Accuracy of the picture of the west painted in Books, Tv and Movies.

[Gerald T. Westbrook]

As noted in my application I am a part time writer. I have written two book and well on my way on book 3. One of the methods I use to get many lines is to write book reviews. I am uptp 51 now on Amazon. One of these was dated on 11/23/2011. It is titled: Memories of Hickok, Calamity Jane and White eye anderson 

I'd appreciate comments on any errors in this book/review. I think it is pretty on the mark, but one could not get a wider picture of Calamity Jane in the Doris Day portrayal, and that depicted in this book.

[C. F. 'Charley' Eckhardt]

Calamity Jane was a long way from Doris Day.  'Calamity' was the 19th century euphemism for syphilis.  Hickok was dying of syphilis.  That's why he wore smoked glasses all the time.  Whether he got it from Martha Jane Canary or from some other woman is debatable, but he defintely had it.  The slug Jack McCall put in the back of his head was, in effect, a mercy kiling.  Had he lived much longer he would have died horribly.  Syphilis is not a pretty death.

[Murray A. Gewirtz]

James Butler Hickok was a long way from Guy Madison.

[C. F. 'Charley' Eckhardt]

Hickok was a long way from anybody who ever played him in the movies or on TV.  Probably the most historically accurated portrayal was by Charles Bronson in a movie called, I think, The White Buffalo.  I've only seen it once.  It doesn't run on TV very often, if at all. 

[Stan H]

Charley

 

They have been playing "The White Buffalo" on Encore Westerns quite a bit lately.

 

A strange film.

 

Living 10 miles from Deadwood, one gets pretty tired of hearing about Hickok.

[Marshal Harting]

Since you live so close to Deadwood, would you know where the court records are for Deadwood 1891? I have not had much luck locating them.

[Stan H]

Marshal

 

I will see what I can find for you. Have you checked with the Adams museum? Also, there is a newly opened "Spirit of '76" museum that opened this year. they may have some info that could help you.

 

 

[Marshal Harting]

I did check with them. No one seems to know where the District court records are at.

[Robert R. Richter]

hmm.. I once worked with a guy that worked on the set of WHITE BUFFALO...   he just laughed and told me that it was just possibly the WORST western movie EVER produced... I always was a Charles Bronson fan but in my opinion he was too much of a runt to play Wild Bill... guess I'll toss my rope to Keith Carradine in" Deadwood"

[Gerald T. Westbrook]

Calamity was raised as an orphan in Fort Laramie. It is about 99.99% certain she wwould start he rlife as a whore. Many gals apparently had no choice. I remember the gal depicted in Broken Trail that Duvcall and his nepher rescured from a whore house in a mining camp in Idaho. Her husband died. She had no money, couldn't find a job except in this whore house ran by a gal I believe was called Big Rump Cate.

A related subject is the ratio of Gals to Guys as time passed. In the time of Lewis and Clark this would be less than 0.01. So some mountain men, out of desperation took an "Indian wife." Others used the local whore house.

By 1850 this rsatio might be 0.10. Today it is prettyy close to 0.5. Anyone know where I could find such data, for any city or county or state?

[C. F. 'Charley' Eckhardt]

US census records would work, but it would be a tedious job.  You'd pretty well have to make a physical count--actually go thru the census records of a state & count the numbers of men & women recorded by census.  I never heard that the Census Bureau kept male-female ratio records.  They may now, but they certainly wouldn't have in the 19th or early 20th centuries. 

[Gerald T. Westbrook]

My comments in my application stated the book/review "it is pretty on the mark". this was Really ment forthe book only. I'd particularly appreciate comments From Bob Boze Bell and others on the book:

I Buried Hickok

The Memoirs of White Eye Anderson

Edited by William B. Secrest

The Early West Series

Creative Publishing Company

College  Station Texas

Copyright 1980

[C. F. 'Charley' Eckhardt]

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