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Published: April 27th 2013
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DAY FIVE: April 26, 2013
I came to roost this evening at the Super 8 in El Reno, OK after a drive of 251.6 miles. El Reno is less than a hundred miles from Sayre. The Super 8 is a shoddy old run down joint, but it is what I found. Folks hereabouts are not big on motels or restaurants I guess. I had an old army pal who lived here his whole life. He died a few years back and I would like to pay my respects at his grave site, but did not arrive until all offices were closed for the weekend. I tried calling some relatives but had to leave messages at both numbers. It is why I hate goddam telephones. Dinner tonight was at a place called Montana Mike’s. It is apparently the only place in town. Sure was crowded. They have real good bleu cheese dressing there. Dinner rolls were good too. Today I went down to the museum at Fort Sill. It is the best museum in the state, but has been subject to cut backs and most of it was closed. After that I went up to Anadarko to
see the Indian Museum there, but it was closed too; probably a furlough day for the BIA. All-in-all it has been a kind of disappointing day but I got some pictures out of it.
Fort Sill The post was built by Buffalo Soldiers under the command of Colonel Ben Grierson in 1868. Ben was a fine gallant officer. That John Wayne movie, The Horse Soldiers, was about a Yankee cavalry raid on Corinth, MS. The movie was bullshit, of course, but the raid really happened. It was commanded by Ben Grierson. The same Buffalo Soldiers who built these fine stone buildings at Fort Sill also built Fort Huachuca, AZ. Both forts are laid out identically. Ben ought to have been promoted to general but his commanding officer was Phillip Sheridan, and Sheridan always favored promotions to officers who served in the Army of the Potomac over those who served with General Sherman in the western theater as did Ben. In 1871 General Sherman, who was Sheridan’s boss, came to Fort Sill to crack his whip on the Kiowa who had a reservation nearby. The Kiowa thought his visit would be
fine opportunity for an assassination attempt. When Sherman met with the Kiowa leaders, Satanta (White Bear), Satank (Sitting Bear), and Big Tree they tried to kill him on the front porch of the house that was built for Grierson. The attack failed because Sherman’s staff officers were on their toes that day. Satank was wounded in the fight and died a few days later. Satanta and Big Tree were taken into custody and returned to prison in Huntsville, TX. They had both just been paroled from there to attend the meeting with Sherman. Satanta died in prison in 1878, but Big Tree was eventually released, fathered a dozen or so more children to help him, and finally opened the Super 8 motel in El Reno. Fort Sill is beautiful this time of year.
Kicking Bird Remember that Kevin Costner movie, Dances with Wolves? Graham Greene played the role of the medicine man, Kicking Bird. He was a Kiowa. Hollywood refuses to get anything right.
Geronimo That old devil lived to a ripe old age by staying drunk all of the time. One
cold winter night he was riding his horse back home after an evening spent regaling the young officers at Fort Sill with tales of derring-do. As usual a few cocktails were supplied. Geronimo wouldn’t tell those stories unless he was properly drunk. He passed out on the ride home, fell off his horse, and landed in a roadside ditch. The horse wandered back home as usual. When the horse arrived back home without its rider family members went to search for him as usual but they did not find him in the roadway and gave up looking. It was too cold out to be looking for grampa very long. They found him the next day, but he was sick and refused going to the hospital. He said if he went there he would die. Sure enough he was right.
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Suzannah
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Luv ur blog... xo