Keeping You In The Loop — MHCP Newsletter July/Aug 2024 Edition

Howdy Y’All!

Friends. We meet them along life’s road, some recent and ones from a time ago, some we get to know in person, and others we meet vicariously. Recently, for me, it’s been acquaintances with rodeo personalities, both human and animal. Local folks may not be applauded as legends, but their stories are equally interesting. We’re saddened when folks have gone on the yonder pastures; but their stories live on, thanks to a supportive MHCP board and our very own video/photographer. We hope you enjoy their stories and much as we  are glad to bring them to you.

We’re looking forward to summer. July we celebrated our western heritage in various ways. We again performed western music and cowboy poetry at the Wellington senior home (July 24th)

And of course, we took in the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede along with ‘royalty’ competitions and the crowning of the new stampede queen and princess. That committee already has our October 5^th Western Music and Cowboy Poetry event on their calendar. Stay posted for a possible mini-movie series at a senior home and our exciting August plans.

From all of us at MHCP, here’s wishing you a relaxing summer holiday.

New MHCP Signature Photo *** Coming Soon!***

It all started with a simple suggestion at a recent MHCP board meeting, what if we refreshed our ‘signature’ photo? So Jen and Cheryl made the trip out to Steveville, Alberta, in the beautiful badlands near Dinosaur Provincial Park and to several ranches in the Patricia, Alberta, area for a photo shoot! (More about Steveville in an upcoming newsletter, a place with an interesting story of its own!)

We can’t give away all our secrets just yet but in the mean time, here is just a small sample of the amazing photos that Cheryl took.

As you can see, we will have a hard time choosing just one ‘signature’ picture to showcase. Stay tuned for the unveiling of the final selection in the very near future! Many thanks to all of you for making it happen. Special thanks to Alvin and Ursula Penner for their hospitality, Diamond M Ranching and One Tree Ranching for photogenic cattle.

Monica Wilson, Pioneer in Rodeo

Yes, she was a champion barrel racer, but most important was her success in getting equality for women in professional rodeo. We had the pleasure of interviewing and videoing her when she was in Medicine Hat as a timer at the spring rodeo, Bucking Broncs and Honky Tonks.

In May at Strathmore, Cheryl was videoing her induction into the Canadian ProRodeo Hall of Fame while I was meeting all the rodeo queens from Bowden, Wainwright, Ponoka and Strathmore. Miss Rodeo Canada was also there in her dazzling attire.

Gophers!

This year gophers are again a hungry menace to farmers’ crops. Find out everything you’ve ever wanted to know about them in our June, 2023 newsletter. Topics are gopher control, gopher tourism, fun facts and any number of gopher tails/tales. Of course poems are included. Who would have guessed they spend that much time hibernating. No wonder they need to fatten up when they are awake. 

New on the Website

Yarns by Ol’ Ugly

• Story #12 Gummy Johnson We now can picture what Gummy looks like from Ol’ Ugly’s description. Even though Gummy lost his driver’s license, he still gets into traffic trouble with a Ford Mustang.

• Story #13 Coosie Some cowboys had the nerve to compare Coosie’s hands to the softness of a baby’s bum. You can be sure Coosie teaches them to respect the cattle trail’s camp cook.

Harry Forbes Remembers

In the book he finished the month before he died (at 104), Harry tells about children growing up during his childhood: As ranch children in our day, until we were school age, we were allowed to be just children. We accepted and adopted our parents’ personality and learned to get along with other children to play together. We learned to ride little stick horses (probably the broom stick with the bristle-end as the head) and imitated our parents’ work tools and workday. These tools etc. were important to us because we made them ourselves. In those early years our entertainment was all homemade, cost nothing or very little and was quite active, entertaining and interesting. 

• Story #25: Running Away From Home – Many of us have heard stories of young children threatening to or actually trying to run away from home. In this story that is exactly what Harry and Helen, his younger sister, did. 

In the next few newsletters we’ll share some interesting remembrances from Helen, her growing-up years, things like the clothing they wore, doing their hair etc.

Penned by Bev Biggeman

There is much to learn from the ‘thoughlets’ Rosalie wrote down over the years, like: how they put the metal iron onto a wooden wheel, and collecting magpie and crow eggs. She had some interesting horse-riding escapades and learned some valuable lessons.

• Story #2: Growing up, My Younger Years – Part 2 – “My memories of those younger years are wonderful. I guess Mom and Dad wanted to have some enjoyment and excitement having a little girl in their lives, but I think they really got more than they bargained for. “

Rodeo — Cowpunchers and Such

As part of our upcoming series all about Rodeo, we share another story about a hall of fame bucking horse with a story to tell:

Five Minutes to Midnight (1921 – 1945)

He was bought at a pound in 1924, probably because he was wild and almost impossible to halter break. He began his rodeo career as “Tumbling Mustard”  He was so spectacular when he bucked, he was often confused with the renowned bronc of the day, “Midnight”. Though he wasn’t Midnight, he was close to it, first named “Two Minutes to Midnight” but someone later changed it to “Five Minutes to Midnight” or “Five”. Peter Welsh and the newly formed “Alberta Stampede Company” ended up buying Five Minutes to Midnight for a mere $100. Now he owned two famous broncs, Midnight and Five. The two famous broncs travelled together to Europe, across Canada and all over the U.S. Vern Elliot (from the US), his last owner, buried him on his ranch beside Midnight’s grave. They were interred to Oklahoma City on the grounds of the National Cowboys Hall of Fame. 

Five was in many ways a contrast to Midnight. Five didn’t like or didn’t trust humans and Midnight had a gentle disposition; he was so tame kids could and ofter did lead him into the bucking chute. Five only weighed 859 pounds, Midnight was 1300. Five was small whereas Midnight was labelled as the largest bucking horse in rodeo history. In the words of the Canadian Rodeo Historical Association, “’Five’ was a thinking critter and when he wasn’t getting his job done one way, he’d change his style in mid-stream and so he compensated for his lack of size with determination and ‘smarts’” 

Midnight and Five Minutes to Midnight had many commonalities. Both were famous broncs, were geldings sporting jet black coats; one was named after the other. They were both posthumously inducted into the Canadian ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City the same year, 1979. Then in 1995 both were exhumed from their first burial at ??? and interred on the grounds at Oklahoma City (by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum). They are buried side by side with matching square tombstones, white with a black lettering. The birthdate engraved for Midnight is 1907-1936, and for Five it’s 1924-1947, both of which vary from the dates given by the Halls of Fame. Midnight has an engraved poem on his, and this is what is on the tombstone of Five:

1924 – 1947
AUGUST 1
AGAIN THE REAPER
HAS VISITED
THE CORRAL
HE TOOK
5 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT
THE COWBOYS PAL.

-A Cowboy

Sources: 

• Canadian Rodeo Historical Assoc.
• ProRodeo Hall of Fame, Colorado

Tribute to Jim Wilson

We are sorry to hear the passing of Jim/James Wilson of Maple Creek at the age of 90. Medicine Hat Cowboy Poetry interviewed and videoed him as part of our ‘Country Stories’ project.

Jim has had many chapters in his life: a farmer, a rancher and long-time part owner of Cowtown Livestock Exchange Ltd. He purchased the 76 Ranch at Piapot (there were 7 of them), and thus contributed to our research of Sir Lister Kaye and his outlandish agriculture ventures as written on page 6 in our September, 2021 newsletter. 

The chapter that abruptly changed his life happened when he got his arm caught in a baler at the age of 20. His story of resilience and determination served as an inspiration at his presentations and gave powerful encouragement to young farmers who also had had incidents.. This is the story of his accident in poetic form:                            

WHEN  LIFE  HANDS  YOU  LEMONS

    by Jen Zollner

It's the second week of July in 1954

When Jim Wilson's world collapsed,

The hailstones pounded his very first crop, 

The lightning as scary as the loud thunderclaps.

The storm was on Wednesday, it broke many windows,

Now it's early on Saturday morning,

He'd go out to bale those five rounds of hay, 

Of the danger, he should have had warning.

He's just a young guy, 20 years old, 

The baler, it didn't work right,

He'd reach in the chamber to pull the twine down, 

Two rollers pulled his whole arm up tight.

He'd idled the tractor, it killed the motor, 

But the power-take-off, it had run,

He felt like a coyote that's caught in a trap 

As he weathered July's sweltering sun.

A half mile away on the road he sees cars,

The Saturday traffic is plenty,

But it's too far to see his other arm waving, 

His hopes for a rescue are empty.

There's no one at home, no such thing as cell phones, 

He's thirsty, he hurts, stomach's growling,

Antelope are curious, come closer by day, 

At night hears the coyotes a-howling.

It's Sunday night when Jim's aunt and uncle

Come to see all the damage from hail,

Something's the matter! The horse has no water! 

Will the note on the door tell the tale?

Jim's thinking his sister and husband may come 

To fix all the house windows broken by hail,

He had left a note in case she has questions, 

She would then know where he'd gone out to bale.

Jack is Jim's dog who's known to be friendly, 

Not today! Wouldn't let Auntie get to the door,

But Jack knew the neighbour and so they were able 

To manage the rescue that Jim had prayed for.

For thirty-six hours he'd been trapped in that baler,

In Maple Creek hospital three days more,

In Moose Jaw he heard his grim rate of survival, 

He promised himself he would better that score.

His success is astounding, one-armed auctioneer; 

He sucks half a lemon so it makes his voice clear,

He's the perfect illustration, you can make lemonade

If luck hands you lemons, life can still be remade.

He's a speaker, urges safety with machines on the farm; 

Shows how neighbours can be lifelines as he waves his left arm,

He motivates the discouraged who've suffered a mishap;

He used to hunt coyotes, now he'll never set a trap.

WANTED!!!

School Horse Stories: Send us your stories about your school horse, his/her name, size, personality and incidents that happened even if it wasn’t your horse. Include the name of your school.

Upcoming Events

Lewistown, MN, Cowboy Gathering and Western Music – Aug 8 thru 11 (Thurs thru Sun)

Towne Square Block Party – August 17 and August 24

Medicine Hat Cowboy Poetry is pleased participate in two of the upcoming Block Parties hosted by the City of Medicine Hat at the Towne Square (603 – 1 Street SE in Medicine Hat)

On Saturday, August 17, Medicine Hat Cowboy Poetry will be celebrating the heritage of cowboy poetry with props, costumes, sample foods and an opportunity to sit around the ‘fire’ entertaining each other like the cowboys did during the cattle drives

On Saturday, August 24, Medicine Hat Cowboy Poetry will be celebrating Western Music — cowboy poetry made into song.

Trail’s End Cowboy Gathering September 6 thru 8 (Friday thru Sunday)

This event takes place in High River, some MHCP members are entertaining there

Caroline Cowboy Music and Poetry Gathering, Sept 13-15 (Fri-Sun) @ Caroline, AB

This is a good one!

MHCP Western Music and Cowboy Poetry Event, October 4 and 5 (Friday and Saturday)

Our very own event will once again be held at the Medicine Hat College in the Eresman Theater and will celebrate the stories, music and poetry from the western way of life.

• Fri, 7:00-10:00,Open Mic
• Sat, 12:00-5:00, Afternoon show
• Sat, 7:00-9:30 Evening performance

Giddyup and get your tickets soon!

Cowboy Wisdom

by David W. Stevenson

• Some men were born to ride and apparently some men were born to sit in traffic.
• If your horse don’t wanna go there, then you don’t either.
• When in doubt, let your horse do the thinking.
• Trust in man but tie up your horse.
• Never drink downstream from your horse.

Cowboy Lingo

One headline termed Midnight (the twin to Five-Minutes-to-Midnight) as the largest bucking horse in rodeo history. Sometimes cowboys mean BIG with words less familiar to us.

• whopping – exceptionally large
• thumping – very large
• strapping – huge
• bouncing – large, heavy (“She gave birth to a bouncing baby boy.”)
• big bug –  the boss, the official
• biggest toad in the puddle – most important person in a group

A thought to leave you with:

There is no need for a man to be any higher than the back of his horse (David Stevenson)

Take care,

Jen