Age of the Gunfighter.

[northwestgrizzly]

Got this one yesterday too.....lots of good pictures.

[Irish Dave]

Yep. Good book.

[kflach]

Is this a good book just because the stories are interesting, or is this a good 'reference' for documenting clothing? Is it full of dated photos or stylized illustrations?

[James Hunt]

Rosa is considered a very credible author for the period and a scholar on the life of Wild Bill Hickok. In some cases dates are applied to images shown, yet as with anything you are left wondering where they got them from. However, sometimes the images themselves indicate date by what or who is in them. And that is useful, as such this book has many images and is relatively cheap.

As an example of implied picture use, below is an image of King Fisher. We know when he died. The photographer probably asked Fisher to shove his hat up to expose his face, in dong so we can clearly see use of a "bonnet string" (don't ask if you don't know, we spent a considerable amount of server space on this one a few years ago) which indicates its use on civilian headwear at least in the late 1870's. So in that way the book is very useful.



His hat is staying on his head, even in the Saloon where this was taken.

[kflach]

Thanks James. I found a link to an excerpt of the book and it looks quite interesting. The price looks reasonable too. I'm putting it on my "To Get" list.

[St. George]

There's no 'all-comprehensive' reference available - there are a helluva lot of 'good' books, though.

I have an 'extensive' reference library dealing with Clothing, Weapons, Frontier Military, Indians, Mexicans, Victoriana, Customs and Courtesies, Saloons, Prostitution, Beer, and pretty much anything else that comprised the 'Old West', or 'Militaria' - a few thousand books, monographs, papers, diaries and the like.

And yet mine is a small reference library compared to a couple of guys I know - and 'yes' I 'have' read them all...

Start at the local Library and talk to a Librarian to see what they can get - and be prepared to be amazed.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Chance]

If you find Rosa's book hard to come by look out for Gunfighters - The Outlaws and their Weapons edited by Chris McNab.
ISBN 1-59223-507-7. It's virtually the same book in a slightly different format. I think I got my copy at Barnes & Noble a three or four years back.

Chance

[northwestgrizzly]

I am impressed with the fire-arms layouts with attached legend, giving you some basic information if you want to do further research on that particular item.

[Rube Burrows]

I have had this book since about 1993 and really have enjoyed it over the years. It even makes a quick mention of Rube Burrows along with a head shot that came from the pic of him in his wooden box. 

[Delmonico]

His hat is staying on his head, even in the Saloon where this was taken.

Yep, at least one now.   Still ain't convinced they were far from common.   

[James Hunt]

and two



and three



plus

Taken from I see by your outfit, by Lindmier and Mount: "Some Cowboy's used a leather thong which passed around the base of the crown and under the chin to keep the wind from blowing away their hats" John R Huhges, an early 1880's cowboy commented that the use of two "buckskin strings" to secure the cowboy's broad brim hat was common.

However, the authors then go on to say, maybe in Montana but they could find no images of Wyoming cowboys using them. Note that this refers to two buckskin strings, and not a braided, decorative modern "stampede cord".

Further from: The Unconventional History of Civilization on the Old-Time Cattle Range, by Philip Ashton Rollins (1869-1950), published 1936 "from either side of the brim at its inner edge, depended a buckskin thong; these two thongs, sometimes known as 'BONNET STRINGS' (my emphasis) being tied together and so forming a guard, which during rapid riding or in windy weather was pushed under the base of the skull, but which at other times was thrust inside the hat"

From Trail Drivers of Texas, by J. L. McCaleb, Carrizo Springs, Texas,  On page 484: "I went up the trail in 1868 with a herd for Mitchell Dixon of Hays County. "Then, on page 486: "We bedded our cattle for the last time near Abilene, Kansas. The boss let myself and another boy go to the city one day. As it had been a long time since we had seen a house or a woman, they were good to look at. I wore a black plush hat which had a row of small stars around the rim, with buck-skin strings to tie and hold on my head. We went into town, tied our ponies, and the first place we visited was a saloon and dance hall."

There is no evidence that either the term "stampede cord" or the modern stampede cord sold in western wear stores today ever existed, however hat strings were there, might have been regional and less than common in some areas, but in others there use appears not uncommon by any means.

Don't get us started on strings  , that last time we did this I think we crashed the servers!  

[Delmonico]

And it all started because it was one of my back burner projects and I asked when I seen pictures of a certain bunch for documentation cause I hadn't found it yet.  Took a while, glad you all finally found it, looked bad for ya for a while.

Me I'll stick with fittin' hats proper and not need it, mine survived 50 mph winds the other night.   Course with the -35 Wc it might have froze on.

[Will Ketchum]

See we can have a disagreement and resolve things without having an attitude!

Will Ketchum

[FEATHERS]

I'd say Mr Ward Bond may have had the first Stampede string Feathers