Mysteries at the Museum - Season 5 Episode 5: Outlaw Marshal
Release date: January 30, 2014
Description:
"Don Wildman investigates a deadly weapon from the Wild West that played a central role in a duplicitous plot, a device that sustained one man's unbelievable quest for survival on the high seas, and a set of 5 glimmering gemstones linked to a supposed land of riches that hypnotized some of the wealthiest men of their day."
Highlights:
July 1882 - Caldwell, Kansas - town is plagued by violence. City marshal is gunned down. Former Texas deputy marshal, Henry Brown, brings order to the town with his strict moral code (he doesn't drink, smoke or gamble).
Henry Brown seems to lead an ordinary life - he settles down, marries and then a month later he takes a leave of absence.
April 30, 1884 - Medicine Lodge - four men try to rob a bank but the safedoor is locked. They try to escape but a possee quickly forms and traps them in a ravine. Henry Brown is among those four outlaws. When he tries to escape, he's shot dead. The other three are hung for thievery and murder. Apparently the stress of his new life and mounting debts had led Brown to this end.
Interestingly, Brown had ridden with Billy the Kid in New Mexico. He was guilty of 2 charges of murder and horse thieving.
You can watch this episode on the Travel Channel Website:
Link to the episode
Video Review - History Channel - Modern Marvels - Saws
America: Facts or Fiction - Season 13 Episode 21: Locomotives
Release date: July 30, 2007
Description:
"Modern Marvels celebrates the ingenuity, invention and imagination found in the world around us. From commonplace items like ink and coffee to architectural masterpieces and engineering disasters, the hit series goes beyond the basics to provide insight and history into things we wonder about and that impact our lives. This series tells fascinating stories of the doers, the dreamers and sometime-schemers that create everyday items, technological breakthroughs and manmade wonders. The hit series goes deep to explore the leading edge of human inspiration and ambition."
Highlights:
Hand saw has teeth pointing forward (to cut on the push stroke) with gullets (spaces between the teeth) which fill up with swarf (debris).
Kerf = cutting groove
Set = the alternative outward bend to the teeth
Start off sawing with a nick or groove made by pulling saw teeth backwards.
Prehistoric flint stone saws have been found.
4900 BC - Egyptians had metal or copper saws to cut soft woods; later they were made of bronze
700 BC - Teeth were set in direction of cut
1730's - Amputation saw (no cleaning which led to a lot of infection especially when the doctor just went from one patient to the next). They basically sawed back and forth on the bone.
1930s - Crosscut saws were invented
Timber cutting is one of the most lethal jobs in America - 110 deaths per 100,000 workers.
You may be able to find this video on the History Channel or on YouTube. I couldn't find it on Amazon.
Official Modern Marvels Site
Direct Link to Saws Episode
Picture Credit: https://woodandshop.com/woodworking-hand-tool-buying-guide-handsaws/
Release date: July 30, 2007
Description:
"Modern Marvels celebrates the ingenuity, invention and imagination found in the world around us. From commonplace items like ink and coffee to architectural masterpieces and engineering disasters, the hit series goes beyond the basics to provide insight and history into things we wonder about and that impact our lives. This series tells fascinating stories of the doers, the dreamers and sometime-schemers that create everyday items, technological breakthroughs and manmade wonders. The hit series goes deep to explore the leading edge of human inspiration and ambition."
Highlights:
Hand saw has teeth pointing forward (to cut on the push stroke) with gullets (spaces between the teeth) which fill up with swarf (debris).
Kerf = cutting groove
Set = the alternative outward bend to the teeth
Start off sawing with a nick or groove made by pulling saw teeth backwards.
Prehistoric flint stone saws have been found.
4900 BC - Egyptians had metal or copper saws to cut soft woods; later they were made of bronze
700 BC - Teeth were set in direction of cut
1730's - Amputation saw (no cleaning which led to a lot of infection especially when the doctor just went from one patient to the next). They basically sawed back and forth on the bone.
1930s - Crosscut saws were invented
Timber cutting is one of the most lethal jobs in America - 110 deaths per 100,000 workers.
You may be able to find this video on the History Channel or on YouTube. I couldn't find it on Amazon.
Official Modern Marvels Site
Direct Link to Saws Episode
Picture Credit: https://woodandshop.com/woodworking-hand-tool-buying-guide-handsaws/
Video Review - History Channel - Modern Marvels - Locomotives
America: Facts or Fiction - Season 15 Episode 11: Locomotives
Release date: April 7, 2008
Description:
"Modern Marvels celebrates the ingenuity, invention and imagination found in the world around us. From commonplace items like ink and coffee to architectural masterpieces and engineering disasters, the hit series goes beyond the basics to provide insight and history into things we wonder about and that impact our lives. This series tells fascinating stories of the doers, the dreamers and sometime-schemers that create everyday items, technological breakthroughs and manmade wonders. The hit series goes deep to explore the leading edge of human inspiration and ambition."
Highlights:
A fireman shovels coat into the fire box only when steam is needed. The engine uses about one and a half tons of coal an hour. The fireman is on duty 12 hours a day.
The boiler consists of a firebox surrounded by water. The steam goes up into a dome then through a throttle to power the engine. The pistons turns rods which propel the wheels.
Temperatures get up to 2500 degrees F.
When two locomotives crash head-on into each other, the one with more momentum will move up on the other one.
1896, two unmanned trains crashed into each other in Texas part of a publicity stunt. Unfortunately, the explosion caused pieces of metal to go flying to the crows and killed 3 spectators and injured a whole lot more.
You may be able to find this video on the History Channel or on YouTube. I couldn't find it on Amazon.
Official Modern Marvels Site
Release date: April 7, 2008
Description:
"Modern Marvels celebrates the ingenuity, invention and imagination found in the world around us. From commonplace items like ink and coffee to architectural masterpieces and engineering disasters, the hit series goes beyond the basics to provide insight and history into things we wonder about and that impact our lives. This series tells fascinating stories of the doers, the dreamers and sometime-schemers that create everyday items, technological breakthroughs and manmade wonders. The hit series goes deep to explore the leading edge of human inspiration and ambition."
Highlights:
A fireman shovels coat into the fire box only when steam is needed. The engine uses about one and a half tons of coal an hour. The fireman is on duty 12 hours a day.
The boiler consists of a firebox surrounded by water. The steam goes up into a dome then through a throttle to power the engine. The pistons turns rods which propel the wheels.
Temperatures get up to 2500 degrees F.
When two locomotives crash head-on into each other, the one with more momentum will move up on the other one.
1896, two unmanned trains crashed into each other in Texas part of a publicity stunt. Unfortunately, the explosion caused pieces of metal to go flying to the crows and killed 3 spectators and injured a whole lot more.
You may be able to find this video on the History Channel or on YouTube. I couldn't find it on Amazon.
Official Modern Marvels Site
Video Review - American Heroes Channel - America: Facts or Fiction - Fool's Gold
America: Facts or Fiction - Season 2 Episode 1: Fool's Gold
Release date: October 7, 2014
Description:
"The real facts behind America's biggest economic boom and biggest bust will shock you. On this episode of America: Facts vs. Fiction, discover a treasure of nuggets about the California gold rush and the Stock Market Crash of 1929."
Highlights:
The first gold rush in North America was in 1799 in North Carolina.
The second gold rush in North America was in 1828 in Georgia
The third gold rush in North America was in 1849 in California (the Gold Rush we all know about and learned in school)
Over 50,000 people hit the trail in 1849 to go find gold and "strike it rich" (although most did not). The first arrivals could find gold in pans in the rivers but within months the gold was harder to find.
One in five died of diseases, accidents or violence within the first six months.
One in four miners (25%) came from outside the U.S.
Arsonists would burn hotels, etc to get the gold left behind in mattresses
The frenzy of the gold rush ends around 1860.
You may be able to find this video on the American Heroes Channel (https://www.ahctv.com/) or on YouTube. Otherwise, you can purchase it on Amazon:
Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Indian Tipi - Foods - #TidbitThursday
Howdy!
Welcome back to our weekly Historical Tidbit Blog Column!
Reginald and Gladys Laubin's book is a wealth of information as they actually lived in the tipis they built and recreated the lifestyle including following the cooking methods and recipes used traditionally by nomadic Native Americans. Not all Indian tribes ate the same foods depending on where they lived, the tools they had available, etc. Once they moved onto reservations, some adopted a farming way of life while others were provided government rations, thereby changing a lot of the foods and meals with which they were familiar.
Here are some of the more common foods/meals:
Ash Cake - corn meal cake and dried berries wrapped in sweet leaves and baked in hot ashes
Bean Bread - (Cherokees/Eastern Indians) corn meal and beans wrapped in a large grape leaf then boiled
Camas - the bulbs could be eaten raw or were roasted in a pit oven, dried, and mashed into dough. The roots were edible (the ones with blue flowers only). The camas with yellow or cream-colored flowers were poisonous.
Corn Dodgers - dough rolled into cylinders and deep fried in fat
Fry Bread - plain flour dough fried to a golden color
Journey Cake - commonly mistaken for "Johnny Cake"; a corn meal cake
Marrow Guts - intestines heavily coated with fat and broiled over coals
Pumpkins
Roasting Ears - ears of corn (green) left in husks and roasted across hot coals
Scipio beans - pinkish beans; cooked
Squash - several varieties including Acorn Squash
Source:
"The Indian Tipi: Its History, Construction, and Use" by Reginald and Gladys Laubin
ISBN#0-8061-2236-6
Welcome back to our weekly Historical Tidbit Blog Column!
Reginald and Gladys Laubin's book is a wealth of information as they actually lived in the tipis they built and recreated the lifestyle including following the cooking methods and recipes used traditionally by nomadic Native Americans. Not all Indian tribes ate the same foods depending on where they lived, the tools they had available, etc. Once they moved onto reservations, some adopted a farming way of life while others were provided government rations, thereby changing a lot of the foods and meals with which they were familiar.
Here are some of the more common foods/meals:
Ash Cake - corn meal cake and dried berries wrapped in sweet leaves and baked in hot ashes
Bean Bread - (Cherokees/Eastern Indians) corn meal and beans wrapped in a large grape leaf then boiled
Camas - the bulbs could be eaten raw or were roasted in a pit oven, dried, and mashed into dough. The roots were edible (the ones with blue flowers only). The camas with yellow or cream-colored flowers were poisonous.
Corn Dodgers - dough rolled into cylinders and deep fried in fat
Fry Bread - plain flour dough fried to a golden color
Journey Cake - commonly mistaken for "Johnny Cake"; a corn meal cake
Marrow Guts - intestines heavily coated with fat and broiled over coals
Pumpkins
Roasting Ears - ears of corn (green) left in husks and roasted across hot coals
Scipio beans - pinkish beans; cooked
Squash - several varieties including Acorn Squash
Source:
"The Indian Tipi: Its History, Construction, and Use" by Reginald and Gladys Laubin
ISBN#0-8061-2236-6
Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Indian Tipi - Cooking - #TidbitThursday
Howdy!
Welcome back to our weekly Historical Tidbit Blog Column!
I took a few weeks off to research some more juicy tidbits and info for you and for my current WIPs (works in progress). Hope you enjoy!
Every family cooked for themselves and sometimes for their related immediate family members who may not live in the same tipi. A warrior was responsible for feeding his family by hunting the meat (buffalo, deer, rabbits, etc).
Several different methods were used, depending on the meal and/or the food being served. Families had limited amounts of dishes as they moved place to place depending on the season. So, oftentimes, they came up with creative ways to cook food with little to no pots.
One method was cooking in the ground (a "pit oven"). A hole would be dug into the ground and lined with sweet leaves. Chicken or ham, potatoes, corn, carrots or onions would be set in the hole and covered with leaves. Hot coals from the fire were placed on top of these leaves. A canvas or skin was laid over the hole. Embers might be shoveled on top of that. Finally, a layer or dirt to "enclose" the heat. All of this was left alone for several hours to cook. One can imagine this might be a gritty meal. Interestingly, a lot of other cultures use this same method today (google cooking pig in a pit).
Another method of cooking used is broiling. A stand containing a rack of ribs or other meal was set next to a hot fire or speared onto sticks and set directly over coals.
Many families owned an iron kettle (via trade with settlers) or at least a buffalo paunch (stomach) that was tied to a frame and used like a large bowl. It was filled with water, vegetables and meat. Stones were heated in a fire then dropped into the water to cause it to boil. Food could then simmer and cook.
One of the key methods of preparing food involved drying (or jerking) meat. This was important for wandering tribes as they needed to be able to eat while they hunted and travelled. Meat was stretched out and dried in the hot afternoon sun. At night, it would be piled up on clean canvas and covered so it wouldn't absorb moisture (which could lead to mold). It could be eaten hard or softened with a little water. Old jerky could be used in soups.
Source:
"The Indian Tipi: Its History, Construction, and Use" by Reginald and Gladys Laubin
ISBN#0-8061-2236-6
Welcome back to our weekly Historical Tidbit Blog Column!
I took a few weeks off to research some more juicy tidbits and info for you and for my current WIPs (works in progress). Hope you enjoy!
Every family cooked for themselves and sometimes for their related immediate family members who may not live in the same tipi. A warrior was responsible for feeding his family by hunting the meat (buffalo, deer, rabbits, etc).
Several different methods were used, depending on the meal and/or the food being served. Families had limited amounts of dishes as they moved place to place depending on the season. So, oftentimes, they came up with creative ways to cook food with little to no pots.
One method was cooking in the ground (a "pit oven"). A hole would be dug into the ground and lined with sweet leaves. Chicken or ham, potatoes, corn, carrots or onions would be set in the hole and covered with leaves. Hot coals from the fire were placed on top of these leaves. A canvas or skin was laid over the hole. Embers might be shoveled on top of that. Finally, a layer or dirt to "enclose" the heat. All of this was left alone for several hours to cook. One can imagine this might be a gritty meal. Interestingly, a lot of other cultures use this same method today (google cooking pig in a pit).
Another method of cooking used is broiling. A stand containing a rack of ribs or other meal was set next to a hot fire or speared onto sticks and set directly over coals.
Many families owned an iron kettle (via trade with settlers) or at least a buffalo paunch (stomach) that was tied to a frame and used like a large bowl. It was filled with water, vegetables and meat. Stones were heated in a fire then dropped into the water to cause it to boil. Food could then simmer and cook.
One of the key methods of preparing food involved drying (or jerking) meat. This was important for wandering tribes as they needed to be able to eat while they hunted and travelled. Meat was stretched out and dried in the hot afternoon sun. At night, it would be piled up on clean canvas and covered so it wouldn't absorb moisture (which could lead to mold). It could be eaten hard or softened with a little water. Old jerky could be used in soups.
Source:
"The Indian Tipi: Its History, Construction, and Use" by Reginald and Gladys Laubin
ISBN#0-8061-2236-6
Western Word of the Week - Boot-Black Cowpuncher - #WesternWordoftheWeek #WesternWednesdays
Howdy!
Welcome to our Weekly Western Word of the Day...or, as I affectionately call it, Western Wednesdays!
Boot-Black Cowpuncher - a humorous term for a man who came from the East to get into the cattle business. "Boot-Black" referred to the shiny, polished boots that weren't yet broken-in from the hard work of cattle ranching.
Source:
Cowboy Lingo by Ramon F. Adams; ISBN#0-618-08349-9
Welcome to our Weekly Western Word of the Day...or, as I affectionately call it, Western Wednesdays!
Boot-Black Cowpuncher - a humorous term for a man who came from the East to get into the cattle business. "Boot-Black" referred to the shiny, polished boots that weren't yet broken-in from the hard work of cattle ranching.
Source:
Cowboy Lingo by Ramon F. Adams; ISBN#0-618-08349-9
Western Word of the Week - Big Scissor-Bill - #WesternWordoftheWeek #WesternWednesdays
Howdy!
Welcome to our Weekly Western Word of the Day...or, as I affectionately call it, Western Wednesdays!
Big Scissor-Bill - described someone who didn't do their work very well
Scissorbill is also a term for an incompetent person.
Source:
Cowboy Lingo by Ramon F. Adams; ISBN#0-618-08349-9
Welcome to our Weekly Western Word of the Day...or, as I affectionately call it, Western Wednesdays!
Big Scissor-Bill - described someone who didn't do their work very well
Scissorbill is also a term for an incompetent person.
Source:
Cowboy Lingo by Ramon F. Adams; ISBN#0-618-08349-9
Western Word of the Week - Caverango - #WesternWordoftheWeek #WesternWednesdays
Howdy!
Welcome to our Weekly Western Word of the Day...or, as I affectionately call it, Western Wednesdays!
Caverango - Spanish term for a wrangler
Other terms include "horse-wrangler" or "hostler"
Source:
Cowboy Lingo by Ramon F. Adams; ISBN#0-618-08349-9
Welcome to our Weekly Western Word of the Day...or, as I affectionately call it, Western Wednesdays!
Caverango - Spanish term for a wrangler
Other terms include "horse-wrangler" or "hostler"
Source:
Cowboy Lingo by Ramon F. Adams; ISBN#0-618-08349-9
Video Review - American Heroes Channel - America: Facts or Fiction - The New World
America: Facts or Fiction - Season 1 Episode 7: The New World
Release date: August 14, 2013
Description:
"There is more to the explorers who discovered America than we have been told. On the next episode of America's Facts Vs. Fiction learn Christopher Columbus never stepped foot in North America and Hernán Cortés didn't defeat the Aztecs by himself."
Highlights:
Christopher Columbus was an English translation to his name and he did not go by that name during his lifetime.
There is no consensus to what his name really was and could have been Cristoforo Columbo (Italian) or Cristobal Colon (Spanish)
Greek philosopher Eratothenese proved the Earth was round back in 240 BC. Despite what many think, Columbus did not sail West to prove the Earth was round.
King Ferdinand approved Columbus's voyage and was funded with private investors.
Columbus's ship "Pinta" meant "the painted one" (also, a term to describe a prostitute). We'll assume that was his investor's choice.
He kept 2 log books. One with the actual nautical miles and another with shorter distances.
There was a reward (of 10,000 maravedis) to the first person to spot land. Rodrigo De Triana spotted land first but Columbus took the credit.
Columbus landed in the Bahamas where they met friendly Indians. They discovered pineapple, turkey, hammocks and tobacco.
Hernan Cortes lands in Mexico (1519) illegally (without permission). He meets natives who are angry with the powerful Aztec tribes (and the dictator Montezuma) and they agree to help him attack.
Cortes sank his own ships to keep his crew members from deserting.
Smallpox killed most of the natives.
You may be able to find this video on the American Heroes Channel (https://www.ahctv.com/) or on YouTube. Otherwise, you can purchase it on Amazon:
Western Word of the Week - Riding Sign - #WesternWordoftheWeek #WesternWednesdays
Howdy!
Welcome to our Weekly Western Word of the Day...or, as I affectionately call it, Western Wednesdays!
Riding Sign - when a cowboy rode the range following the "sign" (track) of an animal that stayed too far.
When an animal didn't leave enough tracks, they were said to be following a "blind trail" or "cold trail".
Source:
Cowboy Lingo by Ramon F. Adams; ISBN#0-618-08349-9
Welcome to our Weekly Western Word of the Day...or, as I affectionately call it, Western Wednesdays!
Riding Sign - when a cowboy rode the range following the "sign" (track) of an animal that stayed too far.
When an animal didn't leave enough tracks, they were said to be following a "blind trail" or "cold trail".
Source:
Cowboy Lingo by Ramon F. Adams; ISBN#0-618-08349-9
Western Word of the Week - Outsiders - #WesternWordoftheWeek #WesternWednesdays
Howdy!
Welcome to our Weekly Western Word of the Day...or, as I affectionately call it, Western Wednesdays!
Outsiders - cowboys who rode "outside" the boundaries of the ranch (keeping an eye on stray cattle or other trouble)
Similar to a "line-rider" who patrolled an actual boundary of the ranch
Source:
Cowboy Lingo by Ramon F. Adams; ISBN#0-618-08349-9
Welcome to our Weekly Western Word of the Day...or, as I affectionately call it, Western Wednesdays!
Outsiders - cowboys who rode "outside" the boundaries of the ranch (keeping an eye on stray cattle or other trouble)
Similar to a "line-rider" who patrolled an actual boundary of the ranch
Source:
Cowboy Lingo by Ramon F. Adams; ISBN#0-618-08349-9
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