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Linda Kirkpatrick's new book, Somewhere In The West,
Texas Women Who Left A Legacy, is filled with the stories of the women who
helped settle the West. Some of the women are famous, some are
unsung heroines, and some are Kirkpatrick's own ancestors.
Much of the book grew out of Kirkpatrick's research for the historical
poems she writes about pioneer Texas women. One of the most
compelling stories is of Cynthia Ann Parker, captured by Commanches at age
9, who "soon assimilated into the tribe where she accepted her new
home and way of life." Ransoms for her return were rebuffed by
the tribe, and she eventually became the wife of a Comanche Chief and bore
three children. The Indian wars raged, and at age 34 she was
recaptured and reclaimed by her white family, and once again had to learn
the ways of an alien culture. She is said to have "grieved
herself to death". But her tragic life left an important
legacy, as her son Quanah became the famous Comanche leader who brokered a
final peace for his tribe. Kirkpatrick tells the story with drama
and excitement.
Other well-researched, spellbinding stories accompany original
poems. Kirkpatrick says she had to tell the story of Cathay
Williams, the escaped slave who disguised herself as a man and served as a
Buffalo soldier. Kirkpatrick's passion for passing down these
important histories infuses most of the stories and poems in this book.
Another stunning tale is told of the courageous widows of the Alamo, and
it includes letters from their husbands, written in the last hours of the
siege. The stories of the surviving widows, including Mary Milsap,
the blind mother of seven, are a testament to the strength that helped
build the Lonestar state.
Wonderful family photos help tell the stories of Kirkpatrick's own
exceptional ancestors, including her great-great-grandmother who fled to
Texas alone with her children as post-war carpetbaggers forced her from
her southern home. She died never knowing what became of her
husband, a mystery that Kirkpatrick researched and solved nearly 150 years
later. The very contemporary story of Kirkpatrick's eastern mother,
who worked for Stetson Hat Company in Philadelphia and met her father when
he was stationed in Philadelphia for a time during WWII, carries along the
thread of strong women adjusting to new circumstances. The story of
the city girl who comes to a ranch in West Texas "sixty miles from
the nearest town, no electricity, no running water in the house, no indoor
facilities, no phone" - and a playful husband who told her she needed
to run a broom handle between the bed sheets each night to dislodge the
rattlesnakes that liked the coolness of the sheets - is told with humor
and love.
It's clear that these colorful, strong, inventive people helped to make
Linda Kirkpatrick such an engaging storyteller. The book also
includes legends, ghost stories, and a few tantalizing recipes. A
useful bibliography cites Kirkpatrick's sources for her historical
research.
The book was published by Cowboy Miner Productions of Phoenix and edited
by founder Janice Coggin. Cowboy Miner publishes classic and
contemporary poets (S. Omar Barker, Bruce Kiskadoon, Larry McWhorter,
Sunny Hancock, Jesse Smith, Chris Isaacs, and others) and this book
carries the distinctive production quality for which Cowboy Miner is
known. By Margo Metegrano, Managing Editor,
www.cowboypoetry.com |
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