for days at a time. and almost unbelievable adventures on the fron- RODEO BRONCO HORSE INDIAN Ntier. In his autobiography, he tells many stories, At this time, the only law respected in the West was the both serious and amusing. He tells of an incident where FORT WAGON CHAPS law of the 45-Colt pistol. Nat practiced with his 45-Colt, he entered the Fort Dodge Army Post and roped a can- and soon he became quite proficient. He gloried in dan- non. He wanted to steal the cannon to fight the Indians. BOOTS CAVALRY ROPE ger and in the wild and free life of the plains. He truly The soldiers put him in jail, but his friend Bat Masterson had become a rough-rider. During the years with the came to his rescue and got him released. He counted Gallinger Company, he traveled all over the Pan Handle among his soul mates, Bat Masterson, Frank and Jesse country and learned how to speak Spanish and to read James, Billy the Kid, and others, both black and white, all the different cattle brands. Nat was promoted to the and from both sides of the law. Progress finally caught P RODEO I ND I ANEE J chief brand reader. He had to pick out his Company’s up with Deadwood Dick and most of the other cowboys. brand and see that the different brands were not altered The railroad expanded across the western ranges, mak- I STAGECOACHBCKT or counterfeited. He also had to brand the young cattle. ing long cattle drives unnecessary. Cowboy Nat Love left O B CLUCCOWBOYHBZ Nat learned how to rope and ride wild steers, a very dan- the range for a job on the railroad as a Pullman porter, gerous sport that few cowboys dared to attempt. It took the best position available to black men at the time. NLDMBOOTSCVDAUB a high class of horsemanship to ride a steer. E ACAVALRYADWPFR In the spring of 1876, orders were received for Nat to deliver 3,000 heads of cattle to Deadwood, South ECTRA I LFRTRASFO Dakota. The route would go through , Colorado and Wyoming. There were rumors that the RKGFORTQOT I GXAN Indians were on the war path in Wyoming. General Custer was out after the Indians and a big fight was S O L D I E RHPLVORLC expected when the 7th U.S. Calvary met the Crow Tribe and other Indians under the leadership of I X H O RSEYEEENAOO and other Indian chiefs. On June 25, 1876, the Indians and soldiers met in the memorable battle, which took place in the Little Big Horn Basin in northern Wyoming. Although Nat’s group did not know it, they were within 60 miles of this battle. Rochel Coleman in Taos, New Mexico. RING and ROPE Here are thirty-four words from Black Cowboys. See if you can find them: BLACK COWBOYS marksmanship brand bulldogging stallion stampedes ESH I REDOEDOR I DERM bronco performances ZTAZFCATTLEYBNROH plains MARKSMANSH I PRTAKC celebration UMMOUNTBCHEUALYAO cattle steer NPJ LHSRNAOSRNKLDM throw rancher CELEBRAT I ONGDLFVA ride PDSTUR I DTE I TXA I EN contest GETBLBLODLROETUNC Black Cowpunchers prepare for Bonham, Texas, fair. tie SSEOLKRAJ LAMNSNTH tombstone rider HBECDWHORREBDSTUE rodeo cowboys P ERFORMANCESR IWRS dangerous NLOCGWREGCRTHAEED trail adventures AVAKGUBRMPOOMLNSN rope ACR I I SHOOT I NGLSDM saddle herd RN I TNGLDYRHELEXPH hired shooting OZDUGSDJWSRRTWZXP brand PNEMB I DANGEROUSSB horn stalk ESTALL I ON I B IMWRHF Nat Love used this photo in a book he wrote mount about himself in 1907. Mary Fields, known as Stagecoach Mary, was a two-fisted powerful woman.

Bill Pickett and his rodeo horse, Spradley. Nat Love fter the Civil War, from 1865 Nat Love was one of the most until the 1880’s, there were famous black cowboys. Amore cowboys than at any buster had to ride a wild horse until Nat Love was born a slave in other time in our history. it was tame. This was such danger- Tennessee in 1854. After the Civil It was during this time that ous work that many cowboys War, he went west. many black men decided to refused to do it. He was hired as a cowpuncher, become cowboys. to drive cows from Texas to the rail- Some experts say that about one road in Dodge City, Kansas. out of every four cowboys was Bill Pickett His nickname was “Deadwood black. In 1971, Bill Pickett became the first Dick.” He was named after Being a cowboy was one of the black cowboy to be admitted to the Deadwood, South Dakota. few jobs where blacks were paid Cowboy Hall of Fame. It was there that he won several equal wages. He started as a ranch hand and roping and shooting contests. A Many blacks became cowboys became a rodeo star. crowd there named him the cham- because there was not as much prej- Bill Pickett invented “bull-dog- pion roper of the western cattle udice on the job. Cowboys had to ging.” In this rodeo event, a cow- country. use teamwork to control large herds boy wrestles a steer off its feet. When he became older, Nat of cattle. They had to respect each During his rodeo career, his Love wrote the story of his life. other’s abilities. assistants included Will Rogers and He later left cowboy life and Many black cowboys were also Tom Mix. These cowboys later worked as a Pullman porter on the “bronco-busters.” The bronco- became famous Hollywood stars. railroads. TIMELINE: BLACK COWBOYS

housands of black men and women helped to Bill Pickett was a rodeo rider. He was born in 1846 1864 1881 1898 explore and settle the West. Most of these Texas. He rode ranches in South America as well as the • U.S. declares war on • First Pullman Car introduced • President Garfield assassi- • Spanish American War TWesterners were ex-slaves who had been freed United States. He became known as “The Dusky Mexico nated begins after the Civil War. There were cowboys, hunters, trap- Demon”. He could catch a steer by its horn and make it • U.S. sets northern border 1865 1883 • Marie Curie discovers pers, mountain men, riders, horse wran- fall to the ground by twisting its neck and biting into its with British Canada • Louis Caroll publishes • Brooklyn Bridge opens May Radium and coins the glers, cooks, and trailblazers. They joined wagon trains, upper lip. This is called bulldogging. Bill Pickett was the • Elias Howe patents ‘Alice’s Adventures in 24th phrase radioactivity herded cattle or just headed west for the adventure. best of the bulldoggers. In fact, he invented it. This tech- sewing machine Wonderland.’ • Barnum and Bailey unite More than 5,000 black cowboys rode the range from nique is still used in rodeo events today but without the • Smithsonian Institute is • Germany introduces 1899 Texas to Montana. After the Civil War, dangerous wild biting. In 1907, Bill signed a contract with the famous started 1867 social security and welfare • Freud publishes cattle roamed the plains. Only the brave and skillful cow- 101 Ranch Wild West Show of Oklahoma. Bill Pickett • Dominion of Canada programs ‘Interpretation of Dreams’, boys could stalk the wild animals. One such cowboy was became internationally famous for his rodeo perform- 1850 established • U.S. annexes Hawaii Henry Beckwith, “The Coyote.” He could sniff the air, ances. He made appearances in the United States, • admitted to 1885 find the cattle and bring them in for branding. He was union 1868 • Washington Monument 1900 Canada, Mexico and Argentina. In 1914, he performed called The Coyote because he worked alone and usually • Nathaniel Hawthorn • Meiji Dynasty begins the dedicated • Boxer Rebellion begins for King George and Queen Mary of England. He retired at night. He was smart, tough and brave. publishes the “Scarlet Letter” modernization of Japan • Haymarket Square Riot from the rodeo in 1916 and bought a ranch in Chandler, • Eastern cede lands 1901 Oklahoma. In 1932, he was killed by an angry stallion. in Iowa and Minnesota 1869 1889 • President McKinley assas- Bose Ikard was another skillful cowboy. He was He was buried at White Base Monument, Maryland, • ‘Golden Spike’ driven to • Oklahoma land rush sinated born a slave in Mississippi and later moved to Texas. As Oklahoma. 1854 complete transcontinental • Nat Love Marries • Theodore Roosevelt a boy he could rope, tie and brand a steer as well as any • Proposed date of Nat railroad • Scientists estimate that becomes President of U.S. grown man. When he was older, Bose hired out to Nat Love was a ranch rider with expert marks- Love’s birth • John Powell explores there are only 85 Buffaloes • Oil discovered in Texas Charles Goodnight, a famous cattle rancher. Bose helped manship. He was born in Tennessee. Love was hired by Grand Canyon left in the wild to herd more than 2,000 cattle north to Colorado. For the Pete Gillinger Company of Arizona to herd cattle. At 1856 1903 the next four years, Bose and Goodnight became true a Fourth of July celebration, after a cattle drive to • Pro and Antislavery forces 1874 1890 • Wright Bros. make first and loyal friends. Once he saved Goodnight’s life from a Deadwood, South Dakota, Love participated in an open battle for bleeding Kansas, • Joseph Glidden patents • Wyoming admitted as successful manned flight herd of stampeding cattle. Tales of Bose Ikard’s adven- contest to rope, throw, tie, saddle and mount an • Stagecoach service the 44th state • Congress enacts first tures thrilled many young cowboys. They hoped some- untamed bronco. This he did in nine minutes! He also begins between San • Nat Love sees evidence of • Tragedy at Wounded child labor law day to rope and ride like him. When Ikard died, Fransisco and Minnesota The Great Buffalo Slaughter Knee won a shooting contest with amazing accuracy. From Goodnight erected a tombstone on his grave with this 1904 that time forward, he was known as Deadwood Dick. In inscription: “Served with me four years on the 1857 1875 1891 • New York Subway opera- 1907, he wrote his autobiography, The Life and Times of • Supreme Court’s Dred • Monarchy established in • 1st Boston Marathon tion begins Goodnight-Loving Trail. Never shirked a duty or dis- Nat Love, Better Known in Cattle Country as Scott Decision Spain • U.S. Census finds the obeyed an order. Rode with me in many stampedes; par- “”Deadwood Dick.” • 1st Kentucky Derby ‘frontier closed’ 1905 ticipated in three engagements with Comanches. 1859 • Nat Love witnesses Jack • James Naismith invents • Einstein publishes his the- Splendid behavior.” • John Brown’s Harper’s Watson escape Basketball ory of relativity Ferry Raid Mary Fields was six feet tall and a legend in her • Charles Darwin theory of 1876 1893 1907 own time. Born in a Tennessee cabin during the Andrew evolution is published • Custer's last stand • Financial panic leads to • Work begins on Panama Jackson Administration, Mary was one of the most pow- • First commercial oil well • Mark Twain publishes severe U.S. depression Canal erful characters to ever stride the Rocky Mountains. She drilled in Pennsylvania “Tom Sawyer” • Nat Love writes his memoirs began her career in 1884 hauling freight in Cascade, • Bell invents telephone 1894 • Picasso launches Cubism Montana. One night her load tipped over and she 1860 • Rudyard Kipling publishes spent the night surrounded by wolves. She kept them • Florence Nightingale 1877 ‘The Jungle Book’ 1909 at bay with her rifle and revolver. Mary never allowed founds the first nursing • , led by Chief • 16th Amendment to school Joseph attempt to flee to 1895 Constitution anyone to trample on her rights. When a hired hand Canada • U.S. Supreme Court • Henry Ford markets crossed her the two settled the matter. With a reputa- 1861 decrees separate but equal Model T tion that preceded her in 1895 he got a job carrying the • Charles Dickens publishes 1878 doctrine or ‘Jim Crow’ U.S. Mail. Mary earned a reputation for delivering “Great Expectations” • Thomas Edison patents • Stephen Crane publishes 1912 regardless of weather or terrain. At 70 she smoked phonograph ‘Red Badge of Courage’ • Titanic sinks cigars and drank in the saloons with the men that 1862 • U.S. Marines land in patronized her laundry. She died in 1914 and had mel- • Jean Foucault measures 1880 1897 Nicaragua lowed so much by then that admiring townsfolk had a the speed of light • U.S. population passes 50 • Puccini presents ‘La hard time believing the stories they heard about this million Boheme’ 1915 horse driving, ill tempered, tough woman. 1863 • Woolworth opens first • World War I begins in • Emancipation Proclamation store Europe • Maximilian of Austria made Emperor of Mexico Soldiers, Pioneers and Cowboys The Heraldry of the Branding Iron rizona cowpuncher Evans America. Certain 4,000 year old a brand in correct order: from left to BLACKS in the WEST Coleman once remarked that tomb paintings show Egyptians right, from top to bottom, or from Ahe knew cowhands “who branding their fat, spotted cattle. outside to inside (a T inside a dia- could neither read nor write, but Hernando Cortes burned crosses on mond translates as Diamond T, not who could name any brand, either the hides of the small herd he T Diamond). In time he could pick letters or figures, on a cow.” A brought with him to Mexico. The out any one of hundreds of mark- brand was the key to ownership in a vaqueros passed the custom on to ings in a milling herd. A good cow- business where ownership was U.S. cowboys, who developed and boy, said Coleman, could under- everything. Many cattlemen, in fact, refined their own calligraphy. stand “the Constitution of the named their ranches after their On any 19th Century ranch, United States were it written with a brands and held the symbol in as the greenest cowhand quickly mas- branding iron on the side of a cow.” proud esteem as did any knight his tered the three major elements of crest. Branding was an ancient prac- the branding alphabet (below). He The land west of the Mississippi River is what tice before the first cow came to learned to read the components of Black soldiers guard a stagecoach. we think of when we think of the Old West. Buffalo Soldiers Buffalo soldiers belonged to black army units that served in the West. They got their nickname from the Indians they fought. Their curly hair and bravery reminded the A family in front of their sod house in Indians of the buffalo, which they Nebraska in 1887. Since there were few trees respected very much. on the plains, many people built their first homes of sod (a layer of soil, held together After 1865, nearly one out of The famous western artist Frederic Remington by roots.) every five cavalrymen was black. made this drawing of a buffalo soldier in the They felt a sense of pride in 1800’s. wearing their uniform and serving their country. They were command- Americans to settle the area. The ed by white officers. Bush family became wealthy from A soldier’s life on the frontier was Pioneers operating a grist mill and a lumber not just fighting. Buffalo soldiers’ mill. Beginning in 1862, the U.S. govern- other work included: One of the greatest mountain ment offered free land to people men of the West was James •keeping order in the town who would move out west. They Beckwourth. Born in Virginia to a •arresting rustlers had to plant a crop and build a slave mother and the son of a •guarding house and settle in before they wealthy planter, James participated •building forts and railroads could really own the land. This was in various expeditions to The called “homesteading.” Louisiana Territory and The Great Blacks didn’t begin going West Although life was hard for Salt Lake area of Utah. He lived 4 Typical Brands And What They Mean in great numbers until after the Civil homesteaders, by 1910 there were among the Crow and Blackfeet War. Some came as soldiers. Others a million black settlers west of the Indians and was a hunter, trapper, traveled in wagon trains or on river- Mississippi River. guide, and advisor. He discovered boats. Some even walked. Many For some black Americans going a pass through the Sierra Nevada’s blacks, like many pioneers, saw the West turned out to be quite prof- that is named for him. West as a land of freedom and itable. Many became successful Biddy Mason was born a slave in opportunity. As towns sprang up, businessmen and women. Some set Mississippi and journeyed with her black entrepeneurs were every bit as up motels, ran restaurants, stores master to California. When they Monogram Phonogram Pictograph Word Story enterprising as European, Spanish, and shops. Others became wealthy reached California laws forbid slav- Charles Goodnight’s simple Rancher J.H. Barwise re-cre- A gunslinger turned rancher “A man’s a fool to raise cat- or Asian immigrants. One negro landowners. ery. Biddy left her master and set- and famous JA brand spells ated the two syllables of his arrived in the West with tle,” said Texan T.J. Walker, man in Kansas was known as the George Bush born in Missouri in tled in where she out the initials of his partner last name in symbolic equiv- nothing but two .45-caliber and he took the word for his “Potato King” because he grew 1791 led his and seven other fami- became a wealthy landowner. She John Adair. The running alents that combine to form pistols to his name. Later, brand. Fun-loving cow- more potatoes than anyone in the lies over the to the tip shared her wealth by donating land curves have a practical pur- his brand. Read correctly when he made good as a punchers with running irons state. of Puget Sound. They were the first to schools and churches. pose - sharp angles tend to from top to bottom. This cattleman, those two guns would sometimes rope his blotch and blur the brand. puzzle works out as Bar Y’s. were memorialized in his bulls and change the F to a B. brand. 0

7 5

8 9

2 1 6 3 4

1 Nashville, TN

2 Dodge City, KS

3 Approx. Location of Duval Outfit, 1st Cowboy Job

4 Approx. Location of Pete Galager Ranch, AZ

5 Deadwood, SD

6 Las Vegas, NM, Birth Place of Billy the Kid

7 Powder River, Near Sheriden, WY

8 Lincoln Co., NE, Ogallala Area, Near Platte River

9 Journey to CA

0 Journey to OR