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ROADSIDE CHATS: Jim Ross the Cowboy Collector
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| By Gretchen Langton |
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“Sheep Camp,” answers a soft voice on the other end of the line. I have called to see if Jim Ross is up for an interview. He graciously agrees and reminds me to bring my grandmother (Nana). We have come to see him before. It is awe-inspiring to be in the presence of two native Montanans in their nineties discussing the Montana of their youth; this time our conversation is also peppered by the intermittent interjections of my six-year-old daughter.
Driving under a sign that reads “Sheep Camp”, our three generational pack heads toward Jim Ross’ house. We can see the 14X16’ bunkhouse he built down in the draw when he was pushing eighty. Last time we were here he gave us the bunkhouse tour. It comes complete with a saggy brass bed and homemade quilt, a small writing desk with kerosene lamp, and one teeny tiny wood burning cook stove. Cowboy charming. Simple. Functional. Sweet. The type of place you might want to be lonely in for a while.
Jim’s spread is a delightful step into the Montana of yesteryear: a pile of neatly arranged horse drawn plows, two sheep wagons, a doubletree for six abreast, a glass topped gasoline pump, foundry tools, butter churns, antique dolls, a player piano. He has collected over six hundred harness bits, some of which look more like torture devices with sharp barbs and angular chunks of metal. Everything is in its place, neat as a pin. Jim’s love for antiques surely began with a copper, open-hearth cooking kettle that belonged to his great, great, great grandfather on his mother’s side. “His name was Simon Snyder. He was the Governor of Pennsylvania from 1807 to 1817,” Jim reports at the dinner table.
After we have eaten, Jim brings a steady stream of items for us to finger. “Mom,” my daughter says in her best stage whisper, “look at that spoon.” It’s a lovely child’s spoon depicting the cow going over the moon. Her attention to this item sparks Jim to rise and bring over his spoon collection--he has one from every place he has ever lived. “And that’s quite a few since we moved ‘bout every five years,” Jim chuckles adorably. He retreats for another show and tell piece. It’s a thin glass frame protecting a cloth ticket that reads: “The Grand Annual Masquerade Ball in Handel’s New Hall, Musselshell, Montana, February 15, 1904, No. 49.” He cracked the glass taking it off the wall to show us. Three photo albums follow, chock full of Jim’s family history. He turns the pages lovingly as we ask questions. “Mom, what is that,” Lily stabs her pointer at a black and white image. Jim answers, “Honey, that’s the bear I shot in my pig house.” We are all ears as Jim paints the picture of how he was able to kill the large black bear, in this very picture, on a moonless night “by holding the flashlight and the ought six together.” But before that happened, “the bear slapped one of my two pigs and broke its shoulder.” That slap was loud enough to hear across the barnyard. “I missed the Stockman’s meeting because I had to stay home and butcher out that pig.” This happened when he and his family “lived three miles this side of Darby”, not too long before they went broke. Jim has vivid memories of watching his ranch parceled out by auction on April 1, 1957, after the bottom dropped out of the cow market. He wrote a heart-wrenching poem about it including this stanza:
I even sold my J Cross brand.
Or most gave it away;
That wounded me about as deep
As when they led away my bay.
Jim Ross collects stories and spins them into rhyming couplets. He first tried his hand at poetry in a writing class at Montana State College in the late 1930’s, though he claims English was never his favorite subject. It wasn’t until Jim had retired from fifteen years with the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service that he took up poetry in earnest. He knows his poems by heart and has performed them for crowds in “Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and North and South Dakota.” I ask him how he is able to remember them so perfectly, and he states, “It’s really not so hard.” It wasn’t until 1985 that Jim’s first book of cowboy poetry, “Get Down and Come In,” was published. Stan Lynde illustrated the cover which shows two cowboys greeting each other outside of a sod-roofed cabin, one on foot, and the other on horseback. The horse bears Jim Ross’Lazy J Bar brand. Inside, over seventy poems are accompanied by photos and sketches. Mary Jane Ross, one of Jim’s five children, illustrated all three of his cowboy poetry collections. “Pull Up a Chair” was published in 1987 and “Saddle Up and Ride” came out in 1990. Jim was inducted into the Montana Poet’s Hall of Fame in 1991. Sadly, Jim’s books are all out of print.
Jim’s poems encompass all aspects of life: the loss of his ranch, the death of friends, geography he finds striking, funny things his wife did and said, what he thinks of politicians, dreams he has had, country wit, childhood memories, other people’s adventures and misfortunes, and his own...like the time when he was a sheep herder for his father at age eighteen in the Bull Mountains. He jumped off his horse on the wrong side (which is the right side) and was bitten by a Diamondback rattlesnake. He begins to read this poem to us in his enchanting sing-song cadence, but cuts it short saying apologetically, “This is pretty long.” He shuts the book and prefaces the following details by explaining that his father said “always carry a sharp knife” for a reason. As the story goes, he sliced his leg where the fangs had penetrated and rode the mile and a half home. His parents didn’t have a car so they borrowed a visitor’s Model T to take their son 25 miles to Round Up, Montana, on a wild and bumpy road. While the bite was bad, it was the cure that nearly did him in. A nurse was told to put a hot water bottle on the wound overnight, but the bottle was so hot it caused two blisters that became infected. Jim makes the shape of a quarter with his thumb and forefinger to illustrate their size and says, “I spent three weeks on crutches.”
While the snakebite ended his sheep herding career, it didn’t dampen Jim’s joie du vive. After graduating from Musselshell High School in 1934, Jim moved to Billings to help his kid sister get through a two year degree; he worked, she went to school. With the meager money he had left, he went to Montana State College to study Agronomy. He ran out of money after the first quarter, and while this might have sent some boys home with their tail between their legs, not Jim. He walked into the registrar’s office, whose name he remembers--W.H. McCall, and said he wanted an education but didn’t have enough money. McCall told him, “I’ll let you go to school but you can’t have any recorded grades until you pay up.” Jim labored at the Experiment Station, he was a house boy at Hamilton Hall, he worked nights washing dishes at the Baxter Hotel where he often had his only meal of the day. He did pay up, he did graduate, and he has been an alumni supporter of MSU for seventy plus years. A three-foot-tall wooden bobcat, dressed in Jim’s blue and yellow letterman’s sweater and a yellow and blue cap knitted by one of his six grandkids, guards the front entry.
Nana wants to see a picture of his wife, who passed away, so we make our way into Jim’s room where the family photos abound. Jim met Mary Briggs, the woman he would be with for over sixty years at a masquerade ball in Willow Creek. But before he married Mary, he drove a Model A from Bozeman to San Antonio, Texas, to fulfill his obligation with the United States Army. She joined him in Wichita Falls, Texas, to be married on July 3, 1942. They were newlyweds for six months before Jim shipped out to Australia for training with the 3rd Army division. He followed General Krueger when he moved to the 6th Division and became one of Krueger’s staff as well as achieving the rank of Major. “Krueger served in the Philippines during the first war as an enlisted man,” Jim tells us. Nana recalls all the war footage and “seeing Macarthur.” Jim says flatly, “The only time we ever saw Macarthur was after the battle, walking down the beach.” “Who’s Macarthur?” Lily wants to know. I start to giggle at how this incredible conversation is unfolding but am suddenly afraid they will think I am mocking the gravity of WW II. I give Lily my own stage whisper, “He was a general a long time ago.” Jim tells me later when I ask him how long he served, “I was gone for the biggest share of three years...I was one of the lucky ones to be gone so long and still have a wife to come home to.” He’s a lemons into lemonade kinda guy.
As Jim walks us to the door, among the colorized photos of Montana’s open range days in Musselshell County, I notice a framed poster of Tyler Bradt breaking the world record in his kayak by going over all 186 feet of Palouse Falls and living to tell the tale. The inscription reads,”Grandpa-Saddle up & ride!” -Tyler. “I tell him he has more guts than brains,” Jim shakes his head with obvious admiration. I can’t help but think Jim Ross is a testament to the best balance of both guts and brains but he is far too modest in that cowboy way to take such credit. “All I can say is you do what you have to do when you need to do it.” The End (Jim Ross)
As you’ve traveled o’er these passages
It’s the author’s fervent hope
That your journey was most pleasant
An easy, gentle lope.
Now that you’ve ridden full circle,
Have come to the finis, the end,
May your saddle sores be few enough
To continue to call me your friend.
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BUSINESS: Business-to-Business Barter Provides a Much-Needed Edge
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| By Lori Grannis |
In today’s economy, business owners face much more than the usual challenges. In addition to keeping their own costs in check, they face an unstable economy filled with buyers who have tightened purse strings to acquire only the essentials.
To maintain a healthy bottom line, business owners have gotten creative.
Enter Missoula’s We Trade Network.
Founded in 2000 by Karen Welch, and three partners, the We Trade Network is comprised of approximately 300 members who trade goods and services with one another in order to market their businesses, and keep the cost of doing business low.
“Business owners open an account, and we then advertise the goods and services they will offer as part of the trade network,” says Welch. “They pay for the products and services they need with their own products and services.”
Business-to-business barter is nothing new. The concept sprung up in the 1960s as a way for businesses to maintain lean ledger sheets while still affording the goods and services that might otherwise require out-of-pocket expense.
Whether it’s the advice of a certified public accountant, a Web designer, a computer technician, or the aid of janitorial services, We Trade enables business owners to afford things that help them run a better business.
“Many of our members use trade dollars to acquire the expertise of a specialist that might otherwise be a splurge, such as a social media expert,” says Welch.
In this way, she says, they are gaining a business edge without breaking the bank or assuming unnecessary risks.
“Cash is down, but the need to find more creative ways to do business is always present - especially now,” she says.
Trading is dollar for dollar. A business owner accumulates a dollar for each dollar of merchandise or service they sell.
“We just ask that everyone offer their goods and services the same as cash,” Welch says. “They do not, however, have to offer sale-price on a trade.”
The obvious benefit for businesses that practice keystone markup on products (an item purchased for $50 and sold for $100) is the built-in discount on everything purchased with We Trade dollars.
Trades are managed electronically, making it a seamless accounting for Internal Revenue Service reporting. Welch says the system automatically generates a 1099 tax form for each business.
We Trade dollars help defray the cost of doing business, but they also allow owners to pass dollars off as employee benefits.
Several businesses in the network have set up sub-accounts for employees to reward good, or long-standing, work.
When Betty’s Divine owner Aimee McQuilkin opened her retail clothing, shoe, and accessory emporium on Missoula’s Hip Strip five years ago, she immediately loved the idea of business-to-business bartering because she saw its potential for marketing her store to a broader audience.
She also saw it as a way to retain employees in a fickle retail climate.
“The marketing value of We Trade is something you really cannot buy,” says McQuilkin. “But it’s also a way to reward employees for their hard work.”
The perky retailer bounties employees with quarterly We Trade dollar bonuses of around 5 percent of earnings.
She says it’s a good way for her to say ‘thank you’ to employees, and keep them happy - oftentimes a challenge in retail.
“You figure, they are the face of your business, so you want it to be a happy face,” she says.
According to Welch, one local We Trade member offers her product to the membership, then takes the income from product sales to fund a wellness program for her employees.
“It’s a benefit to all of her staff that she uses trade to reinvest in them,” she says.
It could be as simple as a trip to the Children’s museum with the kids, a new haircut, or a slew of vitamins.
But many businesses use We Trade dollars to make travel arrangements to market goods and services to a broader audience.
Huckleberry People acquire new business through attendance at food and gift trade shows. During the height of their six-month selling season, business travel can send teams of employees out of town for two weeks out of each month.
Through the National Association of Trade Exchanges, they are able to step outside the home network, and offer their products in trade for hotel rooms, food, and other business-related travel expenses.
“It’s another stable currency that was developed just to deal with other barter companies,” says Welch. It’s the same as local member-to-member trading, she says, but it’s barter-to-barter trading.
Daily emails sent out to members announce the goods and services that business owners are trying to sell - not only in the 300 member network, but across the nation with other NATE members.
McQuilkin uses We Trade dollars to take quarterly buying trips to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, but she just returned from a personal getaway to San Francisco, with a stay at a tony Union Square hotel.
We Trade dollars help enhance her time out of the store too, she says.
“We’ve gotten tickets to shows in Vegas, a hot tub for the backyard., and we’re renting a ski boat for the July fourth weekend,” she says.
Welch says The International Reciprocal Trade Association has the potential to transcend national barter boundaries. With 11 new trade exchanges on board, the IRTA offers members things beyond their wildest dreams, and certainly beyond their own backyard.
“We just sent someone to New Zealand for a vacation farm stay,” she says. “Those are the things about trade that are fun to talk about.”
Welch says her priority is serving local membership, but with years of experience in other networks, she is now involved in helping NATE set benchmarks among trade and barter networks nationwide.
“My focus is on setting standards so (networks) are all doing the same thing, and it is seamless,” she says.
Lori Grannis may be reached at 360-8788 or llgrannis@gmail.com .
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ART & CULTURE: Building on community, fun and art,
Lapin’s Garden is more than a concert venue
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| By Douglas E. Taylor |
“Build it and they will come.” That is what the owners of Lapin’s Garden, Jane Berryhill and Keith McCutcheon manifest in their dream of developing and co-creating an outdoor amphitheatre where original musicians of various styles and genres perform. “Co-creating” is an important and meaningful term for the hosts of this special place. “We want the community to contribute to what happens here and how the experience is enjoyed.” speaking from the heart, the hosts both exclaim almost simultaneously. Berryhill and McCutcheon are enthusiastic and welcoming; their personalities are expressed in their extraordinary project. It is a venture in the works, developing intuitively after each performance, building on ideas from how people experience the “happening”.
Lapin is French for rabbit (pronounced La-pins Gar-dun); the name for this special place is just one of many inspirations the couple has adopted into their unique vision. When forced to describe the facility and the many facets of Lapin’s Garden, it challenges one’s sense of norm, attempting to relate it to anything known. How can someone describe a hand-crafted amphitheatre, with original music from a variety of styles and genres, an art farm, visual art workshop for children and artists and community members? How many places can you sit comfortably inside an amphitheatre, enjoying your own picnic or stand outside in a garden area near a fire, chatting with friends or other people inspired by the surroundings, the music, and the beautiful Montana countryside?
There is seating available for one hundred people inside, under the tarps incase of inclement weather, and warmed with propane heaters when necessary. The audience is surrounded by 35 beautiful and colorful large panels that are reversible and can be pivoted around exposing another image on the reverse side. They aid in controlling air flow in the amphitheatre and helping with acoustics. Each side of the panel was painted by a community volunteer with the simple desire to contribute to this special project and to have some fun. Many of the “artists” had never picked up a paint brush before. They were guided by pre-drawn outlines on large canvas panels of Celtic and Native American inspired designs. The results are quite impressive and contribute to the unique feel of facilities. A rain storm during the June 11 performance of Tom Catmull and the Clerics, a four-piece Americana band brought the audience together in unexpected and wonderful ways. The hosts say, “The rain forced people to come together and relate differently with one another. It turned out to be quite fun and relaxed the visitors. We look for those unexpected happenings at every event to inspire fun and community. We want people to expect the unexpected and be pleasantly surprised by those wonderful things that are impossible to plan.”
Fun and community is what Lapin’s Garden is designed for. From the early origins of Lapin’s Garden over two years ago, the creative couple wanted to involve the community in the creation of the project. It was formed and nurtured organically and intuitively with simple ideas of having fun and involving and blending the community, allowing them to contribute their touch and energy into the unusual place. Some members of the willing community got to paint and decorate partition wall panels, helped build a 125 feet long stone wall, apply mosaic tiles to the seats of benches or the tops of walls. Since no food or drink is served, concert goers can bring whatever they want. Many come with gourmet picnic meals, fine bottles of wine and their own table clothes, tray tables and candles, contributing to the special party. People are encouraged to bring a blanket to snuggle into later in the evening if it should get cold. In the venue there are propane heaters to provide some comfort. There are volunteers that help, making sure ticket buyers are welcome and comfortable. It is important to the owners that people feel like they can relax and truly enjoy themselves. There have been people from many areas of Montana attend and as far away as Colorado so far. Visitors from out of the area can connect with Lapin’s Garden on-line to find out about nearby accommodations, including camping.
Lapin’s Garden is designed as a family oriented venue and experience. Berryhill and McCutcheon encourage all ages to come and enjoy the art, music and gardens. People that are 16 and under are free; concert tickets are $15 each. This is a place to make good memories and to possibly instill the importance of being inspired, being creative and appreciating those special talents that may surround us. The two entrepreneurs agree, “It has been very rewarding for us to watch people during these events and witness their smiles, knowing they are helping us create a special time. This is definitely not a passive venture. It is all about having fun, sharing and blending the community.”
Berryhill and McCutcheon don’t feel any limitations as to what purpose Lapin’s Garden may serve. During school days the grounds and facilities are used for various youth educational programs. It is their intention to make the facilities available for special events like weddings and other special gatherings.
At the southern end of the Bitterroot Valley is Sula; the location on highway 93, which hosts a series of musical concerts of original music. You won’t hear cover bands performing. Berryhill and McCutcheon search many on-line references for interesting and varied performers. Each performance is distinct and not intended to appeal to everyone. Berryhill and McCutcheon may be among a few who would appreciate each of the talented performers. Each concert should attract a slightly different kind of crowd and music appreciators.
The remainder of the concert season sounds like this!
Sunday, July 4, Celebrate Independence Day with Grant Maledy and his Jazz Trio from Missouri and Jim Pearson with his personable style of country rock.
Saturday, July 10, Original Americana and contemporary folk music from the talented and humorous singer/songwriter Roy Schneider accompanied by Kim Mayfield. Saturday, July 24, StoneCircle brings a driving, unique sound fusing jazz, classical, and original material to traditional Celtic-based music. Dan Dubuque opens with blues, rhythm, and Soul Sounds of Now through the Charango and Weissenborn.
Friday, August 13, Lapin’s Garden welcomes Portland, Oregon native Keegan Smith!
Saturday, August 28, Drum Brothers with their high energy performance celebrating a diverse mix of world instruments and sounds.
Saturday, September 4, Nashville’s Bonepony and their unique brand of “Stomp Rock” with all the fervor of a traveling tent revival. All shows start at seven in the evening, see www.lapinsgarden.com for more details and links to sample some of the music line-up. Tickets for all shows can be purchased from Mountain Music and Sam’s Spade in Hamilton.
Located at 5880 Hwy 93 South, the third drive on the east after you pass mile marker 19 heading south from Hamilton and Darby. They are one mile north of the Rocky Knob and two miles south of the Naughty Moose. Call 406-821-4883.
Lapin’s Garden is interesting in both a practical and aesthetic sense. Both solar power and a wind turbine contribute to some outdoor lighting and other non-critical electronics. There is a large greenhouse nurturing an herb garden. Everything about the place, especially the creators, Berryhill and McCutcheon says, “Welcome, relax, enjoy, and have fun.”
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HISTORY: Trailing Herds From Texas To Montana
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By Wm. W. Whitfield
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When the last buffalo disappeared from the wide-open ranges of the American west in the late 1870’s and early 80’s, the U. S. government took on the responsibility of providing Indian tribes with herds of cattle to supplement their loss. Most of the cattle came out of the state of Texas, and early in the spring of 1882, a teenager named Thomas Moore joined one of these cattle drives on the recommendation of his two older brothers. The cattle had been gathered up from several large ranches from the interior of Old Mexico and were contracted for a fall delivery at the Blackfoot Reservation in Northwestern Montana. In ‘The Log Of A Cowboy’ young Tom Moore vividly describes a vanishing lifestyle that passed quickly once barbed wire began to stretch across the vast open ranges that had existed for eons before the coming of the white man.
The owner of the cattle outfit had a number of deals going with the Indian Department, and was granted the privilege of bringing any cattle across the border at the mouth of the Rio Grande duty free, as long as they were used in filling out the Indian contract. Tom Moore left his family for the first time to take part in the long cattle drive to Montana, and he says that they were all standing at the gate when he climbed into his saddle and rode away with a lump in his throat. The young cowboy stated in his reminiscences that “The Rio Grande was two hundred yards wide at this point and was almost swimming from bank to bank. When the cattle should reach the river on the Mexican side we were honor bound to accept everything bearing the Circle Dot brand on the left hip.” The contract called for a thousand cows, three and four years of age, and two thousand steers, four or five years old, which was estimated to fill a million-pound beef contract. The foreman accepted fifty extra from each category, which brought the total to thirty-one hundred head!
On the morning after going into camp, Tom says that the cowboys chose their mounts for the trip from the remuda of horses supplied by the owner of the outfit. The foreman had the first choice, and he picked a dozen broncos that seemed to fit his needs. “When it came the boys turn to cut, we were only allowed to cut one at a time by turns, even casting lots for the first choice. We had ridden the horses enough to have a fair idea as to their merits, and every lad was his own judge. It was my good fortune that morning to get a good mount of horses.” Each cowboy was allowed to choose ten horses and each was expected to furnish his own accoutrements. “In saddles, we had the ordinary Texas make, the housings of which covered our mounts from withers to hips, and were bedecked with the latest in the way of trimmings and trappings. The indispensable slicker, a greatcoat of oiled canvas, was ever at hand and spurs were a matter of choice. In the matter of leggings, not over half of our outfit had any, as a trail herd always kept in the open, and except for night herding they were too warm in summer.”
The herd was brought up to the river’s edge by a corporal with about thirty vaqueros, and the foreman of the Texas outfit carefully picked out the cattle that he felt were strong enough to make the long journey to Montana. Tom Moore says that they were all “long-legged, long-horned Southern cattle, pale colored as a rule.” And he thought it was the first time that a herd had crossed over from Old Mexico that was intended for the trail, or for beyond the boundary of Texas. Both outfits joined in to drive the huge herd across the river and our cowboy journalist says, “Every hoof was over in less than two hours. On the last trip, in which there were about seven hundred head, the horse of one of the Mexican vaqueros took cramps about the middle of the river, and sank without a moments notice. A number of us heard the man’s terrified cry, only in time to see the horse and rider sink. Every man within reach turned to the rescue, and a moment later the man rose to the surface.” One of the Texans caught him by his shirt and handed him over to one of the vaqueros, who towed him back to the Mexican side of the river. Luckily, the rider was saved, but the horse with the cramps never came back up to the surface.
Once the cattle were safely across the river, the only thing left to do was to make a final tally of the herd. The Mexican corporal came over with two vaqueros, and the foreman of the American outfit picked out a couple of experienced hands to help him with his count. There was also a representative from the U. S. Customs House who made his own count “as a matter of form in the entry papers.” The American foreman used a tally string tied to the pommel of his saddle, on which were ten knots, keeping count by slipping a knot at each even hundred. The Mexican used ten small pebbles, shifting a pebble from one hand to the other on the hundred. When the count ended only two of the men agreed on numbers. One of the seasoned Texans had come up with the same total as the Mexican corporal, so the final tally was settled at thirty-one hundred and five!
Besides the thirty-one hundred cows, the company also had a remuda of one hundred and forty two horses, ten per man and an even dozen for the foreman. Four mules, which were driven by the outfit’s cook, pulled the chuck wagon. At night the horses were allowed to graze without being hobbled, under the watchful eye of the horse wrangler and a change of night watchmen that shifted every two hours throughout the night. It was later noticed that a few of the horses were inclined to stray in the night and these troublemakers were eventually hobbled or put into a rope corral at night. Every man other than the foreman, cook, and horse wrangler was assigned a nightshift to watch the herd of cattle throughout the entire journey. The troupe made twenty five to thirty miles a day, and figured that an average of fifteen miles a day would get them to the Blackfoot Agency by the 10th of September, which was the deadline for their delivery. On the way to Montana they faced every imaginable obstacle, from cattle rustlers to stampedes and flooded rivers, and as the year progressed they traveled across vast stretches of parched waterless prairies and faced temperature extremes that were literally unheard of in the Lone Star State.
One of the favorite pastimes of cowboys along the trail was gathering around the campfire and telling the kinds of stories that were sure to pull in an innocent young cowpoke who was perhaps a bit naïve and still a little wet behind the ears. Every outfit had at least one of these tellers of tall tales and Tom Moore says that “After the labors of the day are over, the men gather around the fire, and the social hour of the day may run from the sublime to the ridiculous, from a true incident to a base fabrication.” Yarn followed yarn, and a good storyteller would fill his accounts with a number of meaty personal experiences, but sometimes where he thought they would pass muster, they were often inclined to over-color their statements. One night, as the cowboys gathered around the fire, one of the old hands was recounting his days as a bull-whacker with a freighting outfit. His story went into the minutest details about the freighters and all of the intricate “ins and outs” of their business, until he finally saw that he had the full attention of his audience, and then he ever so cleverly began to slowly reel in certain members of his unsuspecting audience.
It seems that one night this freighter’s ox had wandered off, leaving him with just a single ox to pull the wagon. The other freighters helped the unfortunate storyteller make a thorough search of the surrounding country but they still couldn’t see hide ‘nor hair of him. Luckily, all of the wagons were empty and on their way to a lucrative job that would pay twice the normal rate. Even though the ground was hard and should have made for an easy pull, the single ox-drawn wagon just couldn’t keep up with the others and the bullwhacker said that it bogged down as if it were fully loaded, rather than empty! By the end of the day our old bullwhacker was completely frustrated with falling behind the other wagons, and he decided to give it a rest. When he pulled back the curtain of the covered wagon to reach for his bedroll, who do you think he saw curled up in the back of the wagon? Yep, it was none other than the missing bull ox, who was just sleeping away with his head snuggled up on the bedroll, which he had been using as a makeshift pillow! Apparently he had been there the whole time, casually preferring a nice leisurely ride instead of pulling his own fair share of the empty freight wagon!
At this point most of the cowboys listening to the story got up with a snort of derision for the storyteller, and perhaps for their own foolishness in listening to him as long as they did! Then, to add insult to injury the wise old bull-whacker finished up by declaring to any wary disbelievers who were still hanging around the fire, “That same ox on the next trip, one night when we had the wagons parked into a corral, got away from the herder, tip-toed over the men’s beds in the gate, stood on his hind legs long enough to eat four fifty-pound sacks of flour out of the rear end of a wagon, got down on his side, and wormed his way under the wagon back into the herd, without being detected or waking a man.” Next month the saga continues with more tales from the trail between Texas and Montana.
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HEALTH: Biofilms, a Community of Bacteria
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| Submitted By Frederick M. Ilgenfritz, MD, FACS |
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The largest organ by weight in the body is the skin. Damage to our skin occurs every day. Small cuts, pimples, bruises all come and go without our needing to pay much attention to the wonderful process the body uses to put things back to normal. On occasion these processes are inadequate because of the magnitude of the wound, underlying illness or infection. Some wounds heal partially and then seem to stall out and remain open for long periods. In this setting it may be necessary to work with a wound care expert to aid the healing process. In many cases, the stalled wound is complicated by the presence of a biofilm.
In 1890, the German microbiologist Robert Koch proposed a way to determine which bacteria were causing various diseases. He suggested four conditions. 1. The bacteria must be present in every case of the disease. 2. The bacteria must be isolated from the host with the disease and grown in pure culture. 3. The specific disease must be reproduced when a pure culture of the bacteria is inoculated into a healthy susceptible host. 4. The bacteria must be recoverable from the experimentally infected host. This was extremely helpful at the time, but as with many scientific advances, it has been proven to be too simple as we understand more. It has been found that many bacteria grow much more effectively when they are in a mixed culture with other bacteria. Each supplies growth factors the other benefits from. Multiple types of bacteria form a mutually beneficial colony which supports one another. Some of these bacteria don’t normally grow in the lab and aren’t considered pathogens (harm causing) in humans, but they are supportive of the other bacteria present. These communities of bacteria can slow or prevent healing in wounds. Such a community of bacteria forms a “biofilm”. The human analogy is the advantage of a town, where one person is the baker, another is a butcher, and another fixes cars. All members of the community specialize and as a result all members benefit. In the case of a biofilm, the bacteria benefit, but the patient suffers.
Biofilm research has opened understanding of why some wounds seem to stay infected and are very slow to improve. A biofilm is a collection of bacteria, proteins, polysaccharides, and DNA which form a sort of adherent goo on the surface of the wound. The bacteria are protected from antibiotics by being physically separated from them by the goo. In addition, some of the bacteria are in a non-growing or dormant phase, which antibiotics don’t attack. The bacteria are even difficult to culture because they do not actively grow when a sample is taken for the lab to culture. Some bacteria produce enzymes which breakdown proteins which are made by the wound cells to help with healing.
Wounds which stall in their healing due to biofilms have to be “jumpstarted “in some way. This often requires physical debridement of the biofilm with surgical excision. In other cases a cleansing solution such as very dilute hypochlorite (bleach) is used. Silver dressing have also been used, but tend to have a very short zone of activity and so don’t penetrate deeply enough into the biofilm to be effective. Once the biofilm has been removed, the wound healing will accelerate. Use of specialized dressing and treatments can then promote a healthy wound environment to protect the wound from reinfection and aid rapid healing.
Questions or comments can be addressed to Frederick M. Ilgenfritz, MD, FACS, c/o Bitterroot General & Vascular Surgery, Wound Management Services, 1150 Westwood Drive, Suite C, Hamilton, MT 59840 or visit www.bgvs.us.
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