Apache!

Fort Craig, where Captain Walker's party camped, was the last military post on the river below Albuquerque. After a  gift of a whiskey party, Walker was ready to get serious.  They were entering dangerous Indian territory, so from now on campfires in the middle of the camp with the men's beds in a circle around it was the rule.  Saddles nearby to provide cover and horses would graze beyond the men and on the perimeter armed guards would patrol in shifts throughout the night.

Three days out from Fort Craig it happened.  Around midnight a group of Apache slipped through the guards, attempted to stampede the livestock - but it failed. The Apache escaped unseen but Walker gave the guards a piece of his mind and went back to bed.  In the morning light, smoke signals on the hills were visible and Walker explained to his greenhorn men that they were telegraph signals.

Next time....Bullies of the Southwest

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This Day in History...On January 5, 1846, the U.S. House of Representatives passes a resolution calling for an end to British-American sharing of the Oregon Territory,  boldly reversing its long-standing policy of "free and open" occupation.

Frontier Fridays: Winter Actuivities and Chores on the Frontier

What Kinds of Activities did the pioneer do during the winter months?

Made Sugar Snow! - Those in plains states this year can try this out! Clean Snow (the fluffy kind) drizzled with Maple Syrup!

Repairing Equipment - wagon, plows, windows, saddles, etc.

 Can you add some?

America's Drinking Problem

Joe O'Conner was probably one of the most troublesome people in Jackson County while Walker was sheriff.  He was frequently drunk and disorderly, assultive and sort of like Otis on the Andy Griffith Show, but with a temper which later in life turned him into a real nasty badman.  During Walker's stint as Sheriff though, O'Conner was mostly a nuisance who spent most of his nights in the county jail.

By 1830 the annual consumption of hard liquor in the United States was 5 gallons per person, triple was it is today.  Water and milk were considered contaminated and unhealthy to drink.  Coffee and tea were acceptable, but tea was too British for a generation once removed from the war. Corn whiskey was considered good for you and safe, plentiful and cheap.  Farmers found it easier and more profitable to distill their own and transport it.  Americans drank morning, noon and night - judges were drunk on the bench, preachers were drunk in the pulpit, laborers lost days of work to drunkenness.  Liver damage, dyspepsia and delirium treatment were common illnesses.

Walker was not a teetotaler by any means - but never a drunk.  Most likely Joe enjoyed drinking socially and after a hard day at the office.

Next time...Keeping the Peace

Emerging Frontier Towns

The urban frontier grew just as the rural frontier grew.  Back east the popular view was the civilized society came as the towns came a reality.  They evolved from trading posts like Denver and San Francisco or from supply stations along the trail like Kansas City and St Joseph did.  Some were once just rest stops like Salt Lake City or destinations like Portland.  Interestingly enough, the population ratio of men to women stayed close to that of eastern cities.

American frontiersmen were not only farmers but also town builders, planners, and speculators,  Phoebe Judson noted in her journal in 1854 Missouri:  " New buildings spring up in all directions and everything wore that indescribably air of excitement and thrill that accompanies the carving out of a town in the wilderness"

25% of pioneer families stayed 10 years or more.  To pack up and move a family, find a new homestead, build another house, plant another farm or start another business - it was expensive and stressful.  The longer a family stayed in one place, the more successful they became.  A family that moved often were searching for success, economic stability, better farm but seldom did they do better in the next place.

In growing rural communities, there also grew transiency, social and economic division and conflict.   The town's population was young, with most families living outside the town's limits.  During a 20 year period, 40-50% of the town's younger women had no children at all, and 20-30% had but one child, quite a shift in trend from that of their parents and grandparents.

Next time... Women are called to civilize the frontier.