Spirit of the West Alive

A couple of months ago I was notified by cowgirl LeeAnn Sharpe that I was going to be the recipient of the Spirit of the West Alive award. LeeAnn is not just a cowgirl, but a writer and the creator of the award that honors those people who preserve the spirit of the west either through books, art, and/or film. The award is co-sponsored by the publication the Wild West Gazette and past recipients of the award include Bruce Dern, Buck Taylor, and Hugh O’Brian. The award ceremony takes place on Saturday, October 16 at 130 p.m. at the Wild West Festival in Saguaro Ranch Park. I am looking forward to it, but wish my brother could be there to share it with me. I always wish my brother was able to be well and home. Home being any place away from those that lie and murder. Throughout the history of the Old West brothers and sisters stood up for their siblings, fighting for them if they were falsely accused of a crime or had their lives taken away by a harlot and her lover. I’m reminded of western lawmen Dallas Stoudenmire. Stoudenmire had a reputation for being exceptional with a weapon. His claim to fame was killing four men in a five second gunfight. In 1882, Stoudenmire was about to finish off Doc Manning, a diminutive man with the fighting instincts of a terrier. After Dallas shot Doc in the chest twice, Doc’s brother, Jim, rushed onto the scene and dispatched Stoudenmire with a shot behind the left ear. Jim missed with his first shot at only 8 feet. Stoudenmire lived and was later ostracized from the community for his abuse of power. Jim never gave up the quest to see that Stoudenmire was brought to justice for what he did to his brother. That’s the spirit of the Old West I happily try to preserve everyday. I’ll keep at it until the real outlaws are sent to jail for a very long time for what they’ve done.