Sunday, November 29, 2009

Old Time Cowgirl Declared A Myth







Cowgirl  of the Plains declared  "Mythical Creature" 

It was so declared by a former state official from Kansas in 1926. The cowgirl is a myth. She didn't ride the plains and prairies, never stuck like glue to the back of a snortin', bitin, whirleygiggin' cayuse and would not have been caught dead (or alive) wearing britches, rounding up and branding cattle like her male cohorts in the west.  The "former state official" not only verbally declared the cowgirl a myth, he included the charge in his memoirs now contained in the archives of the Kansas Historical Society at Topeka.

The article describing the sad demise of this great western legend went on to say; "Are we to believe that the splendid creature who rode like the whirlwind and outshot Wild Bill Hickok is a myth? How she dashed through page after page, turning stampeded cattle into a gentle, bowing herd by her mere presence after the cowboys had given up the job and how, when desert water holes proved dry, she saved the herd from dying of thirst by discovering through intuition streams of crystal purity! What a glorious figure she was riding at the hand of a cowboy cavalcade to take vengeance on a band of rustlers, and how indescribably brave when she dashed, a two-gun woman, into a lynching bee and rescued her hero? Are we to believe that all this never happened and the the cowgirl never existed?"

The question of the time went unanswered just a blatently as the identity of the official was never revealed.

I guess the heroism and gallantry of the great western cowboy eluded him as well since he was  never identified in any subsequent news articles.

For more on the history of this "mythical creature" be sure to visit http://thecowgirlmovie.com where you will find photo's, video and stories about legendary heroes of the west.

4 comments:

gtyyup said...

LOL...a myth?!?

So, did this movie start out with the title of "Cowgirls Saddle Their Own Horse"? I have a 2 1/2 x 5 1/4 card taped to my computer with the same logo and your name, but the different title. I don't remember where I got it...it's been a few years. At one point I went to the web site and it was not active, but I loved the graphics so I just left it taped to my computer.

No matter, glad to see the project is alive and well...look forward to its release.

Happy Trails~~

Shirley Morris - Filmmaker said...

Hi! Yes, "Oh, You Cowgirl!" is the final title of the documentary, "Cowgirls Saddle Their Own Horse" You can still find more info about the doc film here: http://thecowgirlmovie.com
The movie should be released in March, 2010 and clips from it will be shown in Portland for OHS exhibit, 100 Years of Pendleton.
Thanks for looking us up again!

Heidiwriter said...

Great, eye-catching article! I'm looking forward to the documentary (and book too, right?)
Heidi

Shirley Morris - Filmmaker said...
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