A Chronicle of the Plum Creek Shooting...
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L ast month Jake Jones shared a photo of a 40- horse team. He told us it was incorrectly captioned. The team was not hauling borax out of Death Valley. It was pulling a “bandwagon.” Jake promised more about the 40-horse team later. Later and more are now! The Circus The first circus opened in England in 1768. The early circus focused mostly on feats of horsemanship, although acrobats, jugglers and clowns often filled the gaps between equestrian performances. The first circus performance in America was in 1793. George Washington attended a performance that same year. During and after the Civil War, circuses were very popular and came to be considered part of everyday life in America. Agarita Ranch Lockhart, Texas A Chronicle of the Plum Creek Shooting Society November 2016 Find Delta Raider ……………… 11 Long Juan Here ………………… 10 Match Photos …………………… 11 Ditties from Jake Jones ………. 9 President’s Word ………………… 2 Special Dispatches …………….. 8 Stories from Jake Paladin ….. 8 Continued on page 5 by Long Juan Editor’s Note: While researching more about Jake Jones’ 40-horse team, I found that I could not resist writing about “the circus.” Next month, we’ll return to more traditional Old West and Cowboy Action Shooting content.
Transcript of A Chronicle of the Plum Creek Shooting...
Last month Jake Jonesshared a photo of a 40-
horse team. He told us it
was incorrectly captioned.The team was not haulingborax out of Death Valley. Itwas pulling a “bandwagon.”Jake promised more aboutthe 40-horse team later.Later and more are now!
The CircusThe first circus opened in
England in 1768. The earlycircus focused mostly onfeats of horsemanship,
although acrobats, jugglersand clowns often filled thegaps between equestrianperformances. The firstcircus performance inAmerica was in 1793.George Washington attendeda performance that sameyear. During and after theCivil War, circuses were verypopular and came to beconsidered part of everydaylife in America.
Agarita Ranch Lockhart, Texas
A Chronicle of the Plum Creek Shooting SocietyNovember 2016
Find Delta Raider ……………… 11 Long Juan Here ………………… 10 Match Photos …………………… 11 Ditties from Jake Jones ………. 9 President’s Word ………………… 2 Special Dispatches …………….. 8 Stories from Jake Paladin ….. 8
Continued on page 5
by Long JuanEditor’s Note: While researching more about Jake Jones’ 40-horse team, I found that I couldnot resist writing about “the circus.” Next month, we’ll return to more traditional Old Westand Cowboy Action Shooting content.
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President - Dragon HillDaveDavid DonaldsonAustin, TX [email protected]
Vice President - JoeDarterTom MorrisSeguin, TX [email protected]
Secretary - OpenTreasurer & ScoringMarshal - GeneralBurlesonStarr Kealhofer IIISan Antonio, [email protected]
Territorial Governor -Jake PaladinJ.P. ForageAustin, TX [email protected]
Range Marshal - OpenSafety and Flag Marshal -ArtimanJay DavisLockhart, TX [email protected]
Editor, Agarita Gazette -Long JuanJohn SouleAustin, TX [email protected]
Web Marshal - Bolo Bob
www.pccss.org
Plum Creek PresidentDragon Hill Dave
Well it turned out to be a“Magnificent” day for our shoot
in November. The weather cooperatedand the rain held off to allow 70shooters to enjoy 6 stages of CowboyAction Shooting at Plum Creek basedon the new movie, The MagnificentSeven.This month we voted on proposedbylaws changes. All amendmentsproposed by the Board were adopted.Other amendments proposed by Delta Raider were notadopted. As a result of the amended bylaws, we havemore officer positions to fill. We are talking nominationsfor the positions of Treasurer, Vice President and RangeMarshal. I already have nominations of General Burlesonfor the position of Treasurer, Joe Darter for the positionof Vice President, and Two Spurs for the position ofRange Marshal. But nominations are still open.Under the provisions of the amended bylaws,nominations for officers being elected at our annualmeeting during the December match must be submitted20 days prior to the election. With the election havingbeen previously announced for 12/3/16, the deadlinefor nominations is this coming Saturday, 11/12/16.Please email any other nominations to me [email protected]. Ballots and instructions forvoting will be emailed sometime next week.In addition to the positions that we must elect thisDecember, the Board needs to appoint some folks for thepositions of Scoring Marshal and Secretary. We needsome volunteers to step up and help us in thesepositions. It would be nice to have a full Board as weenter the New Year.But what about the shooting? With Veterans’ Day comingup, we began the shoot with a celebration of Veterans,which included a dramatic reading by Joe Darter of apoem by Texas Drifter. That poem is reproduced ionpage 4.
We also auctioned of a beautiful guncart donated by TheTexan. The cart was made by his son, who is 57 yearsold and blind. The high bidder was Just H, whose bidwas $100. When he learned that all the proceeds weregoing to benefit the club, he increased his bid to $150.
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What a great demonstrationof the Cowboy Way!
We had some folks join usfor the first time, including"Hoot" Gibson a Californiatransplant, The Outsiderand his son. AmericanOutlaw. Hoot wasaccompanied by his lovelywife Stampede Pam. Hootis a former TerritorialGovernor for several clubs inCalifornia, so we're happy tosee him becoming part of theCentral Texas CowboyAction Shooting scene. We
also saw the return ofPreacher Kid, who came outto shoot with us again aftermany months. I was on theposse next to his, and whenhe shot his black powderrifle it sounded like abuzzsaw. Great to have himjoin us.We had 10 clean shooters:Crusty Coot, Dakota Doc,Dragon Hill Dave, DutchVan Horn, Gideon TuckerSharps, Long Juan, ShowMe, Skinny, SkyhawkHans, and You Bet.Our fastest couple kept it inthe family with Two Spursas our fastest man andoverall winner and SunnySpurs as our fastest woman.Our top 15 shooters were,counting down from 15,were Bandera Kid, BisonJim, Letsdoit, Travelin’Jones, Joe Darter, SunnySpurs, Kit Carson, DutchVan Horn, Kickshot, RustyShackleford, Reckon,Skyhawk Hans, PreacherKid, You Bet, and Two
Spurs. Congratulations toall of them for a greatshowing.I want to give special thanksto everyone who helped shutdown the range after thematch. It makes so muchdifference when we worktogether. I know there weremany folks who helped.Even if I don’t mention yourname, know that you arethanked. Some of the folkswho did some special workwere Just H (fetched thesigns off the roads, one ofmy least favorite jobs),Shinbone Bob and DustyMines, who helped with thetrash, and Sunny Spurswho was picking up brassand shotgun shells with meafter the shoot.
Hoot (left), Stampede Pam(below), The Outsider &American Outlaw (right)
Just H and his new cart
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In celebration of Veteran’s DayNovember 11, 2016
There have been many heroes of VietnamProduced by Hollywood on the silver
screens They can reproduce the sound ofwar
The rattle of gunfire, the bombs and thescreams
Heroes like Wayne and StalloneAnd others too numerous to
name These heroes always winin the end
Regardless of the odds, the endings still thesame
But the real stories about the VietnamWar Can be told in a very different way
Sadly, not by the ones whodied But by the ones who lived it here
todayLet’s remember the families of those who died
Loved ones who came home wounded ormaimed They have heartbreaking stories to
tellOf hardship, broken homes, lives forever
changedToday let’s recognize the ones who arehere But not forget the names on The
Wall Shake their hands, hug andthank them
Show our appreciation for those who gave theirall
We may again be called on to send ourbest America the beautiful, that’s who
we are But today let’s stand, cheerand celebrate With our Heroes of the
Vietnam War.
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Large circus tents, calledBig Tops, were introduced astouring circuses replacedstatic venues. P.T. Barnumentered the circus businessin 1870 at the age of 60.Barnum was the first touse circus trains totransport his circus fromtown-to-town. The“traditional” circus format,with a ringmasterintroducing a variety of actsin one or more rings wasalso an Americaninnovation. The rings in theBig Top tents featured high-wire acts, trapezeperformances, animal actsand more.
Outside the Big Top Tents,there was usually a circussideshow, which virtuallyalways included a “freak”show. Know that’s not PC,but it is historically correctand therefore I use it. Theseshows were usually a mix ofscams and exploitation ofpeople with disabilities.There were three basic typesof “freak” shows: (1) the"working acts," such assword swallowers and fireeaters; (2) the "born freaks,"such as Siamese twins andthe unusually small or large;
and (3) the "made freaks,"such as “tattooed” womenand men who covered theirbodies with intricate tattoosand various body piercings.Old West outlaw JoaquinMurieta’s head and thehand of his partner, Three-Fingered Jack, weredisplayed in a bottle at
circus “freak” shows afterthe two outlaws were killedby lawmen. The lawmenwere paid more for the bottlethan the rewards offered anddid not have to transport thebodies to town to collect therewards.
One of the most popularcircus animals in the late19th Century was Jumbo,the elephant. Tousands ofEnglish school childrenwrote Queen Victoria voicingtheir objections, whenJumbo was purchased froma London zoo and brought to
America for exhibition in1882. Jumbo died in 1885when he was hit and fatallyinjured by a railroadlocomotive. Ever thepromoter, P.T. Barnum toldthe “story” that Jumbo diedsaving a younger elephantfrom being hit by thelocomotive.
When Barnum died in1891, James Baileypurchased Barnum’sinterest in the circus andtook Barnum & Bailey’sGreatest Show on Earth toEurope. The show touredthere from 1897 to 1902,impressing everyone with itssize, tents, circus train andits combination of circus
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acts, “exotic” animals and, ofcourse, the sideshow.
Back in America, the daythe circus came to town waslike a holiday. Arrival of thecircus disrupted daily lives,often to the point that storesclosed, factories shut downand school classes weredismissed. Before the circusarrived, an advance crewposted bills and placards to
advertise the upcomingevent. When the circusarrived, the train wasunloaded and the paradeproceeded down Main Streetto the circus grounds, wherethe Big Top tents were setup. The parade was as
important as the show itself.Specially decorated wagonswere built fand the steamcalliope was introduced foruse in the parade.Performers paraded throughtown with the horses andelephants and vendors pliedthe crowd with circusprograms and confections,as clowns cavorted aboutand helped create a carnival
atmosphere of fun andanticipation.
Big Jake’s 40-HorseTeam
Barnum & Bailey’s circuswas famous the world overfor many reasons, but its40-horse hitch was a
spectacle in and of itself.The guy in charge of the 40tons of horse power was BigJake Posey (no relation to BigJake Jones). Posey droveten rows of Percherons, four
abreast. The lead horseswere more than 80 feet fromBig Jake standing in thebandwagon. The reins aloneweighed more than 100
pounds. To turn a corner,the reins had to be let out asmuch as 20-35 feet. DespiteBig Jake’s size and handsthat could have killed almostany living thing in a matterof seconds, fellow circusmen described him as agood and quiet man wholoved his horses and caredfor them deeply.
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During the time Big Jakedrove his 40-horse team,there were few accidents,but one incident in Englandis worth noting. Thebandwagon was rounding acorner on which a pub waslocated. The heavy wheels ofthe bandwagon caught aweak support and pulled outthe entire side of the oldframe building, along withseveral voluptuous barmaids who were leaningagainst the window to watchthe parade.
Big Jake Posey last drovehis 40-horse hitch in 1904.It was almost seven decadeslater, when another 40-horse hitch appeared inMilwaukee’s 1972 July 4th
Schlitz Circus Parade.Elmer “Dick” Sparrow’ drove
the hitch, featuring 40 largeBelgians. It was said at thetime that the Belgianslooked like Clydesdales onsteroids and Big Jake’s
Percherons had looked likeBelgians on steroids.Apparently breeding nowgives the size-edge toClydesdales, but regardless,Big Jake’s and DickSparrow’s teams were BIG!Both Big Jake’s andSparrow’s teams usuallypulled the Two Hemisphere
Band Wagon, the largestcircus bandwagon ever built.Sparrow said of his team,
"although there areproblems with 40 horses,they won't run away. Fortyhorses just don't run." Inlater parades, Sparrow
demonstrated prowess withhis team by stopping next tothe parade reviewing standand backing them up.Those who saw Sparrow’sBelgians said they wereamazing to see up close andmade the ground shake. In1976 Sparrow led a team of48 horses in the CottonBowl Parade, earning a spotin the Guinness Book ofWorld Records.
And there you have it! Allyou ever wanted or neededto know about the circusand the 40-horse teams thatpulled circus bandwagons.Next month, back tocowboys and shooting!
A Pair of Percherons
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What’s a bandwagon?Sometime in the second half of the 19th Century, Phineas T. (P.T.)Barnum coined the word “bandwagon” for the brightly decoratedwagon that carried the circus band in the circus parade. Theoriginal bandwagon was one of the many wagons used duringcircus parades. Each type of wagon had a different function:baggage wagons contained props and costumes for the show, cagewagons transported animals, equipment wagons were filled withtent poles and canvas and, of course, bandwagons carried theband. Bandwagons were often decorated with gold leaf, providing aluxurious ride for the band. The band didn’t daintily sit atop theornately decorated wagon. The band belted traditional circusmarches during the entire ride from the circus train right to thecircus grounds.
A special mention in the Dispatches this month for Bronco Six,who sent the following information, appropriate for our match
theme this month! I listened and truly enjoyed it!Several years ago I found and bookmarked Elmer Bernstein's themefrom the original “Magnificent Seven” film, link below. I completelyforgot that I had bookmarked it at the time. It's over five minutes inlength. The video hones in on various sections of the orchestradepending on which instruments have the lead at that moment - verywell done! Enjoy.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-MVReDrRwo
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(Jones that is:)“Jumping on the Bandwagon” and More!During its Golden Age, the circus was indelibly fixed ineveryday American life, just like newspapers, thetelegraph, the railroad and mail-order catalogs. Circuslingo found its way into the larger lexicon, adding many
phrases to our everyday lingo, including “Jumping on the bandwagon.” By paradingbandwagons and more through town, circuses were able to attract and excite largeaudiences of spectators. Politicians soon caught on and began using bandwagons whencampaigning for office, hoping to attract large crowds of supporters. Backers would literallyclimb aboard the wagon to show support for the candidate. Soon, a figurative applicationof the phrase entered the national vernacular. The date of transition from literal tofigurative isn't clear, but it was complete in 1899, as evidenced by Teddy Roosevelt’sstatement that year: “When I once became sure of one majority they tumbled over eachother to get aboard the band wagon.”
Other circus phrases that worked their way into our everyone lingo include:
● “Rain or shine” (used to promote the tented circus through inclement weather),
● “Hold your horses” (a warning to local horsemen when the circus elephants paradedthrough town),
● “Get the show on the road” (a directive shouted at roustabouts to break down the showand move to the next town),
● “White elephant” (born out of a battle between competing circuses in the exhibit of afraudulent white elephant),
● “Grandstanding” (describing politicians who circulated through the circus grandstandsvying for voters) and
● “Tossing your hat into the ring” (reporters labeled President Woodrow Wilson’s tossing ofhis hate into the ring during a circus performance in Washington, DC as a sign that hewould run for reelection).
Betcha didn’t know all that!!
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I confess; I went all infor the circus this
month. If you arewondering how themodern circus mightrelate to the Circus
Maximus of Ancient Rome, the only
connection between the two is the Latinword circus, meaning “circle.” Moderncircus rings are in the shape of a circle.Circus Maximus was in the shape of a longoval. It was designed as a chariot racetrackand is precursor of the modern racetrack.The Circus Maximus was more than 2,000feet long and almost 400 feet wide. At itsmost spectacular in the 1st Century, there
was room for 250,000 spectators to watchchariot races, gladiatorial contests andpublic executions. Today, Circus Maximusis a not-very-well-maintained public park.
A Closing Mote: If anyone wants to readmore about Big Jake Posey, hisautobiography, Last of the 40-Horse Drivers,is available on Amazon for $200. I decidedto pass.
Circus Maximus during our visit to Rome in May
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Mentioned in the Dispatches this month forfinding Delta Raider in last months issue: ElSabre, Mad Dog McCoy, Cowtown Scout,Six Goin’ South, Hoss Roonright,Hairtrigger Hayes, Sheriff Robert Love,Shooting Iron Miller, Buffalo Phil, BigJohn Mesquite, Preacher Man Lee,Grayrock, Lefty Leo, Jarhead Jake, Artiman and Lincoln Drifter. Not a record, but agood turn out. Try again this month.
Thanks to and for the photos this monthMore photos are available for viewing at www.pccss.org
It’s tough to tone down Mr. Bling, Bandera Kid!
Name the shooter who wore thisdragon for a mention in the
Dispatches
Attentive listeners at theShooters’ Meeting. Left to
right: Cowboy Small, BanderaKid, Texas Sawbones, Kit
Carson & Bronco Six.Lurking in the background:
Rusty Shackleford & Red BudAnderson.
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AD Texaz and top overall shooter, Two Spurs
Coyote Catcher
Marshal Bob
Show Me
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Cherokee Granny ain’t happy and when Grannyain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy! Just kidding,
Granny. Hope you can take a joke.
Other posses thought someone was shooting a Thompsonsubmachine gun, but no, it was Preacher Kid shooting his ‘73!
WOW!!
Six Goin’ South always gets a great photo of her posse!
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Cinch it up quick Lucky ! I can’t hold it in muchlonger! Looking good though Bisbee!
Top Lady Shooter, Sunny Spurs
Michigander, Dakota Doc, and his 4- leggedfriend and, no, that’s not Cactus Kay!
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Kickshot
The Texan
Mad Dog McCoy. We‘re glad his autoaccident on the way home from the match
was not more serious!
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Perfect for all your cowboy action and
other shooting needs!
www.ruggedgear.com
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We offer a full line of cowboy gun building, customizing and gunsmithing.Contact us for more information:
Please visit our website at rhcustomguns.com and look us up on Facebook!Battle of Plum Creek Vendor - See you there!
Supplier of cowboy & vintage brass to meet all your
reloading needs.
www.starlinebrass.com
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Longhorn Bullets
Pricing, effective 9/1/13*
Don Herbert (Hopalong) 210-602-6994 Rick Page 210-844-9362
Caliber Weight Config. Price/500 Price/1000
.38 100 RNFP 32 64105 FP 33 66125 RNFP 35 70125 FP 35 70130 RNFP 36 72158 RNFP 39 77158 FP 39 77158 SWC 39 77
.380 100 RNFP 33 65.38-55 245 RNFP 59 117
.41 215 SWC 49 98
.44 180 RNFP 41 81240 SWC 52 104
.44-40 200 RNFP 45 90.45 COLT 160 RNFP 46 92
180 RNFP 41 81200 RNFP 45 90250 RNFP 53 106
9MM 124 RN 35 70125 CN 35 70
40 S&W 180 FP 41 81.45ACP 200 SWC 45 90
200 RN 45 90230 RN 51 101
45-70 405 FPT 111 222
*Price increase because of higher cost of lead. Sorry for any inconvenience.
