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Western Word of the Week - Sing - #WesternWordoftheWeek

Howdy!

Welcome to our Weekly Western Word of the Day...

Sing - the hissing sound made by a thrown rope

Source:
The Cowboy Encyclopedia by Richard W Slatta; ISBN#0-87436-738-7

Western Travel - Pioneer Days at the Chisholm Trail Museum (Part Six) - Cleburne, Texas - #TravelTuesday

Welcome to my weekly column #TravelTuesday featuring places I've discovered during my research trips or just wandering around in historical areas. I hope you enjoy my discoveries.

Today we continue our review of the 14th Annual Pioneer Days at the Chisholm Trail Museum in Cleburne, Texas.

As we wind down our tour of the museum grounds, let's breeze by the antique windmill...



Now we'll check out the blacksmith shop. These museum stops always seem to be busy with activity and this time was no different. You can hear the clanking of the hammer against metal across the grounds.




Chisholm Trail Markers



Making Honey...



Learn more by checking out the official site - jcchisholmtrail.com

Chisholm Trail Museum Physical Address: 101 Chisholm Trail, Cleburne, Texas 76033-0771 Phone Number: 817-648-4633 Hours: Monday - Friday: Regular Hours (April-Dec) Thur/Fri/Sat 10am-5pm. Sunday 1pm -5pm and gate is open. **Daytime Walking Tours Permitted if Gate is Closed.

Interesting Article about the cemetery and the Chisholm Trail Museum - http://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/news/lifestyles/larue-barnes-a-dream-come-true/article_0d4a1808-0ece-5425-a2ab-56906c7849e3.html

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Comanches - Origins of Name - #TidbitThursday

Howdy!

Welcome to our newest addition to the blog - Historical Tidbit Thursdays!

This week I learned some interesting factoids on the names of the Comanche tribe.
Originally they were known as Nermernuh ("People" or "True Human Beings"). Other tribes didn't call them "People". Each tribe called itself "People".
The Cheyennes called them "Shishin-ohts-hit-ahn wy-oh" (Snake People).
The Athapaskan-speaking tribes called them "Idahi".
The Siouan-speaking tribes of the western river valley valled them "Pah-dooh-kah" or "Padoucas"
The Mountain Utes called them "Koh-mahts" ("Those Against Us" or "Enemy").

Source:
Comanches: The Destruction of a People by T.R.Fehrenbach; ISBN#0-306-80586-3

Western Word of the Week - Shootin' Iron - #WesternWordoftheWeek

Howdy!

Welcome to our Weekly Western Word of the Day...

Shootin' Iron - six gun

A six gun was a gun with six shots (bullets). Also called a six-shoter, six-shot revolver.

Source:
The Cowboy Encyclopedia by Richard W Slatta; ISBN#0-87436-738-7

Western Travel - Pioneer Days at the Chisholm Trail Museum (Part Five) - Cleburne, Texas - #TravelTuesday

Welcome to my weekly column #TravelTuesday featuring places I've discovered during my research trips or just wandering around in historical areas. I hope you enjoy my discoveries.

Today we continue our review of the 14th Annual Pioneer Days at the Chisholm Trail Museum in Cleburne, Texas.

Today we're going to check out some of the Native American displays around the museum grounds starting with the tipis that withstood the strong winds blowing during my visit. The slightly tilted design of the tipi helps protect it from being knocked over by those winds.

Here's another tipi (painted). It's more protected from the elements by the surrounding trees.


The Big Bear Native American Museum (bigbearmuseum.com) sits on the far south side of the museum grounds and has limited hours. Unfortunately during my visit it was closed, but there was plenty to see around it including a nice statue of a buffalo.





Learn more by checking out the official site - jcchisholmtrail.com

Chisholm Trail Museum Physical Address: 101 Chisholm Trail, Cleburne, Texas 76033-0771 Phone Number: 817-648-4633 Hours: Monday - Friday: Regular Hours (April-Dec) Thur/Fri/Sat 10am-5pm. Sunday 1pm -5pm and gate is open. **Daytime Walking Tours Permitted if Gate is Closed.

Interesting Article about the cemetery and the Chisholm Trail Museum - http://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/news/lifestyles/larue-barnes-a-dream-come-true/article_0d4a1808-0ece-5425-a2ab-56906c7849e3.html

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Comanches - Disease and Cures - #TidbitThursday

Howdy!

Welcome to our newest addition to the blog - Historical Tidbit Thursdays!

This week we'll dive into the diseases and ailments the Comanches faced and what type of cures they utilized.
Medicine Bag:

The common ailments the Comanches faced included colds and pneumonia, rheumatism, arrow and other wounds which could get infected, broken bones, intestinal diseases, snake bites, etc.
There were several smallpox epidemics which killed many, many native peoples: 1816, 1839-1840, and 1861-1862.
Due to the emigrants that passed through their lands, Comanches were also exposed to Cholera which proved deadly. In 1849 a Cholera epidemic spread and killed many.
Some cures to common ailments included the following:
  • Toothache - heated tree fungus pressed to aching jaw
  • Cavities - dried mushroom stuffed into the hole in the tooth
  • Constipation - boiling the cambium layer of the willow tree
  • Open Wounds - pack the wound with grass to stop the bleeding
  • Inflammation - Prickly Pear poultice
  • Infections or Boils or other pains - medicine bone or "madstone"


A common cure-all among Native Americans was to use a sweat lodge to "sweat out" the ailment. For some ailments, this actually made it worse and helped to spread it more quickly. Interestingly, there are still sweat lodge treatments, especially as a last-resort for illness like cancer, going on today.

Source:
The Comanches: Lords of the South Plains by Ernest Wallace and E. Adamson Hoebel; ISBN#978-0806120409

Photo Credit: Medicine Bag: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/18328450_comanche-medicine-bag
Photo Credit: Sweat Lodge: https://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-culture/sweat-lodge.htm

Western Word of the Week - Shavetail - #WesternWordoftheWeek

Howdy!

Welcome to our Weekly Western Word of the Day...

Shavetail - a horse whose tail was cut to indicate a broken mount

Source:
The Cowboy Encyclopedia by Richard W Slatta; ISBN#0-87436-738-7

Western Word of the Week - Scorcher - #WesternWordoftheWeek

Howdy!

Welcome to our Weekly Western Word of the Day...

Scorcher - branding iron or a hot day

Source:
The Cowboy Encyclopedia by Richard W Slatta; ISBN#0-87436-738-7

Western Travel - Pioneer Days at the Chisholm Trail Museum (Part Four) - Cleburne, Texas - #TravelTuesday

Welcome to my weekly column #TravelTuesday featuring places I've discovered during my research trips or just wandering around in historical areas. I hope you enjoy my discoveries.

Today we continue our review of the 14th Annual Pioneer Days at the Chisholm Trail Museum in Cleburne, Texas.



A nice map of the museum grounds:


Next stop on our little tour around the Chisholm Trail Museum is the Stage Station. Out front is a brightly painted old stagecoach/mail stage. Directly behind the stage coach building are the restrooms.


Interesting Note about early Road Signs...


Down the way a little bit is a Mule Barn which would have housed the mules used to pull the old stagecoaches.




Next door to the Stage Coach is the Sheriff's Office and County Jail.

Inside we found the sheriff and some locals...

And a "paddy wagon" or the early model police car...


Learn more by checking out the official site - jcchisholmtrail.com

Chisholm Trail Museum Physical Address: 101 Chisholm Trail, Cleburne, Texas 76033-0771 Phone Number: 817-648-4633 Hours: Monday - Friday: Regular Hours (April-Dec) Thur/Fri/Sat 10am-5pm. Sunday 1pm -5pm and gate is open. **Daytime Walking Tours Permitted if Gate is Closed.

Interesting Article about the cemetery and the Chisholm Trail Museum - http://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/news/lifestyles/larue-barnes-a-dream-come-true/article_0d4a1808-0ece-5425-a2ab-56906c7849e3.html

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Comanches - Love and Marriage - #TidbitThursday

Howdy!

Welcome to our newest addition to the blog - Historical Tidbit Thursdays!


Today we will delve into the realm of marriage in the Comanche band. Like mentioned last week, girls typically married around 15 or 16 years while boys married later around 25 or 30 years (as they accumulated their wealth and prestige). Older men with wealth could offer a girl's father a larger bride-price (dowry) which usually consisted of many horses.

When a boy wanted to marry a girl, he would give a present (usually a horse) to her brother or father to show he could provide for the family. It was custom for the son-in-law to provide for the wives' family. If the father accepted the proposal, the horse was added to the family's herd.

There was no real ceremony. The groom simply took the bride and her belongings to his own tipi. There might be feasting and dancing to celebrate.

If a boy was too poor to afford a bride-price (dowry), the girl might decide to elope with the boy. In this case, relatives or friends would donate horses to assuage the affronted parents.

A girl's family would never seek out a potential groom except in cases where a white captive showed potential as a great warrior/provider. A full-blooded Comanche would consider this disgraceful.

A bride's mother/relatives/friends would help get the couple started with housekeeping and furnishings.

Source:
The Comanches: Lords of the South Plains by Ernest Wallace and E. Adamson Hoebel; ISBN#978-0806120409


Picture credit - Quanah and his 2 wives - http://amertribes.proboards.com/thread/593

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Comanches - Death and Burial - #TidbitThursday

Howdy!

Welcome to our newest addition to the blog - Historical Tidbit Thursdays!

This week I want to focus on some of the death practices and burial methods, many of which are unique to the Comanche tribe.
A person's belongings were either destroyed/burned or buried with the person. Babies were buried in their cradle boards. Adults were dressed in their finest clothes and buried in the fetal position (knees tied to chest and head bent to knees). Their eyes were sealed closed with red clay and their faces painted with red or vermillion paint. A blanket was tied around their bodies.
People were buried away from camp in caves, among rock formation, in a deep river wash or hole. They were buried facing the rising sun (East).
There may be a mourning or funeral dance with lots of lamentations by the family members. Men would cut off their highly prized hair (sometimes on the left side only). The tipi and belongings of the dead person would be burned. It was common for mourning to last a year or so.
The names of the dead were avoided. You could not name a new baby after a dead person as it was bad luck.

Source:
The Comanches: Lords of the South Plains by Ernest Wallace and E. Adamson Hoebel; ISBN#978-0806120409

Western Word of the Week - Sand - #WesternWordoftheWeek

Howdy!

Welcome to our Weekly Western Word of the Day...

Sand - grit or courage

Source:
The Cowboy Encyclopedia by Richard W Slatta; ISBN#0-87436-738-7

Western Travel - Pioneer Days at the Chisholm Trail Museum (Part Three) - Cleburne, Texas - #TravelTuesday

Welcome to my weekly column #TravelTuesday featuring places I've discovered during my research trips or just wandering around in historical areas. I hope you enjoy my discoveries.

Today we continue our review of the 14th Annual Pioneer Days at the Chisholm Trail Museum in Cleburne, Texas.

     
One of the strangest attractions at the Chisholm Trail Museum is the small cemetery consisting of 2 plots covered with rocks and leaves. According to the museum's website, this cemetery was uncovered during the cleaning and removal of underbrush and trees in the area which revealed the graveyard long hidden there.

Two gravesites (presumably not containing any bodies) lay in this enclosed space, each with a marker. These are the memorials for William and Permelia O'Neal who were early settlers to the now-defunct Wardville (established in 1854), who had graciously donated some of their land holdings to the city.



William O'Neal

Permelia O'Neal

Learn more by checking out the official site - jcchisholmtrail.com

Chisholm Trail Museum Physical Address: 101 Chisholm Trail, Cleburne, Texas 76033-0771 Phone Number: 817-648-4633 Hours: Monday - Friday: Regular Hours (April-Dec) Thur/Fri/Sat 10am-5pm. Sunday 1pm -5pm and gate is open. **Daytime Walking Tours Permitted if Gate is Closed.

Interesting Article about the cemetery and the Chisholm Trail Museum - http://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/news/lifestyles/larue-barnes-a-dream-come-true/article_0d4a1808-0ece-5425-a2ab-56906c7849e3.html