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Traces of Tx (today)

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Shakey Jake
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Traces of Tx (today)

Post by Shakey Jake » Thu Nov 03, 2022 7:57 pm

The Arcane Texas Fact of the Day is the contents of a receipt for the XIT Ranch's supply order for the spring roundup in 1891.
THE XIT RANCH'S SUPPLY ORDER AS PURCHASED FROM H. HUMPHREY IN CHANNING, TEXAS ON 4/20/1891:
1 ax & handle $1.25
100 lb. flour 2.65
88 lb. bacon 7.92
2 cans B. Powder 2.50
25 LB coffee 5.62
20 lb apples 2.00
20 lb. beans 1.10
2 lb. pepper .50
10 lb. grapes .75
25 lb. sugar 1.38
1 lantern 1.00
1 oil can .50
1 gal oil .30
1 bot lemon extract .75
1 bot vanilla extract 1.00
1 doz boxes matches .25
9 sks salt .25
10 lb. lard .95
12 bars soap .50
1 keg pickles 2.75
Total $43.82
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Re: Traces of Tx (today)

Post by JEBar » Thu Nov 03, 2022 8:05 pm

only 20 lbs of beans .... that order couldn't have lasted them very long .. :D
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Re: Traces of Tx (today)

Post by Shakey Jake » Thu Nov 03, 2022 8:10 pm

Here's another one from earlier in the month:




The Texas Quote of the Day, written in 1885, finds Texas Ranger John Salmon "Rip" Ford giving tactical advice on how to fight Comanches:
"In the event of being pursued, immediately after the preparation of depredations; the Comanches move day and night, very often not breaking gallop except to exchange horses (which they do several times) and water the caballada, until they deem themselves safe. Under these circumstances they will travel at least 70 miles a day, which is a long distance with the incumbrance of loose animals.
A party of warriors dressed in their trappings - embellished shields, fancy moccasins, long pig tails bedecked with silver, shoulder belts worked with beads and adorned with shells, fine leggings, ornamented cases for bows and arrows - mounted upon spirited horses, singing a war song, and sweeping over a prairie is a beautiful spectacle to a man with plenty of brave fellows to back him.
Their motions are easy and graceful. They sit a horse admirably, and manage one with a master hand. Charge them and they will retreat from you with double your numbers. But beware when pursuing them; keep your men together, well in hand, with at least half their arms loaded, else you will find when it is too late, the flying Comanches will turn on you and charge you to the very teeth.
A Comanche can draw a bow when on horseback, standing or running, with remarkable strength and accuracy. They have been known to kill horses running at full speed over one hundred yards away.
In the commencement of a fight, the yell of defiance is borne to you loud, long, and startling. The war whoop has no romance in it. It thrills even a stout heart with an indescribable sensation. The excitement of battle is quite as evident among these people as among others. Let the tide turn against them, send lead messengers through some of their warriors, and then the mournful wail is heard; its lubrigous notes are borne back to you with uncouth cadence, betokening sorrow, anger, and a determination to revenge.
The dead are usually borne from the field. Nothing but the most imminent danger prevents them from performing the incumbent duty of not leaving the body of a comrade in the hands of an enemy. Over a fallen chief they will make a desperate stand. Their caution seems merged in the determination to risk everything to bear him from the field. To attain this object they will fight furiously, bravely, and often.
If they abandon him, it is usually in despair. Flight is no longer methodical and menacing to the pursuer. Retreat degenerates into route. After this they have seldom if ever been known to resume the offensive. They will hide themselves in the first chapparal affording security against discovery, remain during the day, and visit the dead at night, and if not able to remove them will spread blankets or some covering over them.
The bow is placed horizontally in shooting; a number of arrows are held in the left hand; the bow operates as a rest for the arrows. The distance - the the curve the missile has to describe in reaching the object - is determined by the eye without taking aim. At the distance of 60 yards and over, arrows can be dodged, if but one Indian shoots at you at a time. Under forty yards the six-shooter has little advantage over the bow.
At long distances the angle of elevation is considerable. It requires a quick eye to see the arrow and judge the whereabouts of its descent, a good dodger to move out of the way, and a good rider withal to keep in the saddle. A man is required to keep both eyes engaged in an Indian fight."
---- John Salmon "Rip" Ford gives tactical advice for fighting Indians in "Rip Ford's Texas," 1885. Ford, was a member of the Republic of Texas Congress and later of the State Senate and mayor of Brownsville, Texas. He was also a Texas Ranger, a Confederate colonel, doctor, lawyer, and a journalist and newspaper owner. This photo shows him in (roughly) 1870.
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Re: Traces of Tx (today)

Post by markiver54 » Thu Nov 03, 2022 8:27 pm

JEBar wrote:
Thu Nov 03, 2022 8:05 pm
only 20 lbs of beans .... that order couldn't have lasted them very long .. :D
20 lbs of apples aint very many either...
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Shakey Jake
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Re: Traces of Tx (today)

Post by Shakey Jake » Thu Nov 03, 2022 8:40 pm

I imagine they had plenty of beef if they wanted.
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Re: Traces of Tx (today)

Post by daytime dave » Fri Nov 04, 2022 10:07 am

Jake, these stories are great.
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Shakey Jake
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Re: Traces of Tx (today)

Post by Shakey Jake » Fri Nov 04, 2022 10:34 am

A surveying party in Austin posing with typical tools and weapons found on a surveying expedition. 1876. Top row, left to right: Richard P. von Blucher, Grove R. Crafts, Charles F.H. von Blucher, Surveyor in Charge. Bottom row, left to right: George A. von Blucher, Philip Fullerton, Hilario Martinez
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Re: Traces of Tx (today)

Post by Shakey Jake » Fri Nov 04, 2022 11:01 am

The Arcane Texas Fact of the Day:
In 1892, 10 cowboys with the XIT ranch in Channing, Texas drove 2500 cattle from Channing to the confluence of the Yellowstone River and Cedar Creek north of Miles City, Montana. XIT trail boss Ealey Moore recorded the supplies that cook Sam Williamson used along the way. Sam ground and brewed almost two pounds of coffee beans a day, going through three coffee mills. Each day he cooked 10 pounds of bacon. During the 13 week drive, the crew consumed 40 pounds of rice, 160 pounds of beans, 9 gallons of sorghum, almost 300 pounds of fruit, including dried currants and prunes as well as dried, fresh, and canned apples and peaches, 405 pounds of white sugar and 1,750 pounds of white flour.
(Note: Anyone can find these and many more strories on the Traces of Texas Facebook page. The man does a wonderful job posting items of interest in Texas history.)
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Re: Traces of Tx (today)

Post by Shakey Jake » Sat Nov 05, 2022 11:34 am

Circa 1895, three men in Fredericksburg doing what (I've heard) men in Fredericksburg sometimes do: drinking beer. This photo was sent in by Traces of Texas reader Tammi Tipson, who was browsing the archives of the Jernigan Library at Texas A&M Kingsville (here: https://archives.tamuk.edu/ ) and came up with this photo. A great Friday night in Texas photo.
Thank you, Tammi. I love it when y'all do the heaving lifting. Saves me from having to to it myself!
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Re: Traces of Tx (today)

Post by Shakey Jake » Sun Nov 06, 2022 12:12 pm

I'll keep posting these here for those who don't have Facebook as long as they're appreciated. If not, I'll stop doing it. Here's todays:




The Texas Quote of the Day:
"About Christmas we had a little excitement, chasing some Mexican thieves, who robbed Mr. Pitcher of everything he had in his little Jim Crow store. John and I were absent from our camp, six days on this trip. There were nine of us in the persuing party, headed by Mr. Moore, our boss. We caught the outfit, which consisted of five men, all well armed and three women, two of them being pretty maidens, on the staked plains, headed for Mexico. It was on this trip that I swore off getting drunk, and I have stuck to it--with the exception of once and that was over the election of President Cleveland--It happened thus:
We rode into Tascosa about an hour after dark, having been in the saddle and on a hot trail all day without food or water. Supper being ordered we passed off the time waiting, by sampling Howard and Reinheart's [Saloon] "bug juice."
Supper was called and the boys all rushed to the table--a few sheepskins spread on the dirt floor. When about through they missed one of their crowd ----- me. On searching far and near I was found lying helplessly drunk under my horse, Whisky-peet, who was tied to a rack in front of the store. A few glasses of salty water administered by Mr. Moore brought me to my right mind. Moore then after advising me to remain until morning, not being able to endure an all night ride as he thought, called, "come on, fellers!" And mounting their tired horses they dashed off at almost full speed.
There I stood leaning against the rack not feeling able to move.
Whisky-peet was rearing and prancing in his great anxiety to follow the crowd. I finally climbed into the saddle, the pony still tied to the rack. I had sense enough left to know that I couldn't get on him if loose, in the fix I was in. Then pulling out my bowie knife I cut the rope and hugged the saddle-horn with both hands. I overtook and stayed with the crowd all night, but if ever a mortal suffered it was me. My stomach felt as though it was filled with scorpions, wild cats and lizards. I swore if God would forgive me for getting on that drunk I would never do so again. But the promise was broken, as I stated before, when I received the glorious news of [Grover] Cleveland's election."
----- Charles A. Siringo, "A Texas Cow Boy," 1885. Siringo was born in Matagorda County in 1855 and went on to become a cowboy who did some epic cattle drives before ending up a lawman and a Pinkerton detective. His work as an undercover man while with Pinkerton remain some of the first examples of the use of undercover work in the capture of fugitives. He was also a wonderful writer, and both his accounts of trail drives and the detective fiction he wrote later in life are still available online. He died in Altadena, California on October 18, 1928 and was buried at Inglewood Cemetery, Inglewood California.
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