BOY WHO WAS RAISED BY BEARS: Native American Bear Story & Legend

Native American Bear Story…

“Muinej The Bear’s Cub” – A Mi’kmaq Bear Story & Folktale Retold – A Native American Legend

 

Bear Story

 

THE BOY WHO WAS RAISED BY BEARS!  A NATIVE CANADIAN MI’KMAQ BEAR STORY RETOLD & FREE TO READ…

Introduction by Brian Alan Burhoe.

Bears have long appeared in folktales and animal stories worldwide.

Especially among Northern Peoples.

Those of us of Northern ancestry, whether Northern European (Nordic, Slavic, Germanic, Celtic and Anglo-Saxon) or First Nations of North America, come from cultures that believed that Bearkind was Humankind’s closest blood relative.  Hence, for instance, the numerous stories of bear-human children among the Vikings, Germans and Druidic Celts.  Many First Nations have family groups who call themselves the Bear Clan, explaining they have actual bear blood in their veins or met bears in sacred visions.

Talking bears, bear-human hybrids and human children adopted and raised by loving mama bears are common story themes in both Old and New World oral traditions.  Even J. R. R. Tolkien wrote about Beowulf and “Bear’s Son Tales in European folklore.”

Here’s my retelling of a favourite bear story, a local First Nations folktale I read first as a boy…

 

“Muinej The Bear’s Cub” A Bear Story

In a younger Turtle Island, before the coming of foreign seafarers and clamoring machines and civilized greed, when the forests were greener and the trees were bigger, there lived a Mi’kmaq boy named Mikinawk.

Mikinawk never knew his real father who had been killed during a battle with another tribe.  Instead, he was raised by a brutal braggart of a man who believed his new wife loved her son more than him.  The mother often had to stop her new husband from beating the boy.

But eventually the man seemed to accept the boy and began to speak kindly to him and she secretly shed tears of thankfulness.

The day came when Mikinawk’s stepfather said, “Woman, this is the day Mikinawk will start on the path to manhood.  I will take him hunting with me.”

“But Mikinawk is not yet of age,” she said.

“He will be safe with me.  Have I not accepted him as my own?  Today, we will only hunt rabbits.”

So she agreed to let them set out in the forest.

On his previous hunt, when he had gone into the rocky Spirit Hills where other men of the band rarely went, the stepfather had spotted a cave.  And an idea had come to him then.

They traveled for what the boy thought was a long time.  Even he could identify rabbit droppings and pathways in the grass.  But his stepfather kept them moving on.

And then the man whispered, “Listen!  I hear voices of other men!”

The boy listened.  All he could make out were bird calls and the splashing of a nearby river.

“I don’t hear voices,” whispered Mikinawk.

“I do.  They are warriors of the band we once fought, I’m sure.  The ones who killed your father.  Quick!  See that cave?  Hide in there!  I will lay under one of those cedar trees and guard us.  Stay in the cave until I call you.  Go!”

And so Mikinawk ran into the cave, crawling deep into its darkness.

Laughing, the man followed his stepson, keeping out of sight in the trees.  He picked up a birch pole he had cut and hidden on his last trip here.  The hill was covered with big boulders left there long ago, say the old story tellers, by Ice Spirits.  He scampered up the hill and stuck the pole behind a boulder and set it rolling down the hill.  It crashed into place in the cave’s opening, blocking the boy’s way out.  Trapping the boy he hated.  He shouted out just one word, “Starve!”

But the shaking of the earth had loosened a bigger boulder further up the hill.  Or perhaps it was the Ice Spirits.  Hearing something behind him, the stepfather had only time to turn and see the rolling rock when it hit him.

Almost feeling the weight of the stone walls of the cave, Mikinawk bravely fought his loneliness and fear.  He listened intently for any sound beyond the great darkness that had swallowed him when the boulder had crashed into place.  But he was only five and he wanted his mother, so he eventually let out a big sob.

He was startled by a voice from deeper in the cave.

“Who is there?  Who are you?”  The voice was not human, but seemed to be of something small and young like him.

“I am Mikinawk.  Who are you?”

“I am Nidap.  This is my sister Ebit.”

“What animals are you?” he said into the darkness.

“We are bear cubs.  What are you?”

“I am a human.”

“Oh!” came two voices filled with fear.

“I am a friend,” said Mikinawk, hiding his own fear.  “This is a time for friendship.”

And then there was a crunching noise and sunlight spilled into the cave as the boulder was rolled away.

“Ebit!  Nidap!” came a deep growling voice.  “What is happening?  There is the smell of humans here.”

And Giju’muin, a big mother bear, crawled into the cave.  Snuffing noisily, her hot breath poured onto Mikinawk’s face.

“You are dangerous, little human.  I –”

“He said he is a friend,” came another voice, who must have been the sister bear.

Giju’muin thought about this.  She had found the body of a man on the hill.  Knowing that the humans would blame her for the death if discovered, and kill her and her cubs, she had carried the body and thrown it in the fast flowing river.

“Why are you here, little one?” she asked the boy.

“My stepfather must have done it.  He hates me.  But my mother loves him.  And the men of the village praise him as a mighty warrior.  I don’t know if I can go home.”

Now that there was light in the cave, the two cubs moved toward him and sniffed him.  The she-cub asked, “Can he stay with us, Mother?”

The mother bear thought again.  She couldn’t let him return to his people and tell them about her family.  But she didn’t have the heart to kill this helpless little human.

“Maybe.  For now, the blueberries are ripe and we must get to them before the crows and the others eat them all.”  So Giju’muin led the two cubs and the boy to the wild blueberry fields.

When they arrived at the fields, the bushes were blue with big juicy berries.  But there were many bears already there.  When those strange bears saw Mikinawk, some screeched “Human!  Run!”  And they scurried away.  Some adults growled mightily and charged at the boy.  Giju’muin put herself in front of the boy and warned them away, saying that she had adopted this human cub and that he would not harm them.

And so Mikinawk was adopted by the bears, who gave him a new name — Muinej, the Bear’s Cub.

The cubs were happy with their new brother and Giju’muin taught all three of the young ones the ways of the forest and meadowlands and waterways.  Muinej rejoiced in his newfound life, almost forgetting his old life in the village.  He loved the stories his mother bear told them.  Indeed, he even learned to walk on all four paws at times.  He almost came to believe he was a bear.

The next year, he and his brother Nidap thought up a sly plan to get more berries for themselves when they arrived again at the fresh blueberry grounds.  When they saw all the bears happily feeding on the sweet berries, Nidap ran among the bushes with Muinej chasing him.  Nidap began screaming “The humans are attacking.  Run!”  And many of the bears saw them and ran so fast they almost flew like the crows.

They stopped laughing when they saw the anger on Giju’muin’s face.

She growled a warning at them to never do that again.  But there was a hint of a smile from her when she shuffled away.

The brothers, sometimes with their sister’s help, were always up for tricks on other animals.  But never around their mother.  And so time passed happily.

One springtime, she was teaching them how to catch smelt fish in the slower shallows of the river.  Sister Ebit had hurt her leg a few days earlier when she had fallen out of a leafing birch tree, although it was healing.  So she sat on the river bank.  They were eating fresh smelts when Giju’muin lifted her nose to the air.  “Humans!” she cried.  “Follow me, my children. We must run!”

The boy thought at first that she was playing her own trick on them in punishment for what he and his brother had once done at the blueberry fields.  She had a long memory.

But no.  This was no trick.

They ran for the cave.  But sister bear still limped and slowed them down.  The mother bear knew what she must do.  “There!  We will hide under that big cedar tree.  Now!”

So they crawled under the low hanging cedar boughs and hid in the sweet-scented shadows.

Footsteps came closer.  She knew the hunters had seen them.  And followed their tracks in the grass and bushes.

Sadly Giju’muin said, “I am going out to face them.  When I am occupying them, Nidap, you must run to the rocky hills and do not slow down.  You are big enough now to make your own way in life.  Then you, Muinej, must go out and face them.  Plead for your sister’s life.  You are human, perhaps they will listen to you.”

And so Giju’muin scrambled out and ran away as fast as she could.  The boy heard men’s excited voices.  And the twang of hunting bows.  The cheers of success.  Spoken words he had not heard for what seemed a long time.  But recognized.

“Yes, brother,” he said to Nidap.  “Run that way.  I will speak for our sister.  We will all meet again.”

When Nidap ran out, the boy heard the men’s voices again, so he crawled out from under the cedar branches.

“See me!” he shouted to the hunters.  Ten men or so stared at the naked boy in surprise.

Beyond them, he saw the body of the mother bear, arrows in her like quills from a giant porcupine.  His eyes grew wet, but he had Ebit’s life to save.

“I am Muinej, once called Mikinawk!  With me is Ebit, my adopted sister.  Spare her!”

“It IS Mikinawk,” said one hunter.  The shocked men lowered their bows.

Silently, Muinej and Ebit went over to the body of Giju’muin and shed their tears.

Around a campfire that night, the boy who was known as Mikinawk told his story, as I have just told you.

When they returned to their Mi’kmaq village, there was more weeping as his mother joyfully received him — and his new sister.  His mother helped raise Ebit until the young she-bear was ready to return to the forest.

Muinej kept his bear-name.  He became a great hunter.  And with a heart as big as a bear’s, he always provided for his mother and others of the village in need.  But he never killed a bear.  And saw that his own people never hunted a she-bear when she had cubs.

He often met up with his brother Nidap and they would laugh and exchange stories of great deeds and greater meals.  And when Ebit grew into an adult and had her own cubs, he would visit her and her new family at the base of a hollow tree where they denned and they would relive old times and celebrate the new.

And once a year they would join all the other bears in the wild blueberry fields.

THE END

 

UPDATE:  I want to thank readers who gave such positive feedback to my bear story.

A common reaction was like that of Tylor Hugley: “Loved the story except mother bear’s death…” @TylorHugley.

I considered reworking that plot element.  After all, I had created my own original cast of characters.  And fleshed out this story of a boy who lived with bears.  “Let the Mama Bear live!” I told myself.  It was a sad moment when I realized that I had to follow the logic of the story as I had envisioned it.

In the versions of the Mama Bear story I’d read, the boy is unwanted and homeless.  And that didn’t seem true to the Mi’kmaq way.  Mikinawk would have had a loving family member, a grandmother, perhaps…  I gave Mikinawk a loving mother.  And reversed the European cruel stepmother story arc, giving him a cruel stepfather (somebody like Dicken’s Mr Murdstone).

Before returning to Canada as a lad, my Manx Grandmother, who loved to tell me old folktales, spoke of Bears (as well as Blackbirds, Brownies and Bugganes).

She used to tell the story of a girl who married a Viking chief who was a bear.  I think now it was a Manx version of the much longer Irish story, “The Brown Bear of Norway.”

It’s a deep cultural mythos that’s always haunted me.

I wrote this Bear Story to honour our local Mi’kmaq culture.[1]  And to celebrate our mystic Atlantic Canadian forests — where I have wandered most of my life.

The Bear story “Muinej The Bear’s Cub” and accompanying material on this page are copyright © by Brian Alan Burhoe.  You are free to reprint “Muinej The Bear’s Cub” but please credit this author.

 

Did you enjoy my Bear Story?

wolf story - animal story - Bear StoryIF SO, YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ WOLFBLOOD — MY MOST POPULAR ANIMAL YARN: “I LOVE THE HAPPY ENDING!”

“I JUST READ WOLFBLOOD AGAIN FOR GOOD MEASURE.  ONE FOR ANY WOLF LOVER.  ENJOYED IT BUT WISH IT WAS A FULL LENGTH NOVEL.” – Gina Chronowicz @ginachron

“GREAT SHORT STORY!  DOES REMIND ME OF CALL OF THE WILD, WHITE FANG…” – Evelyn @evelyn_m_k

An “entertaining and affectionate” narrative in the Jack London Tradition of a lone Gray Wolf and his quest for a place in the far-flung forests of the feral North.  FREE TO READ ==>  WOLFBLOOD: A Wild Wolf, A Half-Wild Husky & A Wily Old Trapper

 

“Live Free, Mon Ami!” – Brian Alan Burhoe

 

Notes on this Bear Story:

Camp Fire Note Book - Canadian[1] I first read some of those great First Nations stories in old library books many years ago.  Including Mi’kmaq.  And copied down the tales I most loved in Camp Fire note books.

The story of an unwanted boy who was adopted by bears — titled “A Child Nourished by a Bear” — appeared in LEGENDS OF THE MICMACS, collected by Silas T Rand: “A long time before either the French or the English people were heard of, there was in a certain village a little boy who was an orphan.  He was in the charge of no one in particular, and sometimes stayed in one wigwam and sometimes in another, having no home of his own…”

Emelyn Newcomb Partridge also published a version of this same bear story — which she titled “Mooin the Bear’s Child” — in her GLOOSCAP THE GREAT CHIEF AND OTHER STORIES: “One day a hunter was looking for bear tracks.  He found the tracks of an old bear and two cubs.  And with these tracks, he saw marks like those made by the naked feet of a little child.”

October is Mi’kmaq History Month.

REMEMBER: Unceded Mi’kma’ki.  Peace and Friendship Treaty 1725!

DO YOU WANT TO READ MY ANIMAL STORIES ON YOUR MOBILE CELLPHONE OR TABLET?  Go to my Mobile-Friendly BrianAlanBurhoe.com

 

BOY WHO WAS RAISED BY BEARS: Native American Bear Story & Legend – Muinej The Bear’s Cub – A Mi’kmaq Bear Story Retold – A free online short animal story.

American Indian, a bear story, animal stories for adults, bear stories, brown bear story, children animal stories, Civilized Bears. Camp Fire notebooks.  Indigenous, kids animal stories, little bear story, Mi’kmaq History Month, Micmac. Native American Indian, native American legend, native Americans, short animal stories. Short bear story.

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Meet Elephant Herd Matriarch Renee & Her New Son – Baby Elephant Name

Baby Elephant Name…

 

Baby elephant name

Baby Elephant News. Elephants, Freedom & Zoos – A Rant

“Free the Animals!”  I’ve spoken for years about Circuses and Animals.  The animals should be freed!  Circuses are for Humans — to perform in and to watch.

And a lot of zoos were little better.  Mere cages.  Steel and cement prisons for captured creatures.  Wandering lost forever in front of cold Inhuman eyes.

But in this age of endangerment and cruel harvesting, Wildlife Refuges are a growing need.  And in places, “better at least than circuses,” some zoos are being repurposed into refuges of a kind.

Some zoos have good news.  Some zoos ARE good news.

Among them, animals, already shorn of horns and tusks have found a new life.  They are surviving.  And sometimes thriving.  And reproducing.

Meet Elephant Herd Matriarch Renee & Her New Son – Baby Elephant Name.

new baby elephant“Toledo Zoo’s Elephant Herd Grows with Arrival of Newborn Calf…

“The Toledo Zoo is thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby elephant, born to African elephant, Renee.  The male calf, weighing 266 pounds, was welcomed into the Tembo Trail exhibit on February 17, 2024.”

This new addition to the Toledo Zoo is the result of a successful and sophisticated artificial insemination process.   They worked closely with the Elephant Species Survival Plan.  The Zoo chose Titan from Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, as the father.

“It took months of coordination working with our partners in the field,” said Michael Frushour, curator of mammals at the Toledo Zoo.  “It takes a special team of experts to perform an elephant insemination.  And we prioritized working with the best professionals within the United States and the world to make sure that happened.”

Renee arrived at the Zoo in 1982.  She’s estimated to be 45 years old.  In June, she weighed approximately 8,300 pounds.  And reached 8,800 pounds during pregnancy.  She’s an experienced mother.  This marks her third pregnancy through artificial insemination, underscoring the Zoo’s commitment to preserving the elephant species.

Her first-born, Louie, now resides at the North Carolina Zoo.  While her second-born, Lucas, unfortunately died of Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus at nine years old in 2021.

The herd’s matriarch, Renee, is renowned for her gentle and cooperative spirit.  She’s the perfect elephant for training new keepers.  They love her and she responds to them.

She enjoys watermelon and wallowing on warm days.  She cleverly uses objects like stumps and balls to find food, showing her adaptability and intelligence.

Both Renee and her calf are in excellent health.  The Zoo’s dedicated staff are providing meticulous care and monitoring.  Throughout her pregnancy, Renee remained active and healthy.  Thanks to the elephant team.  They conducted daily exercises, monitored her hormone levels, and performed weekly ultrasounds.

Her care team also collected plasma and conducted overnight observations as her due date approached.  This made sure that both mother and calf remained in excellent health.  You can view these videos on the Toledo Zoo’s social media channels.  (See the Facebook and Twitter Share Buttons below.)

Toledo Zoo’s Elephant Herd Grows with Arrival of New Baby Elephant.

Like some other animals at the Toledo Zoo, the African elephant has been classified as “Endangered.”  It’s on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s “Red List of Threatened Species.”

As such, the Toledo Zoo is dedicated to providing a safe and enriching home for these animals.  As well as educating the public about the importance of preserving and protecting wildlife.

“Preserving the future of this species is critical to us.  At this zoo, we are committed to doing so.  We’re looking forward to the new calf joining our elephant family.  We’re optimistic that he will fit in just fine,” Frushour explained.

In addition to Renee and the newborn calf, the Zoo is also home to two other elephants.  Twiggy and Ajani.

Twiggy, a USDA-confiscated elephant, arrived in Toledo in February 2010.  She weighs 7,200 pounds and is estimated to be 39 years old.  Known for her vocal nature and love for watermelon, Twiggy played a nurturing role as an aunt to Lucas.  The team eagerly anticipates her interactions with Renee’s new calf.

In September of 2023, the Zoo welcomed Ajani, a 23-year-old male elephant.

Ajani was born at the Indianapolis Zoo.  He spent some time at the Birmingham Zoo before moving to Sedgwick County Zoo.  “Ajani has been a great addition.  He’s been enriching the social dynamics of the herd as he gets acquainted with the keeper staff.  Along, of course, with Renee and Twiggy.”

BABY ELEPHANT NAME CONTEST: The newest member of the herd will need a name. So the Zoo has launched a naming contest where the public can donate to select their favorite name for the male calf. The contest starts March 1, and closes at 11:59 p.m. on March 14. To vote, visit https://toledozoo.info/forms/baby-elephant-naming-vote/. The winning name will be announced via the Zoo’s social media platforms. Followed by the calf’s public exhibit debut on Saturday, March 16.

Baby Elephant: As of mid-March, guests can visit Renee and her calf.

“Zoo staff is asking the public to please be patient.  Twenty guests at a time will be guided by Zoo staff to enter the indoor exhibit.  Noise levels must be kept to a minimum.  And no flash photography will be permitted.  We don’t want to startle our gentle giants.”

But it’s a celebration when every baby elephant is born, eh?

UPDATE: Saturday, March 16, 2024.  “Meet our African elephant calf, Kirk!”  Yup, the little guy has a name.  Welcome to planet Earth, Kirk!

Endangered African Elephant - baby elephant

Love Elephants?  Then You Have Got to Read This: World Elephant Day 2024 – Are Elephants Endangered?  How To Save The Elephants.

 

More information about the Toledo Zoo can be found at https://toledozoo.org/.

To learn more about endangered species, see The Red List of Threatened Species.

Meet Elephant Herd Matriarch Renee & Her New Son – Baby Elephant Name

SOURCE Toledo Zoo, PR Newswire & Civilized Bears. Baby elephant Kirk.

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HORSE PROTECTION DAY: Helicopter Roundups, Wild Horses & Kill Pens

Wild Horses!

Horse Protection Day is here…

Wild Horse roundup on horse protection Day

Wild horses in America’s West come up against the reality of a summer helicopter roundup. Photo Credit: WilsonAxpe PhotoAdvocacy.
 

HORSE PROTECTION DAY: Helicopter Roundups, Wild Horses & Kill Pens

Horses arrived in North America during the Spanish Conquest.  From the beginning, the early 1500s, those beautiful runners of the open land escaped their human masters and spread and thrived northward across the continent’s plains.

And ever since, humans have been rounding ’em up.

Over the past seventy years, those wild horses have fallen into a new category: vermin.  So many horses are rounded up for the kill pens.  To be slaughtered.

I’m posting this on March 1st, National Horse Protection Day.

The top wild horse conservation organization is virtually uniting advocates across America and sending a unified message to Congress:

“Prioritize horse protection over cruel helicopter wild horses roundups!”

“We are leading a nationwide Day of Action to tell Congress to ban the use of helicopters to round up wild horses. Support the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act, H.R. 3656. It’s led by Nevada’s US Rep. Dina Titus,” said Suzanne Roy.  Suzanne is Executive Director of the American Wild Horse Campaign.

“In 1971, Congress unanimously granted wild horses federal protection akin to the bald eagle. Sadly, successive administrations have failed to uphold America’s promise of freedom for these iconic animals. It’s time to halt the helicopters and refocus on sustainable in-the-wild conservation.”

Roy also expressed thanks to Reps. Steve Cohen (Tenn-D.) and David Schweikert (Ariz-R.).  And the 16 additional cosponsors of H.R. 3656.

This Day of Action follows a deadly helicopter roundup season this winter that has resulted in 71 wild horse deaths.  And the roundup and removal of more than 7,000 wild horses and burros –- including over 1,000 foals –- from the wild.

National Horse Protection Day is the day for wild horse supporters to voice support on social media. Hashtags #KeepWildHorsesWild and #HaltTheHelicopters.  And sign their names to AWHC’s letter calling on Congress to support H.R. 3656.  The Wild Horse & Burro Protection Act.

It’s on March 1 that AWHC is also announced it was becoming American Wild Horse Conservation.

This reflects the organization’s efforts to reform wild horses and burros protection across the American West.

As well as improve and expand protected natural habitats like in Fish Springs, Nevada.  And set the conservation standard through the world’s leading wild horse fertility control initiative.

“American Wild Horse Conservation is more than a campaign. We’re creating a new model for wild horse protection through sustainable in-the-wild conservation,” said Roy.

Today, American Wild Horse Conservation’s media center will launch featuring a press reel/B-roll for members of the press.  On Thursday, the organization will unveil a new website and inform advocates how they can support a new model to protect wild horses.

 The Battle Continues!  For more on the inhuman war on Horses see Horse Slaughter Pipeline from America to Canada – Horse Meat.

 

“Horses!  We Have A History!”  Do You Agree With This Post?

IF SO, YOU’VE GOT TO SEE “THE WRITERS OF THE NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE”  MY MOST POPULAR LITERARY HISTORY POST:

“Thanks for a wonderful in-depth article on Mountie fiction. I’m a big fan of the Mounties.  And I really enjoyed the amount of details you provided and found many, many more books to put on my wish list.” Jack Wagner

“Thank you for this excellent list! I’ve begun collecting Mountie fiction and this will help a great deal.”  J F Fournier

“I just discovered your blog and need to dig deeper into it.  I’m all for anything that increases people’s knowledge about these older, mostly forgotten authors.  That post on Mountie fiction is great!” Western writer James Reasoner

When our Canadian Mounted Police first rode their proud Eastern horses West, they entered our National Mythology.  A look at the many, many writers who helped create that Proud Mythology.  FREE TO READ ==>  The GREATEST AUTHORS OF NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE FICTION

 

About American Wild Horse Conservation:

“American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) champions humane, in-the-wild protection of the nation’s wild horses and burros on our public lands. AWHC is modernizing wild horse and burro conservation across the American West. Expanding protected natural habitats in places like Fish Springs, Nevada.” For more information, visit home.americanwildhorse.org/.

“We are setting the conservation standard through the world’s leading wild horse fertility control initiative. We are proving that new science-based models for wild horse and burro protection exist and are humane, cost-effective, and scalable.”

“Keep Wild Horses Wild!”
 

SOURCE American Wild Horse Conservation, PR Newswire & Civilized Bears

HORSE PROTECTION DAY: Helicopter Roundups, Wild Horses & Kill Pens

#HaltTheHelicopters. #KeepWildHorsesWild.  American Wild Horse Conservation, AWHC, burro protection, helicopter roundups, horses for sale.  Horse Protection Day, National Horse Protection Day, kill pens, round up, the roundup, wild horses in America, wild horses near me.

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The Wolf Hunt – Wolfers in the Old West & Canada – History

What are wolfers?

What are wolfers

 

The Wolf Hunt – Wolfers in the Old West & Canada – History – What are Wolfers?

Wolfers were hunters who specialized in killing wolves, selling their pelts for the bounties paid by US Federal, western States and Territorial governments as well as Cattlemen’s Associations.

By the early 1870s, “wolf hunters had almost exterminated every wolf from Texas to the Dakotas, from Missouri to Colorado.” [1]

So they moved into the unpoliced Canadian northwest.

Wolfers laced the bodies of skinned bison or freshly killed mule deer with strychnine, a cruel poison.  Wolfers and Buffalo Hunters often worked together.  After buffalo were slaughtered and skinned, the unwanted bodies were left unused on the prairie.  Wolfers would sprinkle the carcasses with their strychnine.  The Native peoples were enraged at the mass slaughter of their bison (as well as the resulting strychnine poisoning of their dogs) and the white hunters would band together for security.

An example of this was the 1870’s fortified fur trading post on the Spitzee River (aka High River) on the Canadian western plains.  The group of buffalo hunters, wolfers and fur trappers called themselves the “Spitzee Cavalry.”  The “cavalry” attacked both outraged Natives and white whiskey traders who were giving guns and ammunition to the local First Nations.

A US government pamphlet had the following to say about how to poison wolves:

“Many wolves are killed by poisoning, and more would be so killed if the methods followed were less crude.  Strychnine is generally used with nothing to disguise its intense bitterness.  The powder being either inserted in bits of meat or fat or merely spread on a fresh carcass.  In most cases the wolf gets a taste of the bitter drug and rejects it.  And if the dose is swallowed it may be too small to be fatal or so large as to act as an emetic…

“An old and experienced wolf will rarely touch bait poisoned in the ordinary way.  But sometimes a whole family of young may be killed at a carcass.  Usually when wolves are poisoned, they go so far before they die that if found at all it is not until their skins are spoiled.  To encourage poisoning, it must be possible to secure the skins in good condition.  Or at least, to find the animals after they are killed, so that the ranchman may have the satisfaction of knowing that he has accomplished something toward the protection of his stock.” [2]

A more recent article about poisoning wolves said this:

“A carcass laced with a small amount of strychnine, a grainy substance that looked like table salt, could attract and kill several dozen wolves within a short period of time.  Before the 1880s, a dead buffalo might hold the poison.  After the American bison was gone from the plains, another dead animal would suffice.  Some wolf hunters sprinkled a carcass with strychnine in the deep of winter, returning in the spring to find dead wolves sprawled around the poisoned animal.” [3]

As bait animals became scarcer, prairie wolfers went back to steel traps and shooting with firearms.

By the turn of the century, strychnine was also being replaced by dynamite, which the hunters threw into wolf dens.  Wiping out the entire den — adults and cubs.

Or live pups could be pulled out of their dens with “a hook, something on the order of a gaff hook such as is used by fishermen.”  And then killed.

 

wolfers

An unsavoury lot.  Literally.  Wolfers often stank of wolf skins.
 

In “Bulletin 72,” issued by the United States Department of Agriculture, the author, Mr. Vernon Bailey, had the following to say on the subject:

“The actual number of cattle killed by wolves can not be determined.  Comparatively few animals are found by cattlemen and hunters, when freshly killed, with wolf tracks around them and with wolf marks on them.  Not all of the adult cattle missing from a herd can surely be charged the depredations of wolves, while missing calves may have been taken by wolves, by mountain lions, or by ‘rustlers.'”

And Perry Davis, an Old-time American wolfer, wrote this:

“I have heard of wolves attacking persons in the woods of the Northeastern States.  I have no reason to doubt this.  They may be a different wolf from our grey wolf, or buffalo wolf, as they are often called.  I have seen them in the Panhandle country of Northwest Texas, in Colorado, Wyoming, the Dakotas, Montana and Canada.  They are all the same, as far as I could see, in looks, size and habits.  And I have never heard of them molesting anyone in the above mentioned places.”

“There is no authentic report of wolves ever having killed a human being in the Canadian North, although there must have been times when the temptation was well-nigh irresistible.” – Canadian naturalist and author Farley Mowat.

 

Wolfers in Canada.  An Historic Note:

north-west mounted police buffalo head crestWolfers notoriously were among the members of the “Spitzee Cavalry,” along with buffalo hunters and fur trappers, who attacked a band of sleeping Assiniboines in June of 1873.  The Cypress Hills Massacre. [4]  The tragic event that led to the formation of the North-West Mounted Police.

For more, see  CANADIAN MOUNTIES Creation & History Royal Mounted Police – RCMP News.

 

“Live Free, Mon Ami!” – Brian Alan Burhoe

 

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfers_(hunting)

[2] From WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING: An Up-to-Date Wolf Hunter’s Guide, Giving the Most Successful Methods of Experienced “Wolfers” for Hunting and Trapping These Animals by A. R. Harding, 1909.

[3] https://outsidebozeman.com/nature/killing-fields

[4] A Helena newspaper gave this account of a “party of wolfers, who had been out in the Whoop-up Country during the entire past winter.”  The story was based on the eyewitness report of two participants:

“Our agent, just returned from Benton, brings the particulars of a recent fight between the whites and Indians, which terminated as fatally to the latter as did the engagement of Col. Baker and troops with the Piegans three years since…

“Each man was armed with a Henry rifle and two Smith & Wesson’s large revolvers, was well mounted, and five good pack animals were taken along with the party…

“They arrived at a small trading post at Cypress Mountain, two hundred miles within the British border.  It was determined to attack this encampment of Assiniboines… ”
Helena Daily Herald, June 11, 1873.

 

Wolfdog puppy hybrid

The Wolf Hunt – Wolfers in the Old West & Canada – History

Buffalo hunters, buffalo wolf, perfect wolf pelt, project wolf hunting, Spitzee Cavalry, the wolf hunt, what are wolfers?

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SLED TRAILS AND WHITE WATERS by George Marsh – Book Review – Wolf Dogs

Take off to the Great White North!  Read George Marsh’s SLED TRAILS AND WHITE WATERS.

 

Sled Trails - Schoonover

 

SLED TRAILS AND WHITE WATERS by George Marsh – Book Review

American writer George Tracy Marsh is remembered most today for his adventure stories of the Northcountry wilderness around Hudson Bay.  And the wild animals who haunted its forests.  And the Ungava huskies who pulled those iconic sleds.  His most popular full-length novel was FLASH THE LEAD DOG.

Born in Lansingburgh, New York State, on August 9, 1875, George from early boyhood also showed a love of the water.  Especially swimming, boating and canoeing.

In fact, age nine saw him mentioned in a local Newspaper: “While playing on the dock at the foot of Van Schaick street yesterday afternoon, a boy, Stephen Fagg, fell into the water. Had it not been for the presence of Freddie Draper and George Marsh, Fagg would have drowned.” – Troy Daily Times, May 8, 1885.

While at Yale University, “Swamp” Marsh was captain of the freshman eight on the renowned Yale rowing team.

After graduating Harvard law school, George went on to a full life in the law, military and public service.  And settled in Providence, Rhode Island, with his wife Eva and their beloved Yorkshire Airedales.

 

Sled Trails and white water canoe

But he never lost his veneration of waterway and canoe.  Over many years, George Marsh found time to canoe the wild rivers and vast lakes of Northern Canada.  Usually with a river-wise partner.

And in wintertime, celebrate his love of dogs by mushing teams of huskies over the frozen sled trails.

And he wrote about his adventures on snowy sled trails and over white waters.  Man, did he write.

He started with magazine short stories. His first book collection of those yarns was printed in 1921. And recently released by Amazon in a facsimile paperback edition titled TOILERS OF THE TRAILS: Stories From the Great White North.

SLED TRAILS AND WHITE WATERS by George MarshHis SLED TRAILS AND WHITE WATERS, from Penn Publishing Company, was released in 1929.

The book collected ten more short stories set in Northern Canada.  They had appeared in the magazines The Country Gentleman, The Red Book and The Popular Magazine.

Some of Frank Schoonover’s pen and ink illustrations from those magazines were reprinted in the book.  And Schoonover painted the cover paste-down image.

SLED TRAILS AND WHITE WATERS continued George’s enthralling descriptions of the wilderness sled trails and wild waterways he had travelled.

While telling the stories of the people who lived there.  At a time when many pulp fiction writers did a poor job of representing the Native peoples, George told the stories of the Northern Cree and Ojibway he had met with an understanding, even heroic, voice.

Some stories, such as “April Moon,” told of the tragedies of the cruel winters.  And in the case of this story, of a woman stronger than her men.  April Moon was also known as the Starving Moon by the Ojibway nation.

“The Vengeance of Black Fox” is the haunting story of a black fox and the many men and women who covet its beautiful fur.

George Marsh also wrote some of the best Dog Stories of his time.

In “Bent-Leg” we read the story of Jim Laird and the injured puppy he finds in the snow:

As the team approached, the whimpering of the diminutive shape beside the river trail rose to staccato cries of distress.  Stopping his curious huskies, Laird went to the black-and-white dog in the snow. 

“A three-months-old pup!” muttered the dog-driver.  “Deserted — hurt too,” he added, bending over the ball of fur that attempted to sit up on its fore legs only to fall back with a cry of pain…

“The knee joint’s hurt — twisted!  Must have fallen under the sled!”  With a cry the dog caught the hand of the man in his sharp milk-teeth, in protest.  But the teeth did not close.  Instead the small red tongue licked the hand that had caused the pain.  “Game!  Affectionate, too!  You’ve been run over and they’ve left you to freeze to-night.”

Laird saw that the crippled puppy would never be a sled dog.  Of no use.  And the life of an unwanted dog in the North was short and final.

Except that Jim Laird felt love for this hurt puppy.  He would keep it.  And raise it.  Even though he knew every other human hand would be lifted against it.  Their story is a true classic.

Sled Trails - Trapper and dog

“A Man and His Dog”
 

And then there’s “McCleod’s Partner”…

“A howl, dying to a wail of despair, from the shore of the island which he was passing, brought the paddle of McCleod to a stop.”

A few Northern tribes left their sled dogs on river islands for the summer.  The best dogs, they believed, would survive until they were needed in late autumn.  I’ve written about the Tikah People doing this.

In “McCleod’s Partner,” prospector John McCleod rescues a starving half-grown husky pup he quickly names Pard.

This is one of Marsh’s yarns about love, loyalty and passing seasons in the beautiful and often cruel Northcountry.

The man who later says “I t’ink dat dog my pup.  I lose one las’ spreeng,” refuses to fight the big-shouldered Scotsman for Pard.  But furtively follows John down the river in his canoe, loaded rifle at his feet.

And the Northern seasons pass.  A winter of “rabbit plague” would make for scarce game, wild wolves and famine.  The Starving Moon, “When rotten ice barred the waterways and soggy snow trails” threatened to hold them prisoners in the forest.  It was common for starved men of the North to kill and eat their dogs.  But not with John McCleod and his Pard…

The other stories in SLED TRAILS are “The Judgment of Achille Breault,” “The Outlaw,” “The Witness for the Defence,” “The Game Warden,” “Once at Drowning River” and “Puppets.”

Oh yes, I highly recommend SLED TRAILS AND WHITE WATERS.

==>> To read more about the life and literary works of American author George Marsh, go to Wolf Whelps & Lead Dogs: Tribute to George Marsh, Wilderness Writer

 

“Live Free, Mon Ami!” – Brian Alan Burhoe

 

Did you like this Wilderness Fiction Post?

wolf story - animal storyMEET SHOSSA, A SAVAGE SHE-HUSKY.  READ WOLFBLOOD — MY MOST POPULAR ANIMAL STORY: “HAPPY ENDING!”

“I JUST READ WOLFBLOOD AGAIN FOR GOOD MEASURE.  ONE FOR ANY WOLF LOVER.  ENJOYED IT BUT WISH IT WAS A FULL LENGTH NOVEL.” – Gina Chronowicz @ginachron

“GREAT SHORT STORY!  DOES REMIND ME OF CALL OF THE WILD, WHITE FANG…” – Evelyn @evelyn_m_k

An “enjoyable and warm-hearted” narrative in the Jack London and George Marsh Tradition of a lone Grey Wolf and his quest for a place in the far-flung forests of the feral North.  And then he found Shossa.  FREE TO READ ==>  WOLFBLOOD: A Wild Wolf, A Half-Wild Husky & A Wily Old Trapper

 

NOTE ON ARTWORK: Illustrations are by Frank Schoonover.  Cover painting and “Two men in canoe” line drawing are from SLED TRAILS AND WHITE WATERS.  “A Man and His Dog” is an oil on canvas painting from the same time period; it reminds me of Jim Laird and Bent-Leg.

See Us on Our CELL PHONE FRIENDLY Format: BrianAlanBurhoe.com.

Take off to the Great White North! SLED TRAILS AND WHITE WATERS by George Marsh – Book Review – Wolf Dogs.

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MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WRITERS – Brian Alan Burhoe

My Heroes Have Always Been Writers…

 

Eagle Story - My Heroes have always been writers

“MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WRITERS!” – Brian Alan Burhoe

 

From Yorkshire to Atlantic Canada, I discovered from the beginning that men and women were actually creating those stories I loved.  Writers…

“Among the lonely lakes I go no more, for she who made their beauty is not there; the paleface rears his tepee on the shore, and says the vale is fairest…” – E Pauline Johnson, “The Legend of Qu’Appelle Valley”

“A prairie wolf howled, the pony pricked up his ears and, walking nearer to me, stood with his head down. Then another prairie wolf howled, and another.
“There I lay prone and helpless on the ground, the iron jaws of trap No. 3 closed tight on my left foot…” – Ernest Thompson Seton, WILD ANIMALS I HAVE KNOWN

See my PATRIOTIC VOICES OF CANADA: True North Songs, Poems & Stories for more.

And then, these writers…

“The eagle swung away, wheeled sharply with an ominous, harsh rustling of stiffened feathers, and then came at the hawk with a yelp and a sudden tremendous rush. His beak was half open. His great talons were drawn forward and extended for the deadly stroke. The eagle’s sound, his shadow — they were doom itself, annihilation to the frightened hawk.
“But the deadly stroke was not delivered. The threat was enough. Shrinking aside with a scream, the fish-hawk opened his claws. And the trout fell toward the water, a gleaming bar of silver in the morning light.
“The eagle shot down like lightning, caught the fish and rose in a long magnificent slant, with the tribute borne in his talons.” – Charles G D Roberts, THE KINDRED OF THE WILD

“Till the dogs lay down in their traces, and rose and staggered and fell,” begins this breathtaking ballad.  And continues,  “Till the eyes of him dimmed with shadows, and the trail was so hard to see.  Till the Wild howled out triumphant, and the world was a frozen hell — Then said Constable Clancy: ‘I guess that it’s up to me.’” – Robert W Service, “Clancy of the Mounted Police”

“You great big god of a bear!” he whispered…

“‘You great big god of a bear!’ he whispered, and every fibre in him was trembling in a wonderful excitement as he found voice for the first time. ‘You — you monster with a heart bigger than man!’
“And then he added, under his breath, as if not conscious that he was speaking: ‘If I’d cornered you like that I’d have killed you! And you! You cornered me, and let me live!’”
– James Oliver Curwood, THE GRIZZLY KING

“The flowers and the trees were beautiful. God had made them. He made the other creatures, too, that each might have food upon which to live. He made Sheeta the panther, with his beautiful coat. And Numa, the lion, with his noble head and his shaggy mane. He had made Bara, the deer, lovely and graceful.
“Yes, Tarzan had found God, and he spent the whole day in attributing to him all of the good and beautiful things of nature. But there was one thing which troubled him. He could not quite reconcile it to his conception of his new-found God.
“Who made Histah, the snake?” – Edgar Rice Burroughs, JUNGLE TALES OF TARZAN

He was as tough as his own huskies…

“He was as tough as his own huskies. A fact he’d taught most of the North through years of doings like those concerned with the murder of Siwash Pratt.
“But the greeting words of Constable Tavistock foreshadowed his having to take a man described as ‘gone crazy’ five hundred dog-sled miles to hospital, in the year’s worst travel season — though he was tired and strung up after a long, hard trip, sick of ‘lunatic patrols,’ longing for the settlement’s Christmas party.
“So he groaned, yet merely asked, ‘Violent?’” – Harwood Steele, THE RED SERGE: Stories of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

“Surra’s color was still sand-yellow, her muzzle and ears foxlike, her paws fur sand-shoes. But she was four times the size of her remote forefathers, as large as a puma. And her intelligence was higher even than those who had bred her guessed.
“Now Storm laid his hand on the cat’s head, a caress she graciously permitted.
“To the spectator the ex-Commando might be standing impassively, the meerkats clinging to him, his hand resting lightly on Surra’s round skull, the eagle quiet on his shoulder. But an awareness, which was unuttered, unheard speech, linked him with animals and bird.”
– Andre Norton, THE BEAST MASTER

 

Writers: Favourite Opening Line?

“He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.” – Rafael Sabatini, SCARAMOUCHE

 

Writers: Favourite Songs?

Singer-Songwriter Gordon Lightfoot was my first superhero: he knew about where I came from.  Sundown.  Carefree Highway.  If You Could Read My Mind.  Early Mornin’ Rain.  Song For A Winter’s Night.  Canadian Railroad Trilogy…

And Ian Tyson and his wife Sylvia.  Buffy Sainte-Marie.  Joni Mitchell.  Neil Young.  Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.

Then Rock hit…

For more, see My Baby Boomer Generation Singer-Songwriters: Our Music of the Sixties & Later

 

“Live Free, Mon Ami!” – Brian Alan Burhoe

 

IMAGE: “The Lord of the Air” illustration by Charles Livingston Bull from THE KINDRED OF THE WILD, written by Charles G D Roberts, L. C. Page & Company, Boston, 1902.

MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WRITERS – Brian Alan Burhoe

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MOST POPULAR DOG NAMES OF 2023: Male & Female Dog Names

Most Popular Dog Names of the year.

Meet Max!

Most Popular Dog Names

MOST POPULAR DOG NAMES OF 2023: Male & Female Dog Names

Oh, We Love Our Dogs, Eh?

My Mary Lee and I have a happy marriage and it’s four dogs old.

Husky Breed most popular dog namesFirst it was Yukon King, a husky who used to leap on unsuspecting mice like a silent cat. And spooked our neighbours with his wolf howls in the night.

Brandy, a mixed Black Labrador who lived to run down the driveway when she heard the school bus.  She loved tobogganing with the kids down snowy hills.

Mocha, a German Shepherd.  A Gentle Giant who loved us all and watched the woodlands around us for coyotes.  Her roaring freight-train charges sent ’em flying.

And now Bella, our buff Cocker Spaniel, our dog of constant tail wags.  And morning kisses.  (See Below!)

Their names, just like our cats’ names, were always a matter of deep consideration. They all had to be just right.

You too, I bet.

Dogs names have always been a kind of fashion statement.

When Queen Victoria called her new puppy Sharp, Sharp became one of the most popular canine names in the British Empire.

Other names through the years have been the eternal Rover, as well as Rex, Bob, Rolf, Pickles, Spot, Shep and Fido.  Top names for black dogs were Shadow and Raven.

Fictional faves included Buck, Lassie, Kazan, Toto, Rinty, Red, Benji, Duke and Snoopy.

What puppy names are hot now?

BREAKING CANINE NEWS! “The American Kennel Club is excited to announce its list of the most popular dog names of 2023.”

Gina DiNardo, AKC’s Executive Secretary, announced, “Choosing a name is a very personal and meaningful decision for dog owners.  Dogs are an integral part of our families. People take great care in naming their pet and it’s fun to see if the name fits the dog’s personality.”

According to AKC registration statistics and Canine Partners enrollments, “Luna and Max once again lead the pack as the most popular girl’s and boy’s names of 2023, respectively. Climbing the list this year for boy’s names is Charlie, which took the number two spot from Milo.”

Gina concluded, “Maggie rose this year to number four from number eight in 2022. Dropping off last year’s list at the bottom for girls was Stormy and Yoda for boys.”

The top 10 dog names for 2023 were:

FEMALE PUPPY NAMES

  1. Luna
  2. Bella
  3. Daisy
  4. Maggie
  5. Willow
  6. Lucy
  7. Bailey
  8. Rosie
  9. Sadie
  10. Lola

MALE PUPPY NAMES

  1. Max
  2. Charlie
  3. Cooper
  4. Teddy
  5. Milo
  6. Ollie
  7. Bear
  8. Rocky
  9. Finn
  10. Leo

So there are the Top Dog Names of the Year!  If you’re getting a new puppy, Have Fun!

Live Free, Mon Ami! – Brian Alan Burhoe

 

Did you like this Good-News Canine Post?

wolf story - animal storyMEET SHOSSA, A SAVAGE SHE-HUSKY.  READ WOLFBLOOD — MY MOST POPULAR ANIMAL STORY: “HAPPY ENDING!”

“I JUST READ WOLFBLOOD AGAIN FOR GOOD MEASURE.  ONE FOR ANY WOLF LOVER.  ENJOYED IT BUT WISH IT WAS A FULL LENGTH NOVEL.” – Gina Chronowicz @ginachron

“GREAT SHORT STORY!  DOES REMIND ME OF CALL OF THE WILD, WHITE FANG…” – Evelyn @evelyn_m_k

An “entertaining and affectionate” narrative in the Jack London Tradition of a lone Gray Wolf and his quest for a place in the far-flung forests of the feral North.  And then he found Shossa.  FREE TO READ ==>  WOLFBLOOD: A Wild Wolf, A Half-Wild Husky & A Wily Old Trapper

 

Most Popular Dog Names Question:

Q  Can you change a dog’s name?
A  Yes.  Although the earlier you do it, the quicker your puppy will catch on that they’ve got a new name.  “Oh, that’s me!”

About the American Kennel Club:

“Founded in 1884, the American Kennel Club is a not-for-profit organization.  It maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world.  And oversees the sport of purebred dogs in the United States. The AKC is dedicated to upholding the integrity of its registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for type and function.

“Along with its more than 5,000 licensed and member clubs and its affiliated organizations, the AKC advocates for the purebred dog as a family companion.  Advances canine health and well-being.  Works to protect the rights of all dog owners.  And promotes responsible dog ownership.

“More than 26,000 competitions for AKC-registered purebred and mixed breed dogs are held under AKC rules and regulations each year.  These include conformation, agility, obedience, rally, tracking, herding, lure coursing, coonhound events, hunt tests, field and Earthdog tests.”

Affiliate AKC organizations include:

“The AKC Humane Fund, AKC Canine Health Foundation, AKC Reunite, the AKC Museum of the Dog, and the AKC Purebred Preservation Bank. For more information, visit www.akc.org.  Become a fan of the American Kennel Club on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @americankennelclub.”

SOURCE The American Kennel Club, Inc., PRNewswire & Civilized Bears.

MOST POPULAR DOG NAMES OF YEAR Male & Female Dog Names“LOOK INTO THE CAMERA, BELLA!  SEE THE PEOPLE?”

Bad ass dog names, Best dog names 2023, best dog names 2024, best female dog names.  Top 10 dog names.

Cocker Spaniel, cute puppy names male, dog names girl, dog names female.  Female dog names, male dog names.

Names for black dogs, most popular male dog names, Name for dogs, name of dog, tags for dogs.

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COWBOY CODE What is the Cowboy Code of the West?

What is the Cowboy Code?  What is the Code of the West?

Polaris Cowboy Code of the West

The Cowboy Code of the West Lives on!

“Back in the days when the cowman with his herds made a new frontier, there was no law on the range. Lack of written law made it necessary for him to frame some of his own. Thus developing a rule of behavior which became known as the ‘Code of the West.’ These homespun laws, being merely a gentleman’s agreement to certain rules of conduct for survival, were never written into statutes. But were respected everywhere on the range.” – Ramon Adams, THE COWMAN AND HIS CODE OF ETHICS

When I wrote a Book Review of Western writer James French Dorrance’s classic Northwestern novel NEVER FIRE FIRST, I made this controversial comment:

“When Dorrance was writing a 100 years ago, those Victorian Age masculine values of honour, valour, duty and self-sacrifice were already slipping away, being replaced by discourtesy (men no longer tipped their hats to women) and by modern-day selfishness
(‘I have a right to do whatever I want!’).”

My rant drew some fire.

But I made no apology.

COWBOY CODE What is the Cowboy Code of the West?

I’m an early Boomer and grew up on Westerns.  We loved ’em!  Read them in Dell comics and ACE Double Western paperbacks.  I saw them at the local Paramount Theater’s Saturday Double Feature Afternoon Matinee and on our brand new rabbit-eared black & white RCA TV.

Our heroes were Chivalrous champions.  Cowboys, Lawmen and Mounties bringing justice to the wilderness.  Roy and Gene and Gabby and Slim and the Duke.  So many more…

And Western writers told about it.  Even used it in their story titles, from Aaron Latham to Zane Grey.

We quickly learned the Code of the West, Cowboy ethics, the values our heroes lived by and risked their lives for.

Gene Autry and the Mounties Cowboy Code

We all knew Gene Autry’s COWBOY CODE:

  1. The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.
  2. He must never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him.
  3. He must always tell the truth.
  4. And he must be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals.
  5. He must not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas.
  6. He must help people in distress.
  7. Always be a good worker.
  8. He must keep himself clean in thought, speech, action, and personal habits.
  9. He must respect women, parents, and his nation’s laws.
  10. The Cowboy is a patriot.

And then there was the LONE RANGER CREED!  See I WAS THAT MASKED MAN by Clayton Moore – Lone Ranger – Book Review!

And, you know, when I read the Lone Ranger Creed today, I still agree with it!  And try to live by it.  After all these years.  As old as I am.

Oh, yeah.

Even then, we lived as best by them as we could.  We certainly believed in them.  And more than a few of us young Boomers (sons of military men) carried them into our adult lives.

Today those values seem lost.  Especially in this modern self-centered Culture.

But now we hear this…

“COUNTRY MUSIC STAR RILEY GREEN AND PRO RODEO STAR TYSON DURFEY SHINE LIGHT ON COWBOY CODE VALUES.  DURING THE POLARIS OFF ROAD’S SHORT SERIES”

Polaris, “the world leader in powersports and off-road innovation,” releases the newest edition of “Cowboy Code.”  It’s a two-part series featuring country music star Riley Green alongside Team Polaris rodeo champion Tyson Durfey.

“The series highlights the two individuals with different backgrounds.  They bond over their shared understanding of ‘Cowboy Code,’ including hard work, respect for community, and being a steward of the land.”

Filmed at Green’s multi-generational property in his hometown of Jacksonville, Alabama, the pair learn about each other’s backgrounds.  They discuss the similarities and differences of their jobs.  And how the “Cowboy Code” is a common theme in both of their lives.

To help share his story, Green takes Tyson to several memorable landmarks on the vast property quickly and comfortably in a Polaris RANGER. Later in the series, viewers can see how Green and Durfey work together to plow and plant a food plot for deer season.  And with the help from his Polaris RANGER, they’re able to complete the tasks and still have time for fun at the end of the day.

Durfey and Green infuse personal experiences into the series.  Paired with their shared love for the outdoors to highlight how they may have different passions, but embody the same sense of the “Code.”

“The ‘Cowboy Code’ to me is about eating, sleeping, and breathing the ethics that every small town in America is made of. I can honestly tell you the Green Family embodies that,” said Durfey. “I’m honored to be able to work with Polaris to bring another short series of ‘Cowboy Code’.”

“I’m excited to be working with Polaris on its ‘Cowboy Code’ series because it’s a brand that I rely on to maintain my family’s farm,” said Green.

“Polaris leads the industry in developing off-road vehicles to help those who take care of land and contribute to something bigger than ourselves. Understanding hard work, the connection with the land and the sense of community is something Tyson and I spent a lot of time discussing during the series.”

To watch the “Cowboy Code” Series featuring Tyson Durfey and Riley Green, head over to Polaris.com/CowboyCode.

 

“Live Free, Mon Ami!” – Brian Alan Burhoe

 

And You Have Gotta See Our National Mythmakers — The Western Writers!

Lone Ranger Book by Fran Striker - Cowboy Code

About Polaris:

“As the global leader in powersports, Polaris has invited people to discover the joy of being outdoors since our founding in 1954. Polaris’ high-quality product line-up includes the Polaris RANGER®, RZR®, and Polaris GENERAL™ side-by-side off-road vehicles. Sportsman® all-terrain off-road vehicles. Military and commercial off-road vehicles. And much more.  To learn more about Polaris Off Road and “Cowboy Code,” please visit Polaris.com/CowboyCode.  Or join the conversation and follow on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and XTwitter.  The Series will also be available on YouTube.

About Riley Green:

“Riley Green first released his self-titled EP in 2018. Riley is a good ol’ boy who still lives in his hometown of Jacksonville, Alabama.  He’s been compelling Country music fans to raise a drink, shed a tear, and, above all, celebrate where they are from,” said a recent press release.

“His songs include the No. 1 PLATINUM hit ‘There Was This Girl.’  The 2X-PLATINUM-certified heart-tugger ‘I Wish Grandpas Never Died’ (which he performed live at the 55th ACM Awards).  And his chart-topping collab with Thomas Rhett, ‘Half of Me.’  They’ve made Riley synonymous with what Country music does best: making listeners feel something with his no-gimmick, relatable writing and classic feel.”

Riley is riding a wave of success after being named the Academy of Country Music’s 2020 New Male Artist of the Year.

As well as a former MusicRow Breakout Artist of the Year, a CMT “Listen Up Artist,” and one of CRS’s 2020 New Faces.

His new album AIN’T MY LAST RODEO, produced by Dann Huff, is more of the signature Riley Green fans have come to know and love.  The project is heavily influenced by the rural, small town and slower way of life at home.  And time spent with his family. The new project is available now via BMLG Records. See tour dates and learn more at rileygreenmusic.com.

SOURCE: Polaris Inc., PRNewswire & Civilized Bears.

IMAGES: “Cowboy Code” is compliments of Polaris Inc.  “Gene Autry and the Mounties” movie poster from my Classic Westerns digital scrapbook.  “Rearing Ranger” drawing by W A Smith, illustrating Fran Striker’s novel THE LONE RANGER RIDES, G P Putnam’s & Sons, 1941.

What is the Code of the West?  What is the Cowboy Code?

COWBOY CODE What is the Cowboy Code of the West?

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CHRISTIAN MUSIC SONGS Brandon Lake Wins Christian Songwriter of Year Award

Christian Music Songs Award Winners…

Brandon Lake Christian music songs award winner

CHRISTIAN MUSIC SONGS: Brandon Lake wins Christian Songwriter of the Year Award.

It’s the music, isn’t it?

Always, since boyhood, I’ve loved our Christian music.

As I’ve written before in my LIFE & TIMES Memoir: I didn’t like standing alone on a big empty stage to sing.  But I loved singing “Ave Maria.”  It was as if I was praying to and celebrating Mother Mary.  I think it was that element of my performance that moved the adjudication panel of women and men so much…

And those old hymns just move me.

It’s the music that celebrated the story and teachings of Christ.  And I’ve always loved it.

And now comes the latest news:

“BRANDON LAKE NAMED ASCAP CHRISTIAN MUSIC SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR AT 45th ASCAP CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS CELEBRATION.”

The ASCP Christian Music Award winners of 2023 have been announced…

1. Matthew West Accepts ASCAP Golden Note Award, 2023.

2. David Spencer and Essential Music Publishing Win Top Song Honor.

3. Capitol CMG Publishing Earns Publisher of the Year for 21st Consecutive Year.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee: “ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is the only US PRO that operates on a not-for-profit basis.  And tonight it honored the songwriters and publishers of Christian music’s 25 most-performed songs of the past year.  It all happened at an exclusive celebration for its ASCAP Christian Music Award winners in Nashville.”

 

guitar worship guitar music

Top honors were awarded to the following:

  • Christian Music Songwriter of the Year: Brandon Lake.
  • ASCAP Golden Note Award: Matthew West.
  • Christian Music Song of the Year: “In Jesus Name (God of Possible),” David Spencer, David Spencer Songs, Essential Music Publishing.
  • Christian Music Publisher of the Year: Capitol CMG Publishing.

This marks artist and songwriter Brandon Lake’s first ASCAP Songwriter of the Year honor.  Brandon’s five most-performed songs are “Ain’t Nobody,” “Gratitude,” “Honey in the Rock,” “Same God” and “This Is Our God.”

The Press release continues:

“A Grammy Award-winning artist for his work with Maverick City Music, Lake leads the upcoming Dove Awards nominations with a total of 11, including Artist of the Year.  And three Song of the Year nominations for titles on which he was a co-writer.  As well as four Worship Recorded Song of the Year nominations on which he also was a co-writer.”

Lake will release his Coat of Many Colors LP on October 20.  Gospel Music Association President and Executive Director Jackie Patillo congratulated Lake as part of a video tribute at the party.

“Movie star Dennis Quaid started with some stirring personal remarks about Lake.  Dennis has recently released Fallen: A Gospel Record for Sinners.  ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams presented artist and songwriter Matthew West with the ASCAP Golden Note Award.  It’s a special honor for songwriters, composers and artists who have achieved extraordinary career milestones.

“West is a five-time Grammy nominee.  West has had cuts by Rascal Flatts, Scotty McCreery, Casting Crowns (including back-to-back #1 singles), Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant, among others.  And has notched 30 #1 songs as an artist and/or songwriter.  Amy Grant, Anne Wilson, Michael W. Smith, Casting Crowns vocalist Mark Hall, A.J. Pruis and Tim Tebow offered recorded messages of congratulations to mark the occasion.”

CHRISTIAN MUSIC SONGS: Brandon Lake Christian Songwriter of Year Award

Christian Music Songs In Jesus NameDavid Spencer has amassed over a quarter billion streams and has occupied the top spots on the Billboard and iTunes charts across multiple genres.

Recorded and released by Katy Nichole, “In Jesus Name (God of Possible)” was a #1 hit on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs.  And Christian Airplay charts. David Spencer and Jamie Rodgers, the song’s publisher, accepted the award.

The ASCAP Christian Music Publisher of the Year Award was given to Capitol CMG Publishing for a remarkable 21st consecutive year.  With an impressive 10 award-winning titles, including: “Build a Boat” (performed by Colton Dixon), “New Creation” (Mac Powell), “Same God” (Elevation Worship feat, Jonsal Barrientes).  As well as “See Me Through It” (Brandon Heath) and “Sunday Sermons” (Anne Wilson). Capitol CMG Executive Vice President Casey McGinty and SVP A&R Karrie Dawley accepted the award for their team.

The party was hosted by Williams, Vice President of Nashville Membership Mike Sistad.  And by Nashville Assistant Vice President Kele Currier before a crowd of distinguished songwriters, Christian music stars and music industry leaders.

Notable songwriters and artists in attendance included Rachel Lampa, Colby Wedgeworth and Ben Glover.

Congratulations, Brandon Lake and everybody!

“Live Free, Mon Ami!  And God Bless.” – Brian Alan Burhoe

 

 

Gifts from the Holy Land
 

About ASCAP:

“The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a membership association of more than 940,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers.  It represents some of the world’s most talented music creators. Founded and governed by songwriters, composers and publishers, it’s the only performing rights organization in the U.S. that operates on a not-for-profit basis.”

ASCAP “puts music creators first.  Advocating for their rights and the value of music on Capitol Hill.  Driving innovation that moves the industry forward.  Building community and providing the resources and support that creators need to succeed in their careers.” Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram@ASCAP.

To learn more about ASCAP — American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers — see ASCAP.

To See My Latest & Most Popular Christian Posts, Go To ==>> Most Popular Christian Posts.

 

CHRISTIAN MUSIC SONGS: Brandon Lake Christian Songwriter of Year Award

SOURCE: ASCAP, PRNewswire & Civilized Bears

Brandon Lake, Christian music online, Christian instrumental music, Christian concerts near me, Christian Music songs, Contemporary Christian Music.  Christian music 2023, Christian music 2024, Christian music artists, worship music, In Jesus Name, God of Possible.

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Working on the Highway – Blasting through the Bedrock – History

“I’m
Working on the highway, laying down the blacktop
Working on the highway, all day long I don’t stop.
I’m
Working on the highway, blasting through the bedrock
Working on the highway, working on the highway…”
– Bruce Springsteen

 

Working on the highway - guard rail

Working on the Highway – Blasting through the Bedrock

Or, Once Upon A Time In Canada…

My first adult job after escaping high school was working for the New Brunswick Provincial Department of Highways.  Just as my father had.  And I loved it.  Hard work but easy duty.

I had grown up knowing the crew Dad worked with.  As I wrote in my Life & Works post, “I had the good fortune of working with most of these guys years later.”

We worked out of the big Government Garage in Coldbrook, just outside Saint John.

Even then we had to wear orange hard hats, leather work gloves and steel-toed boots.  Although come winter, the older guys quietly told me, “Don’t wear steel toes.  They’ll draw the frost and freeze your feet.  Just get a pair of work boots that look the same.  The bosses won’t ask.”Working on the Highway - work gloves

It was the mid-Sixties and a lot of Highways work was still done by hand.

The specialized machinery was just coming in.  Such as mechanized salt and sand spreaders.

We were still…

Diggin’ post holes with an iron bar and shovel and tipping in the creosoted posts.  Two of us lifting up the steel guardrails and bolting them in place.

Being dropped off down a country road with axe, scythe, file, whetstone (and lunchboxes) to cut bushes for the day.

Building wooden culverts.  Cutting treated timbers with a buck saw and nailing them with big galvanized spikes, driving those with a sledgehammer.  An Old Timer told me, “This’s how we once built the railroads.”  I couldn’t help it — I asked, “Just how old are you, man?”

Skunk patrols.  Cruising the highways to throw fallen junk and road kill (usually skunks) in the back of a dump truck.  Being the “young fellow,” I was there to do the throwing-on.  They were lazy patrols and often involved reaching under the seat for a stubby Moosehead beer.  Three of us just killing time after a long hard winter.  And, depending on the mood, they told old jokes or gritty war stories.  I laughed at the jokes.  And have never forgotten those somber stories.  Most of those guys, like Dad, had travelled the long and brutal road from the beaches of Normandy to the Rhineland.

Spreading sand by hand.  Balancing on top of a decreasing pile of sand on the back of a big dump truck in winter, two of us alternately “banjoing” it out over the icy road with long-handled shovels.

Working on the Highway: Flashlighting

“Flashlighting” for snowbank cleanup along Rothesay Avenue through the night.  Our front end loader had a BIG snowblower and was tearing up the piled banks and throwing snow chunks into dump trucks to haul away.

My job was to check the snow piles at the ends of the driveways up ahead.  Kids had a habit of digging out snow forts in ’em.  Flashlight in hand, I had to crawl into each one to make sure it was empty.  While the roar of the cutting blades got closer.  Never found any humans but once I had to coax out a frightened Golden Retriever.

On frigid nights, while waiting for the trucks to come back, I’d squeeze my work gloves into the radiator grill at the back of the idling loader to warm them up.

working on the highway - flashlight

Working on the Highway: Wingman

One winter I was a Wingman.  The plows were bigger back then, some of the trucks were old Army surplus from the War.  Huge trucks.  It took two men.  The driver working the front plow; and the wingman, raising and lowering the side wing plow, warily watching the snow bank just ahead.  There was the night Chester Young came back to the bunkroom and said, “We hit a Volkswagen.”  The Beetle had been buried in the snowbank.  It was empty.  But the guy on the wing refused to go farther.  I took his place.

When blizzards shut down the roads, we’d plow through for emergency vehicles — wait for them — then plow them back to their home base.  At nights, the snow would be coloured by our flashing lights.  Amber from our roof-top; red from the vehicles following us.

Plowing snow covered road in blizzard working on the highway

A fave memory from those winters — the jingle-ching sound of tire chains in the winter snowstorms.  Get a dozen vehicles heading out at the same time and you’ve got pleasant music.

Back then, when the provincial government changed, so did the colour of Highways vehicles.  Orange when the Conservative party got in; green for the Liberal.  The colours didn’t represent political values, but religious.  New Brunswick still had a fervent cultural split between English Protestants and French & Irish Catholics.  There were some rugged old orange trucks and graders left when I started.  New, smaller replacement vehicles were always a shiny sea green.  Today, they’re yellow.

The Dynamite Man

There was the time I was assigned to be the Dynamite Man’s helper for that summer.  Art McQuade, the foreman, gave me a searching look when he asked me, as if to silently add, “If you’re smart you’ll say no.”

The Dynamite Man drove.  Fast.  Even when we turned down those rough gravel roads.  He put that vintage (to me) GMC 1½ ton truck through its paces.  The truck carried an air compressor bolted to the flat bed.  With C-I-L dynamite locked safely in a saddle box on one side of the truck; electric blasting caps and wires locked away on the other.  The remaining necessities for blowing up things were stored behind the orange cab.

CIL blasting caps boxes - working on the Highway

“Soon be there.  Then the fun begins,” he said.  He reached under his seat for a thermos bottle and took a swig.  And he sang old Hank Williams and Hank Snow songs.

Before long I was drilling holes in backroad bedrock with a pneumatic drill the size of a jackhammer but easier to use.

Dragging heavy hemp-rope mats, spattered with jagged rock chips, over the spot where he’d set the dynamite.  Stopping traffic with a red cloth nailed to a stick.  When the charge blew, it lifted the piled mats but only a cloud of smoke and rock dust got out.  Soon got used to the powerful concussion you could feel in your chest.

Animals could be spooked by our explosions.  Once, following a charge, we heard a farmer shouting desperately as he chased a team of horses pulling a hay rig right at us.  “This is stupid,” I told myself as I waved my red flag at the oncoming horses.  But they did stop.

If he had to blow a few charges one after another, local dogs would appear.  The dogs became a pack, excited, whining, barking.  They caught on that when he pulled up the plunger, things were about to explode again.  The pack began to focus intently on him.  The first time that happened he handed me a long rubber hose, saying, “When the dogs attack me, you chase ’em off.”  They did and I did.

We moved from one road to another.  Cracking the rock so that a crew with backhoe and trucks could come someday to upgrade them.

The Dynamite Man was a war veteran, like all of those older guys then.  But he never talked about the War.  Nothing bothered him.  Of course, he liked a drink.  The time came when he said, “Brian, you set this charge.  You’ve watched me.  You can do it.”

The way he was staggering I figured I’d better.

working on the highway blasting boxSo I said “OK.”

I dropped a few of the waxed brown dynamite sticks down the hole I’d just drilled.  Packed ’em with fine sand he kept in a bucket, tamping it down with a piece of mop handle.  Carefully poked a hole in the end of the last stick with a sharp dowel, put in the cap, strung out the long lead wires to the blasting box, attached them, pulled up the plunger.  I took my time.

What I didn’t know then was that different rock took different charges.  You didn’t use as many sticks in solid granite as you did in porous rock like limestone.  Not when you’re so close to folks’ homes.

BOOM!  That first day, I lucked out.  “Good job.”  BOOM!  My Angel was watching over me the next time.  BOOM!  The third time a woman burst out of her roadside house screaming, swearing and saying I’d knocked all her dishes off her kitchen shelves.

The Dynamite Man tried to put on his serious face.  “Don’t say a word, Brian.  Shut down the compressor and load up.”  He drove.  And the truck bounced back down the road.  And he sang old Hank Williams and Hank Snow songs.  “I don’t hurt anymoooore…”

Nobody else ever volunteered to work a second summer with the Dynamite Man.  I did.

I was young and I was working Outside with great guys.  And I loved it.

“Live Free, Mon Ami!” – Brian Alan Burhoe

 

And See My Popular Working Folk Post: Men In Blue Denim Built Our Country – Working Man & Working Woman Quotes

 

working on the highway - old work boots

 

FOOTNOTE: I learned later that the Dynamite Man had taken the blame for the broken dishes.  It’s something he would do.  But he was safe.

While the Mackenzie King government had abandoned so many returning WWII soldiers, it gave them one benefit: most new government jobs (Federal, Provincial and Territorial) were to be open to War Veterans first.  There sure were a lot of ’em.  And those old soldiers protected each other.

Once Upon a Time in Canada that was our way: “Remember, I’m pullin’ for ya.  We’re all in this together.” – Red Green.

For more on these men, see “[6] I had the good fortune of working with most of these guys…” at Life & Works of Brian Alan Burhoe – All About Us & More.

 

Favourite quote from a fellow highways worker:
“Well, we might as well eat our lunch and get it over with.” – Mister McQuinn.

Workingman metal lunch box

 

See Us on Our CELL PHONE FRIENDLY Format: BrianAlanBurhoe.com.

Working on the Highway – Blasting through the Bedrock – History

Burhoe Family history. C-I-L dynamite history. Government Garage in Coldbrook, New Brunswick history. New Brunswick Provincial Department of Highways history.

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Rare Red Teddy Bears Celebrate Titanic Survivor Teddy Bear

Rare Red Teddy Bears Celebrate Titanic Survivor Teddy Bear Story.

And National Teddy Bear Day.

Titanic Survivor Teddy Bear

“Incredibly Rare Red Teddy Bears Arrive at Titanic Museums.”  Celebrating National Teddy Bear Day.  And the Titanic Survivor Teddy Bear and his Human — 6-year-old Robert.  Read their Story!

In this new century, we celebrate National Teddy Bear Day just after Labour Day.  Now it’s on September 9th.

It’s a celebration that goes back to the end of the Second World War in rural Canada.

Wanting to remember the loving connection between their Teddies and childhood, a number of local groups seemed to form at once.  They started in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia and slowly spread across the country.  In the early 21st Century, National Teddy Bear Day was acknowledged in Great Britain and the United States.

Recently, National Teddy Bear Day seemed the perfect day to share news about some new arrivals coming to the Titanic Museum Attraction.

The Titanic Museum is in the Ozark Mountain community of Branson, Missouri.  And its sister site in the Smoky Mountain town of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Titanic Museum Bransom - Titanic Survivor Teddy Bear

Titanic Museum, Branson, Missouri.  Photo by Brad A. Totman

“Black” bears in America have fur in a variety of colors, mostly black, blond, blue-gray, cinnamon and even white.

For this year’s holiday season, the museums will welcome some incredibly rare red bears — of the stuffed variety.

Rare Red Teddy Bears Celebrate Titanic Survivor Teddy Bear.

These stuffed critters will appear among the holiday décor in the two museums during the months of November and December.  They are a stirring reminder that this is the museums’ “Year of the Titanic Children.”

A special exhibit at each site highlights the 135 passengers and crew members who were age 15 or younger when the Titanic set sail.  And dozens of artifacts share their very personal stories.  Of the 135 young passengers, the outcome was evenly split: 67 survived, 68 perished.

Along with the famous collection in Liverpool, England, these exhibits represent the largest displays of Titanic children’s artifacts ever assembled.

The museums’ crews wondered how to mark the holiday season while also honoring the children aboard the Titanic.  They decided to create a special collection of teddy bears.  A display that honored the Titanic Survivor Teddy Bear.

Visitors can spot them amidst a forest of Christmas trees.

Those trees are decorated in the Edwardian Era style, the years the ship was built.  An Era named for King Edward VII.  At that same time, Theodore Roosevelt was president of the United States.  And it’s for him that the “teddy” bear was named.  Roosevelt, a celebrated hunter, refused to shoot a bear cub because he said he “couldn’t have looked my son in the face again if I had.”

The museum’s new “rare bears” are red to symbolize the love between parents and their children.  The color makes them a little easier to spot amidst all the holiday décor.  And certainly makes something to catch visitors’ eyes in the gift shops.  Where the fuzzy friends will be ready for adoption.

“We know for sure that there was one very well-traveled teddy bear on the Titanic,” said the Museum in a recent press release.  Telling the Titanic Survivor Teddy Bear Story.  The story of Polar…

Polar-Titanic-survivor-teddy-bear

Polar, the Titanic Survivor Teddy Bear at Maritime Museum, Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool, England.

“But Polar was definitely not red.  Polar was the constant companion of 6-year-old Robert Spedden.  Robert was one of just seven children who traveled in First Class on the fateful journey.

“When the ship hit the iceberg, Robert arrived on deck clutching his snow-white teddy bear.  And he fell asleep once he was safely in a lifeboat.  Five hours later, he was put inside a cargo net and hauled up the side of the rescue ship Carpathia.  Shortly afterwards, a crew member found a teddy bear on the floor of one of the lifeboats.  A steward recognized it and sought out the Speddens on the Carpathia to reunite Robert with his bear.

“A year later, Robert’s mother wrote and illustrated a book.  It told the story of a bear named Polar who went on an adventure in Europe and ultimately survived the sinking of the Titanic.  She gave it to Robert for Christmas in 1913.  Shortly thereafter, that book – now called POLAR: The Titanic Bear – was published widely.”

Titanic Survivor Teddy Bear “Polar” lives now at another museum — the Maritime Museum, Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool, UK.

“That’s just one of thousands of stories that visitors to either of the Titanic Museum Attractions can learn during their time on the ships.”

The museums’ goal has always been to “provide a stimulating connection to history that families can experience together.”

Red Teddy BearsHonoring the memories of all those aboard is at the core of the message.  The message the museum President and Co-owner Mary Kellogg envisioned with the creation of the Titanic Museums.

The Branson attraction opened in 2006.   And the Pigeon Forge location opened in 2010.  That human (and bear!) focus is what makes the Titanic Museum Attraction one of the most visited sites in each of those destinations.  To learn more about the “Year of the Titanic Children” visit titanicbranson.com/special-events/.

“Live Free, Mon Ami!” – Brian Alan Burhoe

 

And See Our Most Popular Teddy Bear Post: Teddy Bears in History – How Teddy Bears were Invented.

 

Rare Red Teddy Bears Celebrate Titanic Survivor Teddy Bear

SOURCE Titanic Museum Attraction, PRNewswire & Civilized Bears

Did Teddy Roosevelt have a pet bear?  Dogs that look like teddy bears. Mini teddy bears, red teddy bear, the Titanic.  Titanic children, Titanic museum, Titanic survivor teddy bear, Titanic teddy bear. Polar the Titanic bear.  When is National Teddy Bear day?

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