OCOEE RANGERS

SCORES & RANKING – April 23, 2005

Overall Score = The total of Rank of all stages    Overall Rank = The ranking of shooters by overall score  Overall Time = The sum of scores of stages       Misses = Total shots missed on all stages     Total Stages = Number of stages with no recorded missed shots  Red type indicates a clean match (In the event of ties in Overall Score, the tied shooter with the lowest Overall Time is ranked higher)

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Volume 3, Issue No. 4                                                                                      April,  2005

April winds,  a chilly shoot  & 65 shooters

The April shoot was chilly: Whiskey River Nelson would say, “No it wasn’t! It was cold.”  But according to the Rev. Adam Jones, who’s in charge of weather, he did his part, and it didn’t rain.  And that’s true.  When it’s dry, it’s good.  Good enough that 9 shooters shot clean matches: Festus D. Deputy, Tennessee Ted, Limp Along Charlie, Anvil, Wildcat Wilkey, Hombre Sin Nombre, Sheriff Jack Cooley, Tarheel, and Honest Charlie.  The Dennis family returned with a bang:  Diamondback Dennis was the Top Gun of the day and daughter Dandy Diamond was the Top Cowgirl Shooter.

Hombre Sin Nombre shoots, John Wayne fashion, as Last Kiss times.

Festus D. Deputy placed 1st in the 49ers.  T-Bone Angus was the top Black Powder shooter.  Lightning McCoy was 1st in the Classic category.  Horseshoe John was the top Duelist.  That varmint Pleasant, once again, was the top Gunfighter.  S.A. Pondwater outshot the other Modern shooters, while brother Tabasco JOT placed 1st in the Senior category. Diamondback Dennis was the top Traditional shooter, and as said above, Dandy Diamond placed 1st among the cowgirls.

The scenarios had a variety of stuff: movement, target arrangement and props.  Shucks, shooters even performed surgery and removed a bullet from their saddle pal.  The patient apparently lived.  No one was served medical malpractice subpoenas on the way out. But then all the temporary doctors were armed with six shooters, a rifle and a shotgun.  Maybe that’s the real way to hold down medical suits in modern times.  Recon?

Shooting results are continued on page 3.

Out on the Range – Lightning McCoy’s Posse

Kneeling L-R:  Cactus Red, Fiddleback, Keystone, Dandy Diamond.

Standing L-R: Kenesaw Kid, El Carrera, Calibre .45, Dustin Clays, Lightning McCoy, Diamondback Dennis, Big, Tennessee Tombstone & J. B. Hemlock

Range Officer I Class Saturday, April 30 at 10:00 am  –  Range Officer II Class Sunday, May 15 Some time after noon.  To take the ROII Class, please contact Ocoee Red by phone or email at least 2 weeks in advance.  By SASS rules, Cherokee Maddog (the instructor) has to contact SASS in advance to insure that participants have had the ROI course.  Ocoee Red’s contact info is as follows: 

Cell phone  423- 595-3819             Home phone  423-476-5303              e-mail  ocoeered@charter.net

NEXT OCOEE RANGER SHOOT – 28 MAY

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

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The Ocoee Ranger Page 2                                                      April 23, 2005

The Reel West, The Real West & The West Of Our Imagination

THE REEL WEST   –   AMANDA BLAKE 

( 1929 – 1989 )

Would you believe that Amanda Blake, GUNSMOKE’S Miss Kitty Russell, operated a cathouse in real life?  It’s true.

Amanda began life in Buffalo, NY, where she worked as a telephone operator.  But bitten with the movie bug, red headed Amanda headed for Hollywood.  However, she wasn’t Amanda then.  She was Beverly Neill.  Once in Hollywood, she became Amanda Blake, got a few roles, then had a sizeable role in A STAR IS BORN, one of the early versions of the movie.  When the movie was edited, most of her part was left on the cutting room floor. But so what.  She was soon selected to become Miss Kitty Russell of GUNSMOKE. 

Amanda Blake as Kitty Russell

There were and still are a lot of actresses in Hollywood and elsewhere, but there was only 1 Kitty Russell, and she was it.  The radio gal doesn’t count.

Amanda ran the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas, for 19 years and gave a lot of free beer to Matt Dillon, Doc Adams, Chester Good and Festus Haggen. And that was just the series.  She was also in a made for TV GUNSMOKE movie. Portraying Miss Kitty, Amanda was nominated for an Emmy in 1958 and for Golden Globe awards in 1970, ’71 & ’72. She was a real presence on GUNSMOKE. She had looks, showed grit and sometimes a temper, and held her own playing Miss Kitty as a tough, friendly, frontier business woman, who complemented an excellent ensemble cast of characters.

After she left GUNSMOKE, Amanda became very active in the Arizona Animal Welfare League, an organization that cared for abandoned animals.  At her Arizona home, she operated a cathouse …. where she kept a lion and 10 cheetahs.   She died in 1989. 

Deadeye Daisy

THE WEST OF OUR IMAGINATION  – DEADEYE DAISY

Deadeye Daisy started shooting regularly in January 2004.  Before that, she had a little annoyance that kept interfering with Saturday shoots:  her job.  So being a resourceful cowgirl, she solved the problem:  she retired.

Daisy started cowboy shooting because her husband, Sheriff Donald, was having so much fun that she thought she might as well have fun too.  So, she rode down to the general store and bought a pair of Ruger Vaqueros, in .38 cal, a Winchester ’94, and a shotgun. Armed and deadly, she needed an alias.  Her other half was big on Donald Duck … ala Sheriff Donald, so she

decided to become Deadeye Daisy.  But there was a problem.  She called SASS, and they told her that there already was a Deadeye Daisy.  Shucks!  But all was not lost, SASS called back later and told her that the other Daisy hadn’t renewed her membership.  So, the name Deadeye Daisy was hers, if she still wanted it.  She did!  So, Donald and Daisy became regulars at cowboy shoots.

Daisy shoots several cowboy matches each month:  3.  She shoots with the River Bend Rough Riders (her base club), the Mule Camp Cowboys and the Ocoee Rangers. When interviewed by Mesquite Millie, Daisy said that the best thing about cowboy shooting is the people.  She likes going to the various shoots, and the people at all of them are very friendly, and no one picks on her for not shooting fast.

Who’s her favorite Western movie hero?  Tom Mix.  She said that she grew up playing cowboys, and she just loved watching Tom Mix’s movies.

There’s one other thing about Deadeye Daisy:  she’s a humdinger of a scorekeeper.

THE REAL WEST  – PEARL HART (About 1871 – ?)

Pearl Hart helped usher out the old West by conducting the last stagecoach holdup. Of course she had help from her pardner, Joe Boot. 5 foot 2 inches of petite female, armed with a pistol, Pearl robbed the passengers on a stagecoach headed from Florence to Globe, AZ of a little over $400.  Then, she and Joe fired a few shots in the air and rode away … just like bandits do in Western movies.  But neither was experienced either as a robber or as an off the road traveler.  So, they got lost.  2 days later, they were rescued … by a posse that took them to the local lockup.  Pearl was quite a sensation.  Shucks, it wasn’t just an everyday occurrence for a community to have a female stagecoach robber locked up in their jail.  So, Pearl got a lot of attention. But feisty little Pearl didn’t tarry long in jail.  A few weeks later, she and another prisoner (not Joe) escaped.  Imagine the headlines, Bandit Queen Escapes, or at least something like that was printed. Of course she was quickly recaptured.  Remember, she wasn’t too good at getting away.

Pearl Hart

Stagecoach Bandit

Pearl and Joe were tried, convicted, and sentenced:  he got 35 years and she got 5 years.  So, off they went to prison. Housed at Yuma Prison, the warden had to provide separate cell accommodations for Pearl.  She was the only female prisoner there.  While there, the warden allowed photographers to take Pearl’s picture in an outlaw garb with unloaded guns and as a well dressed young lady, after all she was only in her 20’s. Released about 18 months later, she went on the road to perform as “The Lady Bandit”, in a play written by her sister.  But her 15 minutes of fame soon ran out, and Pearl disappeared, later married and began another life.  In any event, she finally managed a clean get away.

Pearl Hart

Petite Young Lady

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The Ocoee Ranger Page 3                                                                  April, 2005

SHOOT RESULTS (Continued from page 1)

OCOEE RANGERS WRANGLERS – APRIL

have been recognized as an Ocoee Wrangler.  In that this was her 1st visit with us and she didn’t know the “rules” but demonstrated the “Spirit of the Game”, she is recognized as an honorary Ocoee Ranger  Wrangler for April.

In the picture above, Kristi is wearing Fiddleback’s 10 gallon hat.  Of course, it look’s much better on her than it does on Fiddleback. 

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY …. OR MAYBE, A ROSE AMONGST  THE THORNS?

Can you remember back in 1967 when Clint Eastwood’s Western movie THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY was playing for the 1st time?  Whiskey River Nelson will say, “Are you kidding?”  But even if you didn’t see it the 1st time around, you’ve probably seen it several times since its release in the good old US of A.  

Now what does this have to do with the picture at the left?  Beats me.  As page 1 says, it was windy at the shoot.  The Editor’s windy too, or is it also? Owlhoot Hardin wasn’t there to settle the question.

L-R:  Rev. Adam Jones, Tellico and Sundance McNeyman.  We can assume that the Rev. is the good.  The rest is up for grabs.

OCOEE RANGERS

SCORES & RANKING – March 26, 2005

Overall Score = The total of Rank of all stages    Overall Rank = The ranking of shooters by overall score  Overall Time = The sum of scores of stages       Misses = Total shots missed on all stages     Total Stages = Number of stages with no recorded missed shots  Red type indicates a clean match (In the event of ties in Overall Score, the tied shooter with the lowest Overall Time is ranked higher)

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Volume 3, Issue No. 3                                                             March 26,  2005

March 26th was a record day for the Ocoee Rangers.  85 shooters participated in the match. And 10 of them were cowgirls.  The Rev. Adam Jones was again responsible for weather, and he came through.  It was a terrific day. Once again, Pleasant shot himself into the position of Top Gun.  And once again, Roma Jane shot herself into the position of Top Cowgirl Shooter.  5 cowboys shot no-misses matches:  Horseshoe John, S.A. Pondwater, T-Bone Angus, Rev. Adam Jones and Sheriff Jack Cooley. 

With his trusty horse Reno tied to the corral fence, Big shoots the villains as Blayde Hollister looks on and times his efforts.

Before the Match, Marshal Too Tall limbered up, sighted down his rifle barrel and won both categories at the Buffalo Shoot.  Not to be outdone, Tabasco JOT won the early side match.  All in all, it was a rootin’, tootin’ plumb terrific Cowboy & Cowgirl Shootin’ Day.

Pleasant, in addition to being Top Gun, placed 1st in the Gunfighter class.  Marshal Too Tall, in his on-going competition with Ocoee Red, was the top 49er.  Cool Waters took the top position in the Traditional class.  In duelist type shootin’, Horseshoe John was the top Duelist, and Cherokee Maddog was the top Classic shooter. S.A. Pondwater was 1st in the Modern class, while T-Bone Angus took the honors in the Black Powder Cartridge class.  Last but not least, Tabasco JOT placed 1st in the Senior category.

It takes good shoot scenarios, a good set-up crew, posse leaders and working posse members

to have a good shoot.  And we had all these at the Easter shoot.  T-Bone had good scenarios, the set-up crew did plumb good, the posse leaders were effective and we had good help from shooters.  Thanks to all for your efforts.  Recognizing folks who put forth extra effort in helping during the shoot, the following were designated Ocoee Ranger Wranglers:  Fiddleback, Cherokee Maddog, Deadeye Daisy, Sheriff Donald, Tennessee Ted, Limp Along Charlie, Ranger Roger, and Roma Jane.

Shooting results are continued on page 3.

Out on the Range – Easter Cowboys & Cowgirls Before the Shoot

Before the Shootin’ began, the Rev. Adam Jones led the cowboys & cowgirls  in a moment of thanks and invocation.

Range Officer I Class Saturday, April 30 at 10:00 am  – Range Officer II Class Sunday, May 15 Some time after noon.

To take the ROII Class, please contact Ocoee Red by phone or email at least 2 weeks in advance.  By SASS rules, Cherokee Maddog (the instructor) has to contact SASS in advance to insure that participants have had the ROI course.  Ocoee Red’s contact info is as follows:  Cell phone  423- 595-3819             Home phone  423-476-5303              e-mail  ocoeered@charter.net

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The Ocoee Ranger Page 2                                                        March 26, 2005

THE REEL WEST, THE REAL WEST &

THE WEST OF OUR IMAGINATION

THE REEL WEST  –    GLENN STRANGE    (1899 – 1973)

Glenn Strange as a Bad Guy

Glenn Strange as Gunsmoke’s

Sam the Bartender

Glenn Strange was a real Westerner who made his livin’ in the reel West. Although he played lots of movie bad guys, that ain’t how he started out.  Nope. He started out as a musician, playing the fiddle and guitar at local dances.  Then later he joined a posse of cowboy singers called the “Arizona Wranglers” and appeared on the radio and around the country.  Finally, he ended up in Hollywood and in the movie business.

Glenn made a career playing mostly bad guys.  But that wasn’t all that he did.  He was also a songwriter and collaborated with Eddie Dean, a motion picture singing cowboy, on several songs. In all, he appeared in more than 250 movies, and more than 200 of them were Westerns.  And at least 3 of his roles stand out, or they do if you look at them.

Do you remember THE LONE RANGER TV series?  Not so fast Whiskey River Nelson.  You may not have been around for the 1st run, but they are still in syndication from time to time.  How did the Lone Ranger become the Lone Ranger?  Well, Butch Cavendish and his band of outlaws ambushed the rangers and wiped out all but one, right? And it took 3 episodes for Butch to conduct the ambush, run around a little, and then get caught by the Lone Ranger & Tonto, right?  Well, Glenn played Butch Cavendish.  But that ain’t the only notable role that Glenn had.  Nope.  He also played Frankenstein’s monster in an Abbott & Costello movie.

But his real role deserves a paragraph of its own.  Glenn was Sam the bartender on TV’s long running GUNSMOKE. He looked out for Miss Kitty, when Matt Dillon was out on prairie.  And he talked sense into rowdy cowboys, when he could. And when his good nature wouldn’t work, he reached under the bar and hauled out a double barrel shotgun that would make Dustin Clays say, “Anything you say, Sam.” Glenn was Sam from 1962 until just before he died in 1973. 

THE WEST OF OUR IMAGINATION  –  LINC

Linc

Linc has been a cowboy shooter since 2001.  For you cowboys what ain’t much smarter than your horse, that means that he’s been shootin’ about 3 years.  He’s another of the cowboys who collaborated with his wife to select his alias.  It seems that they were sittin’ around flinging out possibilities for his alias.  He picked 5 and trotted to the phone and called SASS and said something like, “Hey. Can I have 1 of these names?” And being as how SASS had grown so much, the cowgirl on the phone said something like, “Are you nuts.  Them names have already been picked.”

So, Linc rejoined his other half, and they began pondering again.  Then she suggested that he use the name of a Gary Cooper character from a Western movie that ol’ Linc likes:  Linc.  The movie is MAN OF THE WEST.  Linc called SASS again and officially became Linc, SASS # 38674.

What does he shoot? “I shoot .45’s and .38’s.  When I want to try to hit somethin’, I shoot the .38’s. I have a Marlin rifle and it shoots .38’s.” Talking about other activities, Linc said, “I play golf some.  But it’s hard to shoot and play golf too. So, my golf game’s sufferin’. The boys are takin’ me now.”  Maybe so.  But he’s sure got his priorities in order, doesn’t he?

Linc is personification of “the Spirit of the Game”.  He’s a constant member of the range set-up crew.  They ride out to the roundup each Friday before the match and set up all the targets and props for us cowfolk who show up on Saturday with a hankerin’ to shoot.  Lots of times, Linc has most of the work done when the other cowboys ride up.  Linc’s a fine feller.  And he shoots good too.

THE REAL WEST –  HENRY ANDREW THOMAS    (1850 – 1912)

Henry “Heck” Thomas was a real west lawman, who began his career working as an Atlanta policeman. Then in 1875, he went to Texas to work for the Texas Express Co. Legend says that he prevented the theft of a lot of money by hiding it in an unlit stove, when bandits robbed his train. Later promoted to detective, Henry eventually started his own detective agency, where he was involved in a shootout with some outlaws he attempted to arrest. They decided to shoot it out, and he ended their lawless careers … permanently.

In 1886, Henry became a Deputy US Marshal, riding the Oklahoma Territory for Judge Isaac Parker until 1892.  He made quite a showing for himself, arresting swarms of outlaws out in the territory and bringing them in for trial.  Among the villains he searched for were the Dalton and the Doolin Gangs.  Nope, he didn’t catch the Daltons, but he and his posse did end Doolin’s career of crime.  Doolin had busted

Heck Thomas

out of jail and was attempting to get to a relative’s house.  Henry and his posse were waiting for him.  Henry yelled for Doolin to surrender. Doolin came up shootin’. Henry and 1 of his posse blasted him to eternity, Dustin Clays style, with shotguns.  Some folks now say that Henry didn’t really shoot Doolin like this.  They say that Doolin was dead when Henry came upon him and that Henry blasted him and claimed the reward money, so he could give it to Doolin’s widow.  (In real life, the lawmen collected the posted rewards.) Who knows all the particulars.  However he did it, Henry ended Bill Doolin’s outlaw career.

After Henry quit Marshalling, he became police chief of Lawton, OK, until he retired because of poor health in 1909.  He died in 1912 at age 62. Sorta. In the 1970’s, Richard Boone had a TV series in which he played a late 1800’s deputy sheriff who used fingerprints and other detective tricks to catch crooks.  His character’s name was “Hec” Ramsey.

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The Ocoee Ranger Page 3                                         March 26, 2005

SHOOT RESULTS (Continued from page 1)

Buffalo Shoot – Marshal Too Tall

Ocoee Rangers Wranglers – March 26

NEXT SHOOT … APRIL 23

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

OCOEE RANGERS CONTACTS

Ocoee Red … (423) 476-5303  ocoeered@charter.net   … Pleasant  .. (423) 476-6865  pleasant2@charter.net  ..

Deadman & Mesquite Millie  .. (770) 889-0934  jedalton@mindspring.com Horseshoe John .. (706) 866-5372  horseshoejohn@bellsouth.net   ..

Tri .. (423) 479-4450  adkissonjc@yahoo.com … Sundance .. (423) 479-8465  jneyman8465@charter.net

Newsletter Staff:   Deadman & Mesquite Millie     Website:  Obadiah King