David Milton McGowan

The Old Fort Jail             From the first week of June through September of 1964 I worked on the “Penalty Ranch” which was owned by an excellent horse trainer and rodeo bronk rider by the name of René Dhenin. He had called it the “Penalty” since that was what was offered if you dropped paper or garbage on the ground or left a gate open. The penalty, stipulated by René would be something like cleaning out the horse barn, one of the calving barns or hoeing the garden.             I did clean the horse barn that summer but not as a penalty. No one received any penalties that summer and being the new hand ----             The ranch was (is) located on the south bank of the Peace River and south of Fort St. John , BC . The city is now on the high ground a few miles from the river but the Hudson ’s Bay trading post of that name, built in 18...

Today the Rocky Mountain Rangers are a reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army headquartered in Kamloops , BC . However, in 1885 the Rocky Mountain Rangers was a volunteer militia charged with ensuring the safety of the range between the Cypress Hills and the Rocky Mountains . North of the Cypress Hills in that part of the Northwest Territories which is now Saskatchewan lived a few thousand Métis who were being ignored by government officials. The offspring of Hudson’s Bay Company and Northwest Company employees, primarily of French and Scottish ancestry who had lived with Cree, Ojibwa and Salteaux the Métis where those who actually made the fur trade work. After the Hudson ’s Bay Company turned Rupert’s Land over to the new country of Canada and the fur trade became a very different business from what it had been the harsh life of the Métis became even rougher. At the same time the plains buffalo or Bison, the “prairie larder” had been virtually wiped out. They did not h...

Clarence E. Mulford created a character he named Bill (Hopalong) Cassidy and the first novel was released in 1906. I’ve read that Mulford’s idea was that his character had been injured in one of the many disasters that can change the life of a horse-bound farm laborer working around and on top of wild animals. The result of this accident was a broken leg set out on the land the other non-medical personnel present and resulting in a distinctive gate resulting in the nickname. The character was very popular and 29 novels featuring Hopalong appeared between 1906 and 1941. In 1935 a movie entitled “Hop-along Cassidy” and staring William Boyd in the title role was released. It was eventually re-released and re-titled as “Hopalong Cassidy Enters”. Thus the hyphenated nickname disappeared and the broken leg was now the result of damage from a gun-shot. Over the years Hopalong’s outfits became fancier and cleaner. In the first movies he wore many of the trappings that a working cowhand...

Here is a review from Tracy Lynn of one of my earlier novels, “Partners” a short explanation of which I posted not many days ago. (That is, scroll down and take a look) Tracy has been to Diamond Willow a couple of times and performed many of the songs she has written (along with a few “covers”) and she does a great job not only as an entertainer but as a song writer. Take a look at Tracy Lynn on Facebook or at Sound Waves Lesson Studio also on FB. Which reminds me, if you are any where in the Courtenay, BC area (mid Vancouver Island ) and are looking for music lessons, give her a call. Guitar Instructor at   SOUND WAVES Lesson Studio Tracy also has a couple of CDs which are awesome.      Review of “Partners” by Tracy Lynn 'Swinging around in the saddle to check the loads on his two pack horses, he thought of that other life.' Those words could not have met my eyes at more timely juncture in my own life. I turned the overhead light on and c...