Bandera is the 'Cowboy Capital of the World!” There is no disputing that fact, but where would we be without our cowgirls?
The mystique surrounding the life of Old West characters always seems to center on the men from those horse and buggy days. Make no mistake, there were some pretty tough gals around too in those frontier towns.
While their names may not have been making the headlines or book covers they were a big part of the frontier lifestyle.
Figures like Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Jesse James and Wild Bill Hickok have their deeds plastered all over the wild west history books. When you check their life story you will soon discover they were mostly lawmen, gamblers, gunslingers or a sideshow attraction having little to do with cows or a cowboy's way of life.
I just assume most could probably ride a horse because that was a primary mode of transportation in those times so maybe that justified the title of cowboy.
Now about those cowgirls. Phoebe Ann Mosey would become Annie Oakley later in life after winning a shooting contest against Frank Butler at the tender age of 15. Francis E. Butler was an Irish American marksman who performed in Wild West variety shows.
They later were married and ended up in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. You better believe that the girls from my childhood days all wanted to be Annie Oakley while we were playing cowboys.
Carlotta J. Thompkins was a notorious gambler who frequently displayed her poker skills in San Antonio, Texas. She reportedly associated with some well-known Wild West gambling characters, such as Doc Holliday.
It's been said that she inspired the character of Miss Kitty Russell on Gunsmoke. With that in mind I get the feeling that horses and cows didn't play a big part in her life either.
Looking for a woman who might fit the profile of cowgirl back in the days of stagecoach holdups and cattle rustling I suppose Etta Place would be a good choice.
Born around 1878 she supposedly became a prostitute at Fanny Porter's bordello in San Antonio and associated with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as they robbed banks.
She didn't die with them down in South America, and it's been rumored she became a cattle rustler later on. Finally, we find a gal with a cow connection.
Charley Parkhurst was a woman who decided to secretly live out most of her life as a man driving stagecoaches for Wells Fargo. This was when times were pretty rough for women in the Wild West. Some folks think she may have been the first American woman to cast a ballot due to her hidden identity.
After her stagecoach career ended, she lived out the rest of her life raising cattle and chickens. Now the cows and chickens combination sounds a lot like a Bandera lifestyle.
These tales of women from the Wild and Wooly West Days do nothing for me other than having a brief glimpse back to our frontier times.
I don't picture any of them on horseback wearing a hat that we now associate with cowboys and cowgirls. Well, maybe Annie Oakley being the lone exception of those earlier times.
In more modern times Bandera has had its share of rodeo cowboys and cowgirls with the likes of Ray Wharton, Toots Mansfield and Callie duPerier as well some others. We are quick to celebrate our champion cowboys but there's just something about a cowgirl in a cowboy hat that demands my attention.
Harriet Stewart Fd Cederlöf can often be seen leading a group of 'cowgirls for a day' on horseback as they pass by my house. They are all smiles while sporting their hats and waving in response to my 'Howdy' greeting.
Have you ever seen my friend Leigh E. McCourt riding her horse in a parade down our Main Street? Let me tell you that will get your undivided attention.
She has a heart as big as Texas and she is the definition of a true cowgirl because she lives it every day.
I was truly blessed to have been connected to the lifestyle of cowboys and cowgirls as I was growing up here in Bandera.
Maybe we should add 'Cowgirl Capital of the World' to our title too.
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