Monday, September 28, 2009

Cowboys’ Reunions—The Artists & Writers

The annual Las Vegas Cowboys’ Reunions drew rodeo celebrities like Tex Austin, “Foghorn” O’Malley,” Prairie Rose Henderson, and Jim Shoulders, but the Reunions also attracted many artists and writers who came and produced works for or about the Reunions. Uncovering this information was like being a detective on the trail of a mystery. I’d come across a name or a sketch or a poem in the Museum’s archives then trace it to flesh out the story. Internet sources were helpful but sometimes contradictory, so then I’d hunt for corroboration in newspapers, books, and photographs.

The first, and most exciting writer I came across was N. Howard “Jack” Thorp, who traveled the country collecting cowboy song lyrics. In 1908, he produced his first book: The Songs of the Cowboys. In 1915, Thorp came to Las Vegas and wrote a song, “Las Vegas Reunion,” for the first Cowboys’ Reunion. The 1921 edition of his book, including this song, will be on display in the Cowboys’ Reunion Exhibit, and Mark Gardner and Rex Rideout plan to perform the song in their program, The Songs of the Cowboys, on October 23, 7:00 pm, in the Plaza Ballroom.

Once I learned about Jack Thorp, my sensitivities were heightened and I encountered all sorts of “literati.” Phil LeNoir and S. Omar Barker, Las Vegans participating in the Reunions, wrote and published poetry, short stories, song lyrics, and articles. LeNoir, author of Rymes of the Wild and Woolly, also wrote “Down on the Ol’ Bar G” (Poetry: A Magazine of Verse). A postcard with this poem and a sketch by Will James for the 1924 Reunion will be on display. LeNoir coined the first Reunion slogan, “Git Fer Vegas, Cowboy.” Barker and LeNoir collaborated on a story, “When Texas Annie Rode the Bull,” and published The Reunion News, for the 1922 Reunion.

Visual artists attending the Reunions included Randall Davey, Ruth Monro Augur, Edward Borein, and Will James. Davey and Augur studied with Robert Henri in New York but were drawn to the Southwest for their subjects. Augur’s illustrations appeared in an advertisement for the Reunion in The Albuquerque Herald. A reproduction of Davey’s “Wild Horses – Cowboys’ Reunion, Las Vegas, NM” will grace a section of the exhibit. Will James, author and illustrator, began sketching at the age of four and is best known for his Newberry Medal winning book, Smoky the Cow Horse. Borein began sketching at the age of five and is famous for his accurate depictions of the vanishing Western America. Museum records indicate that Borein attended the 1921 Reunion and sketched Bill Stanton’s final bronc ride—“with reins in teeth.” This drawing was used in several Cowboys’ Reunion posters.

Music played a major role in the Cowboys’ Reunions—from parades to balls. The Las Vegas Cowboys’ Band, formed during the early years, grew to have 32 musicians and became “the most famous organization of its kind in the West,” performing through the USA and in London. Another well-known band, Dick Bills and The Sandia Mountain Boys, often played for the Reunion dances. Bills’ young nephew, Glen Campbell, was performing with the band in 1955 when they played for the Reunion dance at the Castaneda Hotel.

Pat Romero,
Museum Assistant/Research Specialist

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Saddles

The Museum collection includes some interesting saddles. One of them was produced some time between 1873 and 1928 by Frank A. Meanea. This saddle is one of the items that will be featured in the upcoming exhibit, Git Fer Vegas, Cowboy!

Frank A. Meanea (1849-1928) was one of the most accomplished saddle makers of the territorial period. He was born in Missouri and made his way to Cheyenne, WY around 1868. There, he worked with his uncle E.L Gallatin in the Gallup & Gallatin Saddlery. By 1873, Frank had taken over the business. He developed innovative aspects of saddles, including the “Cheyenne Roll” cantle. He produced other items of cowboy rigging, like chaps and gun holsters. Cowboys considered his products, especially his saddles, high quality. Notables like Buffalo Bill Cody, Theodore Roosevelt, Charles M. Russell and the Canadian Northwest Mounted Police owned items produced by Meanea.

There is no doubt this Meanea product was the work-a-day saddle for its owner. There have been several repairs, the fork leather has been worn down and the padding is failing. The high desert climate has taken a toll on the leather: it’s curled and a little cracked. In spite of hard wear, the saddle is in amazingly good condition. The famous Meanea style and tooling are evident, as is the maker’s mark, high on the seat.

Linda Gegick
Museum Administrator

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Mining for facts and more

It's already September and the Cowboy Reunion is only a month away! The museum staff has been hard at work preparing for this event. In addition to putting together an exhibit to reflect our cowboy heritage, they will also be hosting a reception on Friday, October 23, 2009, from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. We strongly encourage anyone who is interested to come and join us!

Behind the scenes I have still been assisting Nellie Price, our museum educator, to gather accurate historical information for the game Las Vegas Alive! Currently I am looking over area census reports covering the decades from 1860 through 1880 to compile a list of occupations that are not already on our list. Any ethnicity other than white is also being noted. We need to make the game as historically accurate as possible for each time period. This has proven to be a greater challenge than we anticipated.

I have not been able to locate the 1880 census report for San Miguel County. I am beginning to wonder if it exists at all. It is important for our purposes because there was a large migration of people of all backgrounds and occupations that came to the area after the arrival of the railroad. In addition to mining through census enumerations, we are also compiling a list of artifacts and props for each student, or character, to use during the game. This project is not only a lot of fun, but I am learning very interesting things about this area. I can't wait to see the final product!

Laura M. Gonzales
History Consultant
Las Vegas City Museum