TUMBLEWEEDS: A Wild West Icon

Picture this, the wide, empty street down the middle of a 19^th century wild west town. A lonely tumbleweed rolls into the dusty street, turns, and heads off into the distance.

Could you picture any western American town without a tumbleweed or two rolling around it?

Tumble Weed (Salsola Tragus) a.k.a. “Russian thistle” or “wind witch”.

As the name implies, tumbleweeds aren’t native to North America. So just how long ago did these Russian invaders arrive to have been so strongly associated with all things American western?

Up until 1873, North America didn’t have tumbleweeds. Seriously? I would have thought they would have been here long before that to be such a Wild West icon. It is believed that they snuck into the country with some Ukrainian farmers’ flax seed. Another theory is they hitch a ride in wool. The first report of the tumbling pests in the United States was in Bon Homme County, South Dakota. Within two decades, these nuisances were in a dozen of states and by 1900 had reached the Pacific Coast.

In an 1894 report by government botanist Lyster Hoxie Dewey, he wrote this about the effected areas in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska, “…this makes one almost continuous area of about 35,000 square miles which has become more or less covered with the Russian thistle in the comparatively brief period of twenty years.” Nearly every state is now home to the Russian thistle. They are an agricultural nuisance and fire hazard.

There is something mystical about this ball of dried up plant that comes from somewhere yonder and heads to places unknown. So much so, that tumbleweeds have become sort of a legend in themselves. They have been immortalized in movies, TV, books, poems, and songs. Here’s one song by Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers.

They survive and thrive at almost any elevation from below sea level to over 8500 feet and in most inhospitable environments. They are drought resistant and spread like wild fire. They grow from a few inches to three feet, even some the size a VW Bug. Each winter when they dry out, the whole plant above ground dries out, breaks off, and goes wherever the wind takes it. Literally. Each tumbling ball has around 250,000 seeds. No wonder they are so invasive and took over so quickly.

But things are not all bad concerning this invasive plant. Navaho found some medicinal uses for the plant for treating influenza and small pox. Frontiers-people burned them to make soap. Recipes using tumbleweed were created in areas where little else was available. Several animals, including mule deer, pronghorn, prairie dogs and birds, feed on the succulent, tender young shoots of the plant. During the severe drought of the 1930s, some farmers saved their livestock from starvation by feeding their livestock tumbleweeds when other food wasn’t available.

Tumbleweed have been both a blessing and a curse.

Even tumbleweeds as playthings!

Did you know you can buy tumbleweeds from many places online? It goes to prove that some people will buy just about anything.

I may just have to git me one. =0)

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MARY DAVIS s a bestselling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her 2018 titles include; "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection (January), Courting Her Amish Heart (March), The Widow’s Plight (July), Courting Her Secret Heart (September), “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection (December), and Courting Her Prodigal Heart (January 2019). She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups. Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-four years and two cats. She has three adult children and two incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:

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Of Wind, Tumbleweeds, and Cowboys

By Tiffany Amber Stockton

Last month, I shared about the love of pets and showcased famous dogs in TV or movies. If you missed that post, you can read it here: http://www.hhhistory.com/2018/02/for-love-of-pets.html.

Little did I know when I wrote that post, that just one week later, we'd have to make the difficult decision to say goodbye to our precious Roxie. We learned on Valentine's Day that she had developed a rather aggressive cancer in her bladder, and it combined with transitional cell carcinoma that resulted in spreading. It had come down to quality of life, and while we miss her greatly, we know we made the right decision and did the best by her.

It's getting easier with each passing day, and it won't be long before we find another sweet dog in need of our love. Now, Roxie has joined my other companions at Rainbow's Bridge, waiting until I can be reunited with them again.

I've been translating this experience into my current novel that deals with losing a loved one and life after that loss. It's been quite cathartic and healing for me. The next novel will bring me back to the west, and that leads us into today's post. Thanks so much for traveling this journey with me!

* * * * *

Of Wind, Tumbleweeds, and Cowboys

If you have ever watched an old western movie or even a TV show set in the Old West, you are quite familiar with a nuisance known as the tumbleweed. Even I remarked about seeing them when I first moved to Colorado, saying, "I am officially in the West." *grins*

For the most part, tumbleweeds are shown in deserted or ghost towns, empty and dusty streets, or out on the prairie where no buildings impede their path. But, in reality, tumbleweeds are found everywhere people are, if the conditions are right.

A "tumbleweed" is a phrase used to describe various varieties of bushes that break off when very dry, and roll with the wind.

These thick matted bushes sometimes stick to each other to resemble a giant Tumbleweed, and single Tumbleweeds six or eight feet in diameter are not uncommon in the Southwest at times. They have been seen in many Western movies, but far from being "quaint," they can be both a nuisance and a fire hazard.  Sage brush creates one of the more common kinds of tumbleweed.

Where I live in Colorado, when the wind blows across town, tumbleweeds inevitably follow. And it's amazing how those buggers can get stuck under your car, then dragged for miles. People avoid them like they do an animal or debris in the road.

One of the most ironic facts is knowing the actual tumbleweed is a plant brought over from Russia.

Scientific descriptions with good photos!

History and Description: http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tumbleweed.htm
Nice site and has bibliographical links.

Russian Thistle: Desert USA—the Ultimate Desert Resource has a very good history article, and the photo of blossoms to the right is theirs. It's beautiful. It's also larger than life. The blossoms are teensy, and when seen through a microscope, are nearly transparent at one point.

Another iconic symbol of the American West is the cowboy.

I confess. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved watching westerns. And the sight of a man in jeans, boots and a Stetson have always made my heart skip a beat. If that man happens to also be astride a fine horse, all the better! *grins*

Right now, I'm working on a couple of books with a western setting. In fact, the very first complete book I wrote was set in a small western town and featured a hero who was a successful cattle baron. And now, I'm returning to writing what I love...stories about horses, cowboys, ladies and ranches in the west.

So, what is it about cowboys that appeals to so many of us? Why do little boys love to don the hat and boots and swing that lasso? Why do little girls get a twinkle in their eye when they see one? What about them makes ladies want to hop right on their horse and ride off into the sunset with them? What about the way they tip their hat makes you feel that all is right with the world? Why do stories of them always catch our ear or seeing them catch our eye? And what is it about the way they drawl the word, "ma'am" that can make you weak at the knees?

Perhaps it's a desire for those simpler times when a man's handshake and his word was his bond, when men treated women with a high measure of respect and courtesy, when loyalty was a highly-prized character trait, and when you had all you could ever hope for if you had a good woman, a good saddle and a good horse.

To me? It's the love of horses and the image that cowboys represent. They might be a little rough around the edges, and they might even stink if they've been riding range for days on end without the luxury of a creek or a shower. But we love them anyway! There is just something about them that has stood the test of time, and I'm sure will continue to do so for years to come.

Before I end, I'd like to share a web site another friend sent that's entitled:

True Cowboy - The Last Cowboy Stronghold

Whether you're looking to delve into the history of the cowboy or want to scope out some modern-day ones, or even if you've got a hankerin' to don the gear and become a cowboy or cowgirl yourself, this site has it all. Enjoy!

* * * * *

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Do you love cowboys? Why or why not?

* So...what trademarks or icons of the "west" come to mind when you think of a western setting?

* When you read a western story or novel, or when you watch a movie or TV show, what items are required in order for the western setting to be believable to you?

* What did you like most about today's post?

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BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those childhood skills to become an author and speaker who works in the health & wellness and personal development industry, helping others become their best from the inside out. She is also an educational consultant with Usborne Books.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children in Colorado. She has sold twenty (21) books so far and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, and LinkedIn.

Tumbleweeds

by Linda Farmer Harris

In my March 27, 2014, HH&H Blog "Wind Up the Automatons" I mentioned the 200-year-old clockwork boy—"Draughtsman-Writer" by Henri Maillardet.  

An Update: I found a 240-year-old Writer Automaton created by Pierre Jaquet-Droz, a 50 year old Swiss watchmaker. The boy doll can write any custom text up to 40 letters long. He inks his goose feather pen from time to time and shakes his wrist to preventing ink from spilling. He follows the writing with his eyes and moves his head when he dips his pen. He is on display at the  Musée d'Art et d'Histoire of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Watch the amazing video by BBC and lesterfontayne.

Courtesy of Chonday.com 

He's programmable by removing and reordering the cams that control his writing. He's called the forerunner of the modern computer. It's a shame he doesn't take dictation. Wouldn't you just love to delegate some of your writing to a cute little secretary like him?

So, what does that have to do with tumbleweeds? Nothing. I thought you might enjoy a past Blog update.

You've seen tumbleweeds in the movie shoot-out scenes rolling across the dirt street between the gunslingers and probably read passages describing them in western novels. You may have sung the 1940's Sons of the Pioneers, "Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds." They're even cast in bronze.

Tumbleweed, cast bronze, artist—Bale Creek Allen

 Seeing one rolling across the highway is interesting. Seeing a few against a ranch fence is noteworthy.

Tumbleweeds in Arizona—Photo by McDonald

 Coming home to your home covered puts a different slant on their novelty.

courtesy of The Pueblo West View newspaper

Tumbleweeds are not always small or at least knee high, some are Volkswagen size. 

Tumbleweeds along the Santa Ana River—photo by Douglas McCulloh

 I grew up in Lovington, New Mexico. High winds, sand storms, and tumbleweeds were the norm. Some creative souls turn them into decorations such as pumpkins with pinecones, and hanging lamps. Cities get in on the act, too. Albuquerque, NM, builds a giant tumbleweed snowman on Interstate 40. Not to be outdone, Chandler, AZ, erects a tumbleweed Christmas tree.

courtesy of Marilynn Andreasen's save on pinterest.com

Tumbleweed Lamp—courtesy of remodelista.com

A farm in Garden City, KS, grows the variety Salsola as a crop, advertising them as "quality tested" tumbleweeds, and shipping them as a decorative item. I wonder if they sell them to movie makers, storefront window designers, and/or Western-themed weddings. A man in Utah will send you a pack of tumbleweed seeds for $14.99.
 
According to history, the Prickly Russian Thistle seeds accidentally hitchhiked from Russia to South Dakota in an 1870's flaxseed shipment. One report cited 1877 as the year the seeds arrived in Bon Homme County, South Dakota. By 1900, it had reached the Pacific Coast. Once a tumbleweed, one of about eleven plant groups, matures and dries, it detaches from its root/stem and blows away in the wind. As it tumbles, it deposits seeds or spores that germinate in wet soil.

Whether you call it a Tumbleweed, Russian Thistle, or Wind Witch-another common name in the West, this skeleton of a shrub can disperse typically 250,000 seeds per plant. The seeds don't have protective coatings or stored food reserves. Each seed is a coiled, embryonic plant surrounded by a thin membrane and doesn't germinate until temperatures reach between 28 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tumbleweeds live up to their name and as weeds are destructive to native ecosystems. However, some good has come from them. Canadian farmers used tumbleweeds as hay and silage for livestock during a severe drought in the 1930's.

Do you have tumbleweeds where you live?
Blessings,

Linda "Lin" Farmer Harris

Lin and her husband, Jerry, live on a ranch in Chimney Rock, Colorado. She writes historical fiction for adults and children. Her novella The Lye Water Bride is included in the California Gold Rush Romance Collection (Barbour Publishing, August 1, 2016.


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