Bigger-Than-Life Bowie

Of all the Alamo characters, none intrigues me as much as Jim Bowie. Though born in Kentucky, Jim and his brothers moved to Missouri and then to New Orleans seeking their fortunes. Among his other enterprises, Bowie traded in slaves, buying them from the pirate, Jean Lafite. He wasn't much of a home body. He gambled, brawled, caroused, drank--the kind of man a woman falls for but should never marry. Bowie was already a frontier legend when he saw opportunity for wealth and adventure in Texas. The bigger-than-life Bowie was well-suited to the bigger-than-life Texas. (Bigger-than-life also brings to mind Jason Patric (above) who played Bowie in the 2004 movie, The Alamo. Jason is the grandson of Jackie Gleason, who was probably more like Bowie in his excessive zest for life).

In Lone Star Rising, William C. Davis describes Bowie thusly:

For all his penchant for opportunism and a lenient attitude toward the law, he was also a man of unshakable bravery, one who inspired calm and confidence in dangerous moments, a man with a strong sense of fair play, a sense of humor, a fondness even for Methodist hymns. Most of all, he carried with him an aura that attracted men to him, and that infused them with confidence that in a crisis, Bowie's side would win.

The British historian, Thomas Carlyle, said of Bowie (left), "By Hercules! The man was greater than Caesar.... The Texans ought to build him an altar."

I can't think of him without smiling.

Jim Bowie was about 40 years old when he died at the Alamo.

For an excellent essay on his life, visit http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/

or, Jim Bowie reenactor, Jack Edmondson at http://www.texanalivinghistory.org/edmondsonbio.html

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Southern News

Louisiana--It's almost time for the Jonquil Jubilee in Gibsland, a hamlet in Bienville Parrish. More than a quarter of a million bulbs have been planted in the tiny town that has been named, "The Daffodil Capital of Louisiana." Historic homes in the neighborhood will also be open on March 3. Tom and I were in Gibsland a couple of years ago and can vouch for the loveliness of the community, though we were there for more gruesome reasons. There is a monument several miles south to mark the spot where Bonnie and Clyde were killed as well as a museum in town devoted to their story. In other news, Virginia just apologized for slavery and Vermont is trying to secede.

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Your Assignment

I would pay money just to watch Jason Patric peel potatoes. Tune in to the Western Channel or go to your DVD case and take out Geronimo: An American Legend. Watch it for the tenth time. Marvel at Wes Studi (What a face!!!) in the title role and Patric as Charles Gatewood. We have a friend, Ric Reed, a reenactor and wrangler from Osceola, Missouri, who worked on this movie. Apparently, there was a scene where Ric's character is standing with Robert Duvall's character, Al Sieber. They have just buried someone and Ric and Bob sing "Amazing Grace" over the grave. Sadly, that scene was cut, but it's one we would love to see.


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Twisted History

NASA: The Early Years

Forget the Alamo!

The flag went up at Barry Crawford's house today, so that must mean this is the anniversary of the beginning of the Siege of the Alamo. Every year during the anniversary, Barry, who is a professor of religion and devotee of Western history, flies the emblem (above) that is believed to have flown over the mission. How could an event that really involved so few people prompt academics in Topeka, Kansas, to wave a flag a hundred and fifty years later? For the next two weeks, on this blog and on Tom's, we'll feature authors and armchair historians who remain fascinated with the birth of Texas. You know, forgetting the Alamo is a capital offense in the Lone Star State. Keep reading, because you wouldn't want to end up in the chair, now would you?

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Killing Time in Killeen

One sunny spring Texas day, around 6:30 a.m., Tom and I found ourselves addressing the Killeen Rotary Club. We stumbled in, not having slept much because we were camped at nearby Mother Neff State Park where the scenery is punctuated by the boom of cannon from Fort Hood. Anyhow, who is awake at this hour for heaven's sake? I mean, people are up, yes, they're moving around, but who's really alert? After a few minutes with these rabid Texans, we were. It's a large, dynamic group and at that early, serene time of the day, speakers were blaring that familiar tune, "The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You." The energy in that room could have lit Las Vegas. We stuffed down our breakfast burritos and stepped on the stage.

"Good Morning," I enthusiastically greeted the crowd. "Tom and I are thrilled to be in Killeen, but I'd like to begin our presentation with a little food for thought: It took Virginians to make a state as great as Texas!"

A few were perplexed, a few nodded knowingly, and I proceeded to brag about how Stephen Austin (above, right) and Sam Houston (left) were born in the Old Dominion. Tom just wanted to crawl in a hole at my display of provincialism. As soon as he had the chance, he took the mike away from me and I barely got another word in. Now I have this blog. . . .


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Your Assignment

Go to the William C. Davis shelf in your den, and take down Three Roads to the Alamo. Read it for the third time. Go back to your William C. Davis shelf and take down Lone Star Rising. Read it for the second time. Wait one hour. Jack should have another book on Texas finished by then.