Memories from a pre-covid trip...
The California State Railroad Museum
New Year, New Location, New Vocation (and some local history too!)
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| Elvis is exhausted after a long walk through Bothell history. |
The answer to that question was basically just putting up with a place we didn’t want to live in and a job that I didn’t really enjoy. Why not live where we want to live and do what we want to do? So, as we are known to do, we made a change. First, we moved back to the Puget Sound area which we consider our home, having lived in the area off and on for over twenty years. We chose the suburb of Bothell, just to the northeast of Seattle. We’ve been here three weeks now and just love it.
The second part of the question is what will I do now that I’m not teaching. That’s easy. I’m going to rededicate myself to a couple of writing projects. It is exciting to see the positive reviews of our first project, The Boldest Plan is the Best: The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII. Moreover, I can’t tell you how honored I have been to be contacted by family members after the publication of the book. With the 509th PIB being the first unit to parachute into combat in the European Theater, I had started a project on the 503rd Parachute Infantry, which was the first unit to jump into combat in the Pacific Theater. Now I have the time and inspiration to complete it. Additionally, I think I’ll try my hand at some historical fiction, inspired by the events surrounding these two very special units.
Book Review: To Wake The Giant
Book R&R: "To Wake The Giant: A Novel of Pearl Harbor" by Jeff Shaara
In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a Jeff Shaara fan. I have read every book he has written, as soon as they become available. When I heard that he was going to revisit World War II and specifically Pearl Harbor, it went straight to the top of the reading pile. Besides, with the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII upon us, the subject is very appropriate.
"To Wake the Giant" begins approximately one year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In the usual Jeff Shaara formula, he tells the story of the event by following major historical characters who played a role in decision making and examples of "regular people" who were greatly affected by the event. In the case of "Wake the Giant," Shaara provides the perspective of the United States' chief negotiator with Japan, Secretary of State Cordell Hull, the architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, and a new enlistee to the U.S. Navy named Tommy Biggs, who gets assigned to the USS Arizona.
Of course, we hear the voices of other characters who are part of the multitude that made or were affected by this pivotal event in World history. Secretary of State Hull, of course, meets with President Roosevelt and Secretary of War Stimson among others that include Japanese Ambassador Nomura. These meetings let the reader know what the American government knew leading up to the war. Dialog between Yamamoto, his staff and other admirals, show us the planning for the attack. And in Hawaii, we see the preparations for war through the viewpoint of Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and his staff. Finally, Tommy Biggs and his shipmates show us what life was like for a battleship sailor in the weeks before the war and the horrific battle on December 7, 1941.
"To Wake the Giant" is a page-turner. I was never bored or distracted. Like all Shaara novels, the book is well researched and very readable. To me, this author writes the epitome of factual historical fiction, which as I've said many times is a great way to learn details of an event. And if you're not careful, you might even become a fan of history. So put this book on your summer reading list.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a Jeff Shaara fan. I have read every book he has written, as soon as they become available. When I heard that he was going to revisit World War II and specifically Pearl Harbor, it went straight to the top of the reading pile. Besides, with the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII upon us, the subject is very appropriate."To Wake the Giant" begins approximately one year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In the usual Jeff Shaara formula, he tells the story of the event by following major historical characters who played a role in decision making and examples of "regular people" who were greatly affected by the event. In the case of "Wake the Giant," Shaara provides the perspective of the United States' chief negotiator with Japan, Secretary of State Cordell Hull, the architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, and a new enlistee to the U.S. Navy named Tommy Biggs, who gets assigned to the USS Arizona.
Of course, we hear the voices of other characters who are part of the multitude that made or were affected by this pivotal event in World history. Secretary of State Hull, of course, meets with President Roosevelt and Secretary of War Stimson among others that include Japanese Ambassador Nomura. These meetings let the reader know what the American government knew leading up to the war. Dialog between Yamamoto, his staff and other admirals, show us the planning for the attack. And in Hawaii, we see the preparations for war through the viewpoint of Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and his staff. Finally, Tommy Biggs and his shipmates show us what life was like for a battleship sailor in the weeks before the war and the horrific battle on December 7, 1941.
"To Wake the Giant" is a page-turner. I was never bored or distracted. Like all Shaara novels, the book is well researched and very readable. To me, this author writes the epitome of factual historical fiction, which as I've said many times is a great way to learn details of an event. And if you're not careful, you might even become a fan of history. So put this book on your summer reading list.
Midway: A battle, a book, and two movies
I miss the old movies from the 60s and early 70s. My dad
loved them, we'd watch them together and I actually learned a lot of military history from watching
those Saturday reruns (some of that history I admit had to be corrected). One of those
was the 1976 movie Midway with Charlton Heston and Henry Fonda. This was
on our list of classic war movies, so I bought a copy on DVD for my dad a few
years ago. When the new version of Midway came out in 2019 with Woody Harrelson
as Admiral Nimitz, I had to see how it compared, so I added a copy of that
version to my collection.
Which version is better you ask? Tough question. Right off
the top, I’ll tell you I liked the older version better. But for the life of my
I couldn’t figure out why. Is it because the Charlton Heston version used real aircraft
and historical footage? (the onboard carrier scenes were filmed on the USS
Lexington.) Maybe the computer-generated battle scenes in the 2019 version were
a turnoff. That and a bit of overacting? Maybe? Just a little? Amazon customers
couldn’t help. Both movies are well received with thousands of reviews. Well,
maybe we should ask which one was more historically accurate. And that’s where
the book comes in.
I admit that I am not nearly as familiar with WWII naval
history as I am with the land-based battles. I did not know a great deal about the Battle of Midway. When I don’t know about something,
I can’t just take Wikipedia’s word for it. I have to go find a book. No disrespect
to Wikipedia, it’s a great resource for background information. I just have to
have a book. I chose “The Battle of Midway” by Craig L. Symonds. The book was really
good. I’m not the only one who thinks so, it has 4.7 stars on 590 reviews. The
book begins with Admiral Chester Nimitz taking over as CincPac in the days
following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. We’re given all of the
background we need that leads us up to the battle, including the Battle of the
Coral Sea, the breaking of Japanese codes, and the Doolittle Raid. The book
then provides a blow by blow telling of the Battle of Midway that occurred just
six months after Pearl Harbor. I enjoyed reading it.
Which movie was more historically accurate? First, ignore
the storyline in the first movie involving Heston’s fictional character and his
son. Then I would say with the broad-brush strokes they are both historically
accurate. But I have to admit that when it comes to details and character
portrayals, the 2019 Woody Harrelson version beats out the 1976 version. For
example, Joe Rochefort, the officer in charge of breaking one of the Japanese
codes that were so instrumental in the American victory was portrayed in the
1976 movie as eccentric and unconventional. That is not a true description of
this brilliant officer, and he was more accurately depicted in the 2019 movie. As
it turns out, the 2019 movie did a much better job of showing the real men who
played integral parts in the battle. McClusky really did damage his lungs with
a faulty air tank, and Admiral Yamaguchi did, in fact, choose to go down with the
Hiryū. As it turns out, it seemed like the 2019 movie of
Midway was based on Symonds’ book.
I know I haven’t helped you choose just one of these. But
hey, while you are socially distancing yourself you’ve got time to enjoy all
three. My recommendation, as always, is to read the book first. 😉
Write it down: Your Covid-19 Journal
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| Image from the Library of Congress |
There are occasions when you find you have some time on your
hands. Then you realize how long it has been since you did certain things. Like, write
in your blog. Everyone has the pandemic on their mind so I might as well tell
you my story so far.
This January I started a new teaching job with an alternative
education high school that partners with a nonprofit organization that provides
flight instruction to the students. More about that later, but in summary, I
teach high school level history, math, and aviation science (which is basically
private pilot ground school). Since February we’ve been telling our students
about the approaching pandemic and personal precautions to take. We stopped our
ritual of shaking hands with each student every morning and opted instead for
fist and elbow bumps. At the end of my unit on the First World War, I taught a
class on the 1918 Flu Pandemic that included showing the American Experience documentary. New info for most; I can honestly say I had their attention on
that one.
On Friday, March 13th we were off for the end of
the quarter when my principal contacted me and said there would be no students
the following week and that we would come in and figure out how we were going to
teach online for the next couple of weeks. Before the weekend was over, I was
told that teachers would be required to stay home as well. Now we are planning
lessons to be provided online and provide work to be assigned through Google Classroom. We
haven’t implemented yet, because now we must figure out how to get a computer
and Internet access to every student. Except for trips to the grocery store and
taking Elvis the corgi for a walk, we’ve been staying home since the 13th.
More to follow.
Write Down Your Story.
I don’t know if being well versed in history is good or bad.
Because now we’re wondering just how bad this pandemic is really going to be or the
economic situation that will follow. And we have some events in our history
that we can use as a cautionary tale. Sheila and I both agreed that we thought
we’d never live to see a cataclysmic event like the 1918 Influenza Pandemic or the Great
Depression. Now I’m wondering if I might see something similar to both. Then I realized that we have
seen some major things in our lifetime. Two I can think of are the fall of the Berlin Wall and 9/11. We got past those and others. They are now in our memory,
in some cases like it happened yesterday, and as if it were ancient history to younger
generations.
I can tell you one thing. As a reader, researcher, and writer of
history, I thank the people who recorded their experiences during challenging times.
Like the University of Virginia history professor Herbert Braun says, “We do not write alone.” For me, it means that writers of history need your help. Future generations will
want to know the personal, emotional toll that this event had on you and your
friends and family. Even more basic is what was it like in your local area?
What did you do to stay safe and sane?
Please, write your stories down. Keep a journal. Record a
video. Get the kids involved too. If they are young, they can draw pictures. No
detail is too mundane. Don’t lose your thoughts to social media. Keep copies of
what you post in your own files. Some day they are going to be gold to your
descendants. And to someone like me.
P.S. If you need a good book recommendation, a few years ago
I read “The Great Influenza: The Story of the Greatest Pandemic in History” by John M. Barry. It stuck with me and a good read considering our current times.
Our Oregon Field Trip: Fort Clatsop
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| Map image from NPS |
The Whalers Cabin at Point Lobos
Welcome to Monterey Bay!
We tried retirement, it just didn't stick. In reality, I just took the summer and fall off. That was long enough to get me back to work. Since January, Sheila and I have been living on Monterey Bay in the central California coast. I'm back to teaching alt ed high school, currently at a county juvenile hall. When you mention this area, most people probably think of beautiful views of a rocky coastline, Big Sur, or Cannery Row. But there is no doubt that there is a lot of history here in the Monterey - Salinas area too, especially compared to the rest of California. I wanted to share with you a hidden gem where you can get both scenic beauty and a little dose of history: Whalers Cove at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.
Point Lobos SNR is just a short ten mile drive south on Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Traveling south on Hwy 1, about a mile or two outside of Carmel you will make a right turn into the reserve. It costs ten dollars per car to get in, but totally worth it. Come early (the reserve opens to vehicles at 8 am), because this can be a popular place. I know I said it is a hidden gem, but that doesn't mean that the locals don't know about it. The ranger at the main gate can give you a map and directions, but it is a short drive to the parking lot at Whalers Cove. From there, you take a short walk back up the road to the Whalers Cabin museum that you drove by on your way in.
Take a break from the scenery and check out the long history of Point Lobos. The area has been occupied by non-native Americans since the 1850s. Until 1879, this spot was one of seven whaling stations along the California coast. Portuguese immigrants started shore-based whaling at this location. Crews would row out of the calmness of the small cove and past the breaking waves to hunt the grey whales that migrate up and down the California coast. You can still spot these giants as they pass by on their way south from Alaska to their breeding and calving lagoons in Baja during December through January. Or you might spot them as they return to their feeding grounds in the north, passing Monterey Bay from March through May. Of course there is more to the history of this particular spot. A community of Asian fishermen hunted abalone and canned the product here. There was a granite quarry here. The cove was used as the shipping point for a nearby coal mine. And troops trained here for specific missions during World War II. See artifacts and pictures of each of these periods in the small museum located in the Whalers Cabin.
Luckily, Point Lobos was never developed as any kind of residential property. Ownership eventually passed to the state of California, and the site was made into an ecological reserve in 1973. That also includes 775 acres of underwater reserve, the first designated in the United States. That's good for us normal folks because the real treat here is the views of plants and animals and rocky California coast. On the day that we went, we saw sea lions, an otter, and plenty of birds. The best way to see it all is to walk. Hiking trails honeycomb the shoreline around the point. There are three main parking areas, so you'd never have to walk more than a mile from your car. Or you can leave the car where it is and walk the whole point and probably not log more than five miles.
When you vacation to Monterey, take the opportunity to visit Point Lobos. It is very accessible and worth the time to stop. If I haven't sold you on visiting, then take a look at the Whalers Cove Live Stream, or take a virtual hike with Google street view. When you do come, bring a light jacket or sweatshirt as the coast here gets a marine layer at times that can be a bit chilly, especially if you just left the warmer interior.
Take a break from the scenery and check out the long history of Point Lobos. The area has been occupied by non-native Americans since the 1850s. Until 1879, this spot was one of seven whaling stations along the California coast. Portuguese immigrants started shore-based whaling at this location. Crews would row out of the calmness of the small cove and past the breaking waves to hunt the grey whales that migrate up and down the California coast. You can still spot these giants as they pass by on their way south from Alaska to their breeding and calving lagoons in Baja during December through January. Or you might spot them as they return to their feeding grounds in the north, passing Monterey Bay from March through May. Of course there is more to the history of this particular spot. A community of Asian fishermen hunted abalone and canned the product here. There was a granite quarry here. The cove was used as the shipping point for a nearby coal mine. And troops trained here for specific missions during World War II. See artifacts and pictures of each of these periods in the small museum located in the Whalers Cabin.
Luckily, Point Lobos was never developed as any kind of residential property. Ownership eventually passed to the state of California, and the site was made into an ecological reserve in 1973. That also includes 775 acres of underwater reserve, the first designated in the United States. That's good for us normal folks because the real treat here is the views of plants and animals and rocky California coast. On the day that we went, we saw sea lions, an otter, and plenty of birds. The best way to see it all is to walk. Hiking trails honeycomb the shoreline around the point. There are three main parking areas, so you'd never have to walk more than a mile from your car. Or you can leave the car where it is and walk the whole point and probably not log more than five miles.
Book R & R: “Hodges’ Scout”
This book review and recommendation is on “Hodges’ Scout, A Lost Patrol of the French and Indian War” by Len Travers.
I’m currently teaching history at a court school (juvenile
hall) and my students by and large think that if something didn’t happen in
their lifetime, then it either just doesn’t matter, or in their words it’s “hella
boring.” I try to get them to tune in to history (as an entry point) by just
finding stories that are interesting, exciting, adventurous, or a story that
demonstrates a person’s courage and fortitude. This is one of those stories.
I got turned on to the French and Indian War way back in
high school when one Saturday afternoon my dad and I watched “Northwest Passage” starring Spencer Tracy. That was followed by reading the book by Kenneth Roberts. Then I read “Last of the Mohicans” by James Fenimore Cooper, and the movie with Daniel Day Lewis is still one of my favorites of all time. Fiction
got me excited about the subject, so from there I moved on to books about the
war in general, and a couple of books about Rogers Rangers: “White Devil” by Stephen Brumwell and “War on the Run” by John Ross. Reading “Hodges’ Scout” is
a natural progression and if you also enjoy the movies and books I just mentioned,
then you should read this book.
Here's the setup. You know Fort William Henry, from “Last of
the Mohicans?” Well this event took place in September of 1756, while colonial
troops were building that fort. While under construction, company sized patrols
of around 50 men would venture out to look for signs of approaching French or
Indian forces. One of these patrols, led by Captain Joseph Hodges, met the
enemy and was wiped out. Only three men initially made it back to the fort.
While Hodges and a number of his men were killed and mutilated, a number of the
company were taken prisoner. A few escaped, some were sold to the
French by their Indian captors and then sent home in a prisoner exchange, and
many were held until the end of the war. And finally one soldier decided to
join his captors and eventually paid the price for it.
The title, synopsis, and cover art for “Hodges’ Scout”
grabbed me right away. I enjoyed the author’s voice in the telling of this
story. It is very readable; the details are there but this book does not sound
academic. What impressed me most is the detailed research that Len Travers (a
professor of history at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth) has
conducted to tell this story. Through official records and period
correspondence, Travers has pieced together what happened to the majority of
the 48 colonial militia soldiers that departed the fort with Hodges. His
section titled “dissecting disaster,” where he supposes scenarios of what
happened during the fight the wiped out Hodges’ company is excellent. You don’t
have to have a background in the French and Indian War to enjoy this book.
Professor Travers fills you in on the strategy of the war and why the fort was
being constructed, how soldiers were recruited, and the events at the
conclusion of the war. Read this book, I think you’ll enjoy it.
One more thing. In the front matter of the book, the author includes
a bible quote:
And some there be, which have no memorial; who are perished, as though they had never been; and are become as though they had never been born…
Ecclesiasticus 44:9
This quote really spoke to me, especially now as we remember
the 75th anniversary of D-day. This is what we need to keep from happening. Our memorial to the unknown soldier is to remember what they have done.
D-day plus 75 years and other stories to be heard.
I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that even if you
are not a fan of history, but you participate in social media, or certainly if
you watch the evening news, you know that it is the 75th anniversary
of the WWII Allied invasion of France. Over the past eight years we’ve had a
number of significant anniversaries of our country’s military history. They
include the 150th anniversary events that took place during the
American civil war, the 100th anniversary of WWI battles, and now
the 75th anniversary of World War II and the 50th
anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing. I appreciate these benchmark anniversaries
because like James Holzauer’s winning streak bringing new fans to Jeopardy, the
buzz about the anniversary of a significant historical event will make more
people take note and hopefully learn about these great trials and triumphs of
our past. The difference between the 75th anniversary of the
Normandy invasion and the other wars mentioned is that we still have a lot of
regular people who can tell us what it was like.
Surviving veterans and eyewitnesses to the Second World War
are in their nineties. I heard on ABC News the other night that over 300 World
War II veterans pass away every day. And the thought occurred to me that we
aren’t considering how many non-veterans we are losing who can tell us what it
was like on the home front during the war years. Of course I love my military
history, but one of the most fascinating and educational places I’ve visited is
the Rosie the Riveter and WWII on the Home Front National Historical Park. There
is a lot to learn from those who stayed home, worked, and sacrificed to win the
war.
And what about veterans and civilians from other countries? When
it comes to meeting folks from our “Greatest Generation,” I’m lucky to be a
baby boomer. When I was in my twenties most WWII veterans were in their sixties,
so I have met a few in my time. Moreover, having been stationed in Germany for
three years, I met a few German veterans and civilians who experienced the
tragedy of war first hand. My landlord’s father (I called him “Opa Willie”)
fought on the Russian front, but deserted at the end of the war so that he
could surrender to American forces. Good thing he did. I dated a German woman
for a while whose father was a POW held by the Russians. They did not
repatriate him for eleven years. And I met that girl’s apartment manager, who
was married at age 19 and only spent three weeks with her husband before he
went off to fight in the war. He never returned and remained missing in action.
She never remarried.
As an aside, do you think that Germany has learned from its
history? I think so. When I visited the concentration camp at Dachau, I saw
school children arrive on a bus for a field trip. That is just one example of
how the Germans don’t hide from their past. This week, Chancellor Angela Merkel thanked the Allies for “liberating Germany from the Nazis.” I’m sorry, but I
just can’t see the United States being that forthright, especially when you
read reports that say that only about forty percent (40%) of Americans can correctly answer the history questions on the citizenship exam.
I regret that I didn’t start a serious study of history
until after my years in the army. I believe my conversations with the veterans
I had met would have taken a different turn. Like many young people, I had
different priorities. Nevertheless, I can’t help but wish I could go back and
take the opportunity to conduct an in-depth oral history interview with all of these
people I’ve met over the years. Of course, there are members of this great
generation still with us. And it is not too late to hear their stories and it
is never too late to learn our history, so that we don’t have to repeat it.
End of the Oregon Trail
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| There is a nice garden display and plenty of outdoor seating for a picnic. |
I never played the Oregon Trail computer game when I was a kid. But I've been fascinated by the Oregon Trail most of my life. Some day I'm going to devote a vacation to traveling the the modern day route and visit all of the sites and museums along the way. But while we are here in Oregon, I can at least say that I visited the end of the trail.
The early history of the state of Oregon can be generalized in decades. The fur trappers were here in the 1810s to 1820s, setting up forts and trading posts. The missionaries arrived and created their stations in the 1830s. From 1840 was the time of the settlers and farmers. Thousands of them arrived by the Oregon trail that ran from the area around Independence, Missouri to Oregon City, in the Willamette Valley of Oregon Territory. It is estimated that over 50,000 emigrants traveled the trail until 1869 when the transcontinental railroad was completed.
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| What tools would you take with you on the trail? |
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| At the end of your tour, find out how travelers fared in Oregon. |
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| "You have died of dysentery" on the Oregon Trail. |
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| My very own office bison! |
The Mussel Slough Tragedy
About five miles to the northwest of Hanford, California, in Kings County you will find California Historical Landmark #245, that is titled Location of the Famous Mussel Slough Tragedy. It's located on a country road almost indistinguishable from all of the other farm roads in the San Joaquin Valley. Don't drive too fast or you'll miss it. I believe I drove by it at least four times before I finally recognized it for what it was. The text on the monument reads:
Here on May 11, 1880, during a dispute over land titles between settlers and railroad, a fight broke out in which seven men - two deputy U.S. marshals and five ranchers lost their lives. The legal struggle over titles was finally settled by a compromise. Location: 5833 14th Ave, between Everett and Elder Aves, 1.5 miles SE of Hardwick.
It seems like a short description (in error) for what happened here. Especially since there are no original structures left, or even a tree that witnessed the event. Here's a summary of what happened.
In the nineteenth century the area was called the mussel slough region due to a slough off of the Kings River that backed into Tulare Lake. The lake and the slough are no longer present due to modern agriculture. The Southern Pacific Railroad was granted odd numbered lots of a square mile each as an incentive to build a line through the Central Valley of California. The line through this area was completed in 1872. Settlers had come into the area and homesteaded the even numbered lots and began to create improvements such as buildings, fencing, and irrigation ditches. This included hand-dug canals to bring water from the Kings River, more than two miles away for some.
In the meantime, the railroad put out brochures to sell the land they controlled. Farmers would be able to settle on the land for a few years, then gain title when a price was fixed. Brochures from the railroad advertised prices at $2.50 per acre and up. Of course the purchasers assumed that they were getting their land at that bargain price, and set about improving the land. When it came time to complete the transaction, the railroad insisted on valuing the land with improvements, inflating their asking price to twenty dollars an acre. After the railroad filed suit against settlers and won, the price inflated again up to $35 an acre. There was also an element of rancher versus farmer in that some cattlemen who had the wherewithal were stepping front of the farmers to purchase the improved land.
With the stage now set, on May 11, 1880 a meeting of settlers was being held when false rumors where spread that U.S. marshals were conducting evictions. The settlers grabbed their guns and went to intercept them. The truth was that a railroad appraiser, two potential buyers from the cattlemen's side, and a U.S. marshal along for protection, were driving around in a carriage looking at properties. The two belligerent parties met at the site of the monument, the homestead of one Henry Brewer. While the marshal and a leader of the group of farmers stepped off to talk about resolving the situation peacefully, the bad blood between the farmers and the two from the cattlemen's side spilled over. No one knows who shot first or even what was said to start it. But in the end, the two cowboys and five farmers were dead.
No marshals were killed despite what the marker says. Five farmers were convicted of interfering with a marshal in the performance of his duties, each spending eight months in jail and paid a $300 fine. Although there was a high level of animosity toward the railroads, the people could not get the government to change the policy of providing land grants to railroads. In the end, the railroads reduced their asking price a token amount and most of the settlers stayed on their land and paid the asking price. At the time of the incident, the dead and wounded were brought to the shade of a large oak tree on the property that was referred to as the "Tragedy Oak." It blew down in the 1990s. A piece of the tree is reportedly put on display in front of a local elementary school. Ultimately the fight was lost to history, with the exception of some local interest and fans of old west history.
The Mussel Slough Tragedy took on a bit of mythology over the years and like so many wild west gunfights there are multiple versions of what actually happened. The three that I consulted, each with a little bit different take, are the Wikipedia article on the incident, "Garden in the Sun: A History of the San Joaquin Valley 1772-1939" by William Seacrest, and "Hanford" (Images of America Series by Arcadia Publishing by Robin Roberts.
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