I came across some old holiday photos tonight of a trip to a real classic style theme park called Blackgang Chine on the Isle of Wight, a small island just off the south coast of England.
“Frontier land is a full sized cowboy town in wild west setting”
A wild west setting, if you can see past the British climate, flora and fauna and proximity to chalk cliffs that are occasionally sliding into the sea!
Here are a couple of photos of the cowboy town - first off a small scale western railroad engine with gunfighter mannequin in the background:
Next a shot of the ‘Last Chance Saloon’ painted in gaudy colours and complete with rooms available at an hourly rate.
It’s well worth a visit if you’re staying on the island, the chine itself may have been swallowed up by the encroaching sea but wild west fans can tour a tiny (and child friendly) frontier settlement without having to take a plane all the way to the US.
The Times has some very Brokeback style images of the Russian PM holidaying in Siberia, with the comments suggesting he’s becoming a gay icon.
Photographs were published yesterday showing the Russian Prime Minister stripped to the waist riding a horse through rugged terrain during a brief holiday in the Siberian region of Tuva. Wearing only green fatigues, his eyes hidden behind reflective sunglasses, Mr Putin also showed his gentler side as he fed the horse from his hand after the ride.
A little song about the demise of the cowboy, just before the fun of July 4th.
Through the progress of the railroad our occupation’s gone;
So we put ideas into words, our words into a song.
First comes the cowboy; he is pointed for the west;
Of all the pioneers I claim the cowboys are the best;
You will miss him on the round-up; it’s gone, his merry shout, -
The cowboy has left the country and the camp-fire has gone out.
There is the freighters, our companions; you’ve got to leave this land;
Can’t drag your loads for nothing through the gumbo and the sand.
The railroads are bound to beat you when you do your level best;
So give it up to the grangers and strike out for the west.
Bid them all adieu and give the merry shout -
The cowboy has left the country, and the camp-fire has gone out.
When I think of those good old days, my eyes with tears do fill;
When I think of the tin can by the fire and coyote on the hill.
I’ll tell you boys, in those days old-timers stood a show, -
Our pockets full of money, not a sorrow did we know.
But things have changed now; we are poorly clothed and fed.
Our wagons are all broken and our ponies ‘most all dead.
Soon we will leave this country; you’ll hear the angels shout,
“Oh, here they come to Heaven, the camp-fire has gone out.”
Traditional, from Songs of the Cowboys, 1921
It’s possible that the words were written by Ben Arnold Connor, an old-time frontiersman and cowboy. He took credit for the song in his autobiography, Rekindling Campfires.
Yvonne Hollenbeck has written about this song - Ben Arnold Connor was her great grandfather. She comments here in her My Home on the Prairie column, and includes her grandmother’s comment on the poem and how it became a song.
So 2009 was to be the year I finally learnt to play the guitar. What better accompaniment is there to evenings by the fire on cattle drives? Not that I get involved in many of those…
A quick peruse of TradeMe and I turned up this Rodeo Sweethearts Acoustic Guitar from Recording King - “the first of the Western Collectible Guitar Series”.
Looks good, but where can you find the others in the series? I’m guessing from the lack of info on the official Recording King website these models are probably an old product line.
Never mind this one for sale on eBay Germany looks fab and I’m sorely tempted given the bonus songbook:
The “Songs of the Wild West” songbook features more than 10 cowboy classics such as “The Cowboy’s Lament” and “The Old Chisholm Trail,” plus a handy chord chart and tuning guide.
After a 3 month hiatus here at Wild West Land it’s time to climb into the saddle again and start blogging about all things western.
Why the silence at the start of 2009? Well the truth is I’ve been busy. Not busy in the household chores sense of the word and not busy as in locked up in the stockade either. I’ve been busy moving to the other side of the world, New Zealand to be precise, the land of Big Ben.
Big Ben you ask? Who he? Do you mean that big clocktower in London that appears on the HP sauce bottle? Did the Kiwis build Big Ben?
The short answer is no - ‘Big Ben’ downunder is synonymous with pies. In fact, Big Ben as a brand is New Zealand’s most popular pie. And Kiwis love their pies…
Western-themed marketing for the humble pie company appears everywhere in New Zealand, even on the side of V8 Supercars. In fact the company’s advertising campaigns have pulled in some odd comments for the way they embrace the masculinity of the cowboy tradition.
Ben’s pies are “great value for money for students” and, for me, a reassuring sign that the cowboy is a global icon recognised wherever you are. It makes me believe that running the Cowboy Country store from the bottom of the world is going to be possible AND fun in the Auckland sun.
Now that the container has been unpacked I’ll be posting regular updates with new scans from some classic cowboy cartoons and annuals. Plus did I mention the 2 week road trip from Phoenix to LA?
Pictures and video to follow but for now help Big Ben put together a classic Kiwi pie.
