Page 1

Volume 4, Issue No. 6                                      June,  2006

STAGE 3 CHALLENGED JUNE SHOOTERS

Lightning McCoy squints down the barrel of his ’73 Winchester, while the Rev. Adam Jones is on deck at the loading table.

The June Shoot was a humdinger.  There was a bad guy hiding behind a barrel, and folks who got him with rifle and pistol received bonus points.  And we shot Double Hop Skip Nevada sweeps with rifle and pistols.  And then there was stage 3. 

Somebody said, when they 1st saw Stage 3, “Let’s hang T-Bone!” But ol’ Horseshoe John sorta smiled, cause he wrote Stage 3, not T-Bone. On Stage 3, cowfolk shot rifle targets, and 3 were way out there.  And then they shot pistol targets on a stationary Texas star.  And the shotgun targets?  Well, they were, fun and challenging. 

Falling cowboy targets tossed clay pigeons into the air.  And galloping rabbits thundered across the range, to the sounds of shotgun booms and many shooters saying, “Oh shucks,” or something about like that. And then clay birds flushed from behind and headed for the woods, flying straight away.  Of course Dustin Clays thought it was great dustin’ them clays. Carolina Gem, Marshal Too Tall, and several of their compadres were just ready to get on to next stage, which they considered more civilized.

65 cowgirl and cowboy shooters participated in the match. When it was over, Diamondback Dennis rode away as the Top Gun.  The sparkle of his eye, Carolina Gem, was the Top Cowgirl Shooter.  The Top 10 Shooters were: (1) Diamondback Dennis (2) Doc Duncan (3) Marshal Too Tall (4) Dustin Clays (5) Pleasant (6) Tennessee Snuffy (7) Unpleasant (8) Double Eagle (9) Carolina Gem and (10) Fiddleback.  3 cowboys shot matches with no misses:  Lightning McCoy, Dustin Clays and Pleasant.

Deadeye Drew

Tucson Tuco – Stage 3 Rabbit Launcher.

SHOOTING RESULTS

Top Gun – Diamondback Dennis Top Cowgirl – Carolina Gem

Buffalo Shoot:

Ø      Long Range Lever Action – Marshal Too Tall Ø      Long Range Single Shot – Marshal Too Tall Ø      .22 Cal. – Outrider Ø      100 Yard Pistol – Sundance McNeyman

Traditional

1. Diamondback Dennis             

2. Dustin Clays

3. Unpleasant

Cowgirl

1. Carolina Gem

2. Emerald Isle

3. Last Kiss

49er

1. Marshal Too Tall

2. Double Eagle

3. Festus D. Deputy

Duelist

1. Horseshoe John

2. Tucson Tuco

3. Judge’m All Duncan

Senior

1. Mr. Pistol

2. Wildcat Wilkey

3. Outrider

Gunfighter

1. Doc Duncan

2. Pleasant

3. Widowmaker

Outlaw

1. Curly Bill

2. Loose Cinch

3. TN Tombstone

Black Powder

1. L.D. Pondscum

2. Hombre Sin Nombre

Modern

1. TN Snuffy

2. Limpalong Charlie

Classic

1. Lightning McCoy

UNPLEASANT PLACES 4TH IN FIELD OF 182 SHOOTERS

AT MISSISSIPPI STATE CAS CHAMPIONSHIP

Unpleasant

In May, the York family shooters journeyed west to shoot in the Smokin’ Guns At Rabbit Ridge, the Mississippi State CAS Championship.  In a field of 182 shooters, Unpleasant placed 4th overall and 1st in the Traditional category.  Ol’ dad, Pleasant, placed 28th overall and 2nd in the Gunfighter class. Pyro placed 43rd overall and 4th among Gunfighters. Cool Waters also shot in the match,  He placed 17th overall and 3rd in the 49er category.

Page 2

Page 2

The Ocoee Ranger page 2                       June 2006

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

THE REEL WEST  –  JANE RUSSELL

Jane Russell as Rio

Jane Russell was born in Minnesota in 1921, but in the early 1930’s, she and her family went west to California, home of movie stars and Western movies. In 1940, Jane was “discovered” by aviator and movie producer Howard Hughes. Those were the days before Howard went nuts. He gave Jane a 7-year contract to work for his studios, and he set out to make her a star in his 1st film Western called The Outlaw.  The movie was supposed to have starred Jack Buetell as Billy the Kid, with Jane in a supporting role as Rio.  Actually, the film starred Jane’s cleavage, which from a sexist’s viewpoint was the movie’s only attribute.  Shucks, Howard, the designer of fast airplanes, had a special bra designed for Jane to make sure the camera shots portrayed her cleavage at her best. But when the movie was finished, the censors wouldn’t let Howard release the film. It was too provocative then. The film wasn’t released until years after it’s 1941 production. Jane was in several other movies before her stunning performance in The Outlaw was seen by the movie going public.

During her career, Jane made a number of movies, and some of them, in addition to The Outlaw, were westerns.  In Montana Belle, she starred as Belle Starr.  And she was in 2 sorta comic westerns, Paleface and Son of Paleface with Bob Hope, 1 of which also had Roy Rogers and Trigger in it. But her best Western movie was The Tall Men, with Clark Gable. In the 1970’s, Jane was a frequent commercial gal for Playtex in their bra commercials on TV.  She advertised the “full figured bra”, which in her case was appropriate.  That was back in the days when gals modeling bras on TV wore them over a tight sweater, not out in the open like they do now.

These days, Jane’s retired. But she still appears in movies on DVD and on TV.  If you haven’t seen The Tall Men, take a look the next time it’s on TV.  This ol’ wordscratcher’s  anxiously waiting for it to come out on DVD.  It’s a good western.

THE WEST OF OUR IMAGINATION – MARSHAL TOO TALL

Marshal Too Tall

Marshal Too Tall started cowboy shooting back in the days when our core shooters shot at Guns & Stuff. “Awful Close got me started. I’d heard about it, but I couldn’t see me dressing cowboy. But I went, and I got hooked.” Back then, he wasn’t Marshal Too Tall.  “I started as Too Tall, because I thought it was humorous.  But when I went to join SASS, they already had a Too Tall.  So, I became Gravemaker.  But people kept calling me Too Tall, because they thought it was funny. 1 day I looked at my badge that I’d bought at a gun show. It said Marshal, with 1 L. So, I changed my alias to Marshal Too Tall. People are always putting 2 L’s on Marshal.”

“Back then, we shot the Buffalo Shoot on a range that was only about 30 yards long.  Tellico shot his .45-70 Sharps, and it was so close that he always tore the target up. So, we started making him shoot last.”

When he started shooting, Marshal Too Tall shot .45’s. “But I have small hands, and they were too big for me.  So, I got some new guns to shoot .38’s, but they were still not comfortable in my hands. I finally tried reproduction Lightnings in .38 Colt, and they feltgood in my hands.  So, I bought 4 of ‘em, so I’d have a spare. I shoot .38 Specials in my ’73 Winchester.”

Who’s his favorite movie cowboy?  “Tom Selleck.  I’ve just always liked Quiggley Down Under and his other stuff.”

THE REAL WEST – MATTIE “SILKS” THOMSON READY

(1846 – 1929)

Mattie “Silks”, Queen of Denver’s Red Light District

Mattie “Silks”, her birth name unknown, was born in 1846 in either Indiana or Kansas on a farm.  But she wasn’t content milking cows, feeding chickens and such. So she left home and became an entrepreneur, a very successful businesswoman running brothels in lots of places.  Places like Georgetown and Leadville and Denver, Co. and Alaska, and other places.  She supposedly never was a prostitute herself, but that ain’t likely.  How would a naive little farm gal learn the business, unless she started on the bottom level, pardon the pun.  But she became “Queen of the Red Light District” in Denver. Interviewed by a reporter years later, Mattie candidly told why she got into the business.  “I went into the sporting life for business reasons and no other.  It was a way for a woman in those days to make money, and I made it. I considered myself then, and I do now, as a businesswoman.  I operated the best house in town, and I had as my clients the most important men in the west.”

Mattie was colorful in her dress and in her life.  Supposedly, she fought a duel in 1877 with another sporting lady, Katie Fulton, over the affections of her lover, Cortez “Cort” Thomson.

The legend is that both Mattie and Katie were topless when they fought their duel, with pistols.  Both missed their targets, but Mattie’s bullet nicked Cort, who was evidently dumb enough to be down range. Mattie married Cort in 1884, after his wife died. Cort’s only contribution to unwedded or wedded bliss was to spend Mattie’s money.  He died years later, and Mattie gave him an expensive funeral and burial. Shucks, he spent her money right up to the end, which included paying the feller to throw the last shovel full of dirt on his grave.  When she was 77 years old, Mattie married her bouncer, “Handsome” Jack Ready, who was several years younger than she was.

Times change, people age, and financial success creeps away.  Prostitution was outlawed, and Mattie’s business ended. A woman who at one time was one of Denver’s richest citizens, Mattie died leaving an estate of only about $4,000. “Handsome” Jack  buried her next to good ol’ worthless Cort. 

Page 3

Page 3

The Ocoee Ranger page 3                               June 2006

DON’T FORGET TO SUPPORT THE VENDORS WHO SPONSORED OUR 2005 ANNUAL CHRISTMAS SHOOT AND FAMILY EVENT

Hey cowboys and cowgirls!  Please remember the following Ocoee Ranger friends when you buy or order cowboy related or other items for yourself of others.  These folks very generously helped us conduct our 2005 Christmas Shoot and Family Event.  They donated the gifts that were awarded as prizes.  So, please remember them and help our friends.  If you order from them, please send a personal “Thank You” note or comment, thanking them for their help in making our 2005 Christmas Shoot and Family Event a success.

Brownells, Inc.

200 South Front Street, Montezuma, Iowa 50171-1000

800-741-0015

www.brownells.com

Gun parts, cleaning stuff, cowboy gun leather, etc.

Red River Station

Route 1 box 26M,

Devol, Oklahoma 73531

red_river_station@excite.com

580-512-0584

Wild Rags Cotton or Silk

Henry Repeating Arms Co.

110 8^th Street

Brooklyn, New York 11215

www.henry-guns.com

American made firearms

Sharpco Distributors

434 Riverbriar Lane

Kodak, TN 37764

(865)933-9387

Knives, cowboy buckles, cowboy movies, etc.

Ten-X Ammunition

5650 Arrow Hwy.

Montclair, CA 91763

Richard Pumerantz

(Owner SASS Life 20466)

www.TenXAmmo.com      

or Orders@TenXAmmo.com

Early West P.O. Box 9292 College Station, TX 77842 800-245-5841 979-764-7758 FAX

earlywest@verizon.net

Books – Western History & other West Related

Steven H. Maddock

Apishapa Studio

9 Holiday Drive

Tijeras, NM  87059

(505)286-9763

email: sawe21@hotmail.com

apishapa.com

Western Art Sculptures

West Creation

7916 FM 1241

Hamilton, TX 76531-3129

www.westcreations.com

email: westcreation@htcomp.net

Cowboy kitchen silverware, dinnerware, glass ware  and other western related products

Reflection of the Past

Judy & Melissa Jurgensen

2278 Harrods Pointe Trace

Lexington, KY  40514

www.ReflectionsOfThePast.org

Judy@ReflectionsOfThePast.org

Victorian ladies jewelry, hats & costumes

Buckaroo Bobbins

P.O. Box 1168

Chino Valley, AZ  86323-1168

www.buckaroobobbins.com

Authentic Vintage Western Clothing Patterns

FMG Publications

12345 World Trade Drive

San Diego, CA  92128

Publishers of these magazines:

    American Handgunner

    Guns

True West

P.O. Box 8008

Cave Creek, Arizona 85327

(408)575-1881

www.TRUEWESTMAGAZINE.COM

True West magazine

Benton Shooters

Highway 411

Benton, TN  37307

(423) 338-2008

www.Bentonshooters.com

Guns, hunting, fishing – all sporting equipment

Hamilton Dry Goods

4075 Roberts Matthews Hwy.

Sparta, TN 38583

(931) 739-6061

www.hamiltondrygoods.com

email: hamiltondrygoods@miltipro.com

Cowboy & Civil War Period Clothing and Merchandise

Saddlebag Bullets  (Cool Waters)

Bullets, reloading & gun cleaning supplies

Outrider  

Leathergoods

Wild West Wicks

11011 Desert Springs

Houston, TX 77095

281-851-0234 phone

info@wildwestwicks.com email

www.wildwestwicks.com

Candles with western scents

River Bend Rough Riders Cowboy Action Shooting Club

Canton, GA area

Contact:  Sheriff Donald  (770) 607-0794

sheriffdonald@hotmail.com

Terry’s Toys

Cowboy guns

Page 1

Volume 4, Issue No. 5                          May,  2006

70 SHOOTERS PARTICIPATE IN MEMORIAL DAY SHOOT

We had a record crowd, 70 cowgirls and cowboys, for a Memorial Day Shoot.  That ain’t bad, what with competition from the Mule Camp SASS Regional Shoot in GA, the Shoot Out at Rabbit Ridge / Mississippi State Championship Shoot , a long weekend for family travel, and oodles of high school graduation ceremonies.  From past history, we expected about 50 shooters, but we were pleasantly surprised.  Now that don’t mean that Pleasant had anything to do with it.  He and his boys, Unpleasant  and Pyro, were at Rabbit Ridge.  And Barn Scoop and his Mrs., Emerald Isle, were at Mule Camp.  Cherokee Maddog and Tabasco JOT were also there.  3 Junior Shooters participated in our match (Irish Jake, Lotta Faith and Last Hope), and Cactus Red’s little cowgirl plans to shoot in June. She was with ol’ dad, decked out in her nifty purple cowgirl hat.

Little Miss Cactus Red & Cactus Red

OUT ON THE SHOOTIN’ RANGE

Marshal Too Tall times Tennessee Mongo.

It was a good shoot.  Diamondback Dennis, who’s been absent for some time, returned with a bang and placed 1st in the Traditional category and was the Top Gun of the day.  Festus D. Deputy was the No. 2 Shooter, shooting a no-misses match in the process. In all, 7 shooters had no misses: Festus, Dustin Clays, Lightning McCoy, Owlhoot Hardin, Calibre .45, Hombre Sin Nombre and Deadman.  The Top 10 shooters were: (1) Diamondback Dennis (2) Festus D. Deputy (3) Dustin Clays (4) Fiddleback (5) Marshal Too Tall (6) Polecat Carl (7) L. D. Pondscum (8) Slater (9) Double Eagle and (10) Wildcat Wilkey.  Roma Jane was the Top Cowgirl Shooter of the day.

In the Buffalo Shoot Marshal Too Tall had tough rifle shootin’ competion.  He won the 100 yd. Lever Action, 100 yd. Single Shot and 25 yd. .22 Cal. classes.  But he had a shoot-off with Last Kiss to decide the Lever Action class and with Sundance McNeyman to determine the Single Shot class.  Sundance won the 100 yd pistol class.

BEFORE THE SHOOT – FRIENDLY COMPETITORS The Gunfighter, the Outlaw & the Senior (Shooting Classes)

L-R: Widowmaker, Curly Bill and Linc.  Deadeye Daisy in background between Widowmaker & Curly Bill.

SHOOT RESULTS:             Top Gun – Diamondback Dennis    

Buffalo Shoot:   

§         Long Range Lever Action,  Long Range  Single Shot & 25 yard .22 Cal –  Marshal Too Tall  –          §         Long Range Pistol – Sundance McNeyman  

NEXT SHOOT – JUNE 24   … BRING 2 BOXES OF SHOTGUN SHELLS

Page 2

Page 2

The Ocoee Ranger  page2                              May, 2006

THE REEL WEST, THE REAL WEST AND THE WEST OF OUR IMAGINATION

THE REAL WEST – FRANK LESLIE     1842 – ?

“Buckskin” Frank Leslie

“Buckskin” Frank Leslie was a character in Tombstone, AZ in the days preceding and following the shoot-out near the OK Corral.  Where he came from is sorta fuzzy.  Ol’ Frank told more than 1 version about that, and he told several versions about what he had done before his arrival in Tombstone. 1 version was that he had been an army scout, but that can’t be confirmed either.  Any way, that’s how he came to be called “Buckskin” Frank Leslie, because he supposedly wore a fringed buckskin shirt as a scout.

Arriving in Tombstone in 1880, he opened the Cosmopolitan Hotel.  But he wasn’t a quite innkeeper.  Not long after he arrived, he took up with a woman, who just happened to be married. Her husband apparently didn’t like the idea of sharing her with Frank, so in some sort of incident, Frank shot and killed the husband.  The shooting was ruled self defense, but Frank married her 2 months later. His feelings of amour were fleeting, however, and sometime later, they were divorced.  Remember Billy Claiborne, the cowboy who with Ike Clanton ran away from the shootout with the Earps and Doc Holiday?  Well, Billy wasn’t so lucky with Frank.  Following a confrontation, Frank dispatched Billy to the promised land, or somewhere not of this earth.

2 years after his divorce, Frank took up with a local career woman, who specialized in sporting pleasures.  But the relationship didn’t last. After popping a few corks too many, Frank shot her dead.  For that action, he earned a prize:  25 years at hard labor.  But 7 years into his sentence, he was pardoned, largely due to actions of another woman. Released from prison, Frank married the woman, lived quietly for a while, drifted up to the Klondike gold rush, and eventually moved to San Francisco. His fortunes went sour, however, and he disappeared.

THE WEST OF OUR IMAGINATION – FAST HARLEY

Fast Harley Fast Harley has been shootin’ cowboy a little more than 2 years, but he’s been a shooter for 40+ years.  “I heard about End of Trail 25 years ago and wanted to get into cowboy shootin’ back then, but I didn’t have the money, at the time.  About 6 years ago, I joined SASS, but I still didn’t have the money or the time.  I’d started remodeling a 106 year old house, and that took a lot of time and money. “  Harley said that he started getting his SASS guns “about 25 years ago.”

In 2004, Fast Harley attended his first SASS shoot, the Shoot Out at Pigeon Forge.  “I’d been shootin’ for a long time, and I didn’t think there’d be anything to it.  I finished about 2nd or 3rd from the bottom.  He sure doesn’t shoot there now.  He’s become a very good cowboy shooter. “I sometimes shoot .38’s, but mostly I shoot .45’s.  Real cowboys shoot .45’s.  I’m a history buff and think that the Old West and Civil War periods are the most interesting times in our history and should be preserved.  The Old West is the only truly unique part of our history, so I try to dress the part to help keep it alive.”

How did he come by his alias? “I’ve been a motorcycle rider for years and built my own bike. (A Harley Davidson) So, it seemed kinda natural.  Steel horses and real horses go together.  I’ve ridden both, but I don’t have horses anymore.”

Harley imparted a last comment, with a smile: “It’s a huge asset to have a spouse (Last Kiss) in the game.  You don’t have to explain gun purchases.”

THE REEL WEST – WILLIAM BOYD  1895 – 1972

Bill “Hopalong Cassidy” Boyd

William Boyd was born in Ohio and grew up in Oklahoma.  In 1918, he showed up in Hollywood where he became a silent film leading man.  But times changed and by the 1930’s, sound had arrived, and Bill’s hair had prematurely turned gray, which made him look like an old feller in an industry that marketed youth. Somehow, he teamed up with producer Harry Sherman and convinced Sherman to let him play Hopalong Cassidy in a series of low budget westerns, based upon a rougher character created by Clarence Mulford in his Cassidy novels.  The rest, as they say, is history. Bill Boyd became Hopalong Cassidy, his version of Hoppy, not Mulford’s.  Mulford’s character was red headed, crusty, shot to kill without hesitation and spoke fractured grammar. Bill’s Hoppy dressed in black, rode a white horse, packed 2 white handled six-shooters, was a dignified knight of the prairie, spoke properly, and was a perfect role model for all the big and little kids who went to see his movies.  And they went to see his movies religiously, so much so  that he became 1 of the top 5 cowboy stars for years.

During his career, Bill made 66 Hopalong Cassidy movies, some for other folks and some produced by his own company. Late in his movie career, he sold about everything he had and bought the rights to all his movies and to the Hopalong Cassidy name.  Then he made a few Hoppy movies himself, but he recognized the big screen market for his movies was gone, following WWII and the change in movie audience tastes. So, he entered the age of television. He edited all but about 12 of his movies from their original length to 54 minutes; to fit 1 hour slots complete with commercials, and sold them to be shown on TV, mostly NBC.  Then he edited the other 12 movies to a number of 30-minute slot versions, also for TV.  Then, he made 42 new 30 minute slot Cassidy productions.  And his TV appearance made Hopalong Cassidy a worldwide attraction, and made Bill a very wealthy man.  Then he developed a Hopalong Cassidy radio program and marketed a lot of Hopalong Cassidy products, like Deadman’s first wrist watch: a genuine Hopalong Cassidy watch. 

Bill Boyd and “Hopalong Cassidy” became synonymous.  And they left a legacy of cowboy movies and a lot of little cowboys and cowgirls who grew up with values that were either learned from or supported by the white haired hero in black. One such little girl grew up to become Summer Dove.  Hoppy was and still is her favorite cowboy.

Page 3

Page 3

The Ocoee Ranger page 3                                      May 2006

MAY WRANGLERS

Wranglers are special cowfolk.  They do a little more then their compadres (a lot more than some shooters) in helping their posses conduct monthly shoots. Sometimes, it’s hard to select Wranglers, because everyone works well.  Wranglers are awarded Wrangler status as an honor recommended by their posse leaders and confirmed by match officials. A Wrangler can be a shooter or a non-shooter, as long as she/he is dressed Western and earns the distinction of the award.  The award is not just given away frivolously.  Here are the folks recognized as Wranglers at the May Shoot:

  Tennessee Tombstone          Badlands Beck                 Lightning McCoy

                 Long Gulch               Tennessee Ted                   Keystone

                                  Fiddleback                        Moab Mangus  (no photo)    

PROUD GRAND PAW AND HIS COWGIRLS

L-R: Last Hope, Coffee Joe & Lotta Faith …

 Bermans all

OLD FARTS SHOOT 49ER

The bad makes it official.  Old Farts Shoot 49er.

Did you know that Old Farts shoot 49er?  Evidently, it’s true.  At least it is if you ask Ocoee Red, Marshal Too Tall, Festus D. Deputy, Double Eagle and some of their shooting pals in the Smokey Mountain Shootists and the Hooten Cowboys. Somehow, these colorful cowboys have formed a fraternity of ……. Well, you fill in the blank.  Ocoee Red is No. 1 and Marshal Too Tall is No. 1/2.  And. So on.

How do you become an Old Fart?  Well for starters, you have to be at least 49 years old.  And you have to have shot 49er at least once.  And you have to shoot 49er at least ever once in a while.  If you’re interested in becoming an official Old Fart, see Ocoee Red, Marshal Too Tall or Festus D. Deputy.

Page 1

Volume 4, Issue No. 4                                                    April  2006

BLUE SKIES AFTER THE RAIN, AND 57 SHOOTERS HAD A GREAT DAY SHOOTIN’

It started wet.  And when the Rev. Adam Jones arrived, someone said, “You’re fallin’ down on the job.  You’re in charge of weather.”  Then the Rev. smiled and said, “I am, and it’ll be sunny by 10:00 or 10:30.” And it was. It was a beautiful day, and to emphasize the colors of spring, Emerald Isle was decked out in a nifty red bonnet, with flowers and feathers, but she was still wearing her trademark, a green tie.

During the pre-shoot meeting and presentation of certificates, Fiddleback made an announcement:  he and Donsie Darlin’ are going to be married in November. That’s plum nifty.

Donsie Darlin’ (L) & Fiddleback (R) to be married in November

Loose Cinch observes Emerald Isle unload.

14 shooters shot no-miss matches: Marshal Too Tall, Pleasant, Festus D. Deputy, Tarantula Jack, Moab Mangus, Horseshoe John, Wildcat Wilkey, Sundance McNeyman, Grey Rider, Owlhoot Hardin, Tar Heel, Deadman and Tennessee Jake.  Last Kiss shot as a Gunfighter and was the top cowgirl shooter. And Deadfoot showed what a classy cowboy he is.  On his 2nd stage, 1 of his pistols fell from its holster, and he received a match DQ.  But he stayed with his posse and worked to help his pardners shoot the rest of the match, demonstrating “the Spirit of the Game.”

Marshal Too Tall was the Top Gun of the day, finishing 1st in 4 of the 5 stages shot.  And T-Bone Angus put together 5 fun stages to shoot. Once again, Owlhoot Hardin placed 1st in the Duelist category and shot a clean match while doing it. In all, 57 cowgirl and cowboy shooters participated in the April shoot.  The Top 10 Shooters were: (1) Marshal Too Tall, (2) Ocoee Red (3) Double Eagle (4) Unpleasant (5) Pleasant (6) Festus D. Deputy (7) Polecat Carl (8) Fiddleback (9) Tarantula Jack and (10) Widowmaker.

The Catoosa Kid and his Bisley Ruger smoke up the range shootin’

steel cowboys.

SHOOT RESULTS: 

§         Top Gun – Marshal Too Tall  

§         Buffalo Shoot:  .22 cal –   Outrider

§         Buffalo Shoot Long Range Lever Action & Long Range  Single Shot –  Marshal Too Tall §         Long Range Pistol – Sundance McNeyman

Page 2

Page 2

The Ocoee Ranger page 2                                                           April 2006

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

THE REEL WEST –  Ray Whitley   1901 – 1979

Ray Whitley

Ray Whitley.  Have you ever heard that name?  Probably not, but Ray made a lasting impact on the Western movie business, in country western music, and in the musical instrument business.  That ain’t bad for a boy born in Atlanta, GA and raised on a farm in Alabama.  After Ray left the farm, he worked at various jobs, served in the Navy, did other jobs, and then picked up a guitar and became a professional singer and songwriter. Eventually, Ray went to California and played Hopalong Cassidy’s sidekick in Hopalong Cassidy Returns.  During his movie career, he would play supporting parts, usually singing, after all this was the singing cowboy era.  He made movies with Bill “Hopalong Cassidy” Boyd, George O’Brien, Tim Holt, Rod Cameron and others and, with his cowboy band, he made 18 musical shorts for RKO. He was even in a Big Budget Film once:  he played the ranch manager in Giant, the Liz Taylor – James Dean film.

As a songwriter, Ray wrote a lot of songs that he recorded and songs that became successes for other singers. Good Bye Old Paint is 1 of Ray’s songs. Probably his best-known song is Back In The Saddle Again.  He wrote the original song real quick.  At  5:00 am one morning, the studio he was working for called and told him they needed a western song for the movie he was in, Border G-Men. So, he sat on the side of the bed and wrote “Back In The Saddle Again”, then sang it in the movie.  Gene Autry heard the song, liked it, and contacted Ray.  Gene made a few changes in the song, used it in 2 of his movies, and it became his theme song for the remainder of his career. In 2004, National Public Radio put together a list of the 100 most important songs of all time.  Ray and Gene’s version of Back In The Saddle Again was in that 100-song group.

Oh yeah, 1 other little tidbit.  Ray designed the SJ-200 guitar series for the Gibson Guitar Co., and that model became the standard instrument for many years for country western performers. 

THE WEST OF OUR IMAGINATION – the CATOOSA KID

The Catoosa Kid

The Catoosa Kid is one of our core-group of shooters who began cowboy shooting at Guns & Stuff, in Whitwell, TN.  That was back in 1998. When Catoosa started, he shot against Deadfoot and TN Jake and Tellico and T-Bone and Deadman.  And then Horseshoe John rode into camp, and then ….  You get the picture. Catoosa’s SASS No. is 18,541.  SASS is giving away numbers in the 70 thousands today.

Every cowboy shooter gets involved some how.  Deadfoot got Catoosa to go with him and try it out.  He did.  And they’ve both been cowboy shooters ever since.  Of course Catoosa shoots better today then he did way back then. All of them early shooters do, except for Deadman and Deadfoot.  That’s probably why they’re Dead-something.

What does Catoosa shoot?  . 44 Mags.  He started out shootin’ Traditional, “but T-Bone talked me into shooting Black Powder.”  That’s what he shoots now. How’d he select his alias?  Here’s what he said. “Well, I live in Catoosa County, GA.  So, I became the Catoosa Kid.  But for a while there was another one.  We both showed up to shoot, and both of us had Catoosa Kid as an alias.  T-Bone asked if either of us was in SASS.  I was, so the other fella had to use a different name.”  If you know Catoosa, you know that he doesn’t talk much.  This was a long story for him.

When he’s not cowboy shootin’, Catoosa has another hobby:  he flies his own airplane.  And he recently bought another plane.  He said, “It looks liked a small P-51 mustang.  It needs some work done on it.  It’s in my basement now.”

Who’s his favorite silver screen cowboy?  John Wayne of course.  Shootin’ .44’s and watching John Wayne means the Catoosa Kid is a real cowboy.

THE REAL WEST –  Edward Zane Carroll Judson   1823 – 1886

Edward Z. C. Judson

Edward Zane Carroll Judson was many things in his lifetime:  sailor, sergeant, womanizer, husband shooter, shady-dealer, writer, playwright, actor and creator of legends.  Although born in Stamford, NY, Ed is remembered for his contribution to creating the myth and legend that became the “historical” Wild West.  As a boy, Ed ran away from home and went to sea.  After getting into trouble, he left to pursue other activities, such as giving temperance lectures, between periods of drunkenness.  He also married many times, sometimes to more than 1 gal at a time.  Of course marriage wasn’t required; he fooled around with married women too.  Shucks, he had to shoot 1 gal’s husband as he beat a retreat:  Ed was good at running. He started a magazine, but that didn’t last long.  Somewhere in all his various lives, he served in the Union Army as a sergeant, for a while. Then he was busted to private. But that title didn’t fit his image.  So, he promoted himself to “Colonel”, and that’s how he became know in later years.

Eventually, Ed went west and met a 23 year old scout named Bill Cody.  Bill was full of hot air and tall tales, and Ed was the same.  So, they swapped yarns.  Then Ed went back east and wrote a story called Buffalo Bill: King of the Border Men. And then he wrote other stories about Bill.  It didn’t matter to either of them that the stuff written was fiction.  Ed had created an honest to gosh legendary figure.  Then he wrote a play called Scouts of the Plains, in 4 whole hours.  The Chicago audiences loved it, although the plot was the pits and the acting was wooden and awful.  Shucks, they got to see the real Buffalo Bill Cody, and Texas Jack Omohundro, and Ed, appearing as a fictional scout. And the rest is history. Myth replaced truth.  Legend replaced fact, and together Bill and Ed created the Western Myth of the Wild West and supported that image for years.

Oh yeah, you probably don’t know Ed by his real name.  You know him as Ned Buntline, author of dime novels.

Page 3

Page 3

The Ocoee Ranger page 3                                     April 2006

DOUBLE EAGLE FINISHES 1ST IN TN MODERN CLASS AT THE KENTUCKY – TENNESSEE STATE BLACKPOWDER CHAMPIONSHIP

Double Eagle

Double Eagle ventured up to Possum Trot on the Tennessee Kentucky border and shot in the Blackpowder championship, placing 1st in the Tennessee Modern Class. When asked about his feat, he said, “You know, that was the 1st time I ever shot blackpowder. I didn’t know what class I was going to shoot in.  But I had 7 sets of guns, so I just decided to shoot Modern.”  Standing near by, Ocoee Red laughed and said, “He hung around and picked the class he thought he could win somethin’ in.”

However he decided what to shoot, he shot good.  And that’s what counts.

WIDOWMAKER HOLDS WORLD GUNFIGHTER RECORD

Widowmaker

Did you know that Widowmaker is a World Record Holder? It’s true. He holds the record for, from a standing position with his hands touching his pistols, drawing and firing 10 shots gunfighter style and hitting a steel target.  He did that in 1.99 seconds.

How’d he prove it?  Well, to be considered for a record position, a shooter has to perform the action, complying with the rules, on video with each shot clearly shown and with a timer clearly shown in the picture. Then, the videotape has to be sent to Lead Dispenser and Doc Shapiro for evaluation.   So, Widowmaker did his thing, sent in the evidence, and now it’s official.  At the April shoot, he gave a demonstration of his fast shooting ability. He can shoot 10 shots faster than this word scratcher can even think about doing it.

COWGIRLS ON THE RANGE

L – R:  Mesquite Millie (Scorekeeper & Asst. Newsletter Editor), Last Kiss (lady gunfighter and Posse Leader) and Santa Fe (Score keeper and better half of Loose Cinch)

PHOTOGENIC COWBOYS

Have you ever noticed how some cowboys seem more photogenic than others?  Do you know 1 of the reasons?  No, it ain’t necessarily because they’re prettier.  It’s color: a colored shirt or vest or simply wearing a colorful bandana with a white shirt.  White shirts and white hats don’t show well. 

Coffee Joe Demonstrates color

APRIL WRANGLERS

Being awarded Wrangler status for a monthly shoot is an honor bestowed on cowgirls and cowboys who work a bit beyond the norm to help their posse to conduct a match. A Wrangler can be a shooter or a non-shooter, as long as she/he is dressed Western and earns the distinction of the award.  Here are the folks recognized as Wranglers at the April Shoot:

                    Tennessee Tombstone                        Fast Harley

               Tennessee Jake                                          Double Eagle

                                                       Deadfoot

Page 1

Volume 4, Issue No. 3                     March 25,  2006

65 SHOOTERS, INCLUDING 8 COWGIRLS, BRAVED THE COLD AT MARCH 25TH SHOOT

What could you say about the March 25th shoot? How about, “cold”?  That just about describes it.  But the turn out was good.  65 daring cowfolk showed up to battle the Clang Gang.  And 8 of them good guys were cowgirls.  Clint Eastwood was well represented.  Hombre Sin Nombre showed up decked out as Eastwood’s “man with no name” character, complete with hat, serape, mini-cigar, gun-rig and beard stubble.  (Hombre Sin Nombre in Spanish means man with no name.) But it didn’t end there.  Dustin Clays was sportin’ a Josey Wales hat.  Old Clint would have smiled at them and have said, “You boys made my day.” Or maybe he’d have wondered off to watch the cowgirls shoot and have ignored both of them. 

The Eastwood Cowboys. 

L – R: Dustin Clays & Hombre sin Nombre

The cowgirls shot real good.  (Professor Owlhoot Hardin would have said they shot well.) Killin’ Time was the top cowgirl shooter, shooting Lady Duelist. She also shot a match with no misses.  Other shooters who shot no miss matches were: Double Eagle, Marshal Too Tall, Festus D. Deputy, Pleasant, Cool Waters, Owlhoot Hardin, Tennessee Ted and Hombre Sin Nombre,  

Double Eagle was the Top Gun, followed closely by Marshal Too Tall.

In the Buffalo shoot/pre match side shoot, Pleasant and Marshal Too Tall had to shoot 2 shoot-offs before Too Tall, King of the Side Match, won the Long Range Lever Action Rifle Shoot.  He also won the .22 cal. and the Single Shot Long Range Rifle Shoot.  Mad Mike won the Long Range Pistol competition, then he had to ride real fast and hard to get to work.

OUT ON THE RANGE

Barn Scoop shoots yellow boy, black powder style.

Emerald Isle loads & Ocoee Red times.

Adios, Whiskey River Nelson

Unfortunately, this is the last regular Ocoee Rangers match for Whiskey River Nelson.  Like a lot of cowboys of the silver screen and in real life, he’s headed to Texas. Our loss is their gain.

If you lost a hatband at the shoot, see Mesquite Millie at the next shoot.

SHOOT RESULTS:  Top Gun – Double Eagle

Buffalo Shoot:  .22 cal –   Marshal Too Tall

Long Range Lever Action – Marshal Too Tall

Long Range Pistol – Mad Mike

Long Range Single Shot –  Marshal Too Tall

NEXT SHOOT – APRIL 22

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.

Page 2

Page 2

The Ocoee Ranger page 2                  March 25, 2006

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

THE REEL WEST –  R. G. Armstrong

R. G. Armstrong

Robert Golden Armstrong is an actor who helped make Western movies good. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, he graduated from college at the University of North Carolina, and then headed to New York where he appeared in many stage productions.  But, in time, Bob headed west to appear in movies.  And, in addition to many other roles, he appeared in a lot of Western movies and Western TV shows. Sometimes he was a good guy, but usually, he was a bad guy, sometimes a very sanctimonious sounding bad guy. 

During his career, Bob appeared in HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL, THE RIFLEMAN, ZANE GREY THEATER, and many other small screen outings.  But he also appeared in big screen movies. Shucks, he was in one that the critics recognize as a Western movie classic, RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY.  That movie stared Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea.  Bob played the father of the gal who ran away from home to get away from him and to pursue a no good miner.  He also appeared with Kris Kristofferson in PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID.  Bob was the deputy who harassed & threatened Billy with a shotgun and told him that the shells were loaded with dimes.  The Kid shoots him with the shotgun and says, “Keep the change, Bob.” That was his name in the movie, Bob.

Bob ’s acting career spanned 60 years. In his various roles, he was very good. He could play guys that you liked, and he could very convincingly play villains and others that you didn’t like.  In short, Bob could play a major character, or back up the hero as a good guy, or make the hero look good when playing a villain. He was versatile. But this sounds like he’s gone, and he isn’t. He’s just retired. Do you think Bob ever considered getting into Cowboy Action Shooting? That’s what Linc and Owlhoot Hardin do, and they’re retired.

THE WEST OF OUR IMAGINATION – KEYSTONE and DAGNABIT DEB

Keystone and Dagnabit Deb Keystone has been cowboy shooting for 3 ½ years.  Introduced to the sport by a work associate, Tennessee Hawk, he started shooting as a double Duelist, with a pair of Ruger .357 magnum pistols.  But he knew from the start that he was going to shoot Gunfighter. And real Gunfighters shoot .45’s.  So about a year ago, Keystone bought a pair of 7½ inch barrel Ruger .45’s.  What does a cowboy do with a set of pistols that he’s out-grown? Sell them, of course.  So, Keystone entertained the idea of selling them to Fiddleback.  But sometimes plans change.  His better half, who had been thinking about getting into the game, decided she’d better move before the .357’s found a new home. And she did.  So for the last year, there has been both a cowboy and a cowgirl shooter in the family.

How’d they get their aliases?  Well, Keystone is from Pennsylvania. He could have been the Peppermint Patty Kid (Peppermint Patty candy was made in his home town), but he chose “Keystone”, from the Keystone state.  Deb sorta earned her name.  When she and Keystone went out to practice and she did something Keystone thought she should do differently, he’d say, “Dag nabit, Deb”: her name is Debbie.  So, Dagnabit Deb was born.  Her goal is to out shoot Keystone.

What does Keystone like best about cowboy shooting? “The people and having a good time.  What have you ever done that’s more fun than cowboy shooting with the 2 groups we shoot with (Knoxville and Cleveland)?”

THE REAL WEST –  ANNIE RODGERS

Annie Rodgers & Harvey Logan

Annie Rodgers was born as Della Moore in Texas and grew up to become a career woman: a lady of pleasure.  For you sheltered cowboys, that means that Annie was a prostitute.  She worked in saloons and cathouses, including Fanny Porter’s house of pleasure in San Antonio.  Annie was a slim, dark haired, attractive gal, and when Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch came calling at Miss Fanny’s, Annie consorted with them. They were young, wild, not bad looking and had plenty of money, while they were there. Eventually, she took a shine to Harvey Logan, aka Kid Curry, became his woman and traveled a bit with him, sometimes posing as his wife.

Annie wasn’t a robber, but she did perform a useful service for the boys.  No, not that. She fenced the stuff that the boys robbed.

In 1901, Harvey and a few friends robbed a Great Northern train near Wagner, Montana.  After the robbery, they scattered. They had taken a lot of large denomination bills, the kind that attracted attention when they’d try to cash one, and a lot of bank notes, which hadn’t been signed and were technically not legal tender. Harvey solved that problem: he signed some of the banknotes himself.  Then, he had Annie try to convert large bills to small stuff and pass some of the bank notes.

Bingo!  Annie was caught trying to trade large bills for small ones, was arrested and was taken to jail…..in Nashville, TN.  Annie didn’t talk, and she kept her appearance top shape. The attractive young woman got a lot of newspaper coverage, and a businessman in Nashville became her benefactor and paid her legal bills.  At that time, her feller, Harvey Logan, was a guest in the Knox County jail in Knoxville.  He didn’t talk either.

Annie went to trial and was found not guilty by a sympathetic jury, who observed the trials and tribulations of the attractive young woman.  She left town and departed Tennessee.  A short time later, Harvey escaped from the Knox County jail.  A year later, Harvey was dead, following a piddley-dip robbery. Annie disappeared.