Dateline
Dinky Creek
The West That Was
By Len Wilcox and Rod Snaith
Dally Press
Dally Press
12822 E Rialto
Sanger,
California 93657
ISBN
0-9718511-0-7
Dinky Creek: © Len Wilcox 2001
The Cowboy Way: ©
Rod Snaith 2001
All rights
reserved.
Part
1:
Dinky Creek
by
Len Wilcox
Introduction
Columns and
editorials
What's in a name,
anyway
Just call me Spot
Spring Fever
A Shelter for
Homeless old Fords
Jon Hutchison
This is WHAT
month?
The Fat Tax
Lawyer jokes: a
contradiction in terms
The Dreaded G
Word
Politically
correct wheeling
Feature articles
Cowboys
Reach for the sky, mister
Willis Ball
Bodie: The bones of history
Randsburg, the living ghost
town
Book excerpts
From Beatty to Ballarat - On the trail
of Shorty Harris
The Mojave Road
Excerpt from Mojave Time
Death Valley
Part 2:
The Cowboy Way
By Rod Snaith
Introducing
The Cowboy Way
Trucks
Sodbustin’ the Cowboy way
Makin'
Hay - The Cowboy Way
Rainman
– The Cowboy Way
Changing A Block Heater
Corral
Fencin’ – The Cowboy Way
Horse
Tradin’ – The Cowboy Way
Dedicated to
The West That Was
I began this book as a look back to the old millennium. But, on January 1, 2001 I felt no different
than the day or the year before. It was
on September 11, 2001, that we changed forever. When those twin towers fell our whole identity changed. Even more than the coming of the new century
and the new millennium, the despicable act that brought them down challenged
the very heart of America. It also
ended an era. I sorely miss that era
and want it back.
In this book I have painted my picture of the American
west I knew. I hope it is not gone forever. This book is dedicated to that West, as it
existed before that awful day, in the high hope and expectation that someday
we’ll be ready to get back to our roots.
Introduction
The seven years I
spent as a newspaper editor for a small, unincorporated town in the farmlands
of central California were, shall we say, unforgettable. To really understand it, I recommend reading
Mark Twain's story of how he edited an agricultural paper. I know just how he felt.
Small towns - and
the tight relationships that develop, the eccentricities, the odd characters -
are grist for any writer's mill. It's
not that there are more characters or more eccentrics in a small town than a
big one; in fact, just the opposite. The difference is, in a small town it's
hard to stay behind closed doors and keep your secrets to yourself. Everyone knows your business.
Editing a small
newspaper in a small town is particularly hazardous, even in the 1990’s when
the citizenry don’t wear guns in holsters on their hips, like they did in Mr.
Twain’s time. However, people were
every bit as vocal with their comments.
As our newspaper grew, I couldn't go anywhere without someone giving me
an opinion about something that I had published. I eventually realized that someday, I'd go full circle. I knew that I'd pleased almost everyone
once, but also someday would have made everyone mad at least once, and they'd
remember the mad far longer - and I'd be run out of town.
That's pretty
much what happened, and I'm very thankful.
I loved the newspaper business, had a great time doing it, and
absolutely would not do it again for anything in the world. When I was done with it, I was completely,
thoroughly done.
This collection
of short essays and articles grew out of that time. They are a slice of life – my life, from the early 1990’s, in the
rural west. While writing these columns
I learned a lot about people, and about taking a stand. I also learned about the comedy of life (but
never learned to express it as well as Mr. Twain). I also learned I loved small western towns. After leaving the newspaper business, I
continued to explore that theme; some of my favorite towns and travels are
included in this book.
If Mark
Twain was around today, I think he might agree that there’s a West out here
that doesn’t really exist. There's a
mind-set out here beyond the freeways.
It's a way of living that idealizes gardens, saddles and blue jeans,
broad-brimmed hats, wide-open spaces, dogs and pickup trucks. We like growing
our own food and the taste of a cold beer on a hot afternoon.
That’s my
west. It’s not the west that was, but
the west that should have been - and should be today. I offer you, in these short essays and articles, a picture of my
west, as it was and as it is – or rather, as I think it should be.
And, in the
second part of the book, is the Cowboy Way of doin' thangs.
Cowboys are
unique animals. I’ve known them all my
life, the way some people know street bums or rock stars. I didn’t think much of it until country music
came along and made him a hero, like truck drivers and rodeo clowns.
If there’s an
easy way and a hard way of doing something, a cowboy often chooses the hard way
– for the sheer perverse pleasure of it.
That’s part of what makes him fun to be around. Rod Snaith expresses the humor of the cowboy
life better than almost anyone I’ve read.
I had the
pleasure of meeting Rod via the Internet.
He came to the Outdoor Recreation Network with a series of hilariously
funny articles about his Canadian ranching experiences. He writes like every cowboy I know speaks,
with that uniquely western way of looking at catastrophe as just a normal way
of doing business. His wonderful articles
round out and fit well with the theme of Dinky Creek. I hope you enjoy his writing as much as I do.
Len Wilcox
February 3, 2002
Sanger,
California
On the trail to Bodie, California
– an important town in western Americana