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Volume 5, Issue No. 2                              February, 2007

DAGNABIT DEB IS A SERIOUSLY ILL COWGIRL PLEASE REMEMBER HER IN YOUR PRAYERS

Dagnabit Deb is a very sick cowgirl and will be in Park West Hospital, in Knoxville, for an undetermined time.  If you want to send her a card, note or posies, her address is : Deborah Brenneman – Park West Hospital – Room 516, Knoxville, Tennessee 37923.  Or you can send her a message at – carepages.com Dagnabit Debs Adventure.    Shootin’ just ain’t the same when Dagnabit Deb’s not with us.

FEBRUARY IS GOOD SHOOTIN’ WEATHER – SAY 70 SHOOTERS

Owlhoot Hardin – Shooting Black Powder, Duelist Style

As Josey Buckhorn puts it, “A bad day of Cowboy Shootin’ is better than a good day at work.” And he’s right.  But the February Shoot was a good one. At least it managed to attract 70 shooters to come out and defend frontier justice in the wilds of East Tennessee.

The day started with a bang, down at the Buffalo Shoot.  At the end of regular shootin’, Last Kiss had tied Marshal Too Tall in the Long Range Lever Action competition.  He managed to squeak by in the shoot-off. Yukon Hootch won the 22 Caliber shoot, and Pole Cat Carl managed to out shoot Caliber .45 in the Long Range Pistol competition.  Marshal Too Tall won the Long Range Single Shot category.

In the Main Match, Unpleasant was the Top Gun and placed 1st in the Traditional Class. Last Kiss was the Top Cowgirl Shooter.  The Top 10 Shooters were: (1) Unpleasant (2) Buck Dodgers (3) Will Reilly (4) Rusty Spur Slim (5) Pleasant (6) Festus D. Deputy (7) Marshal Too Tall (8) Ocoee Red (9) Polecat Carl (10) Double Eagle. 7 cowboys shot perfect matches with no misses: Unpleasant, Pleasant, Judge’m All Duncan, Lightning McCoy, Ruckus Roy, Undertaker John and Tenn Smoke.

Applesauce, daughter of Cool Waters, accompanied her paw to the shoot and shot her 1st Ocoee Rangers match as a Junior Cowgirl. Like her paw, she shoots very well.  She’s been shootin’ cowgirl for about a year, but not many matches. And although she’s not taken up the shotgun yet, she hits real well with her pistols and rifle.  How well? She missed only 5 shots in the match.

Applesauce is 11 years old, and she’s already tuned in on firearms safety.  She couldn’t believe Deadman wanted her to point her pistol at him for this photo, even though Horse-shoe John and Cool Waters had already checked the gun and verified that it was safely unloaded.

And speaking of Cool Waters, he had a Pleasant experience during the shoot.  Remember the knock down bonus targets?  Well, Cool Waters grabbed his pistol, shot the pistol targets very fast, then shot the pistol knockdown target. When the bullet hit the target, it made a quiet little “dink” sound, verifying that he’d hit the critter. But it didn’t move. If there’d been a butterfly sitting on that target, it wouldn’t have been disturbed at all.  But he’s accurate, and quick, and a good feller to shoot with.

            Applesauce                               Applesauce and Cool Waters

SHOOT RESULTS

TOP GUN – Unpleasant … TOP GUN – COWGIRL – Last Kiss … BUFFALO SHOOT – Long Range Pistol – Polecat Carl … Long Range Lever Action Rife – Marshall Too Tall … .22 Cal – Yukon Hootch … Long Range Single Shot Rifle … Marshal Too Tall

Outlaw

1. TN Tombstone

2. Tucson Tuco

3. Cactus Red

WE’LL HAVE A SENIOR DUELIST CATEGORY AT THE MARCH SHOOT

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The Ocoee Ranger Page 2                   February, 2007

The Reel West, The Real West and the West of Our Imagination

THE REEL WEST – Clint Walker

Clint Walker in YUMA

Have you ever heard of Norman Eugene Walker? Didn’t think so.  Ol’ Norm was born in Hartford, Illinois, in 1927. And if he’d stayed there and been Norm, you wouldn’t have heard of him at all.  Shucks, if you’re only in your ‘30’s you may never have heard of him in any event.  But Norm left Hartford, and entered military service in the later days of WWII, the Big One. And when he was released from active duty, he didn’t go back to Illinois. He scrambled around with various jobs, and then decided to try acting.

Of course Norm sort’a stood out in a crowd.  He was a big feller, standing 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 200 + pounds, all proportioned to make him photogenic.  Somewhere along the way, Norm became Clint Walker. He got a few parts, once even playing Tarzan in a comic movie.  Then in 1955, Warner Brothers cast Clint to play Cheyenne Bodie, in the TV show CHEYENNE. And he became a Western star.  He was Cheyenne until 1962, when the show ended.  During and after his CHEYENNE days, Clint made a few theatrical westerns and a few made-for-TV Westerns, and appeared in some other movies, like the DIRTY DOZEN.  In his other Western roles, he was Killer Kane and Yellowstone Kelly, and other characters.  And his movies were good.  So was his CHEYENNE  TV series.

However sometimes the premise in some shows overlooks a little detail that looks real screwy.  For example, in 1 of Clint’s CHEYENNE adventures, he was hit on the head from behind and knocked out (almost all TV western heroes were hit on the head and knocked out  ….. frequently) by a little feller who was running from someone.  So, the little feller changed clothes with Clint.  And when he came around, Clint put on the little feller’s clothes.  And guess what? Clint’s big clothes perfectly fit the little feller. And the little feller’s clothes perfectly fit Clint. How about that? Sounds like a scenario that T-Bone would write, doesn’t it?

Clint’s retired now.  Look in the Cowboy Chronicle, Shoot Magazine, True West and others and you’ll see that these days Clint’s appearing at western festivals with other former stars of the golden days of TV Westerns. He and his compadres are gathering to reminisce with each other and with old folks like many of us, who remember them as they were, and still think that for at least 1 Saturday a month, we’re like we were in those long ago days.

THE WEST OF OUR IMAGINATION – Irish Jake

Irish Jake

If Cowboy Action Shooting has a lasting future, it’ll depend on young shooters like Irish Jake. Irish Jake started Cowboy Shooting with the Smoky Mountain Shootists Society, or as we know them, the Knoxville Cowboys, in March 2006, and he attends monthly shoots with his father and trail pardner, Boondock Saint.

How’d Irish Jake get his alias?  Here’s how he describes it: “I have Irish heritage, and I just put Jake in front of it.”  Out on the range, he shoots .357 pistols, and a Rossi ’92 Winchester Rifle.  His shotgun choice varies from a double barrel coach gun to a ‘97 Winchester pump.

Here’s what Jake has to say about Cowboy Shooting: “It’s the best shooting sport. The people are friendly, and you get to play cowboy for a day.”  Who’s his favorite cowboy? “John Wayne.” Irish Jake is a fine feller.  He likes Cowboy Shooting, is safe with his guns, spends time with his paw, and he likes John Wayne.  He’s a real red blooded American boy.  Make that cowboy.

THE REAL WEST – Joseph F. Glidden  1813 – 1906

Joseph Glidden

Joseph Glidden was a man who got around.  Look for information about him and you’ll see that he was born and grew up in New York.  You’ll also see that he was born in New Hampshire and moved to New York.  But it can be safely said that he was born, and he was born somewhere in 1813, and he eventually arrived in Dekalb, Illinois, where he became a farmer. Joe had worked as a thrasher on Midwestern farms, bought his own equipment, earned a bit of money, saved his money and when he arrived in Dekalb, he bought farmland.  And later he bought more and developed other business interests. At one time, he was even the county sheriff in the Dekalb area.  But that’s not what made his name known to historians. Joe Glidden was the man who killed the cowboy.  It’s true.

When Joe became an Illinois farmer, wood was not in plentiful supply, and keeping cows in where they were wanted and out of where they were not wanted was hard and expensive to do.  So folks with lots of cows hired lots of cowboys to manage them. Then in 1874 when he was 64 years old, Joe got a patent for the first commercially marketable barbwire.  And when the smoke cleared from court fights about the rights to barbwire, Joe became the Barbwire King of the US, and became a very rich man from doing so.  His invention consisted of a single wire, which intermittently had twisted sharp wire wrapped around the single wire, and then another wire was twisted around both to keep everything in place and make it stronger.

The Killer of the Open Range and the Roving Cowboy

Joe started a manufacturing business. Then he took a partner and expanded his business.  Later he sold his interest for $60,000 plus royalties. But Joe’s business days weren’t over. He eventually owned a large farm in the Midwest, a 250,000 acre ranch in Texas, a hotel, a bank and a newspaper. Joe died in 1909. He probably wasn’t asked to join the posse in the sky.  After all, Joe was the man who killed the open range and the big round-ups and the era of the mounted cowboy. Simply stated, Joe was 1 of the most significant contributors to the modernizing of the American West.

SHOOT RESULTS – JANUARY 2007

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Volume 5, Issue No. 1                        January, 2007

72 SHOOTERS START 2007 COWBOY ACTION SHOOTING WITH A BANG

Dustin Clays, in his Josey Wales hat, shoots & Horseshoe times

Howdy, pardners.  And welcome to 2007on the Range, the shooting range. If you missed the January shoot, you missed a good one.  The action was fast, the shootin’ was good, and the air was full of gun smoke.  At least it was after Coffee Joe fired his black-powder-shootin’ shotgun. There was such a boom after one of his shots that Dustin Clays said that the noise alone would have knocked the target down, with or without shot in the shells.

The day started out chilly.  Well, no that ain’t right.  It started out cold.  Then it warmed up as the sun came out.  And it was a splendid day. Marshal Too Tall shot well enough to become the 1st Ocoee Rangers Top Gun at a 2007 Shoot. But other folks were close behind him. Last Kiss, shootin’ Lady Gunfighter, was the Top Gun of the Cowgirls, and we had 6 cowgirls shootin’ the match. The Top 10 shooters were as follows: (1) Marshal Too Tall (2) Rusty Spur Slim (3) Festus D. Deputy (4) Fiddleback (5) Pleasant (6) Dustin Clays (7) Unpleasant (8) Ocoee Red (9) Polecat Carl (10) Kenesaw. And in the midst of all that shootin’, 8 Cowboys shot no-miss matches. These straight shootin’ cowboys were Rusty Spur Slim, Fiddleback, Pleasant, Dustin Clays, Wildcat Wilkey, Rev. Adam Jones, Bad Eye Tom, Limp Along Charlie and Coffee Joe.

Cowfolk in earmuffs, L-R: Rev. Adam Jones, Outrider& Mesquite Millie. Out of respect for Deadeye Daisy, Sheriff Donald in his Daisy Duck earmuffs is not shown.

Sometime in the mid morning, while it was still a mite cool, the photographer happened upon the 3 cowfolk shown above, all wearing earmuffs, and asked: “What kind of cowboys would be wearing earmuffs?” The Rev. Adam Jones answered: “Cold ones.” But he evidently warmed up.  He shot a perfect match: No misses. And Last Kiss’s secret was revealed. The secret:  How has she become such a good shooter, even shooting Lady Gunfighter?  Some folks thought it was practice.  And some thought it’s them spiffy pistols that she’s shootin’.  But that ain’t it.  The secret to her success is the green rabbit’s foot hanging from her gun belt.  Of course, it didn’t do much for the rabbit.

SHOOT RESULTS

TOP GUN – Marshal Too Tall … TOP GUN – COWGIRL – Last Kiss … BUFFALO SHOOT – Long Range Pistol – Calibre. 45 … Long Range Lever Action Rife – Marshall Too Tall … .22 Cal – Marshal Too Tall … Pre Shoot Side Match – Festus D. Deputy

NEXT SHOOT – FEBRUARY 24

The Buffalo Shoot begins 8:00 am. Registration 8:30 am  –  Posse Leader walk-through 9:15 am  – Safety meeting 9:45 am  –  Shooting follows  – All times are Eastern Time.

THERE WILL BE AN OCOEE RANGERS SHOOT IN FEBRURY

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The Ocoee Ranger page 2                      January 2007

The Reel West, The Real West and the West of Our Imagination

THE REEL WEST – SUSAN CABOT (1927-1986)

Susan Cabot

Unless you’re an Audie Murphy movie fan, you probably won’t recognize Susan Cabot’s name. She was a petite, dark haired & dark eyed beauty who appeared in several of his Western movies. And there was a reason for that:  she was good looking, could act, and most importantly, she was 1 of the few actresses shorter than Audie. Of course, she also appeared in other Westerns with other cowboys. But she didn’t start life as Susan Cabot. She was born Harriet Shapiro in Boston in 1927, and her on screen appearances showed that she was an actress:  she was capable of portraying a spirited, happy character.  But her real life didn’t match what she portrayed.  Susan was raised in a number of foster homes. She went to New York when she was 17, and married right away, to escape from foster homes.  But the marriage wasn’t a good one.  She was very attractive, interested in dramatics, and became an actress appearing on TV and bit parts in films.  Then in 1950 she was “discovered” and got a part in a forgettable movie.  But that lead to a Hollywood contract with Universal, where she was frequently cast in good old Western movies.  To see her in 1 of her best roles, appearing with Audie Murphy, take a look at GUNSMOKE.  It’s a very good movie, and they work well together.

Susan, although she was very good in Westerns and in the other movies she appeared in, didn’t cotton to the roles she’d been playing.  So, she got out of her contract and left Hollywood briefly to try stage acting. That, however, didn’t work out, and she returned to Hollywood. And then she left Hollywood again and returned to the theater.  In 1964, she had a son, who suffered from dwarfism. Then in 1968, she married for the 2nd time.  The marriage lasted 12 years and ended in divorce. Susan was suffering from mental illness. In 1986, Susan’s son killed her.  She was 59 years old. Susan’s real life was sad and tragic.  But when you see her on film, you see a very different person.  That’s the 1 that counts, because that’s the 1 that will last, as long as folks like Shadrack Jones and others continue watching her Western movies.

THE WEST OF OUR IMAGINATION – LAST KISS

Last Kiss Last Kiss started cowgirl shooting in June 2004. Of course she’d been shooting before that: “I started shooting as a kid and love it. And I love the Old West and the guns.” In 2000, she joined SASS, and like all of us, she had to choose an alias. Here’s how she chose her alias. “I wanted it to be personal.  I thought about being a schoolteacher, or a soiled dove.  But lots of Westerns are romantic.  They have a last kiss before riding away, or going to war, or before going to bed, or whatever you want to make of it.  So, I chose Last Kiss.”

Since becoming Last Kiss, she’s shot Lady Traditional, Double Duelist, Gunfighter and Black Powder.  And her shooting has improved as her experience has increased.  During her cowgirl shooting career, she’s shot .45 pistols and .38’s, but usually .38’s.  And she’s shot double barrel shotguns in 20 and 12 gauge, however she now shoots a Winchester ’97 12 ga. But she’s not just a shooter. She’s completed the SASS ROI course and is registered to take the ROII class with the Knoxville cowboys in early 2007. And on the range, she’s been a posse leader, spark of energy in her posse and a registration cowgirl.  There’s more to this cowgirl than a hat and gunsmoke.

Who’s her favorite Western actor? “Maureen O’Hara.  And I like her especially in a specific role, Mrs. McClintock.”  And her favorite Western movie? “McClintock.  It has John Wayne, and Maureen O’Hara, and fighting and shooting, and partying.  It has everything.”

In 2006, the Ocoee Rangers presented Last Kiss the 2006 Annual “Spirit of the Game Award”.

THE REAL WEST – ELFEGO BACA  (1865 – 1945)

Elfego Baca – Pistollero

Lawyer & Policitian

Elfego Baca was a man of many lives:  Mexican American pistolero, self appointed Deputy Sheriff, elected Sheriff, U.S. Marshal, practicing lawyer, County Court Clerk, School Board Superintendent and local and state politician. Elfego was born in New Mexico in 1865, but not long thereafter, his family moved to Topeka, KS.  However in 1880 following the death of his mother, 15-year old Elfego returned to New Mexico.  4 years later, his legend began.

In December 1884, cowboys emasculated a Mexican in front of a saloon in the town of Frisco, now known as Reserve, NM.  This followed other rowdy behavior that was the normal way of things in the community.  The Sheriff was located elsewhere and evidently found plenty to keep him busy elsewhere.  So, Elfego found himself a badge and a pistol, appointed himself Deputy Sheriff and set out to bring justice to Frisco.  In the process, a cowboy took a shot at Elfego, and he and his compadres cornered Elfego in a shack.  During a period of about 36 hours, the cowboys fired a reported 4,000 shots into the house, trying to expunge (How ‘bout that word, Owlhoot?) the community of the pesky Mexican with the badge.  Not a bit shy, Elfego returned their fire, and in the process, he killed 4 cowboys and wounded 8 others.  He didn’t get a scratch.

Finally,the cowboys ran out of ammo and left town, and Elfego emerged unharmed. However the event wasn’t over.  In May 1885, Elfego was tried for murdering 1 of the cowboys he shot.  During the trial, the door to the house that he sought shelter in was produced as a defense exhibit: it had about 400 bullet holes in it – all heading inward.  Elfego was acquitted.

Following the Frisco shoot-out and the aftermath, Elfego embarked upon his career of many opportunities and risks.  And he remained controversial through his many careers.  He had a fondness for politics, courtroom theatrics, pistols, drink and wild women.  Throw in his time-to-time involvement as a lawman, and you have the natural ingredients for a movie.  And in the late 1950’s, Walt Disney recognized that fact and brought Elfego Baca, the man with 9 lives, to television, after his other legendary character, Davy Crockett, had run his course. Elfego died in 1945.

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The Ocoee Ranger page 3                                    January 2007

POSSE 2 – JANUARY 2007 SHOOT

L-R Kneeling:  Catoosa Kid, Tellico, Sledge, Sundance McNeyman, Standing: Rev Adam Jones, Outrider, Big Lighting McCoy, Dustin Clays, Coffee Joe, Ben Shot, Deadman, Horseshoe John.  As usual, Pleasant & Unpleasant were too slow to get back from lunch in time to get in the picture.

CHANGES TO BE MADE IN THE 2007 CHRISTMAS EVENT

After talking with several folks about the 2006 Christmas Shoot and Event, the common feeling was – it was too long. So, we’re going to make a few changes for the 2007 Event. Why are we showing it here?  Well, 2 reasons: (1) so you might come, if you see it won’t be so long, and (2) to get your help with arranging door prizes to give away.  Here’s what we’re going to do in 2007:

The Pre-Shoot      We’ll only read the safety rules, and do the prayer.  Ocoee Red, or his designee, will walk around and give out the November certificates before the gathering.  No announcements will be made and no Territorial Governor discussions will be held.  That will wait until January.  This will save about 30 minutes.

The Shoot     We’ll still shoot 3 stages.  But – there won’t be any movement other than right in front of the shooting covered sheds. There will be no down range movement, no reloading, other than the shot gun, no bonus point shooting and no complications.  We’ll still shoot pistols, shotgun and rifle. Stages can be fun, but not lengthy.  Targets will be managed so they are fun to shoot, but not so many – so it won’t take long to pick them up and put them in the storage shed.  This will allow us to get to the restaurant sooner after the shooting is done.

The After Shoot Event     We’ll eat and then present Annual Awards.  This year, we’ll give awards for Top Category Winners for the Year.

q       We will discontinue the gift swap.  We’ve grown to such a number, that it takes too much time:  several folks have left early in 2005 and 2006, even though they had gifts on the table.

q       We’ll still give door/trail prizes.  But if we’re lucky to have a big prize that everyone would want, we’ll give that 1st so everyone will have an equal chance to win.  Then everyone else who wins a prize will get what he or she wins: no passing.  If someone gets something they don’t want, they can trade with someone else, or give it away.

These changes will easily save 1 ½ hour.

Prizes     At the January Shoot, you may have noticed a container on the registration table (although we got it out late) for folks to make donations to be used to buy prizes for the December 2007 Christmas Shoot and Family Event.  The container will be at each shoot through September.  All money received (however much or little) will be used to buy prizes to give away at the event.

We’ll still seek event sponsors (vendors) and gifts, but some things will be given but not in the drawing.  Prizes not given in the drawing will be available on a 1st come basis to folks who want them.

Please help us by making a few contributions to the magic container as the shooting year progresses.

Conclusion      We should be able to have a fun shoot, an enjoyable lunch, good prizes and a fun after shoot event, and not have all day tied up – like we did in 2005 and 2006.

KNOXVILLE COWBOYS / SMOKY MOUNTAIN SHOOTIST SOCIETY – TO HOLD ANNUAL SMOKY MOUNTAIN SHOOT-OUT MARCH 29, 30 & 31

Our Knoxville shooting pardners will hold their Smoky Mountain Shoot-Out March 29-31 (the 5th Saturday in March) at their regular club shooting range in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Side Matches will be held on Thursday, March 29.  The Main Matches will be held on Friday March 30 and Saturday March 31.  Fees are shown below:

Side Matches … $15             Main Match … $65          Spouse … $45    Jrs. & Buckaroos … Free   Awards Dinner (Saturday Night) … $35 per ticket     For more information, see the Smoky Mountain Shootist Society website  (www.smsgazette.com) or contact Hombre Sin Nombre (865) 740-3801 or El Carrera (865) 579-9001.

Hombre Sin Nombre

El Carrera

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Ocoee Ranger December 16, 2006 Shoot Results by Class