Sunday, September 20, 1874. An African American Wyoming Sheep Rancher.

Alonzo Stepp born in Kentucky.

His story:

Breaking a Stereotype: Black Rancher Alonzo Stepp

Last edition:

Monday, September 15, 1874. Grant addresses the situation in Louisiana. Treaty No. 4.

Labels: 1870s, 1874, Alberta, Army, Canada, Cree Tribe, First Nations, Louisiana, Manitoba, Native Americans, Racism, Reconstruction, Saulteaux Tribe, U.S. Grant

August 18, 1920 The 19th Amendment Ratified

Which meant that universal suffrage now included women.  Tennessee, "the Volunteer State", brought the amendment over the bar.

It was a close vote, passing by a margin of four, and only after some last minute changes in position came about.

Which shows, I suppose, that people, and by that we can suppose that to principally be men, were still not fully convinced that women should vote.  On the same day, North Carolina declined to pass the amendment.

Given the monumental nature of the 19th Amendment, a person could be justified in believing that its passage was the only think on people's minds that day, but of course that view would be wrong.  On the same day the fate of Poland remained in the headlines, and very much in the minds of Polish Americans as well.

Joseph P. Tumulty addressing crowd of American citizens of Polish birth or extraction, who called at the White House to present resolutions to President Wilson asking him to continue the present national policy in support of Polish independence.

Polish Americans wanted the US to do something about the fate of Poland, but there was really little the country could in fact do.  Proposed military interventions had been considered by the UK and France, but Weimar Germany had blocked them. Therefore, the 1st Division, pictured below, didn't have to worry about imminent deployment.

1st Division, Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky.  August 18, 1920.

Mid Week At Work: Tobacco, cats, and dogs.

"Men rolling barrels of tobacco across platform over water onto the already crowded CORKER for Louisville, Dec. 11, 1919"

"War dogs decorated for bravery. Group of War dogs decorated by French War department for heroism work on the fighting front"

"This "Kitty" belonged to the Sultan of Turkey. Mrs. Martin K. Metcalf, wife of Commander Metcalf, U.S.N., holding "Pansy" a thoroughbred Turkish cat who formerly did her "meowing" in the palace of the Sultan of Turkey. The cat, brought to Washington from Turkey by Commander Metcalf, is eight years old. She will be one of the interesting entrants in the cat show to be held in Washington at the Wardman Park Hotel, February 1 and 2"

The early Fall of the Red Summer. October 31, 1919

On this date, the Red Summer reappeared.

In Corbin Kentucky the summer came in reaction to a stabbing of a local resident two days prior. The victim was white and the the reported assailants black.  In reaction, on this day nearly all of the town's 200 black residents of all ages were forced on to freight cars and made to leave town, depopulating the town of its black residents.  The Town had about 3,600 people (it now has about 7,304, with the population declining in recent years), making the percentage of African American residents appreciable if not large.  Probably around 6% of the population, by my rough math.

The impact has lasted until the present day and the town is nearly all white, with a tiny number of African Americans (.26% of the population) being outnumbered by a tiny number of American Indians (.31%) and Asian Americans .64%).  For the contemporary United States, the town is a real demographic anomaly.

In Butte Montana, while not directly related, police were instructed by Federal authorities to round up for deportation all Mexicans who could not prove citizenship, something not easy to do in 1919 prior to most people carrying any sort of identification.

Butte was a multicultural city due to mining, with a population drawn from all over the world.  Mining itself was headed into strike, and October 1919 was proving to be a bad time to be Hispanic in Butte or Black in Corbin, with no real protection being offered under the law.

Librarian, Kentucky 1936.

Blog Mirror: Alcoholic Beverage Recipes a Hundred Years Ago

There's been a lot of posts on alcohol here recently, and some more to come.  Here's one that relates us back to the centennial of prohibition that we just passed, with a mixed drink recipe from that era:


Alcoholic Beverage Recipes a Hundred Years Ago

Inaugural regimental services of the "Black Devils", 814th Pioneer Infantry, Chaplain Hayes Farish officiating, Sunday, Sept. 29th, 1918, Camp Zachary Taylor, Louisville, Ky.

Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky. August 26, 1918.

Base Hospital.

Field Artillery Officers Training School.

Scene at Divisional Headquarters.

Blog Mirror: Camp Taylor, Christmas 1917: A Time Of Festivity And Solemnity

Camp Taylor, Christmas 1917: A Time Of Festivity And Solemnity

Review of the 84th Division by commanding General Harry C. Hale, Camp Zachary Taylor, Louisville, Ky., November 23, 1917

Division commander, 84th Division, Maj. General Hale, with division staff and attached French officers, Camp Zachary Taylor, Ky., November 21, 1917

Camp Zachery Taylor, Louisville Kentucky. November 19, 1917.

Stripping Tobacco, 1916

LOC Title:  B.F. Howell, Route 4, Bowling Green, Ky. and part of his family stripping tobacco. The 8 and 10-year old boys in photo "tie up waste"; his 12-year old boy and 14-year old girl (not in photo but they lose a good deal of schooling for work) are regular strippers. Photo taken during school hours. Location: Bowling Green, Kentucky.  November 10, 1916.

Ah yes, the good old days. . . missing school to strip tobacco.

Kentucky State Fair, September 1916

Kentucky State Fair, copyright date of September 30, 1916.

Mid Week at Work: Driving pigs, September 15, 1916

LOC Title:  "Driving boy" taking pigs to market. Says he is 14 years old and has been working with pigs for 9 years. Goes to school in Paris, Ky. Location: Winchester [vicinity], Kentucky. Published September 15, 1916

Friday Farming: Hauling tobacco. 1916

LOC Title:  Hauling tobacco. Location: Hebbardsville [vicinity], Kentucky / Lewis W. Hine.  Published on September 13, 1916

Friday Farming: Hoeing strawberries, 1916

LOC Title:  Conrad Elrod, R 3, hoeing strawberries. Location: Warren County--Plano, Kentucky / Lewis W. Hine.  Published August 19, 1916.

Friday Farming: Working tobacco, 1916

LOC Title:  "Charlie Howard, a colored tenant on farm of B.F. Mitchell, R. 1, and his 2 boys. Robbie is 6 and Willie is 11 years old. Worming and suckering tobacco. Father says children will go to Rocky Ridge School when it opens. Location: Trigg County--Gracey, Kentucky / Lewis W. Hine".  Published August 21, 1916.

We don't usually do two of these, but then what the heck.  Some time next week a century will have gone by since this photo was taken.

Friday, April 23, 1909. Lethal politics in Kentucky.

William S. Taylor

Governor of Kentucky, Augustus E. Willson, pardoned former Governor of Kentucky, William S. Taylor for assessor to the murder, which he denied, of William Goebel, who had been declared to be the lawful winner of the 1899 gubernatorial election.

Augustus E. Willson.

Very MAGAesque.

Taylor had taken up residence in another state, where he practiced law, and he rarely returned to Kentucky.

The horrors taking place in Turkey were noted.

The Acting Secretary of State to Ambassador Reid.

Department of State,

Washington, April 23, 1909.

Referring to department’s telegram of the 18th, Mr. Wilson asks if a fleet adequate for the protection of foreign life has been sent to the disturbed regions in Turkey, and if American citizens are in jeopardy whether we can rely upon the doing of all that is feasible for their protection. Says, in view of the humanitarian concern felt by the President and because of the distressed interest of naturalized Armenians in the United States, the department would be glad to learn if possible what is being done under the Berlin act to check the massacre of Armenians in Turkey. Quotes telegram of this date from Turkey.

Gimbels signed a 105-year lease for property at New York Herald Square.  This provided for $60,000,000 in rent until 2014.

The 1909 Benavente earthquake in the Santarém District of the Central Region, Portugal. Sixty people were killed in the incident.

Child labor was photographed in Lewiston, Maine.

It shows, I guess, why quite a few World War One veterans, in reality, didn't think the war was all that bad.  Daily life was already really rough.

Last prior edition:

Sunday, April 18, 1909. St. Joan d'Arc beatified.

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