Lewis Armistead At Fort Dodge

 

Map from Broadax and Bayonet by Francis Prucha 1953

Lewis Addison Armistead (February 18, 1817 – July 5, 1863) was a career United States Army officer who became a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. On July 3, 1863, as part of Pickett's Charge during the Battle of Gettysburg, Armistead led his brigade to the farthest point reached by Confederate forces during the charge, a point now referred to as the high-water mark of the Confederacy. However, he and his men were overwhelmed, and he was wounded and captured by Union troops. He died in a field hospital two days

A Brief History of Settlement in the Old Northwest

 In 1671 A Jesuit Priest by the name of Jaques Marquette and the famed French explorer, Louis Jolliet. had heard rumors about the existence of a great south-flowing river located somewhere in the west. Together they explored the region to find that body of water. However the expedition was halted by tribal frontier warfare in the area. However, two years later, Count Frontenac, the governor of New France, provided financial backing for Marquette and Jolliet to pursue their endeavor. They along with a small contingent of well supplied and armed fellow explorers crossed Lake Michigan by canoe, pushed west up the Fox River, portaged to the Wisconsin River and then paddled into the Mississippi. They followed the current south, passing the confluence with the Ohio River, but later stopping near the mouth of the Arkansas River. Marquette and Jolliet were confident that the Mississippi eventually emptied into the Gulf of Mexico, but feared falling into Spanish hands if they continued. 

Having established a French claims to the Mississippi Valley, Marquette resumed his missionary work. He died at the young age of 38, but left behind a written account of his explorations that would be published in 1681. The early French expeditions were instrumental in gaining a French foothold in the region. Though the French method of conquering the new continent was soft handed and the Jesuit “black robes” assimilated into Indian tribes, ministered to the sick, buried their dead and preached the gospels to the tribes. However less than one hundred years later, three major conflicts, The French and Indian war, the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 would occur on the continent. The political landscape would be forever changed. After the conclusion of these conflicts the two major super powers of France and Britian, who fought for dominance and resources, found themselves swept away by a new emerging super power under the control of the Americans who would eventually prevail as a major player on the world stage. The Jesuits (Black Robe) ministered to native tribes in life and death. He helped to usher in the fur trade era in the upper Midwest. 

War for the Heart of America 

 The period of the American Revolution was a very dangerous time for settlers who had decided to move deeper into the interior of the continent. It was a regular practice for military leadership in North America from all sides of conflicts of the day, to gain allegiance of various Indian tribes. Allies were bought and paid for by the transfer of goods, muskets, and annuities to woodland tribes in exchange for their military service. During the year 1777, the Revolutionary War had seriously intensified in Kentucky. A British military / Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton utilized armed Indian allies from his headquarters at Fort Detroit, and encouraged them to conduct military operations against Kentucky settlers in an attempt to secure the region as their hunting ground. Hamilton was nicknamed “The Hair buyer” Because he paid bounties for the scalps of American settlers. The Continental Army could spare no men for an invasion in the northwest or for the defense of Kentucky.

 Therefore the business of war in the region was left entirely to the local population. George Rogers Clark a Captain in the Kentucky militia spent several months defending settlements against the Indian raiders, all while developing his own plan for a long-distance strike against the British. His strategy involved seizing British outposts north of the Ohio River to destroy British influence among their Indian allies By December 1777, Clark presented his plan to Virginia's Governor Patrick Henry, and he asked for permission to lead a secret expedition to capture the British-held villages at Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes in the Illinois country. Governor Henry commissioned him as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Virginia militia and authorized him to raise troops for the expedition. Clark and his officers recruited volunteers from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina. The men gathered in early May near the Falls of the Ohio, south of Fort Pitt. The regiment spent about a month along the Ohio River preparing for its secret mission. (Patrick Henry had been a leading land speculator before the Revolution in lands west of the Appalachians where Virginians had sought control from the Indians, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.) In July 1778, Clark and 175 men crossed the Ohio River at Fort Massac and marched to Kaskaskia, capturing it on the night of July 4 without firing their weapons.

The next day, Captain Joseph Bowman and his company captured Cahokia in a similar fashion without firing a shot. The garrison at Vincennes along the Wabash River surrendered to Clark in August. Several other villages and British forts were subsequently captured after most of the French-speaking occupants and Indian inhabitants refused to take up arms on behalf of the British. To counter Clark's advance, Hamilton recaptured the garrison at Vincennes, which the British called Fort Sackville. with a small force, in December 1778, he left Kaskaskia on February 6, 1779 with about 170 men, beginning an arduous overland trek, encountering melting snow, ice, and cold rain along the journey. They arrived at Vincennes on February 23 and launched a surprise attack on Fort Sackville. Hamilton surrendered the garrison on February 25 and was captured in the process. The winter expedition was Clark's most significant military achievement and became the basis of his reputation as an early American military hero. 

 News of Clark's victory reached General George Washington. His success was celebrated and was used to encourage the alliance with France. General Washington recognized that Clark's achievement had been gained without support of the regular army. Virginia also capitalized on Clark's success, laying claim to the Old Northwest by calling it Illinois County, Virginia. Clarks victory had sealed the fate of the heartland of America. 

By 1803 The Lewis and Clark expedition, Corps of Discovery managed to reach the Pacific ocean. The expedition was an endeavor of inventory and exploration. The Corps of Discovery revealed huge tracts of land to the west of the Missouri river, which surely laid the groundwork for future settlement. But another of aspect of this growth was the inevitability of warfare between newly arriving Europeans and those Indian tribes who had been on the continent for thousands of years. But old alliances to the French and British coupled with past financial deals under various treaties, provided for financial benefit to tribes of Indians. These financial benefits would then fall to the American government after the revolution against Great Britain.

                                                              The Black Hawk War

                                     The Treaty of 1804; On The Trail To War In 1831,

 The Black Hawk War began as a cold war of words and isolated acts of violence. The primary cause was the treaty 1804. The treaty was a was a document in which the Sac and Fox Indians of the British band ceded millions of acres of land to the government. According to article two of the treaty; The Sac and Fox relinquished millions of acres of land for two thousand dollars, a promise of delivery annuities and the protection of the affected tribes by the United States Government. 

"ART. 2. The general boundary line between the lands of the United States and of the said Indian tribes shall be as follows, to wit: Beginning at a point on the Missouri River opposite to the mouth of the Gasconade river; thence in a direct course so as to strike the river Jeffreon at the distance of thirty miles from its mouth, and down the said Jefferon to the Mississippi, thence up the Mississippi to the mouth of the Ouisconsing river and up the same to a point which shall be thirty-six miles in a direct line from the mouth of the said river, thence by a direct line to the point where the Fox river (a branch of the Illinois) leaves the small lake called Sakaegan, thence down the Fox river to the Illinois river, and down the same to the Mississippi. And the said tribes, for and in consideration of the friendship and protection of the United States which is now extended to them, of the goods (to the value of two thousand two hundred and thirty-four dollars and fifty cents) which are now delivered, and of the annuity hereinafter stipulated to be paid, do hereby cede and relinquish forever to the United States, all the lands included within the above-described boundary."

 The Sac and Fox disagreed with this treaty, particularly Black Hawk. He charged that they, (the Sac and Fox) were not properly represented in this treaty, and never gave their authorization for anyone to negotiate away their land or rights. But the truth of the matter was two- fold. First, that Black Hawk was correct. The treaty did not represent all of the Indians that it affected. This was because the decentralized political landscape of Indian culture had created a vacuum in which the treaty was signed. And secondly that a clash of two completely different cultures had occurred. The war that resulted from this class lasted for approximately five months.  (April 6 – August 27, 1832), and resulted in 77 militiamen and non-combatants settlers being killed, and between 500-600 Indians being killed.

                                                         By The Broadax and Bayonet;

  By the end of the Black Hawk War, there were already a complete line of forts across the frontier that ran from Green bay to the Mississippi river. Most of these forts were deep inside Indian country or on the fringes of where settlements touched Indian territory.  As settlement spread and Indians bargained land for annuities, and reservations further west, military posts were called for where new lands were acquired on the borders of contacts with Indians. 

                                                                  FORTS IN IOWA

A series of forts were built in the area that was to become the state of Iowa. When the Sac and Fox were vanquished in the Black Hawk War. These forts established a line of communication that stretched from the upper great lakes, and south to the Missouri River. Fort Dodge was one of these frontier forts. The troops who built the forts made inroads into the wilderness, erected forts of timber and stone, which they cut themselves. They created subsistence farms and built crude highways. The army helped to foster economic growth on the frontier. Early pioneers supported themselves in part by supplying the garrisons with hay, wood and other goods. The army posts are provided intellectual and cultural development. Its Officers were men who were trained in the sciences, and the forts became outposts of scientific observation, as well as places of social values, as forts also housed theaters, libraries, pioneer schools and church organizations. 

                                                      ON THE TRAIL TO FORT DODGE

 In 1835 Lt. Col. Stephan Watts Kearny led three companies of the 1st U.S. Dragoons up the DesMoines River, through southern Minnesota, and back to the Fort Dodge area. The Dragoons were mounted Infantry soldiers. These soldiers were used to the terrain and were able to tolerate long trips across the prairie. Their mission was to identify future sites for army outposts. When They came upon Lizard Creek, they knew that the area was well suited for a future fort. The territory where Fort Des Moines, and east of the Des Moines River (originally known as the river of the Sioux) was part of a purchase made by Commissioners of the United States, from the Sac and _ Fox Indians on October 11, 1842. This was approximately ten years after Black Hawk war had ended, and Chief Black Hawk had surrendered to the Sioux Indians after the Battle of Bad Axe River in Wisconsin.  Black Hawk was subsequently turned over to the United States authorities. To prevent further conflict and warfare between the Sac, Fox, Pottawattamie's and the Sioux Indians and by the request of the Sac and Fox Indians for their protection, it was promulgated that a new Military Post be established at the junction of the Des Moines and Racoon Rivers, and that a sufficient force be maintained there to provide them with security from the hostile attacks by their enemies. (The Sioux). In accordance of the stipulation, the Fort was established and named Fort Des Moines. Fort Des Moines was established in May of 1843, and finally abandoned in June, 1846. The territory then north and west of the Racoon Forks was comparatively an unexplored region of territory. The habitants of the area, were Sioux Indians and herds of buffalo and elk. The only exploration of the country north of Racoon Forks previously attempted was by Captain Boon of the United States Dragoons. In 1848, government surveying of the land purchased north of the Racoon Forks was commenced.

In 1849, Brevet General Mason, Colonel of the 6th Regiment of the U. S. Infantry, was ordered to select a site for a fort as near as practicable to the northwest corner of the neutral ground running from the Des Moines River to a point below Dubuque. The northwest corner post of this neutral territory stands on the east bank of the Des Moines River about three miles north of Fort Dodge, where the north line commences. General Mason, in the performance of the duty assigned him, selected the site where Fort Dodge now stands on the east bank of the Des Moines River about one quarter of a mile below the mouth of the Lizard River.

                                                           INDIAN CONFLICTS

The Sacs and Foxes and Sioux ceded to the United States Government a strip of land reaching from the Des Moines River to the Mississippi to a point near Dubuque. This strip was 40 miles in width. This arrangement for a time kept these Indians apart, but the Sioux, who are ever treacherous, finally took advantage of the fact that this neutral ground did not extend further west than the Des Moines River and they commenced their depredations anew on the Indians and settlers to the south. This brought them in conflict with the Pottawattamies with whom they had many severe conflicts. Upon application of the citizens, the government directed that the Indians should be removed. For that purpose, three companies of troops were ordered from Fort Snelling to perform this duty. After delivering the Indians to the commanding officer at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, the Dragoons and Company C returned to Fort Snelling and Company E, United States Infantry, under the command of Brevet Major Samuel Woods was ordered to the Des Moines to the point selected by General Mason to establish a garrison and build a post there. Officers and men of this de-tachment had served through the Mexican War and many of them in Florida.. When they took up the line of march for the Des Moines River, all believed from the character that was generally ascribed to the country, that they were again to be stationed in a land similar to Florida, a country of lakes, ponds and swamps, and destitute of timber but they were very agreeably disappointed. We took up the line of march from Camp Buckner on the Iowa River, which was located in Southwest Tama county, on the last day of July, 1850, and after a tedious march, having a heavily loaded train of wagons, crossing streams, avoiding sloughs, through an uninhabited country, we arrived at the point designated on the 23rd of August, 1850.

- The history of early Fort Dodge and Webster County, Iowa 1955

                                                         LEWIS ARMISTEAD

                                          THE BUILDING OF FORT DODGE, ITS 

                         COMMANDING OFFICERS AND ARMY LIFE AT THE FORT

"Upon their arrival, the troops encamped on the second bench of land from the river, the right of the line resting near the southeast corner of the Public Square, as now laid off in the Town Plat of Fort Dodge, the left resting near the southwest corner of Walnut and Fifth streets, the whole fronting west. This location with the streets as they are now named, runs from the southwest corner of the city square to the corner of First avenue south and Sixth streets. On reaching the point, after examination of the surrounding districts, the officers were much pleased with the location, the fine body of timber above and below, the springs and streams together with the appearance of stone and coal. All admired the location and pronounced it the most beautiful part of Iowa they had seen. The men were at once set to work, getting out timber, quarrying stone and preparing materials generally for building quarters."

- The history of early Fort Dodge and Webster County, Iowa 1955

   Major L. A. Armistead, the Quarter Master'

 One of the first actions by the Quartermaster Maj. Lewis Armistead, was to implement the use of steam saw mill, and to hire on a number of citizen mechanics. carpenters, masons, brickmakers from Keokuk Iowa, and other Mississippi towns, (sic). The first three months were very busy and great effort was made to have the buildings up before the winter set in. They succeeded in putting up twelve of the buildings and making them livable by the middle of November.  The 20th of November of 1850, they struck their tents and took possession of the buildings. The following season the balance of the buildings, twenty-one in all, were put up and finished. On taking possession of the buildings in honor of General Clarke, then a Colonel of the 6th Regiment of the United States Infantry (to which Regiment the detachments belonged) , the post was named Fort Clarke.

"The officers stationed at this Post were Brevet Major Samuel Woods; Commandant of the Post, Brevet Major L. A. Armistead, Acting Commandary; Lieutenant Stubbs, Lieutenant I. L. Corley; Surgeon Charles Keeny, ranking as Captain, and Sutler William Williams"

                                                                 Armistead's Biography

"Armistead was born February 18, 1817 in New Bern, North Carolina, he was the son of Gen. Walker Keith and Elizabeth Armistead.  He was raised in Fauquier County, Virginia, by a family related to United States presidents James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Benjamin Harrison. His father and four uncles all served during the War of 1812, with one of those uncles, George Armistead, commanding Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, where the famous “Star Spangled Banner” flew. Armistead entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1833, but academic difficulties and poor conduct—including supposedly breaking a plate over the head of future Confederate general Jubal A. Early—led to his resignation in 1836. (1))Three years later Armistead returned to the army as a second lieutenant in the 6th Infantry Regiment and served primarily in garrison duty in the West. He was appointed to the regular army in 1839 and fought under his father during the Seminole Wars in Florida, where he was promoted to first lieutenant.  Armistead served in the Mexican War and was thrice decorated for bravery.  At the battle of Chapultepec, he was wounded and, “the first to leap into the Great Ditch.”  Following the Mexican War, Armistead was stationed on the western frontier, where he met and befriended Pennsylvanian and future opponent Winfield Scott Hancock." (2)

Armistead continued in the Army after the Mexican War, assigned in 1849 to recruiting duty in Kentucky, where he was diagnosed with a severe case of erysipelas, but he later recovered. In April 1850, the Armistead’s lost their little girl, Flora Lee, at Jefferson Barracks. Armistead was posted to Fort Dodge, but in the winter he had to take his wife Cecelia to Mobile, Alabama, where she died December 12, 1850, from an unknown cause. He returned to Fort Dodge. In 1852 the Armistead family home in Virginia burned, destroying nearly everything. Armistead took leave in October 1852 to go home and help his family. While on leave Armistead married his second wife, the widow, Cornelia Taliaferro Jamison, in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 17, 1853. They both went west when Armistead returned to duty shortly thereafter. (3)

-Civil War Battlefield Trust &Encyclopedia Virginia

                                                                    

                                 Footnotes

(1) Lewis A. Armistead (1817–1863) - Encyclopedia Virginia

(2) Civil War Battlefield Trust

(3) Cathedral of Liberty

References;

Red Flag of Defiance; by Gene Stevens 

The history of early Fort Dodge and Webster County, Iowa 1955

Virtual Tour: The Fort Museum and Frontier Village By G.C Stevens

I visited the Fort Museum and Frontier Village  in Fort Dodge Iowa today

I thought I'd share what I saw

About Lewis Armistead at Fort Dodge

                                  
 

Milt Perry & Jesse James, The Guerilla Photo: By G.C. Stevens

 

Article Contributed by Patrick Meguiar of Portland Tennessee.

 The article appeared in the Kansas City

Star April 6, 1888. Photo provided by Michelle  Pollard 

"The Guerilla photo was taken at Platte City Missouri on July 10th, 1864."

-Milt Perry

The pursuit of history is an ongoing, unending endeavor and the 21st century has become fertile ground for both the revisionists and the truth seekers. Social media is filled with the ruminations, investigations and epiphanies of emerging evidence. No where is this truer than in the story of the famed outlaw Jesse James. The young man in the picture above could have been easily forgotten to history. But his reputation and the civil war in Missouri could not be easily dismissed. The very nature of the war in the Trans-Mississippi, exemplified the nature of the war being epitome of a brutal personal war fought amongst families and neighbors. The end result of this was a long and bitter process of reconciliation in Missouri. It also spawned Jesse James and his brother Frank as outlaws who continued to fight the war between the states for many years afterwards, in retaliation for what they saw as a grave injustice that had been committed against their community and family. However, after Jesse was killed in St. Joseph Missouri and his brother Frank settled back into his life and his own family, Jesses story would become a legend not only in Missouri but around the world. Adding to the conversation was (and is) the many photographs that have appeared and have been said to be Jesse James. The most famous and widely accepted photo of Jesse James is the guerilla, or "Partisan ranger" photo.  This photo is a very important aspect of the Jesse James story, but little is actually known about it, and the story is not complete without understanding meaning and use of these photos. There are, however, pioneers and historic detectives who took up the mission of revealing the truth behind each story that concerned Jesse James. One of those pioneers was Historian Milt Perry.

Enter Milt Perry  

The article posted here (above) was written by Milton "Milt" F. Perry (1926–1991). Milt was a noted historian and the curator for Clay County, Missouri, historic sites, including the Jesse James Farm and Museum. He was instrumental in developing the site after the county purchased it in 1978 and designed the museum. Perry served as the Superintendent of Historical Sites for Clay County, where he managed and developed local historic landmarks. His work was crucial in managing the James farmstead after the county acquired it in March 1978, helping to develop it into a legitimate tourist attraction. According to online resources, before working for Clay County, Perry was a curator at the West Point Museum and served as the first curator of the Truman Library until 1976. He was described as a key figure in managing the public perception and historical accuracy of the Jesse James story for the county. 

The article

According to Bryan Ivlow who is the Current President of "Friends Of The James Farm," thought that the article was probably featured in the Plattsburg Missouri Newspaper which has since been taken over by the "Clinton County Leader." More information is pending this part of the story. In the article Milt points out some interesting facts about the photo and does a true investigative assessment and brings forth some additional points about the photo which add considerable common-sense information. 

"The picture has given rise to the legend that Jesse James was left- handed. Actually, it was and "ambrotype," a photo on glass, that is a reversed mirror image.  Ambrotype glass plates were exposed in the camera, developed and displayed in little cases with black velvet. As they are the original plate, all images are backwards. The boy dressed carefully for the picture. His hair was neatly combed, hate creases smoothed and the brim pinned up, the left sleeve of his shirt was tucked up near the shoulder by the photographer. James wore a clean shirt and a tie, both probably taken from Lawson Holmes dry goods store, as guerillas who lived in the "brush" had little use for such clothing. The identity of the photographer is unknown, as none appears in any of the Platte City records available at the time. The original photograph was seen at the James Farm in 1881 by a writer and an engraving was made of it for John N. Edwards book Noted Guerillas, published in 1877. In 1882, after James death, his widow had the picture copied, and small "carte-de-visite" prints were made at Ragans Photographic Rooms in Kansas City were widely sold. 

-Milt Perry

Perry Goes onto explain that guerilla photo had been reprinted hundreds of times in hundreds of books, and he mentioned that the London Daily Telegraph had featured an 8x10 inch copy of the guerilla photo in the travel section of their Sunday edition.  According to historian Michelle Pollard, the the London Daily Telegraph article was run on 13 February 1988.

Milt then tells us the rest of the story:

"James had been a guerilla less than a month, and probably had his photograph taken of himself in his new uniform, for his mother, as have hundreds of soldiers all over the world. The original glass ambrotype disappeared years ago"

Jesse James from John Newmans book "Noted Guerillas"

The Itinerate Photographer 

So the reality is that only one unknow witness saw the guerilla photo, and engraving was completed. The rest is a bit mystery. However, with that said, another idea to contemplate, is who and how the image was created. In an article written by the author (also found on the blog) which involved the investigation into the "Cantey Myers" collection gives some basic and common-sense clues, add to this an article.  And that information addresses the Itinerate (traveling) photographers of the day,

"From the latter half of the 19th century until nearly the middle of the 20th, one of the easiest ways for the average American to obtain a portrait photograph was by approaching a booth such as the one above or giving their pennies to an itinerant or street photographer. The process, from posing for the camera to a finish  ed portrait in hand, such as the one at right, required only a matter of minutes. And it was indeed, cheap, costing only a few cents for a likeness of oneself – or perhaps a child or sweetheart."

-Anything to Get the Shot: Itinerant Photographers

April 7, 2016     Library of Congress

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

Investigation Cantey Myers Collection, Article by G.C. Stevens

Central States, Lawman and Outlaws Historic Association: Photo Investigation IV, The Cantey (Myers) Collection By Gene Stevens

The photo was very likely taken by an Itinerate traveling photographer. These traveling photographers have been well documented;

"The soldiers’ portraits served a similar function of replicating place for the families at home. Soldiers arrived in their uniforms, and props were displayed to signify the soldiers’ role in the army. Some posed with instruments, canteens, or, as in this photo, their weapons. Painted backdrops, like the one of an army camp behind the unidentified soldier, were sometimes included to make the image appear more “realistic.” Otherwise, there was rarely any indication on the image of who the soldier was, where he fought, or even who the photographer was. The personal nature of these portraits did not require such identification, as they were soon sent home to the soldier’s family. The stylized composition of soldiers’ portraits recreated the camp life of a soldier in a romanticized way. The soldiers appeared strong and dignified, and provided a sense of comfort for families at home. Any emotions expressed through soldiers’ letters were masked in these portraits, and provided families with a felt connection to the men in the fields"

Ref Itinerant Photographers « 19thcenturylives

Article:  A Portrait of Death: Photography and Death Ritual During the Civil War

 by Jessica Dauterive

 This matter remains under investigation...

G.C. Stevens

250 YEARS OF AMERICAN HISTORY

CSL&OH.A. & Friends of The James Farm

 

I'm very proud to be a member and supporter of the

Friends of The James Farm

Please check out their website and please support historic preservation.

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Railroad History: Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad; By G.C. Stevens

 

Brochure photos, courtesy BSVRR

 Trains are big part of the American West. It was the rails that conquered the day!

Besides being a historian and writer, I have been a huge railfan most of my life. My father was a Conductor and Brakeman for the Chicago and Northwestern railroad back in the 1950's, and he would tell me the stories of the rails and traveling far from home for his job. I was also very lucky to have lived near the Illinois Railway Museum in Union Illinois for many years and I was a regular visitor and rider of trains and trolleys there. When I moved to Iowa, I found out that I was very close the Boone & Scenic Railroad Museum which is located in Boone Iowa. Boone is a vibrant railroad town that is also the local headquarters for the Union Pacific Railroad. The town is totally dedicated to its railroading history and is a prime spot for railfans looking for a train-spotting. There are plenty of sites and restaurants around the area. It is also close to the Kate Shelly bridge and historic site.

History

The Boone and Scenic Railroad has a very colorful and romantic railroading history. The railway traces its roots back all the way back to 1893, when the Boone Valley Coal and Railroad Company was founded by businessman Hamilton Browne and headquartered in Boone who built a 3-mile spur to mine and ship coal between Fraser and Fraser Junction, Iowa, where it connected with the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway. In 1902, the company became the Newton and North Western Railroad (N&NW) and planned to expand their operations throughout Iowa, extending southward into Des Moines and Newton, expanding westward past Rockwell City and into the Dakotas, and connecting with other major railroads. In January 1904, the N&NW completed their southern extension to Boone, where it was connected with the Chicago and North Western Railway's (C&NW) former Cedar Rapids and Missouri River line. Apparently, a brief dispute over the Boone extension occurred: the N&NW initially laid rails on C&NW property, which in turn ordered for them to be ripped up, and then they were re-laid after Browne secured permission to use the property. Then Later that same year, Browne was forced to resign from the railroad, as it underwent a takeover by Boston-based capital firms H. T. Loring and Son and H. V. and H. W. Poor Co.. In 1909, the N&NW was acquired by the Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Southern Railroad (FDDMS), which electrified the line for interurban service and expanded their freight operations, and they would later ship gypsum along the route.

Photos of engine #2254 a GE 80 ton center cab at BSVRR

both photos taken by the author

 FDDMS obtained GE 70-ton switchers, and all their remaining passenger operations were discontinued. Also in 1954, the FDDMS fell under ownership of the Des Moines and Central Iowa (D&CI), owned by scrap dealer and shortline operator Murray Salzberg. In 1968, the D&CI and FDDMS were acquired and absorbed by the Chicago and North Western, which subsequently filed multiple petitions to abandon the trackage.

-

ref Detailedpedia Boone and scenic Valley Railroad vignette

All photos are by the author

Video from Steam Heritage

                                   Above four photos by the author taken at BSVRR

Trolley line brochure BSVRR

Watch for my book, Trains, Trails and Outlaws

Article updated 04/09/2026 ecs

Trains, Trails & Outlaws: Remembering Jimmie Rodgers, the Singing Brakeman

 

Jimmie Rodgers Public domain publicity photo ref wikipedia

Jimmie Rodgers was an early legendary country and western singer and guitarist known as "The Singing Brakeman," he was a very significant figure in the emergence of early country music. He appeared in a 1929 short film titled "The Singing Brakeman," which features him singing three of his well-known songs: “Waiting for a Train,” “Daddy and Home,” and “Blue Yodel No 1”. Rodgers is celebrated for his contributions to music and could be recognized as one of the founding fathers of country music. He's often referred to as “America's Blue Yodeler”. He was inducted into multiple halls of fame, solidifying his legacy as a pioneer in the country music genre. Jimmie was from Meridian, Mississippi, and was the son of railroad worker Aaron Rodgers. During Jimmies early childhood his family moved often due to the needs of his father's employment. As a teenager Jimmie was influenced by vaudeville shows that he often attended. At the age of 13 he won a local singing contest and then traveled through the Southern United States with a medicine show. After he returned to Meridian, Jimmie dropped out of school and joined the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, beginning as a waterboy on his father's gang; he later performed other functions on the railroad, eventually becoming a brakeman. During his time working with different railroad companies, the singer further developed his musical style; he was influenced by blues performances and other performers, He was later was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1924. By 1927, as a result of his declining health, he stopped working for the railroad and decided to focus on his music career.          

As you may already know, Jimmie Rodgers is one of the most celebrated country musicians of all, and deservedly so. Possibly no other country artist has been so heavily imitated or influential. He was much more than a hillbilly artist that could yodel (though his yodel was top of the line). Jimmie was an innovator, and a walking musical juxtaposition in the most beautiful of ways. When I think of Jimmie I think of the complex and often conflicting images he portrayed through his music – the rambler, the sentimental crooner, the caring son, and the rounder, just to name a few. Many speculate that had he lived longer, and as his appeal and development as a musician continually grew, he would have been one of the most celebrated American musicians without the constraints of genre.

-Birthplace of country music website

More on Jimmie Rodgers

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Trains, Trails & Outlaw Podcast

 

 Join me as I talk about the 1960,

Magnificent Seven ...

       THE 

MAGNIFICENT

           SEVEN! 

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John Wayne Birthplace Celebration 2026: TRIBUTE TO AMERICA!!

 

Mark your Calendars!

2026 John Wayne Birthday Celebration Welcome Reception

Friday, May 22, 5pm at John Wayne Birthplace Museum

and The Iowa Theater, $50

Please join us on Friday, May 22 for a lively reception at the John Wayne Birthplace Museum where guests will enjoy a casual mingle with John Wayne fans from across the United States and beyond. The reception will include beverages and heavy hors d’oeuvres. Afterwards we’ll move up the street to The Iowa theater for a special screening of “John Wayne’s Tribute to America.”  Originally aired on NBC in 1970, the all-star spectacular is a patriotic journey through American history and features entertainment legends Lucille Ball, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Ann-Margret and many, many more. 

250 YEARS OF AMERICAN HISTORY!

Western Movie Review: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, By" G.C. Stevens

 "This is the west sir. 

When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) is one of the authors favorite movies and one of John Ford’s most provocative films and it seems to break ranks with previous westerns made by the famed director and takes the course of deconstruction of the frontier myths that John Ford had spent decades romanticizing. Separated from the sweeping Monument Valley epics of Ford’s earlier career, this film moves from grand landscapes to the confined studio set, where the actions take place in a quintessential black-and-white western town, focusing instead on ideals, character, and the bittersweet cost of progress. It remains as one of the genres most essential films for western movie buffs, especially for those who are interested in how the West was mythologized, even as it quietly mourns what was lost in the progress.

The story begins with a lengthy flashback framed by an elderly Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) and his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) returning to the old dusty town of Shinbone for a funeral of the true hero in the western saga. Young Ranse (Stewart) arrives as an idealistic Eastern lawyer, promptly beaten up by the stereotypical sadistic outlaw "Liberty Valance" (Lee Marvin at his snarling best). Rescued and mentored by the tough, independent rancher Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), Stoddard begins teaching the townsfolk to read, respect the law and pushes for statehood. A legendary gunfight ensues, in which Valance is allegedly killed by Stoddard, and it cements his reputation as “the man who shot Liberty Valance, propelling him into politics. Though in the final analysis, it's revealed that Doniphon was the person who shot Valance and not Stoddard. The film’s most famous line “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend”—delivered by a pragmatic newspaperman, solidifies its core irony: nations and careers are often built by convenient fiction.

Ford excels at telling the human side of his stories. Stewart’s Stoddard embodies nervous intellect, law books, the ideals of republic, and law and order while Wayne’s Doniphon represents raw frontier justice, self-reliance, and quiet sacrifice. The tension between these ideas are apparent, each actor playing subtly against type—Stewart vulnerable and morally torn, Wayne swaggering and bitter. Supporting actors shine too: Marvin’s Valance is a pure force of chaotic evil, Edmond O’Brien brings boozy energy as the editor, and Woody Strode adds dignity as Pompey. The film’s political sequences feel surprisingly modern, portraying town meetings, elections, and media complicity with a mix of cynicism and hope.

What elevates the movie is its willingness to be downbeat. There are no glorious sunsets or heroic rides into the sunset. Instead, Ford presents a transition from violence to order that feels inevitable yet laced with regret. Tom Doniphon’s unsung heroism carries genuine tragic weight, highlighting the personal price paid for civilization. The black-and-white photography and soundstage confinement reinforce the darker tone, stripping away spectacle to force viewers to confront the ideas: the role of violence in founding societies, the civilizing power of education and the press, and the ethical ambiguities of myth-making. In many ways, it functions as a political allegory, echoing Plato’s Republic in its exploration of justice, power, and the founding of a community.

Critically, the film appears to have limitations, it is not flawless. It was Shot mainly indoors due to budget and perhaps intentional restraint, but for what it lacks the visual appeal, it makes up in total acting, dialog and interaction of characters. It's more like a visual book tell all.  

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance endures because it questions the very legends it prints. It’s intelligent, emotionally resonant, and profoundly American—bittersweet in its acknowledgment that progress demands sacrifice and that truth often yields to useful stories. For fans of thoughtful Westerns that prioritize character and consequence over spectacle, it stands as a late-career masterpiece from a director confronting his own legacy. This movie is Highly recommended, especially if you’ve moved beyond simpler tales of six-shooters, dusty trails and sunsets. 

*Note: The drawing here was created by AI. 

Photo Essay "The Cripple Creek Narrow Gauge Railroad." By Dan Oelrich

 

I am grateful to Dan Oelrich for sharing his experiences and photos. Dan is an avid historic researcher and photographer who has travelled throughout Colorado. The photos provided by Dan here are from the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad. The description found Online for the CC&VRR is as follows: The track system begins at Bennett Avenue/5th Street going south out of Cripple Creek, goes past the old Midland Terminal Wye, then over a reconstructed train trestle, continues past historic mines and terminates very near the abandoned Anaconda mining camp. The return trip to Cripple Creek completes a total of 4 miles (6.4 km). The railroad does not actually terminate at Victor, Colorado, as the railroad's name implies. The Bull Hill Station, in Cripple Creek was originally built at the Anaconda Mine in 1894 by the Midland Terminal Railway. However, it was moved to Bull Hill in 1912, east of the town of Victor. In 1968, the depot was moved to Cripple Creek.

More on the Cripple Creek Narrow Gauge RR

One of the goals of mine is to locate all of the old railroad beds in the CC District and walk the length of them. Most, of course, are gone because of the open pit mine, so it’s not an impossible task. In the course of doing it, I came across these old cars. Thought you might find them interesting. Noticed there’s even a mineshaft just off the tracks. There were many de railings , probably because of the shifting underground near where they had to go in order to collect the Ores. Hope you enjoy these photos.

-Dan Oelrich

Photos by Dan Oelrich