Full title; "Somewhere in the West~Texas Women Who Left a Legacy~Poems and Legends" by Linda Kirkpatrick.
Cowboy poetry and stories about the women of the west. This book is the research on these women. Also inludes other stories, ghost stories and a recipe or two.
Linda Kirkpatrick's funny-sad poems and stories reflect West Texas life past and present, reminding us that we are products of all our forebears, that our history lives with us day by day, helping us shape who we are and the lives we live.
Elmer Kelton
Award Winning Western Author
Whether it be a hand at the pen (writing implement) or in the pen (working stock), Linda's experience has allowed her to capture the li and heritage of the West. This collection of her poems and stories will, most certainly, rank highly in the minds of our future generations when they explore the lifestyle of the cowboy, our American heritage and roots.
Jim Fish
Cowboy Poet
Linda's book is a great volume for everyone who appreciates western heritage and cowboy culture.
Alvin DavisChairman, National Cowboy Symposium & Celebration Linda Kirkpatrick's new book, "Somewhere in the West," is filled with the
stories of the women who helped settle the West. Some of the women are
famous, some are unsung heroines, and some are Kirkpatrick's own ancestors.
Subtitled "Texas Women Who Left a Legacy, " much of the book grew out of
Kirkpatrick's research for the historical poems she writes about pioneer
Texas women. One of the most compelling stories is of Cynthia Ann Parker,
captured by Comanches at age 9, who "soon assimilated into the tribe where
she accepted her new home and way of life." Ransoms for her return were
rebuffed by the tribe, and she eventually became the wife of a Comanche
Chief and bore three children. The Indian wars raged, and at age 34 she was
recaptured and reclaimed by her white family, and once again had to learn
the ways of an alien culture. She is said to have "grieved herself to
death." But her tragic life left an important legacy, as her son Quanah
became the famous Comanche leader who brokered a final peace for his tribe.
Kirkpatrick tells the story with drama and excitement..
Other well researched, spellbinding stories accompany original poems.
Kirkpatrick says she "had to" tell the story of Cathay Williams, the escaped
slave who disguised herself as a man and served as a Buffalo soldier.
Kirkpatrick's passion for passing down these important histories infuses
most of the stories and poems in the book.
Another stunning tale is told of the courageous widows of the Alamo, and it
includes letters from their husbands, written in the last hours of the
siege. The stories of the surviving widows, including Mary Milsap, the
blind mother of seven, are a testament to the strength that helped build the
Lonestar state.
Wonderful family photos help tell the stories of Kirkpartrick's own
exceptional ancestors, including her great-great grandmother who fled to
Texas alone with her children as post-war carpetbaggers forced her from her
southern home. She died never knowing what became of her husband, a mystery
that Kirkpatrick researched and solved nearly 150 years later.
The very contemporary story of Kirkpatrick's eastern mother, who worked for
the Stetson Hat Company in Philadelphia and met her father when he was
stationed in Philadelphia for a time during WWII, carries along the thread
of strong women adjusting to new circumstances. The story of the city girl
who comes to a ranch in West Texas "sixty miles from the nearest town, no
electricity, no running water in the house, no indoor facilities, no
phone" -- and a playful husband who told her she needed to run a broom
handle between the bed sheets each night to dislodge the rattlesnakes that
liked the coolness of the sheets -- is told with humor and love.
It's clear that these colorful, strong, inventive people helped to make
Linda Kirkpatrick such an engaging storyteller. The book also includes
legends, ghost stories, and a few tantalizing recipes. A useful bibliography
cites Kirkpatrick's sources for her historical research.
The book was published by Cowboy Miner Productions of Phoenix and edited by
founder Janice Coggin. Cowboy Miner publishes classic and contemporary
poets (S. Omar Barker, Bruce Kiskaddon, Larry McWhorter, Sunny Hancock,
Jesse Smith, Chris Isaacs, and others) and this book carries the distinctive
production quality for which Cowboy Miner is known.
by Margo Metegrano
Managing Editor, CowboyPoetry.com
A version of this review appears in Rope Burns, Mar/Apr 2002
I really liked this book. "Somewhere in the West" inspired me to publish a
book. Ms. Kirkpatrick is a good author. I really like the wild west.
Leah......3rd grade, Texas
One of my favorite parts of "Somewhere in the West" was the poem about Mr. &
Mrs. Sansom. They had a visit from Santa and he took their best Angora goat
for a goat Bar-B-Q
Sarah.....3rd grade, Texas
I can't stop thinking about your book. It's so wonderful. My dad is buying
another book of yours for me because I love it so much. I wanted to scream
when he told me that he was buying me one.
Mary Anna ...3rd grade, Louisana
Dear Linda,
Thank you so much for "Somewhere in the West". I am really enjoying it. I
love the story of OLD MAN QUIRT THE CHRISTMAS STORY, and COW PARTS. They are some of the best I've ever read.
Lewis....7th grade, Louisana
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Somewhere in the West is not your typical Cowboy Poetry Book.
Cowboy Poetry rises to a new level in Linda Kirkpatrick's "Somewhere in the West". A combination of historically accurate pieces combined with incredibly insightful original poetry, Linda leads the reader through the truth, legend and lore that is Texas.
The reader is treated to a variety of photos and stories about incidents in Texas; as well as some of the best Cowboy Poetry written about those moments in Texas
history. The section of family history and poetry is thoughtful and put this reader in
mind of her own family.
An important addition to any Western Literature library. If you have never read
Cowboy Poetry before, this is the place to start! Debra Coppinger Hill
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Funny, sad, happy and everything in between.
I have never read a book of this kind, it was so exciting that when I started it I
could not put it down.the ghost stories were great, I have heard about the white
lady of rio frio, but after reading about it, and the way Linda writes really make's
you believe that the lady is there, that is how it is all the way through the
book. Linda make's you believe you are right there in the story's,it is a wonderful book.
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A must read for "true" Texas women (and men)
Only someone who has lived the life,for all of her life, could write such a compelling
work. Spellbinding, humor, tears, all witten in honest, straightforward words.
A "sleeper" in the world of western poetry.
