Saturday, January 31, 2015

1875: News Reporting at Its Finest #western @JacquieRogers




January in the Old West
by Jacquie Rogers

I'd planned to write my article on A Million Ways to Die in the West, but can't overwhelmingly endorse it. <snort>  Okay, I did laugh out loud a few times, but if they'd taken the F-bomb out of the script, the movie would've been about 20 minutes long.  Enough said about that.

So it's back to my favorite stomping grounds, the archives of The Owyhee Avalanche.  I didn't have to look far, and I'm not going write a whole lot today, because this report of a house fire really tickled my funny bone, and I hope you're entertained as well.

From the January 3, 1874 issue of The Owyhee Avalanche:


And of course they partied--here's how, from the January 30, 1875 issue:


I'm thinkin' this reporter wasn't too enamored with dentists:



That's all for this month.  I've been busy because my Hearts of Owyhee rights reverted back to me Dec. 31, so I've been working on getting the books reissued, renumbered with new covers and a few typo corrections.  Here they are:


Hearts of Owyhee
Much Ado About Madams
Much Ado About Marshals
Much Ado About Miners
Much Ado About Mavericks
coming soon:
Much Ado About Mustangs

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9 comments:

  1. Renaissance WomenJanuary 31, 2015 at 12:32 PM

    I'm still laughing at the 'chimney fire' article. They did love using words back then, didnt they? As a fellow newspaper archive aficionado, I heartly applaud this post, to heck the 'Million Ways to Die...". Doris

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    1. Jacquie RogersFebruary 1, 2015 at 12:56 AM

      I laughed when Mrs. Frazer kicked off the heels of her $8 French gaiters. And poor Mr. Frazer. LOL.

      Delete
  2. Oscar CaseJanuary 31, 2015 at 2:00 PM

    HAHAHAHA and HAHA, a corker of an article!

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    Replies
    1. Jacquie RogersFebruary 1, 2015 at 12:56 AM

      Sure was. I love finding these golden items. Thanks for stopping by, Oscar.

      Delete
  3. Robyn EcholsJanuary 31, 2015 at 2:41 PM

    I love it! What else can I say?

    Robyn Echols writing as Zina Abbott

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    Replies
    1. Jacquie RogersFebruary 1, 2015 at 12:57 AM

      Me, too! And I couldn't resist. I'd love to put this scene in a book but I don't know how you could improve upon it.

      Delete
  4. Kaye SpencerJanuary 31, 2015 at 3:20 PM

    Jqcquie,

    The guy looking up the chimney as the water comes down on him reminds me of the Jerry Clower line... "shoot up here amongst us... someone's got to have some relief" lolol

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    Replies
    1. Jacquie RogersFebruary 1, 2015 at 12:58 AM

      ROTFL! And the poor fellow who clotheslined himself.

      Delete
  5. Keith SouterFebruary 1, 2015 at 1:22 PM

    Great stuff, Jacquie. As Doc Marcus Quigley would agree, the life of an itinerant dentist was never easy.

    ReplyDelete