| |
| | "It's
All Trew" by Delbert TrewAppears
in the Amarillo Globe News
Delbert retired from a lifetime of farming
and ranching along with stints as a carpenter, cow trader and 35 years as a "Saturday
night professional musician." He turned to freelance writing because he was "literally
full of it." |
New
Stetson led way for modern
cowboy hats 8-19-08
In about 1860 the "perfect
headpiece" was invented by John B. Stetson. He was the son of a Philadelphia hat-making
family and suffered from tuberculosis, an occupational disease of hat-makers.
Forced to travel west for his health he was on a Pike's Peak camping expedition
when the need for a hat arose.
XIT
was on cutting edge of ranching 8-12-08
The
XIT Ranch was different from the traditional Western ranch of the time. The land
was the same, the cattle and cowboys were alike and much of the ranch work was
similar to the regular old-time ranch work. However, a close study shows it was
in the organizational structure and financial planning where the largest differences
appeared.
There were
rules in good-old days, too 8-5-08
After reading
the book "The Mexican Mesta," by William H. Dusenberry, who chronicled "The Administration
of Ranching In Colonial Mexico" I learned the good-old days had lots of rules
and regulations also, plus the punishment could be severe.
Deadly
trail tamed by fort's installation 7-29-08
Among
the many early trails leading West, over which a tide of travelers once surged,
the four-mile stretch of Massacre Canyon located north-east of present-day Deming,
N.M., was perhaps the bloodiest and most dangerous. The reason being, it was also
the home of the stealthiest, most fierce Indian tribes on the Western frontier...
Old West accounts often
fabrications 7-24-08
The American West of
the early 1800s was a land of mere rumor. Most descriptions were made by rough
mountain men and hunters whose tales often were exaggerated and hard to believe...
Vigilantes were the law
in frontier towns 7-14-08
"As happened
in so many lawless boom towns of the West, the only answer seemed to be a citizen's
committee to take control. No matter the title, all were eventually called vigilantes.
In Fort Griffin..."
Technology
replacing old ranching ways 7-10-08
Many
changes have occurred in the ranching business over the years. Some are good,
a few are sad and occasionally one is somewhat ironic or funny.
Fresh
beef top concern for settlers 7-3-08
Before
refrigeration arrived in rural areas, a system called "meat clubs" allowed families
to keep fresh meat all year. | |
Columns
(Weekly starting
May 2007)
Forts
the front line for Texas 6-26-08Early
Texas rarely let go of land 6-19-08Early
Texas settlers saw many firsts 6-12-08Military
posts had top jobs 6-3-08Hanging
preceded death of a town 5-29-08Early
settlers threw mega-wedding 5-13-08Lots
of laughter in Old West 5-8-08Origins
of land ownership 5-1-08POW
camp stirs memories 4-24-08No
journey too far for determined cattlemen 4-17-08Icons
grow grayer 4-10-08Wagons
vehicles of West 3-27-08Voters
hold fiery rally 3-20-08Tick
trouble takes 30 years to terminate 3-13-08Locusts
plague settlers 3-6-08Crude
work: Oil methods fascinating 2-28-08Horse-to-tractor
switch laborious 2-21-08Brush
up on the classic products 2-14-08Dust
Bowl was deadly 2-7-08Indian
scouts helped end the Indian wars 1-31-08Horse
had to run its course
Region the birthplace of shopping cart, 'Old Yeller'
1-22-08Captain
William Coe lived criminal highlife 1-16-08Orphans
find homes in West 1-8-08Standardized
wheel widths kept you in a rut 12-26-07Pop.:
150, minimum 12-18-07It's
a wonder the Panhandle was ever settled 12-11-07Patience
a valuable lesson 12-3-07Military
editions are book rarities 11-27-07Train
travelers owe much to service pioneer 11-20-07Old
West fires often impossible to tame 11-13-07Tobacco
is as American as apple pie and baseball 11-6-07Survival
rough as the land in Cimarron Country 10-30-07Old-time
improvisation in branding and jailing 10-23-07Early
ranchers formed well-organized groups 10-16-07Bull
Durham tobacco the 'cheapest luxury' 10-10-07New
Deal art provided hope 10-2-07Museum
honors horse's gallantry 9-25-07Surveying,
mother of invention 9-18-07'Spares'
needed pairs 9-11-07Myths
of the South Plains 9-5-07Stables
were cultural hub 8-28-07How
legends are made 8-21-07Lamp
chores evolved 8-14-07Conditioning
a saddle into tiptop quality 8-7-07Water
supply not to be taken for granted 8-1-07Annual
pear event preserves the past 7-10-07Buffalo
slaughter had benefits 7-3-07Can
you please pass the salt? 6-26-07 Home
canning was a high-pressure job 6-19-07 Country
cures tame pesky farm critters 6-12-07 Measuring
systems of the past 5-29-07 Fascinated
by food facts 5-22-07 Higgins
was stage station 5-14-07 Trail
drivers brought in income, coined phrases 5-6-07Hungry
cowboys foil pickle plan 5-2-07 History?
It's in the mail 3-30-07 Autograph
book reveals mother's girlhood 2-1-07 My,
how record keeping has changed 1-1-07 Work
continued despite weather conditions 12-15-06 Old
gardeners avoided 'feast or famine' route 12-1-06 Wildfires
top long list of life's hazards 11-14-06 Great
Depression brought many programs 11-1-06 Rationing
reminds of sacrifices for war effort 10-16-06 Some
old-time superstitions prevail 10-3-06 Book
about old-time expressions evokes story 9-26-06 Dirt-moving
methods improve through years 9-19-06 Chance
chats solve history's mysteries 9-13-06 Texas
weather always unpredictable 9-5-06 What
a smoker smokes can reveal personality 8-29-06 Past
can continue to serve the present 8-21-06 Rollaway
bed was favorite for sleeping, hiding 8-15-06 Texas,
Oklahoma line ever-shifting until 1930 8-8-06 Water
- then and now 8-1-06 Right
lubrication greases squeakiest of wheels 7-25-06 Tagging
vehicles has colorful history 7-18-06 Mineral
Wells once a booming health spa 7-10-06 Haphazard
biscuits now memories 7-4-06 Second
income not such a new thing after all 6-27-06 Saving
energy has always been worthwhile 6-20-06 Love,
appreciation for trees go full circle 6-13-06 Deere
was a man farmers could really dig 6-7-06 'Greatest
Generation' kept America together 5-29-06 Evolving
farms grew to look like small towns 5-22-06 Water
defines local historical events 5-17-06 WPA
aided America's health 5-8-06 Being
in hot water actually a luxury 5-3-06 A
look at wash day from early to modern 4-25-06 Crocks:
The Tupperware of their day 4-17-06 A
criminal or a saint? You never know 4-11-06 Reflecting
on traditional meat processing 3-30-06 Brick
chimneys a favorite memory 3-14-06 Ghost
towns aplenty in Texas Panhandle 3-11-06 Daily
chores were priority during childhood 2-27-06 Cowboys:
Stand-up comedians for the Lord 2-21-06 Neighbors
quick to help those in need 2-14-06 Technology
opens many doors 2-7-06 Dipping
into the history of snuff, tobacco 1-31-06 Pederson
Creek offered unique privileges 1-24-06 Canning
remains popular throughout time 1-18-06 Childhood
medications were simple, gave relief 1-12-06 Trewisms:
Hard-earned observations reflect life's lessons 12-13-05 Phillips
66 Service Station 10-1-05
The First Phillips 66 Retail Outlet in Texas
– 1928
Encounters
of the outhouse kind make great family reunion tales 9-17-05 Lessons
Learned Riding School Bus Last a Lifetime 8-26-05 Rural
'home office' centered on farmer's almanac 8-7-05 Wash
day on the farm always fell on Monday 7-22-05 Factory-made
horse trailer had its share of problems 7-1-05 A
penny saved is worthless if it's nowhere to be found 6-15-05 Memory
tickled by itch of childhood ailments 6-1-05 Boys
will be boys - and also troublemakers 5-14-05 Domino,
pool parlors were pre-TV entertainment 5-1-05 Point
of view depends on viewing point 4-11-05 Some
cuss words aren't really cuss words 4-5-05 Language
changes a little from generation to generation 3-28-09
Some believe a
different language was spoken in the old days? Maybe so, here are a few examples
used by the Trew clan.
War
surplus was godsend to folks at home 3-14-05
"Everyone wanted a jeep.
This heroic vehicle had appeared in every war movie, newsreel and photo sent home
from the war." Quills,
nibs, ink bladders were part of daily life 3-1-05 All
types of things happened when making butter 2-1-05 Dogs
figure in life's fondest memories 1-16-05 Planning
for weather is trying proposition 1-1-05 Fuel
Fires Up Memories 12-15-04
'Waste
not, want not' was law at supper 12-1-04
Once
lowly fare, potatoes enjoy popularity 11-15-04 Home
remedies would cure or kill you 11-1-04 The
Hog, the Whole Hog, Nothin' but the Hog 10-20-04 The
Great Nail Pickup 9-1-04 First
Car Memories 8-17-04 Old
Time Objects Long Gone 8-2-04 Five
gallon buckets were versatile, useful farm equipment 7-7-04
Two addendums to vows help marriage to last 5-26-04Coal
oil was useful all-purpose home remedy 4-1-04Unique
Monument 3-24-04
The "TRIBUTE TO BARBED WIRE" The Only Monument in the
World dedicated to Barbed Wire Got
sweet, skim, sour, butter or scalded milk? 3-19-04Using
concrete involved search for sand, much hauling 3-19-04Things
Worthy of Prayer: Baling wire, duct tape, drywall screws and caulking 3-17-04
Quilting
was hub of family, social life 3-14-04
'My
mama's cornbread' discussion gets hot 3-14-04Biscuits,
even the 'whomp' kind, make world a better place 3-14-04Bugs
provided hours of entertainment 3-14-04
Smoking
just seemed to go along with pioneer, cowboy life 3-10-04
Mailbox
was rural portal to outside world 3-3-04
Screen
door was faithful fixture 2-26-04
Barbed
Wire Telephones 2-20-04
Harvey
Girls and Juke Quarters
2-6-04
A fact most significant to the history
of the West is that approximately 100,000 girls signed up to work for Fred Harvey
from 1901 to about 1944.
Linoleum
was family's first sign of prosperity 2-6-04
Dishevelment
is lifelong trait | Delbert
Trew
Delbert
Trew was born in Ochiltree County in the northern Panhandle of Texas in 1933.
His wife Ruth was also born in the Panhandle on a farm near Follett, Texas. This
was during the darkest days of the Great Depression and in the heart of the Dustbowl.
They are retired and live 65 miles east of Amarillo on a ranch that's been in
the family for 54 years.
Both have suffered personal tragedy. Delbert's
first wife and sixteen-year-old daughter were killed in a car wreck in 1970 and
Ruth's first husband, a Marine helicopter pilot became one of those still missing
in Vietnam. They married, combining their surviving families.
Living
through hard times, good times, tragedy and three major wars gave Delbert boxcar
loads of hindsight and experience.
Delbert retired from a lifetime of
farming and ranching along with stints as a carpenter, cow trader and 35 years
as a "Saturday night professional musician." He turned to freelance writing because
he was "literally full of it."
Writing for newspapers, magazines, doing
public speaking and now publishing books, his writing hobby has turned into a
full-time job. He doesn't complain, since it's still better than digging post
holes in the hard Panhandle soil.
He states to all, "I write from a been-there,
done-that and seen-it-all philosophy. Whether I write or speak, and whether the
subject is nostalgic, historical or humorous, I guarantee 'It's All Trew' from
start to finish."
As a disclaimer he sometimes says, "I never let the
truth stand in the way of a good story" and other times he says, "If you've already
heard this story, don't stop me, 'cause I want to hear it again, myself."
Delbert is also a museum curator and supervisor at the Devil's Rope Barbwire
Museum in McLean, Texas. Those traveling old Route 66 would be hard pressed to
find a more qualified Panhandle ambassador.
His time spent as an editor/publisher,
plus being "a mite windy" assures that time spent with his writing or listening
to his programs will be both enjoyable and fun.
His column "It's All
Trew" appears weekly in the Amarillo Globe News. Mr. Trew has graciously
agreed to share his column with our readers providing them a closer look at the
Texas Panhandle - past and present.
February
5, 2004
Delbert Trew's website
: http://delberttrew.com/
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Books by Delbert
TrewDelbert
Trew - Book Order Form
"It's All Trew"
80 weekly news articles as published in the Amarillo Globe-News
Here
and Gone: A Gray County Centennial Edition
The
RO Brand: The Story of Alfred Rowe, founder of McLean, Texas and the RO Ranch.
The
McLean P.O.W. Camp: A WWII installation built at McLean, Texas
Warwire:
The History of Obstacle Wire Used in Warfare
With Bill Russell:
Twice
Told Tales of the Llano Estacado (Illustrated by Al Martin Napoletano) |
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