(Be)Merkenswertes über das AZ in crAZy. An Arizona Reader by W. H. Reblinsky.
In his new book KupferSonne, author Wolfgang Horst Reblinsky puts the US state of Arizona in a special light.
On 222 pages and in 25 chapters, Reblinsky writes about the Copper State and highlights a broad spectrum: starting with facts and data about the state, historical events and the administration, he also portrays the American Natives and the Ku Klux Klan, for example.
In his usual relaxed writing style and with lots of personal additions, Reblinsky presents background and peripheral information on the State of Arizona that is unlikely to be found in any other reader.
Reblinsky introduces KupferSonne with the following words:
Copper Sun is an Arizona reader. Take a stroll through the history of the youngest mainland state in the USA, starting with white settlement up to the present day. Learn the background and read marginal information that has fallen off the table of history or been sorted into the wrong drawer. Informative, polarizing, never boring, written with expertise, empathy and from a very personal point of view.
— Wolfgang Horst Reblinsky, Author
For all those who want to get to know Arizona as more than just the "Grand Canyon State", the book offers an exciting and varied journey through the 48th state of the USA.
The book (German language) can be purchased from Tredition Verlag under ISBN: 978-3-384-02131-1, from the Tredition shop, from Weltbild or from any bookseller you trust!
About the author: Wolfgang Horst Reblinsky
Wolfgang Horst Reblinsky a.k.a. Mr. Wolf H. Reblin, Esq., Arizona Justice of the Peace: He has been involved for many years with the history of American settlement as well as with the period between 1920 and 1980.
He has also published articles in American Studies Magazine and Gasoline Magazine. Here at the Beaver Creek Pioneer, he actively writes on exciting topics related to the Old West.
His historical representation is as a justice of the peace in the Arizona Territory around 1870 as Wolf H. Reblin.
For several years he was the German representative of a Utah-based aircraft brokerage and general aviation consulting company.
He has always been interested in American studies, starting with the white colonization up to the present day. Born in Fürth/Bavaria, he is an avowed Franconian. After living in Schönsee, Kulmbach, Fürth, Leipzig, Munich and Regensburg, he currently lives with his wife Beate in Obertraubling and Bad Reichenhall.
It is always important to me to look behind the scenes and beneath the surface. I want to take events out of the drawers into which they have been sorted, rearrange them and then tell them.
200 Years of Texas Rangers: 1823-2023 The anniversary of a legendary unit
Like all areas on the far side of the frontier, the respective settlement boundaries in the west and south of America, Texas was a place of longing for many in the 19th century.
For Americans, as well as for immigrants.
An area free from state bureaucracy and paternalism by autocratic monarchs.
A country where you had the chance to create your own habitat and take your fate into your own hands.
Dietmar Kuegler writes in his book The Texas Rangers:
The personification of this partly true, partly romanticized idea, which made Texas a main attraction for European immigrants for decades, was the Texas Ranger. The lone rider who resisted all dangers and was only committed to the freedom of his fellow citizens. Not a beadle of a tyrannical power, but a free man in a free land who, out of a common sense of duty, unerringly enforced the law, which was a free law that knew no classes. [...] We still dream of such noble shining lights of state executive power today.
— Dietmar Kügler, Verlag für Amerikanistik
The latter is probably true.
Are all other ideas about Texas and the Rangers myths?
The statement by Preston Smith, Texas governor from 1969 to 1973, that the Rangers were "a special breed of men" is certainly accurate.
The beginnings from 1823
Stephen Fuller Austin
The unit, famous in both positive and negative ways, has its roots in a troop of 10 men recruited in 1823.
Their job was to protect around 700 American settlers in the former Mexican province of Tejas.
The initiator was Stephen Fuller Austin, who is regarded as the founder of this American settlement.
He recruited the settlers (who were viewed with suspicion by the Mexicans) and allocated them land from a contingent that the Spanish government had already made available.
After independence from Spain, the Mexican government entered into the settlers' treaty. Austin obtained the Mexicans' permission for his protectors in advance. According to legend, he paid them out of his own pocket. What is known for certain is that they earned $15 a month.
The men provided their own weapons - a muzzle-loading rifle, a single-shot pistol and a knife were common at the beginning - their horse and all other equipment. They did not wear uniforms, not even a badge at first. It was enough to simply say:
“I’m a Texas Ranger”.
From a legal perspective, it was a citizen patrol. The formal constitution as a state organization dates back to 1835, with Major Robert McAlpin Williamson as the first commander. Detached from these formalities, the Texas Rangers see their founding date in 1823.
In addition to bandits of all ethnicities, their opponents were mainly Indians, especially the Comanche and Lipan Apache. They were not only vastly superior in numbers, but also in shooting power. A ranger had to dismount from his horse and while he was firing a shot with his muzzle-loading rifle, an enemy Indian had shot ten arrows from horseback - therefore highly agile.
Texas becomes a republic - 1836
In 1835, the number of members had risen to 25 men, who were organized into a company. The task continued to be the protection of the Americans against attacks by Indians and bandits.
After the Texas War of Independence and the separation from Mexico, the independent Republic of Texas existed from 1836 to 1845. Also known as the "Lone Star State" after the design of the flag.
The Lone Star StateSam Houston - First and third president of Texas
Sam Houston (1793-1863), victor in the decisive battle against Mexico at San Jacinto, was first president from 1836-1838, then again from 1841-1845, the year in which the Republic of Texas ended with its integration into the USA.
Until this time, the rangers were not permanently employed, but were called up for duty on a case-by-case basis.
At the end of 1836, Parliament decided to permanently employ the Rangers and establish fortified bases on the border with Mexico. The number of personnel grew rapidly. In December 1836 there were 280 men, in June 1837 already 600.
Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar - Second President of Texas
At the turn of the year 1838/39, Sam Houston's successor took office as the second president of the Republic of Texas. Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar (1798-1859, President from 1838-1841) was described as a tough fighter, defender of the white settlers and enemy of all Indians.
His program was: "The white man and the red man are not made to live together in peace. Nature forbids it".
Consequently, he began to reinforce the Rangers to 56 men. The men were contracted for three years and were to fight against the Cherokee and Comanche, who were allied with the Mexicans at the time.
The era of Jack Hays from 1840
John Coffee “Jack” Hays – ca. 1857
In 1841, Sam Houston appointed a man as captain of the Texas Rangers who had come from Tennessee as a land surveyor.
In Texas he was in the army for a short time, then he rode as a scout for the militia.
John Coffee "Jack" Hays (1817-1883) was not only a victorious leader on missions.
Above all, he was the first to introduce structures into the ranger force.
And he introduced a weapon that had been little known in Texas until then: The Colt Paterson revolver.
These revolvers had a five-shot cylinder and each Ranger was issued two. Although the weapons were hardly lethal (the largest caliber available was .34), the firepower was enormous for the time. The weapon also had a significant moral effect on the Indians. Samuel Colt was so impressed by the order that he gave the model the nickname "Texas".
A further development took place together with another Texas Ranger, Captain Samuel H. Walker. Colt named the now six-shooter gun the Whitneyville (the place of manufacture) Walker revolver after him.
Colt WalkerColt Walker
In the progression of history, the weaponry of the Texas Rangers has of course also constantly evolved.
Texas Rangers – ca. 1845
In 1846, the USA began a war against Mexico under the command of General Zachery Taylor.
The Texas Rangers were integrated into his troops.
One legend says that they were the best unit in the American army; another refers to a statement by General Taylor complaining about the lack of discipline amongst the men.
In the troubled times after the Mexican War, many settlers relied upon the protection of the Rangers rather than the US Army.
The Civil War from 1861
During the Civil War, many Rangers joined the Confederate Army of the Southern States from 1861. For example, the 8th Texas Cavalry Regiment was known as Terry's Texas Rangers. As it's commonly known, the Confederate states lost the war, Texas was placed under northern administration and the Texas Rangers were temporarily disbanded.
Terry’s Texas Rangers – ca. 1863Flag of “Terry’s Texas Rangers”
Reconstitution of the Texas Rangers in 1874
Colt Walker und Abzeichen der Texas Rangers
In 1874 Texas once again had its own government.
In the meantime, conditions had become so unsafe that the Texas Rangers were reactivated with a Frontier Battalion and a Special Force.
The battalion, with 6 companies of 75 men, was deployed throughout the country.
The Special Force worked in the border area with Mexico between the Rio Grande and the Nueces River.
In 1915, the crimes committed by ethnic Mexicans on the American-Mexican border escalated, as did the revenge actions of the American settlers.
Governor James Ferguson ordered a large force of Texas Rangers to restore order.
In order to be successful quickly, they executed over 300 "suspected Mexicans" without in-depth investigations or legal proceedings.
Texas Rangers 1915 with dead Mexican rebels
Texas Ranger Frank Hamer versus Bonnie and Clyde
The history of the Texas Rangers spans not only 200 years, but also everything from heroic deeds to those that make us wonder if they were really always noble lawmen.
Some heroic deeds glorified today were in truth shameful. And on the other hand, some still romanticize criminals who were killed by the Texas Rangers.
Frank Hamer
The best examples are the robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker.
There are songs and films about "Bonnie and Clyde" that support this popular myth.
By the time they were shot dead in their stolen car by Texas Rangers led by Francis Augustus "Frank" Hamer on May 23, 1934, they had committed 12 bank robberies and 14 murders (including 9 of police officers), leaving a long trail of blood across the Midwest.
Bonnie Parker, ca. 1932-1933Bonnie & ClydeClyde Barrow, ca. 1932-1933
The modern era of the Texas Rangers begins in 1935
The Texas Rangers have been part of the Department of Public Safety since 1935.
Within this state authority, they take on investigative tasks comparable to those of the German criminal investigation department.
The uniformed state troopers in Texas are the "Texas Highway Patrol".
Both work alongside the local police authorities of the counties and cities and alongside the federal police.
A Texas Ranger on a horseTwo Texas Rangers with car and horse trailerA Texas Ranger on a horseTexas Ranger duty horse
The Texas Rangers today
Today, around 180 rangers work in companies A-F.
Texas Rangers Abzeichen
The men and now also the women still wear white hats, boots and a gun belt around their waists.
In fact, horses are still in use alongside the emergency vehicles.
In the prairie regions of Texas, they are superior to any off-road vehicle.
Today's rangers have a college or university degree, use modern communication tools and state-of-the-art analysis methods.
James Holland – Texas Ranger Texas Department of Public Safety Officer
The headquarters of the six companies are in Houston, (A) Garland (B), Lubbock (C), Weslaco (D), El Paso (E) and Waco/San Antonio (F). The central administration is located in Austin.
Wolfgang Horst Reblinsky a.k.a. Mr. Wolf H. Reblin, Esq., Arizona Justice of the Peace
For many years, he has been working on the history of American colonization as well as the period between 1920 and 1980.
He has also published articles in the Magazin für Amerikanistik and in Gasoline-Magazine.
Here in the Beaver Creek Pioneer, he actively writes on exciting topics related to the "Old West".
He practices his historical representation as a justice of the peace in the Arizona Territory circa 1870 as Wolf H. Reblin along with his wife Eliza B. (Holl) Reblin.
Social etiquette in everyday life, Arizona territory circa 1870.
Article contains unpaid advertising
Reading time: approx. 4 minutes.
Saturday, April 03, 2022
Social manners in the United States of America during the founding period were primarily shaped by English influences.
In addition, there were the rules and habits brought by other European immigrants, especially French, German, in the northeast also Dutch, and in the southwest Spanish or Mexican.
While some religious immigrant groups tried not to mix their native customs with others, for the vast majority of Americans it was precisely the breaking away from the traditional and embracing the new that made life in the U.S. so appealing.
The photography studio Maull & Polyblank from London provides some contemporary photographs of the fashion of the time.
The following overview comes from the Arizona territory and reflects etiquette in the Wild West circa 1870.
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This and other interesting facts in the book!
In his new book Spotlights On American History(DE), author Wolfgang Horst Reblinsky highlights special events in American history that are not found in every history book in a total of 45 chapters.
The book's motto is:
"Behind American history are people and behind those people are their stories."
In a short video clip, we've summarized the Arizona Territory's etiquette rules for you. Rancher Chet McCay takes his future wife Gill out to dinner at Beaver Creek Valley's Frontier Tavern.
The rules of etiquette in the Wild West in an overview
Walking as a couple
The lady walks on the right hand or arm of the gentleman. The hands should be at least at hip level. The lady's right hand lifts the dress slightly off the ground. The gentleman's left hand rests at his side or on his back.
Exiting a vehicle
A lady does not leave a vehicle (e.g. carriage, railroad carriage) until her gentleman or an attendant has opened the door for her and can assist her in getting out. The door is not opened until the gentleman is confident that there is no danger to the lady outside the vehicle (riffraff, traffic, upturned dirt, etc.).
Entering / leaving a building or room
When entering or inside a safe building, the lady has the right of way. When entering an unsafe room, e.g. a foyer or restaurant, and always when leaving a building, the gentleman goes first, secures and then holds the door open for the lady; the lady does not push behind the gentleman but waits until he has secured the door.
On the staircase
If it is not possible for a couple to walk up or down a staircase side by side (the lady leaning on the gentleman's right arm), the following applies: The lady goes up first, the gentleman one step behind her. The gentleman goes down first, the lady one step after him. Reason: If the lady steps on the hem of the skirt and stumbles, the gentleman can catch her.
Greeting / Farewell
At that time, one would greet the gentleman first and then the lady. To greet a well-known, familiar lady, an implied kiss on the hand by the gentleman is customary. If the lady is not so familiar, it is appropriate to shake hands and nod to indicate a bow. A lady in the same situation will extend her hand and make a slight curtsy. When saying goodbye, the same applies.
At table
The seating order is that the lady always sits to the right of her companion.
If one has already taken a seat at the table and other table neighbors join in, then the gentleman stands up to greet, the lady remains seated.
If a lady wants to get up from the table, she signals this to her companion. The gentleman rises and moves her chair to the side; when she sits down, he adjusts the chair. If the lady is alone, a table neighbor takes over this activity out of courtesy and deference.
The gentlemen should always endeavor to take care of the wellbeing of the ladies. Drinks are always brought to a lady's table by a gentleman if they are not served by a waiter.
If the food is not served, the ladies can choose their food from the buffet and take it with them or the gentleman accompanies the lady, plates her choice and carries the plate to her seat.
If something falls to a lady, there should always be a gentleman who feels honored to pick up the item.
To be continued...
In the next part of the series "With Fan and Colt - Etiquette in the Wild West", we devote ourselves to festive balls and also go into the secret fan language of the ladies!
Wolf H. Reblin – Beaver Creek Pioneer
About the author
Wolfgang Horst Reblinsky
a.k.a.
Mr. Wolf H. Reblin, Esq., Arizona Justice of the Peace
He has been involved for many years with both the history of American colonization and the era between 1920 and 1980.
He practices his historical representation as a justice of the peace in the Arizona Territory circa 1870 as Wolf H. Reblin along with his wife Eliza B. (Holl) Reblin.
Reblinsky, Wolfgang: Spotlights On American History - (Be)Merkenswertes aus der amerikanischen Geschichte, 2021, 1st edition, tredition GmbH, pp. 79-81.
In his new book Spotlights On American History(DE), author Wolfgang Horst Reblinsky highlights special events in American history that are not found in every history book in a total of 45 chapters.
The motto of the book is "Behind American history are people and behind those people are their stories."
Reblinsky about Spotlights On American History:
This book is not intended to be another classic USA history book, there are plenty around! Rather, the goal is to shed light on the events of American history that are not in every book and that easily fall off the edge of historiography and threaten to sink into the dust of oblivion. The stories are also meant to be typical of the personalities who came to settle America and define it.
Some of the stories will appear, with the author's kind permission, in the Beaver Creek Pioneer of the Two Rivers Privity.
Erhältlich bei Amazon, oder direkt beim tredition® Verlag Online Shop, sowie bestellbar in jeder Buchhandlung Ihres Vertrauens mit der ISBN 978-3-347-36702-9 (Paperback)!
Entertaining stories, historically accurate and informatively presented
Reblinsky covers a wide variety of subjects in American history in his 45 chapters. In a relaxed and informative writing style, he devotes himself, for example, to the historically correct etiquette of the Old West, as well as to modern topics that characterize the 178-page paperback.
Not only history buffs will get their money's worth here, but all those who have always wanted to take a look behind the curtain of America!
From the Two Rivers Privity comes a clear reading recommendation for Spotlights On American History!
We know and appreciate his contributions to the Magazin für Amerikanistik among other publications.
The German Magazin für Amerikanistik also features exciting and interesting topics by Wolfgang H. Reblinsky.
About the author: Wolfgang H. Reblinsky
The author, Dipl.Rpfl.(FH) Wolfgang H. Reblinsky, born in Fürth/Bavaria, is a qualified lawyer and retired geomancer.
He is engaged in American history and, as The Honorable Wolf H. Reblin, Arizona Justice of the Peace, portrays the period around 1870 in the Arizona Territory.
In addition to historical articles in the German Magazin für Amerikanistik, he also publishes on vintage automotive topics related to the United States.
He lives with his wife Beate in Bad Reichenhall and Obertraubling.
Book release: Spotlights On American History highlights various events in American history in 45 informative chapters. read more
