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Names in bold will be found in Players or Dictionary
Bolded Titles in References– Books (two lists).
Just for Fun Pages
Prof. Gentry’s Dog and Pony Show poster c. 1900 U.S. PD pre-1923 – internet
We are talkin’ History Fun here, Riders…
28 Separate Selections
All of these pages save ten, appear elsewhere in Old West Daily Reader.
There are two very different ways to ways to enjoy this this set of Pages and Events:
First – Just read ’em through, slow like, and inhale the the aroma and flavor of those past times….
It’s often enough.
Second – These pages and events are here out of their normal context so they can be perused by themselves in a slightly different light and maybe with some of the others in this group. Maybe just read to see what’s there and what it says about the flow of time and events. Hopefully inviting new thought about how it all relates to Itself, Then, Now and You. Where it all seems to go for you.
In three of these pages,*+ it’s just collections of Western events/people and places that may be only vaguely connected, but collectively have some cultural/time/theme relationship. After all, there is that side of Old West Daily Reader meant to give History Riders thoughts to ponder upon, about the: Hows?, Whys?, Wherefores? and the What the Hell’s? of the Old West.
You will also find an entertainment/curiosity page for the firearms enthusiasts and just maybe some others as well. What is the relationship between firearms and history anyway? The History is always there, but now and again Firearms Oddities seems to get a bit far afield from Old West History. The Girandoni Air Rifle story will bring you right back into the old times. So will Indian Women Warriors; you bet, be amazed, meet them here!
Then, just to add a little variety into the mix there’s even two, rather odd and unusual true stories, The Face on the Barroom Floor and The Strange Fate of Elmer McCurdy, and I even slipped in a short piece of cowboy poetry I wrote some years back, Wild Horses. Hope you like it.
Last, right down there at the bottom of the list are the pictures of some of us, back when (?) – Young Guns. Why isn’t your photo there? Take a look.
This little line shack size library is just an easy relaxin’ way to take in some of the incredible, amazing stories and history of the Great American Old West. Maybe take a view from a different peak? Fascinating stuff always. Hopefully, you will find the Just for Fun Pages are actually what they claim. Fun! – Doc
A Whale of a Tale About Oil
Oil? Whales? Light? What does this have to do with the Old West? More than you might think…
Photo: Nantucket Whaling scrimshaw –
EBurdett-wikicommons
This page’s native locations is: Photo Gallery Index – Weapons Photos – Firearms Photos –
A Whale of a Tale About Oil
Alcohol in the Old West
We can be sure that any Siberian, Asian or European vessel of exploration/exploitation which visited the Western shores of American carried it’s own version/supply of alcohol. Those who came from the south or the east by land certainly would have had an adequate quantity of this traditional necessity in saddlebags, packs or wagons. Native Americans were already well versed in the Art before the coming of the invaders. Here, we take a short look at Alcohol in the Old West, starting in the early days; what was it, who made it, what did it cost, how did they get it, etc., etc…?
This page’s native locations is: The Originals Index
– Entertainment in the Old West – Alcohol in the Old West
* A Mule Speaks
Dusty Hunt’s mule Gus gives us his point of view…
with a little help from M.H. “Dutch” Salmon.
Native location in the Just for Fun Pages, it only appears here.
Cahuenga Pass Treasure
In 1864, the series of events began that created the legend of a cursed lost treasure which took the life of anyone who came close to it…
see:
The Originals Index – Lost Treasures of the Old West – Cahuenga Pass Treasure
Cap Guns and More
Even the city kids wanted to be cowboys and cowboys all had a six-shooters. This page is a very light look at the Western side of the phenomenon. Cowboy guns and the cap guns that allowed the young, to join in the great fantasy. Toy guns and cap guns in particular became more popular. America has always had a fascination with firearms. They were, after all, the tools of necessity and heroes.
We will see a few of the major manufacturers and some of the major stars of the silver screen represented in these products.
This page’s native location in the Just for Fun Pages, it only appears here.
*+ Commerce in the Old West
434 years – 1500 – 1934
Commerce in the Old West is somewhat beyond the usual Timeline.
This one says a lot about what was going on…
This page’s native locations is: The Originals Index – Commerce in the Old West
Daisy BB Guns
“It’s a Daisy!”
Every young would be cowboy’s dream.
Native location in the Just for Fun Pages,
it only appears here.
Destroyed by a Comet
This Native American Pre-historic culture was destroyed by an Air-burst Fireball.
The event is remembered in the oral history of a number of other tribes.
For the complete story, check out the link below.
see:
The Originals Index – Native American Tribes –
Native American Pre-History – Destroyed by a Comet
This page’s native locations is: the link above ^.
See also:
Strange Things in Old West Skies – below
Monsters and Supernatural Beings in the Old West – below
Dictionary
Abbot & Downing to Zion
That’s where it’s at just now, anyway…
This thing isn’t a bad read of its self.
This page’s native locations is: References – Dictionary
Firearms Oddities
1597 to Present
This page is more about firearms technology, rather than specific Western History.
The point being the fast pace and the interesting variety that always came to the marketplace.
The rest of it, just for fun, runs from old to modern.
But, make no mistake, the whole world danced with the tune of this technology…
This page’s native locations is: Photo Gallery Index – Weapons Photos – Firearms Oddities
* Firsts in the Old West
1452 to Present
When and where did it happen the First Time in the Old West? Who did it?
Firsts in the Old West knows!
And just for fun, here they are, in date order.
Plucked from the pages of Old West Daily Reader by our prize pack of History Hunters.
Native location in the Just for Fun Pages, it only appears here.
* Full Moon Names
What did the Indians call the full moons? A few white man names as well.
Native location in the Just for Fun Pages, it only appears here.
Girandoni Air Rifle
1803 – 1806
The Girandoni Air Rifle was an airgun designed by Tyrolian inventor Bartholomäus Girardoni circa 1779. The weapon was also known as the Windbüchse (“wind rifle” in German). One of the rifle’s more famous associations is its use on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
This page’s native locations is: Photo Gallery Index – Weapons Photos – Girandoni Air Rifle
*+ Gunfighter Occupations
Roughly 1850 to 1920
What did a gunfighter do for a living?
Chart from Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters by Bill O’Neal, © 1942
© 1979 University of Oklahoma Press.
This page’s native locations is: The Originals Index – Gunfighter Statistics – Gunfighter Occupations
Harvey Girls
The first all women work force! 1882 – 1946
These ladies were the backbone and part of the economic flywheel of the Harvey Houses.
Definitely part of the “civilizing” of the Wild West and the source of many a marriage on the frontier.
A small touch on a much larger story…
Native location in the Just for Fun Pages, it only appears here.
H0axes
Outlaws, gamblers, miners, mines and suckers! Why wouldn’t there be a hoax or two? Well, there were, and here are a few of the better ones…
This page’s native locations is: The Originals Index – Lost Treasures of the Old West – Hoaxes
Indian Warrior Women
Most Indian women did not pursue warfare as a way of life, though they could do so without censure if they wished. It was not uncommon for childless married women to accompany their husbands into battle zones. Proximity to the fighting could bring them into an active role in a conflict, particularly if a husband were wounded or killed. Natural female warriors usually became apparent in childhood and joined in warfare at their own choice. There were certainly some mothers among the fighters. These brave and bold women were often war chiefs, leaders and notable warriors, well known within their tribe and certainly by their enemies.
This page’s native locations is: The Originals Index -Photo Gallery Index –
Indian Photos – Indian Warrior Women
It also appears on the Fly-out of Native American Tribes
* Monsters and Supernatural Beings in the Old West
Monsters and Supernatural Beings combs the pages of Old West Daily Reader to find all of the unexplained happenings, sightings of the strange and wonderful, superstition and fear of the unknown that at times manifests in the human mind. We hear about such things from everyone, the Native Americans, the Mexicans and the Anglos. Travelers, explorers, liars and priests are also on the list of eyewitness reporters in some instances. Sometimes/occasionally we get some explanation. Other times, we too, are left to ponder the tale with the eyewitnesses, reporters and storytellers, wondering what it really might have been…
This page’s native locations is in the Just for Fun Pages, it only appears here.
* Railroads and First Aid Kits
1888
What do railroads have to do with first aid? Sure, like all of us, at work or at home there can be injuries and it’s nice to have some supplies on hand to deal with it, maybe even a proper First Aid Kit. So, like any responsible business a railroad would have first aid kits where they might be needed. Well, they do, but it turns out that, in the case of First Aid Kits, there’s a little more to the story. Back in 1888, a chance encounter with the company surgeon of an old west railroad led a heads-up business executive to have his company conceive, invent and make a practical commercial product of the First Aid Kit.
Native location in the Just for Fun Pages, it only appears here.
Soiled Dove Plea
1896
A courtroom speech delivered in Woodward, OK (1899) by attorney Temple Lea Houston on behalf of Woodward’s Dew Drop Inn girl of the line, Minnie Stacey, being tried for prostitution. The judge had discovered she had neither money nor an attorney and was hopelessly guilty. Houston agreed to defend her and delivered the Soiled Dove speech extemporaneously. Also known as the Plea for a Fallen Woman, it is considered by many trial attorneys to be the perfect closing argument. The all-male jury in the temporary courtroom setting at the Woodward Opera House acquitted the accused by unanimous verdict in ten minutes!
This page’s native location is: Dictionary – Soiled Dove Plea
-also available from Doves and Nighthawks – Related Information
There is NO paywall on this page.
* The Face on the Barroom Floor
1882 to Present
This true little tale is just for entertainment.
Here is the low-down on the famous painting on the Floor at The Teller Opera House bar in Central City, CO.
Native location in the Just for Fun Pages, it only appears here.
* Strange Things in Old West Skies
1878 to 1897
UFO’s in the old West?
Yup! Only back then they didn’t know they were UFO’s. They only reported what they had seen …or maybe they were perpetrating a hoax for some reason and just didn’t know what to call it yet. Strange lights in the sky? Seems like we have those as well…
Native location in the Just for Fun Pages, it only appears here.
The Pemmican Trade – 1779
An interesting side story related to the Fur Trade, Indian food and more.
Learn about it, then go try some!
see also:
The Originals Index – Resources and Hazards – Plants – Functional Plants – Food Plants
The Originals Index – Expeditions – The Fur Trade
This page’s native locations is: The Originals Index – The Pemmican Trade
* The Strange Fate of Elmer McCurdy
1880 to 1976
Another true story, but a weird one. Far more detail than Old West Daily Reader usually offers, but this tale required it all to get the full picture of what ultimately happened to this minor, relatively unknown Oklahoma outlaw.
Native location in the Just for Fun Pages, it only appears here.
Thoen Stone
Wk 11, 03/14/1887
Lost Treasures in thr Old West – Hoaxes – Thoen Stone (The full story…)
Louis and Ivan Thoen “discover” the enigmatic stone which bears their name on the west face of Lookout Mountain near Spearfish, SD. Today, the actual Thoen Stone is located in the Adams Museum in Deadwood, SD, but a large replica of the stone is located on the site where it was discovered/created (debated). Photo: U.S. PD? internet. {001}
This page’s native locations is: Lost Treasures in the Old West – Hoaxes – Thoen Stone
Timelines Master Timeline
1452 to Present
This page is the Timelines Master Timeline of all the Timeline Pages (A-Z)
Here is the Timelines Master Timeline and a bit more appearing in Old West Daily Reader; in date order. This is where to find out when/where, IF, various/Players/Events and such, really did overlap, in time, and/or place, with each other?
A bit of study in the Timelines can often clear things up.*
This page’s native locations is: PLAYERS – Timelines – Timelines M-Z
*You know, like that dinosaur and cave man thing some folks are confused over… – Doc
*+ Time to Ponder
1452 to the Present… 565 years
This one is a sit around the campfire and think about it page…
This page’s native locations is: PLAYERS – Timelines – Timelines M-Z
There is NO paywall on this page.
Western Silent Movies involving Old West Characters
Even as the Old West was still building its exciting history, modern technology presented a new way to record that history (and make it up), as the movies came to the scene. Some of the old timers ended up acting out incidents from their lives on the silver screen. Several became advisors to the industry. One or two got bit parts. One tried to save others from emulating his evil ways! Here they are in silence, because none of them lasted until the “talkies” came along. {001}
This page’s native locations is: The Pretenders Index – Movies –
Western Silent Movies involving Old West Characters
see also:
The Pretenders Index – Movies
Wild Horses
Cowboy poetry, I wrote it, so it’s free to History Riders and our friends… Doc
This page’s native locations is: The Originals Index – Horses – Wild Horses (poetry)
There is NO paywall on this page.
Young Guns
The Cowboys and Cowgirls many of us were …and our family usually got a picture.
Well, somebody did, and here are a few fun ones we have been able to round up.
This page’s native locations is: The Main Navigation Panel – Young Guns.
There is NO paywall on this page.
Old West Daily Reader Lucky coin
obverse
Old West Daily Reader Lucky coin
reverse
Old West Daily Reader Lucky Coin
A custom souvenir coin
designed by Doc Boyle, site founder.
NEW! $10 each NEW!
FREE with a paid subscription
This page’s native locations is:
Site Guide – Old West Reader Lucky Coin
There is NO paywall on this page.
These 28 pages, save ten, also appear elsewhere in Old West Daily Reader
for further references related to the Just for Fun Pages on Old West Daily Reader
see also:
Timelines Index – Timelines M-Z – Time to Ponder
References – Books used as Reference
References – Books – Novels and History (non-ref)
References – Websites
References –Dictionary
End: Just for fun Pages
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