Catching Up

As some of you may have noticed, I haven't been keeping up with this lately.  There's good reason.  I have been busier that a one legged man in a butt kicking contest.  Earlier this month I received word that I was needed to do the regular monthly Shakespeare Ghost Town tours.  So looks as iffn I'll be heading to Lordsburg once a month for at least this summer. 
Easter Week end was the first Living History week end at Shakespeare.  Had over 125 folks come visit and take the tour.  This marked the opening of the dance studio for the first time.  Kay Shannon conducted that part of the tour, with yours truly leading the folks the rest of the way. 
This after noon sees the premier of issue 5 of "Hell Paso: The Dallas Stoudenmire Story" from Jimmy Daze Comics.  Jimmy Portillo and his crew will be on hand at the El Paso Museum of History to talk about the series, and to autograph copies of the comics.
Also this week, the first two video clips for Old West El Paso Video were posted on You Tube.  They are rough, but hey, it's the first editing I have done since 1979.  There are more to follow as I collect footage and find time to edit and post the clips.  I am shooting at 5 minute clips, covering events and places connected to El Paso and Old West History.   Hopefully sometime this week I will be able to add the video page to the website.

So for now, you all take care, may God bless, and keep your powder dry....
Between two trips to Shakespeare, and school, I have to admit I am one pooped Lil Cowboy. 

Labor Day Weekend 2010

 I was clearing out the posts and found this one in the archives that I hadn't published.  Figured iffn it was worth keepin', it was worth postin'.

Well, Hell must have frozen over this year. For the first time since 1996 I will be here in El Paso for Labor Day Week end. Due to financial considerations, and home issues, I had to cancel my annual pilgrimage to the "Town Too Tough to Die." Dave and Millie Cookson, and Marilyn Weaver of the Paso del Norte Pistoleros willl be heading down to judge the parade. Dangerous Dave will fill in for me as Judge.

This will be the 29th annual Rendevouz of Gunfighters. I am proud to say I have attended most of them. In the beginning the costuming was blah to say the least. My running joke was that when the "dance hall girls" asked if you wanted to see their "plums", they had to lift their skirts. In the six years I have been judging the parade on Sunday, the attire has improved dramatically.  Every once in awhile I see a throw back to the "Bad old Days", but not very often.

I have met some wonderful people there over the years as well.  The Traywicks have always been gracious and supportive.

I'm gonna miss it.  But come Hell or High Water I'm gonna make it next year!!!!!

Early day gunfights, and what we DON'T know about them.

 Aultman Collection El Paso Public Library

This month we see the anniversary of one or two of the early day encounters here in El Paso. One of the first took place in 1858.  It involved Dr Frank Giddings, and a gambler by the name of Tom Smith.   It was a brief encounter, and we only really have one primary account of the story, that being Nancy Hamilton's in her biography of Ben Dowell.  We have it from W.W. Mills that he attempted to prevent two men from killing each other with pistols, when he was informed that it was considered bad manners to interfere thata way.  There is the story told of a gentleman taking pot shots at a politician, and missing.  Either in outrage at the poor marksmanship, or that folks actually liked the politician, the guilty gentleman was chased behind the Central Hotel, where he was gunned down.  We also have the story of three men sentenced to death in 1879.  Instead of hanging, they were sentenced to death by firing squad.  Acting as Marshal, Ben Dowell commanded the squad that carried out the executions, right there on El Paso street.  Again, We have very little to  work on with these stories, even fewer details.  With the arrival of the railroads in 1881, three newspapers began operations.  Through them we have a fairly reasonable idea of the events during and after various encounters here in El Paso, plus the surrounding area.  It would be an very nice addition to El Paso's Old West history iffn some up start "want to be" began researching the archives and records, putting a better picture togather concerning those early day gunfights.  Just an idea.


El Paso Inc, interviewed Bernie Sargent this week in his capacity as Chairman of the El Paso County Historical Commission.  Darn good piece.  I do disagree with some of the over all concepts the Mayor's Lyceum, and the Down Town Revitalization crew have put forth, but they are at least looking the the right general direction.

Not So Secret Dallas Stoudenmire Society

It's the 18th of September. On this date in 1882, Jim Manning put a bullet in the back of Dallas Stoudenmire's head, thus ending a 18 month feud that terrorized El Paso. Just who was Dallas Stoudenmire? Funny you should ask. He was born in Alabama to a farmer father. He enlisted and fought with the Confederate States Army during the "War of Northern Aggression". By the accounts he was a fearless fighter, and wounded severely several times. There are rumors that after the war. like so many other Confederate veterans, he sold his services to Maximilian in Mexico. in 1874, Stoudenmire was a Texas Ranger, in Co A Frontier Battalion. It was Co A under Capt Waller that chased through 5 counties in Texas, after one John Wesley Hardin. Stoudenmire was probably in the thick of it. We do know that by 1881 he was a deputy in Socorro, New Mexico.

Early El Paso didn't have much luck with their City Marshals. Between July 1880 and April 1881 the city had gone through five men, including the town drunk, in their search for a man that could curb the rising tide as the rail road approached. Stanley "Doc" Cummings ran several restaurants in town, and he along with Capt Baylor of the Rangers submitted Stoudenmire's name in for consideration. April 11th, 1881 he was appointed City Marshal.

A rising power block in El Paso at the time was headed by the Manning brothers. Also of Alabama breeding, they also fought in the COnfederate side, and hired out to Maximilien. By 1879, Frank Manning was here in El paso as a Texas Ranger. By 1880, he was running a saloon at the head of the Southern Pacific tracks, relocating to the Dowell Saloon after Ben Dowell passed away in November, 1880. Along with brothers James and John, the Manning owned a ranch out near present day Canutillo. This ranch served as a clearing house and Head Quarters for the local rustlers and thives working out of the Ft Fillmore Bosque. James would run for mayor in 1881, and come in dead last.

At the very beginning, Stoudenmire clashed with the Mannings. April 14th, the was a gun battle in the middle of El Paso Street, which history calls the "4 Dead in 5 Seconds", Stoudenmire had removed most the brains in the Mannings' rustling operation. They sent Bill Johnson, town drunk and ex-City Marshal to assassinate Stoudenmire on the 17th. Johnson ended up dead instead of Stoudenmire. There were several other attempts, and Stoudenmire never passed by an excuse to harass the Mannings in return. Because of the tension, Stoudenmire began drinking heavilly, and was almost as much a terror to the town and the rustlers and outlaws. He stepped down as Marshal in May 1882, and was appointed as a Deputy U.S. Marshal soon afterwards.

Very early the morning of September 18th, 1882 Dallas Stoudenmire arrived from Deming. He had a packet of papers to serve. And one man was known to hang out at the Manning Saloon, so Stoudenmire stops long enough to take a look inside the saloon, then leaves to have a drink at the Acme Saloon. In true typical El Paso fashion, the story was spread and distorted to the point that by the time Frank Manning heard about it when he arrived at 10:00, it sounded as if Stoudenmire had been there to gunn down the brothers. Emmissaries went back and forth between the two parties all day, trying to sooth things over. Finally about 5:30 that evening, a truce was agreed upon, and all that was needed was to seal the deal with drinks.

About 6:00 Stoudenmire arrived at the Manning Saloon with Walt Jones, former Ranger, and part owner of the Acme. As Frank went to get Jim Manning, Doc Manning and Dallas got into an arguem,ent, guns were pulled. Jones tried to separate the men, and threw Stoudenmire off. Doc Manning got the first shot off, wounding Stoudenmire in the arm. Manning's secdond shot wounded him in the chest. Stoudenmire managed to get one shot off, shattering Doc Mannings arm. Doc, realizing that he was a dead man, grappled Stoudenmire with his good arm, pinning the larger man's gun to his side. The two crashed through the doors and out onto the board walk. As Doc and Dallas struggled in a macabre dance of death, Jim Manning came out and fired a shot, splintering a barber pole. Stepping closer, Jim Manning fired again, killing the big Deputy Marshal.

Doc Manning was tried for "Assault with Intent to Murder" and was acquitted in less than 5 minutes. Jim manning was tried for Murder, and acquitted in even less time. Stoudenmire was dressed out and sent to Columbus, Texas for burial by Masonic Lodge #3.

The Not So Secret Dallas Stoudenmire Society will be holding an informal meeting at the El Paso street side of the Camino Real Hotel this evening at 6:00. Bring your own beverage as we toast the man and his times.

The website, the website, the website

After much cussing, swearing, and sweat I got the improvements on OldWestElPaso.Com posted this evening. All to early this morning I thought I had it nailed down, but on review online, found the links for the calendar and Plaza Classic page wouldn't work. I fitzed around for a couple of hours this evening and got it fixed, and all seems to be working well for now.

The first big changes folks are going to notice and the links page, and the gunfight page. I like the new format for the links page, and with maybe one or two tweaks, don't plan to change it much again.

I made the Gunfight Section it's own page. It makes for easier access to the stories. Once I get some operating capital again, I want to purchase the rights to use the fantastic photos and maps available here in town, to illustrate the stories.

I have plans to rewrite the Shakespeare Ghost Town page. There are more photos to gather and sort, before I begin that project.

Well that's all for now folks. Take care, Keep your powder dry.