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

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

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

But, where are the Big Pants?

Familiarity is comfortable, but it also breeds contempt. You’ve heard it — been there, done that museum. Well, get ready for some big changes at the City of Las Vegas Museum. Staff and community members gathered as a planning team earlier this year to discuss new ways to tell the area’s stories.

Over the next couple of years, the museum plans to unveil displays that will replace exhibits in the entire gallery. The new exhibits will offer a broad outline of the history and traditions of the Las Vegas area through topics and subjects that resonate with the community. Some areas that will be explored include the arts, social institutions, architecture, trade, land resources and sources of conflicts. Displays will include interactive components to engage and challenge visitors. Traditional text panels and displays will be augmented with other forms of media to provide a hierarchy of information in a variety of learning styles.

An area will be designated for temporary exhibits. Changing exhibits allow more of the collection to be displayed, on a rotating basis. It provides space to explore topical subjects and to examine some subjects in more depth than could be accomplished in the permanent exhibit area. Who knows? The big pants may reappear.

Linda Gegick

Museum Administrator

Discovering Stories

I joined the staff of the City of Las Vegas Museum in June of 2008 and discovered that I have always been a "closet archivist." I love delving into the documents and photos, indentifying them, recording them, and--when possible--connecting them to other archives. The stories that emerge tell fascinating tales of the area and its people.

Recently, I have been updating our records on the Las Vegas Cowboys' Reunions. There are now close to 200 records in this collection--snapshots of rodeo events and parades; programs listing prizes, contestants, and rules (beginning in 1915); and souvenirs such as match books, dance cards, a neckerchief. I enjoyed uncovering the rich history of these Reunions that, each year, drew famous people like Tom Mix, Prairie Rose Henderson, Tex Austin, and Jim Shoulders to join with hardworking ranchers, cowgirls, cowboys, and top-notch stock to take part in one of the largest rodeos "entirely managed and owned by cowboys" (from the 1928 program).

In June of this year, the Museum received a New Mexico Humanities Council grant which gave me the opportunity to work as part of the team creating a new exhibit--"Git Fer Vegas, Cowboy"--about the Cowboys' Reunions (1915-1967) and their impact on both Las Vegas and East Las Vegas. The exhibition kicks off with a performance--Songs of the Cowboys by Mark Gardner and Rex Rideout --on October 23. I am excited to be part of this project, and I love coming to work each day--I never know what new discoveries await me.

Pat Romero, Ph. D.
Museum Assistant and Research Specialist
Las Vegas City Museum & Rough Riders Memorial Collection
(505) 454-1401 ext 283

From our Humanities Consultant

Over the past few years our local museum here in Las Vegas has seen many positive changes and improvements. For the last year and a half I have been fortunate enough to witness it first hand. Museums have always been of great interest to me, and having the opportunity to participate in the events at the Las Vegas City Museum has been an invaluable learning experience for me. Since beginning my work at the museum over a year ago I have gotten the chance to try my hand at archiving various artifacts, I have researched and developed a presentation for the Night On the Range Cowboy Event held at the CCHP on Bridge Street, and I have assisted Nellie Price, our museum educator, in developing Las Vegas Alive, an interactive learning game for children. The latter of these projects is my current assignment. Currently I am working on revising a few of the campaigns I have already researched and prepared. Campaigns are narrative descriptions of a historical event that either took place in Las Vegas, or had direct involvement with Las Vegas and its inhabitants. To date we have campaigns on the Civil War, Fort Union, the Santa Fe Trail, and the Mexican American War. Each of these are covered in the first timeline of the game, 1821-78. Once I research these topics and write a 3-4 page report I turn them into Nellie. Edwina Romero has been extremely helpful in editing my work. At this point in the process I am revising each report according the the corrections that Edwina has suggested. What I enjoy most about working on this project is that everyone works as a team. I look forward to the completion of Las Vegas Alive. I hope visitors will not only enjoy playing it, but will take a piece of Las Vegas with them to share with others!


Laura M. Gonzales

Summer Hours

Hey everyone! I hope you’re all enjoying the summer months. I know we are here at the museum. In fact, we’re enjoying summer so much we’ve extended our hours.

Now, Fridays and Saturdays we are open from 10am til 6pm. So, you have two extra hours those evenings to come and enjoy our exhibits!

Also, Sunday August 2^nd, we will be open for Heritage Week 10 am – 4 pm. We wanted to celebrate Heritage Week with the community so have opened our doors for an extra day that week. We will be highlighting our Scrapbooking Las Vegas exhibit, which includes a hands on activity. Please join us in celebrating the colorful, historically exciting, diverse heritage of Las Vegas!

Don’t forget to check out other organizations around town during Heritage Week. Events start Monday July 27 and go through Sunday August 2. Just a few of the participating organizations are Las Vegas Arts Council, Las Vegas Citizens’ Committee for Historic Preservation, Fort Union National Monument Program, and many businesses on Bridge Street.

(We will resume our normal hours in September: Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 4pm.)