Status Updates From Wyoming Folklore: Reminisce...

The last part of the book was my least favorite, but still caught some of my interest. I loved reading words and phrases that I use in my life and what they meant to the people back then. You can start to pick up on how the word has evolved from its original meaning to the present day meaning.

So far part four isn't as good as the other parts but it still has it's role in this book. From the few short stories I got through it talks about how certain things are good then there are the bad things that can happen as well. The story that seemed the most interesting so far was the "Medicine" one, so far. I liked it because it talked about all the things they used to cure the things that were wrong with them.

I will have to say part three to me has the more interesting stories in it. I personally liked The Legend of Bull Lake because it's interesting how they came up with this story and it tells why the lake roar's. I will say part one and part three are my favorite so far and I'm anxious to see what part four is going to be like.

Creeping up on the end of the book, I can't help but to think of how will all of our stories be thought of by the people of 2215. Imagine it, some student in the future reading about dial-up. probably having a similar reaction to ours when we read stories about chicken poop medicine. And hey, maybe that's how the 2215 student will think, or maybe they'll be amazed at the adventure of the stories like I was.

I have enjoyed all of the folklore but the best thing they give to history is the want to know more! As I have been reading these stories I have been thirsting for more knowledge about the stories origins and if there were more documents to support them. I remember a story my dad told about a group of train robbers that stashed their gold behind my grandparents ranch, I always wanted to do more research on it!

I found myself actually chuckling at some of the good/bad luck omens. They seemed so out of the ordinary and bizarre, but then I think of some of the superstitious things I do and I correct my thoughts. The medical remedies fascinated me. Who thought to try putting the ashes of chicken droppings on eye-lids to make them less swollen. I prefer our modern medicine.

I really enjoyed reading the cowboy folktales! They reminded me of my grandpa and his stories about his life growing up and living on a ranch. Especially the first story about horses. Horses always seem to have a major role in cowboy folktales.

I really enjoyed reading the cowboy folktales! They reminded me of my grandpa and his stories about his life growing up and living on a ranch.

I will have to say part three to me has the more interesting stories in it. I personally liked The Legend of Bull Lake because it's interesting how they came up with this story and it tells why the lake roar's. I will say part one and part three are my favorite so far and I'm anxious to see what part four is going to be like.

In the second half of the Indian tales, it's clear to see the influence the recorders had on the stories told to them. The stories about Devil's Tower have a disclaimers in the beginning and sometimes even in the story itself.

Part 3 is quickly becoming my favorite. The stories about Indian traditions and particularly their religious beliefs are very interesting. You can start to see connections between the Indian religions and the white man's Christianity, whether the stories evolved that way or the writers interpreted that way is the real question though.

I enjoyed this second half of the book. I enjoyed it because all the stories talk about how people looked at Indians. For example in one of the stories a guy says he was going to kill the first Indian he seen and as a result of the killing he was skinned. I also got out of this section is that it was extremely brutal but still interesting on how things were done.

The more I read, the more amazed I am with the blunt way of life back then. I was especially fascinated by the stories about mining,tall tales, and etymologies of places. I guess the stories wouldn't be so outlandish or fantastic to the people of that time but the accounts of killings/violence, frontiersmen, and mining all seem so distant from our lives today. That's the beauty in the stories though I guess.

The first story of being a cowhend, even though was glorified by modern media, the first story was terrible by explaining the death of several people in the group. One drowning and one being stabbed by a cow. However, the cowhends found solace and brotherhood with each other.

Reading the first story really opened my eyes to some of the hardships associated with being a rancher. This first story showed me a perspective of a different time, both with different hardships than we have and also with different benefits. The way he describes it, most ranchers didn't have plans for the future, they just lived day to day.

I loved the first part of this book. Such great stories and such great insights into the past.

I am looking forward to continue reading this book. I thought it was interesting the kind of stories that Thomas Richardson decided to tell for this project. It sounds like a very intense lifestyle to live if he had all these stories in only two years!

The stories in this part of the book provide personal perspectives on the identity of the western rancher/cowboy/settler in ways that a textbook or research paper couldn't achieve. Through the language and slang the narrators use, you can see some of the stereotypes, biases, morals, and values that these people had. The parts of the stories they stress also show what they valued and how life was back then.

I enjoy how the first story was told, how they more less did a circle in Wyoming to end up in Elk Mountain. I also liked how it is set up, none of the stories are to long or to short. You get into the stories but they don't drag on to long. I'm enjoying this book so far!

The introduction of this book gives a great context and background of the folktales. The quick history sets up a time period for each story that'll be found in the book. I loved how a questionnaire was included to show how all the folklore was obtained and the personal opinions of people who worked on the project. Both really allow you to better understand how these stories came about and then into this book.

Its like reading a book of cowboy short stories!

Its been awhile since I studied the WPA's FWP interviews ...

U of W is old! A lot older than I thought!

Folklore is not history hmmm...

Folklore is not history hmmm...