True Tales of the Prairies and Plains

by Dary, David

• ISBN13: 9780700615186
• ISBN10: 0700615180
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-04-20
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Kansas

Summary

Ever wonder why cowboys sing? Or where Henry Starr's treasure is buried? Or what legend lies behind the origin of the word "rawhide"? The prairies and plains are bursting with stories, a region whose flat openness belies a colorful history that's now captured in this cornucopia of colorful tales. David Dary is a master storyteller and award-winning historian who was born in the region and still calls it home. In this book, he shares forty forgotten tales that capture the history, romance, and lore of early life on the plains and prairie--rollicking adventures set between the Rio Grande and the Canadian border that reflect the reality of life in the region during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These stories have been gleaned from old newspaper accounts and little-known published sources, reflecting Dary's intimate knowledge of his stomping ground. A veritable treasury of lost legends, the book blends history and folklore to offer a fond look back at settlers and Indians, desperados and cowboys--including just how it is that the latter became known for singing. In these enchanting vignettes, Dary takes readers along trails and rails to tell how the Staked Plains got their name and to recall times when women were scarce. He unearths legends of buried treasure spanning the region and spins tales of buffalo and bears. He tells of famous lawmen like Seth Bullock of Deadwood fame and outlaws like Belle Starr, and sheds light on other famous and obscure personalities, from Chief Old Wolf to Fort Mann's woman soldier, Caroline Newcomb, to Teddy Roosevelt, the badlands rancher who became president. For anyone who thinks of America's middle as dull. True Tales of the Prairies andPlains offers a corrective that entertains as it informs. It is a book as wide-ranging as the land it covers, preserving nuggets of lore from perpetual obscurity and promising readers hours of enjoyment, whether on or off the trail.

Author Biography

David Dary taught journalism, first at the University of Kansas and then as head of the School of Journalism at the University of Oklahoma, from which he recently retired.

Table of Contents

Jim Fugate's adventures on the Santa Fe Trail	p. 3
How the Staked Plains got their name	p. 8
The ride of "Portugee" John Phillips	p. 12
The Texan who invaded New Mexico	p. 18
How cowboys came to sing	p. 23
A trail drive honeymoon	p. 35
When Billy carried the news	p. 41
When women were scarce	p. 44
Some words about treasure legends	p. 50
The Tres Piedras legend	p. 51
Treasure tales from the Dakotas	p. 56
The Virginia Dale legend	p. 61
Did Henry Starr leave a buried treasure?	p. 66
The stage station treasure	p. 76
The sheepherder's treasure	p. 79
Legend of "the cave"	p. 82
The lost treasure of the Missouri traders	p. 85
Civilizing no-man's-land	p. 91
The prizefight Texas didn't want	p. 97
Who murdered Belle Starr?	p. 108
Who was Seth Bullock?	p. 114
The law and cattle town gamblers	p. 120
When cowboys went on strike	p. 127
The cat that crossed the plains	p. 133
Marsh Johnson's first buffalo hunt	p. 137
The white stallion of the plains	p. 142
Wild buffalo and other critters	p. 147
Tales of legless critters	p. 152
The missing white buffalo	p. 157
Grizzly and black bear tales	p. 160
The day Chief Old Wolf nearly lost his scalp	p. 167
Two letters from Abilene	p. 171
Spotted Tail's daughter	p. 181
The Nebraska hoax king	p. 188
Fort Mann's woman soldier	p. 191
The legend of rawhide	p. 196
Black Mary	p. 199
Ogallala, a Nebraska cattle town	p. 203
"California Joe," plainsman and scout	p. 207
The Badlands rancher who became president	p. 217
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