adventure

Once Upon a Frontier

~ adriennecohen221 ~ Leave a comment

In December 2023, Old West Magazine published a list of the “The Top 10 True Western Towns of 2024,” as it has annually for nearly two decades.

Cody, Wyoming, topped the list this year, but others include:

  • Miles City, Montana
  • Lubbock, Texas
  • Abilene, Kansas
  • The Dalles, Oregon
  • San Angelo, Texas
  • Deadwood, South Dakota
  • Tombstone, Arizona
  • Fort Smith, Arkansas, and
  • Prescott, Arizona

Some of these Old West towns have made repeated appearances on the magazine’s annual list. I have lived in several of these legendary locations — Santa Fe, NM, Fort Worth, TX, and Miles City, Montana. And I have visited many more.

Many towns across America claim to be throwbacks to earlier times, dripping with the romance and spirit of discovery that characterized a new and uncharted land.

Most have become thoroughly integrated with modern life. The best, however, retain and celebrate their history as towns on the frontier of a fresh and growing America. Their residents may no longer subscribe to the lively lifestyles of the past, but they are also unwilling to completely put the past behind them. I find that refreshing.

The West Lives On

Last month, I visited an Arkansas frontier town, Fort Smith, for the first time.

Fort Smith has also made True West’s list more than once, and its past may be more colorful than most. The facts testify to its importance on the edge of the American frontier.

Situated on the banks of the Arkansas River and just a bridge away from Oklahoma, Fort Smith is a small town by any standard, but its history is long and varied. It was where “the Hanging Judge” of Old West renown held court — 83 men were hanged on the orders of Judge Isaac Parker between 1873-1896, and reconstructed gallows now occupy a prominent position at Fort Smith’s National Historic Site. Displays are housed in a former military barracks and the city’s impressive historical museum occupies a one-time Army commissary.

The city’s Visitors Center is currently in a former brothel, Miss Laura’s Social Club, and tours of the restored house are offered to the public on a regular schedule. A modern Visitors Center, however, is slated to open in 2025.

Despite its status as the third most populous city in Arkansas, with approximately 90,000 residents, Fort Smith retains its small-town appeal. Its boundaries encircle an area of about 63 square miles, but its downtown core consists of only a few easily walkable blocks.

The city played a contested role in the Civil War and fell under the control of both the Confederacy and the Union at different times. Today a National Cemetery is located near the center of Fort Smith’s historic downtown district. Walking among the headstones is an eye-opening lesson in American history.

Building a New History

Present-day Fort Smith also has much to recommend it, not the least of which is the United States Marshals Museum that opened July 1, 2023, after a decade of planning. It occupies a dramatic riverbank site only a mile or so from the city’s historic downtown.

If, like me, most of what you know about U.S. marshals has been gleaned from television and movies, visiting this museum is akin to a refresher course in reality. The modern building at first seems a bit incongruous on the river, sandwiched between a bridge that leads to Oklahoma and an RV campground. One wonders initially what this architecturally stunning building, set starkly between large boulders and clumps of prairie grass, can be. Closer to the bank, a horse and rider seem to stand watch.

Upon approach, however, the steel and glass building morphs into a stylized star – the badge of the U.S. Marshal. A single American flag directs visitors to the building’s entrance.

The museum tells the story of a small band of legendary men and women charged since 1789 with “keeping the peace and carrying out justice” in the United States. And it tells that story in an unparalleled way.

The Trail of Tears

Also in Fort Smith, there is a viewing platform on the river, not far from the city’s modern convention center, that marks the spot where the trail ended for native tribes who were forcibly removed from their lands east of the Mississippi. Although there were several routes to the designated “Indian Lands” in the West, the years-long relocation of thousands of indigenous tribal members is known as the “Trail of Tears.”

For some, that trail ended at Fort Smith. Indian Territory lay just across the Arkansas River, in what was to become Oklahoma. Last year, I stood near the bank of the Mississippi River not far from St. Louis, at a point where a marker now designates a beginning point of the Trail of Tears. Seeing both the beginning and end of that trail was a sobering experience.

My recent travels have opened my mind to the variety and wealth of Arkansas history, and to the reasons for its nickname as the Natural State. One need not travel far afield to learn more about this unique region.

The City That Holds My Heart

Old West towns beckon to me. To this day, each retains a kind of defiant swagger that sets it apart from other historic American cities, and each one has a distinctive mystique.

Some years of my early childhood were spent in Miles City, along with many summer vacations to visit grandparents. Miles City was then, and in some ways still remains a quintessential frontier town. Founded in 1877, the year after the Battle of the Little Big Horn, it was adjacent to Fort Keogh, at the confluence of the Powder and Yellowstone Rivers in eastern Montana. The fort’s reason for being was as a military outpost to urge local tribes — the Lakota and Crow — to resettle on the state’s designated reservations.

As an active military installation, the fort had a storied history up to and including World War II. Miles City in its early days supplied liquor and services for the troops. Allow your imagination free rein; Miles City began life as a rowdy town.

The fort was deactivated in 1924 to become an agricultural research station. Miles City was an early railroad hub, with both the Milwaukee Road and the Great Northern Railway running through the town. And, for decades, motorists on both U.S. Highways 10 and 12 passed through Miles City. But in the latter part of the 20th Century, Interstate 90 and its I94 spur from Billings to North Dakota were constructed. The interstate bypassed Miles City, and it fell into decline as passenger train travel also diminished. The city’s airport had insufficient runway to handle jets, and most reasons for visiting disappeared.

However, to this day, Miles City clings to the pride that perpetuates its rowdy past. Some of that raucous past manifests each spring, during the third full weekend of May, at the legendary Bucking Horse Festival, held since 1951. The weekend celebration is a spirited event that includes horse races, rodeo events, and visits to Miles City’s throwback saloons. It is grounded in the history of the military and westward expansion, and characterized by high spirits and daring antics by contemporary cowboys. It is still a primary source of rodeo stock for the entire country and the annual rodeo and sale is one of those American “folk festivals” that one really must experience in person to believe.

More West to Explore

In just a few days, I will embark on another journey that will take me through several Old West towns in Kansas on the way to a week of R&R at a mountain cabin in Estes Park, CO. 

Kansas is another state with a rich frontier history, and I look forward to exploring a bit more on this quick journey west, visiting Fort Scott, Wichita, and Dodge City along the way. On this road trip, my husband and I will drive a few miles along Route 66 in eastern Kansas, and then return to the past further west as we follow part of what was once the Santa Fe Trail. I wrote before about Kansas in 2022 when I visited several of the small towns in the southeastern corner of the state that we will pass through again on our way west.

On the way back to Arkansas, we plan to revisit Santa Fe, which we called home for nearly two decades, then will see friends in Lubbock and the Dallas/Fort Worth area before returning home. My plan is to return and write more about these legendary Old West towns that are now redefining themselves as unique places in the modern world.

I hope you’ll join me as I continue to travel and find interesting and unusual places to visit. I urge you to venture out on your own as you have time — to your state’s parks, historic sites, regional festivals and the many small towns, lakes, streams, mountains or shores that surround you, wherever you may live.

A unique mystique . . .

~ adriennecohen221 ~ Leave a comment

4802076860_ce7d2a1221_bLegionnaires of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment based in French Guiana were transported on September 11 to the Caribbean island of Saint Martin to help with rescue and clean up operations following Hurricane Irma. I would bet that others were on high alert as Maria turned toward Guadeloupe and Martinique just days ago.

I heard the news reports of France’s quick response, and I was once again entranced with thoughts of this band of men with a long history, a somewhat dubious reputation and a unique mystique.

Somehow, the desert and the sea always figured in my childhood dreams, along with a thirst for adventure, the appeal of colorful uniforms, and the sound of military marches.

The French Foreign Legion

This elite fighting force has always held inexplicable fascination. I once had a romantic notion that I could run away to North Africa and be a Legionnaire. 4566626508_a28b277564_bI pored over pictures of the bearded Sappers with their white kepis and leather aprons, and I listened endlessly to traditional marches, and to Edith Piaf singing “Mon Legionnaire” and “La Marseillaise.”

Strange, I know. But, truth be told, the same things thrill me today,

I wanted to know someone who joined up. I fancied myself fitting in to the hard life, seeing the world, and participating in endless adventure.

There is at least one major problem, however. First and most important, it seems, is that I was born female and, to this day, the Foreign Legion is a men’s club. Only a men’s club!

Actually, one British woman joined during World War II and served with distinction in North Africa. There have been no others.

And, yes, as outdated as it may seem, The French Foreign Legion still exists.

In fact, it thrives. The Legion has changed, but it is still an elite force. Only about 1000 men are admitted to the ranks each year.

Here’s how it works:

First, if you are male, between the ages of 17 1/2 and 39 1/2, you must get yourself to the door of a Foreign Legion facility within France. Literally, you must knock on the door of the Centre de Preselection in Paris or at the gate of Legion Headquarters in the hills above Marseilles; or at one of nine “recruiting offices” scattered in cities throughout the country. They are officially open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 6550986765_d4ae3024d0_b In truth, however, showing up during normal daytime business hours would be wise.

Potential recruits must have valid documentation from their country of origin, either a passport or government-issued ID, and a verified copy of their birth certificate obtained within the last six months. Aliases and anonymity are no longer an option.

And they must not be on Interpol’s wanted list!

Although it is expected that recruits will arrive with three sets of underwear and socks, sneakers, personal toiletries, and between 10-50 Euros, those who make it in the door are immediately provided food, lodging and uniforms.

That’s it; nothing else matters

Well, almost nothing else: Language doesn’t matter; there is no requirement to speak French. Marital status is unimportant: All recruits are treated as single men. There is no discrimination on the basis of citizenship, background, race, religion, education, training, previous military service, profession or expertise.

There are some “must nots” and some “should nots.” Among prohibited items are knives, weapons of any kind, and keys — no vehicle or personal house keys are allowed! Large amounts of cash, credit cards, jewelry and other valuables are highly discouraged. Cameras, personal computers and electronic devices must be left at home or abandoned.

Recruits must take IQ and personality tests, must pass sports and fitness tests, and must meet specific medical and physical standards. Only about one in eight candidates is accepted.4566623898_3897607b2f_b

Within a few days, those who “survive” an initial interview at a satellite center will be enlisted and transferred to one of the Legion’s two pre-selection centers, either in Paris or in the south of France. Finally, those who make it through the three to 14-day pre-selection testing are transferred to Legion Headquarters in Aubagne to complete the rigorous training process. And it is rigorous.

The initial commitment is for a five-year enlistment, and the entire pre-selection and selection process spans up to five weeks. After that there is training, and more training, then perhaps specialized training. And then duty assignments; often within France today,  sometimes in French territories, but truly all over the globe. The Legion has fought not only in French wars and in two World Wars, but in most of the world’s hot spots, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Bosnia, Kuwait, Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan.

This year, on July 14, I watched with fascination as the new French president and the new American president beamed with pride as the Bastille Day parade along the Champs Elysees in Paris reached its conclusion.  As always, a detachment of Legionnaires participated and, as always, this unique fighting force constituted the final unit in the parade. The marching cadence of the Foreign Legion is measured and impressive (88 steps per minute rather than the normal 120) and a fitting finale to a day full of military pomp and tradition. 7467186668_61d2457d6b_z

The mystery and the magic of this special force still exist. The Pioneers with their leather aprons and axes seem throwbacks to another era as they march with pride and precision; and the band sounds the familiar somber beat.

But, across the globe, other Legionnaires stand ready, as necessary, to don their fatigues and get to work to put a devastated island nation back together. Or to fight, if called. It’s good to know they still exist.

If you’re interested in learning more about the French Foreign Legion, visit Uniforms, History, or 2016 News.

All Photos via Flickr (1) Brian Farrell, 2010; (2 & 4) Marcovdz, 2010; (3) Maglegion, 1993; (5) Archangel 12, 2012

 

There be dragons

~ adriennecohen221 ~ Leave a comment

BHBD

For years, I pored over historic maps, examined old globes and spent hours looking at the edges of tattered nautical charts hoping to glimpse those letters: BHBD.  20151201_103125 (1)

My searches never yielded any kind of “Eureka” moment, but I held fast to the romantic notion that someday I would encounter that cryptic message. Some other friends also believed the oft-repeated notion that ancient mapmakers noted the ends of the known world with the notation, “Beyond here be dragons.”

As it turns out, it simply isn’t so. And it’s a disappointment, for a lot of reasons. First, it was not just my fantasy, but a commonly held belief. I feel cheated somehow, and duped. No matter how silly it seems, I still choose to believe that out there, somewhere, there be dragons.

The notion has fueled my wanderlust for decades; I am certain that old salts and continental explorers fully expected dragons when they embarked on those journeys into the beyond. Instead they encountered wonders, and that was sufficient to keep them moving.

But do you think they secretly longed for the dragons? I still choose to believe so.

Those who today visit the depths of the oceans and those who venture into space must, I think, still be searching for them.

Back to those dragons

Truth be told, apparently, there are no maps that bear any sort of legend concerning dragons — here, there or beyond.

There is one reference — in Latin, mind you — on a small globe dating to the early years of the sixteenth century (1503-1507). It is now in the possession of the New York Public Library; it is the first to depict the Americas in reasonable perspective, and it notes “HC svnt dracones” along the eastern line of Asia.

But, even though there are other beasts on its copper surface, there are, unfortunately, no dragons. (There is also some doubt about the translation from Latin — does it really mean “here be dragons?”) Another question that will not be answered, apparently, any time soon.

The only other map that anyone can point to is a real leap for those who search for dragons on the pages of vellum. The phrase “Here There Be Dragons” was reportedly used for an unknown polar region labeled Terra Incognita on the asteroid Vesta in a paper submitted by Michael Gaffey of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for the planetary science journal Icarus.

Just what is it about dragons?

There are dragons, large and small, worldwide, it seems. Not only Saint George, but countless others — Norsemen and Chinese, among others — searched for and battled dragons. There are Japanese, North American Indian and Ethiopian dragons; they lived in Scandinavian, Welsh and German myth and in the mind of J.R.R. Tolkien.

There are dragon sculptures and dragon jewelry and dragon tattoos.

There is a final reference to the phrase  (and the title of the book) by David Koerner and Simon LeVay in “The Scientific Quest for Extraterrestrial Life.”

During my travels, especially on the sea, I have over and over again scanned the horizon for dragons, just as I still sneak quick peeks at the edges of old maps. I am certain I always will.

I cannot put aside the conviction that, somewhere, beyond the known limits of the page or of this world, somewhere . . .

There be dragons

Koerner and LeVay say in their introduction: “The same sense of mystery, the same lure to adventure, now colors the unexplored lands of the cosmos. Welcome to the dragon hunt.” 

Indeed.