Tying in with this week’s Tuesday Trivia, I hereby present THE OLD CHISOLM TRAIL. It was usually sung with the refrain after every verse, but usually recorded with the refrain after every 2 or 3 verses. A version by the inimitable Randy Travis is right here. And it includes a few verses I've never heard … Continue reading THE OLD CHISHOLM TRAIL: A Cowboy Tune
The Old West
Tuesday Trivia: The Chisolm Trail
Every fan of Western lore is familiar with the Old Chisholm Trail. The Chisholm Trail originally ran from the Red River in Texas north to Kansas City, Kansas. It was established by Jesse Chisholm, a mixed-blood Cherokee trader, who scouted to find the best locations for his trading posts. Jesse Chisholm The trail’s fame, however, … Continue reading Tuesday Trivia: The Chisolm Trail
Tuesday Trivia: The Pony Express
When we think of the Pony Express, this iconic picture of a horse and rider is usually what comes to mind. But there’s a serious flaw in that thinking. The bag slung over the rider’s shoulder would have flapped in the wind, and could have panicked a horse. The Pony Express “bag” was actually a … Continue reading Tuesday Trivia: The Pony Express
I RIDE AN OLD PAINT: A Cowboy Tune
This is one of the first cowboy songs I ever learned. It’s simple and it’s sung quite slowly, making it an ideal introduction to Old West music, particularly for children. I Ride an Old Paint I ride an old paint, I lead an old Dan, I'm goin' to Montan' for to throw the hoolihan. They … Continue reading I RIDE AN OLD PAINT: A Cowboy Tune
THE STREETS OF LAREDO: A Cowboy Tune
This is the sad story of a cowboy who's gone wrong and is going to his grave, and the companions who still bear him in their hearts. The melody is from an old Irish song, The Unfortunate Rake (which, by the way, was also the inspiration for that New Orleans Blues standard, St James Infirmary.) … Continue reading THE STREETS OF LAREDO: A Cowboy Tune
Tuesday Trivia: A lasso by any other name …
Cowboys seldom referred to their ropes as lassos. They usually just called them ropes, and the act of catching a steer was called roping. In the Southwest, the rope was also referred to as a lariat or riata, both from the Spanish “la reata”, again meaning rope. At the end of the riata was a … Continue reading Tuesday Trivia: A lasso by any other name …
Tuesday Trivia: What’s in a Name?
Today's trivia concerns some new words I've learned during my research, as well as one that's often misunderstood. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to match the words A through D to definitions 1 through 4: A. Porter B. Hogan C. Laager D. Kiva 1. A camp defended by a circular formation … Continue reading Tuesday Trivia: What’s in a Name?
Tuesday Trivia: The Fast Gun
Today’s trivia is a little nugget about the FAST GUN. In spite of what we’ve seen in TV or movie Westerns, gunslingers in the Old West were few and far between. And even fewer of them were cowboys. Most cowboys did carry a pistol or two, as well as a rifle. But a cowboy’s main … Continue reading Tuesday Trivia: The Fast Gun
