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Bois d' Arc Trees
Jan 28, 2023 01:33:11   #
Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas
 
The quote about a fence being Horse high, Bull strong, and Hog tight were the result of farmers planting Bois d Arc trees for a hedge or windbreak. These trees were first noticed band when Thomas Jefferson was president and approved two different expeditions.

One of these was led by Lewis and Clark to explore the Northwest and what lay between the then-United States and the Pacific Ocean.
The other expedition was not so well received and was met and turned back by Spanish soldiers since Texas and the land beyond was under Spanish rule.

The reason the southern expedition was thwarted was a renegade U.S. Army officer, and governor-general of Louisiana, had his own plans about settling the west and tipped off the Spanish authorities of the expedition, which intended to travel up the Red River.

As for the Bois d Arc trees, their native home was a band that was about 60 to 75 miles wide and stretched from around Waco, Texas to the North East into the east corner of what would become Oklahoma and the Western side of Arkansas.

For the Native Americans, the Bois d Arc made superior bows and were widely traded even to tribes that lived a great distance away. Their value was up to and sometimes include the price for a wife!

The Red River Expedition (sometimes also called the Freeman-Custis Expedition) took place in the newly purchased Louisiana Territory in the late spring and summer of 1806. Its goal, as laid out by President Thomas Jefferson, was to explore the Red River. If possible, to find a trade route to Santa Fe. After William Dunbar declined to lead what would have been his second expedition into the Louisiana Territory, Jefferson chose surveyor Thomas Freeman, whom he called "well qualified for the geographical part of the business."
In total, the party consisted of Freeman, botanist Dr. Peter Custis, and thirty-five other men. Along with documenting the flora and fauna of the region, and surveying the river, they also were to meet with Indian leaders in the region, in hopes of persuading them to pledge allegiance to the United States government.

Throughout their journey, the party was pursued by a large force of Spanish troops, estimated by Freeman to be "upwards of 1,000 in number. In late July, Freeman’s party was met by their pursuers, along the Red River, and a tense showdown ensued. This type of aggressive action, against supposed American territorial encroachment, was the norm during this period of tense relations; in fact a similar tactic had been attempted by the Spanish in order to halt the Lewis and Clark expedition. Luckily for all involved, the strong military tactics employed by Captain Richard Sparks, allowed the vastly outnumbered Americans to escape without incident.

Although the trip was cut short, the group was able to do some valuable work categorizing many of the local plants and animals. Perhaps most important, however, were the diplomatic talks held with the Caddo and Alabama-Coushatta tribes. These discussions laid the groundwork for increasing American control over the American Indians of the Red River region.

It seems that certain characters had tried to create a war between Spain and the United States, thus keeping both countries busy elsewhere while the conspirators would set up a third country in the heart of the continent of what would become the United States.
Texas later becomes an independent nation, defeating Mexico and its president, Santa Anna at San Jacinto. The Texas Republic was so poor it was hard up to even provide the necessary stationery for the government to do business. Both the president of the Texas Republic, Sam Houston and the president of the United States, Andrew Jackson had carried on a letter-writing campaign regarding Texas joining the union long before it happened.

While the Lewis and Clark expedition got a lot of good press because of the publishing of a very favorable journal of the success of the expedition. To the contrary, the Freeman-Curtis expedition was an embarrassment to President Jefferson, so it was pretty much forgotten. Just Sayin…RJS

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Jan 28, 2023 04:22:28   #
bknecht Loc: Northeast pa
 
Robert J Samples wrote:
The quote about a fence being Horse high, Bull strong, and Hog tight were the result of farmers planting Bois d Arc trees for a hedge or windbreak. These trees were first noticed band when Thomas Jefferson was president and approved two different expeditions.

One of these was led by Lewis and Clark to explore the Northwest and what lay between the then-United States and the Pacific Ocean.
The other expedition was not so well received and was met and turned back by Spanish soldiers since Texas and the land beyond was under Spanish rule.

The reason the southern expedition was thwarted was a renegade U.S. Army officer, and governor-general of Louisiana, had his own plans about settling the west and tipped off the Spanish authorities of the expedition, which intended to travel up the Red River.

As for the Bois d Arc trees, their native home was a band that was about 60 to 75 miles wide and stretched from around Waco, Texas to the North East into the east corner of what would become Oklahoma and the Western side of Arkansas.

For the Native Americans, the Bois d Arc made superior bows and were widely traded even to tribes that lived a great distance away. Their value was up to and sometimes include the price for a wife!

The Red River Expedition (sometimes also called the Freeman-Custis Expedition) took place in the newly purchased Louisiana Territory in the late spring and summer of 1806. Its goal, as laid out by President Thomas Jefferson, was to explore the Red River. If possible, to find a trade route to Santa Fe. After William Dunbar declined to lead what would have been his second expedition into the Louisiana Territory, Jefferson chose surveyor Thomas Freeman, whom he called "well qualified for the geographical part of the business."
In total, the party consisted of Freeman, botanist Dr. Peter Custis, and thirty-five other men. Along with documenting the flora and fauna of the region, and surveying the river, they also were to meet with Indian leaders in the region, in hopes of persuading them to pledge allegiance to the United States government.

Throughout their journey, the party was pursued by a large force of Spanish troops, estimated by Freeman to be "upwards of 1,000 in number. In late July, Freeman’s party was met by their pursuers, along the Red River, and a tense showdown ensued. This type of aggressive action, against supposed American territorial encroachment, was the norm during this period of tense relations; in fact a similar tactic had been attempted by the Spanish in order to halt the Lewis and Clark expedition. Luckily for all involved, the strong military tactics employed by Captain Richard Sparks, allowed the vastly outnumbered Americans to escape without incident.

Although the trip was cut short, the group was able to do some valuable work categorizing many of the local plants and animals. Perhaps most important, however, were the diplomatic talks held with the Caddo and Alabama-Coushatta tribes. These discussions laid the groundwork for increasing American control over the American Indians of the Red River region.

It seems that certain characters had tried to create a war between Spain and the United States, thus keeping both countries busy elsewhere while the conspirators would set up a third country in the heart of the continent of what would become the United States.
Texas later becomes an independent nation, defeating Mexico and its president, Santa Anna at San Jacinto. The Texas Republic was so poor it was hard up to even provide the necessary stationery for the government to do business. Both the president of the Texas Republic, Sam Houston and the president of the United States, Andrew Jackson had carried on a letter-writing campaign regarding Texas joining the union long before it happened.

While the Lewis and Clark expedition got a lot of good press because of the publishing of a very favorable journal of the success of the expedition. To the contrary, the Freeman-Curtis expedition was an embarrassment to President Jefferson, so it was pretty much forgotten. Just Sayin…RJS
The quote about a fence being Horse high, Bull str... (show quote)

Great narrative RJS, I’ve made several self bows out of Osage orange and used them in laminations for fiberglass backed bows, a great wood for compression and flexion. High altitude yew was also a sought after wood for bows, most of the English longbows were made from them. Had a few billets from my grandfather that made some fine longbows.

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Jan 28, 2023 15:59:44   #
Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas
 
blrecht: The town where I graduated high school was Saint Jo, Texas. It was founded by some Confederate officers after the war. At that time, the longhorn cattle drives to Kansas came through here, and one of these officers, by the name of Boggess had a store on the bank of Red River at a place known as Spanish Fort. It really wasn't Spanish, but the settlers did not realize it was actually a fort built by Taovaya Indians with some possible help from French traders.

Anyway, Boggess had his front door of the business made from Bois d Arc because it was the only place he could take cover when attacked by Comanches. He was quoted as saying that this wood would not splinter or split when hit with bullets.

When the trail drives moved further west, he closed his shop and moved back to Saint Jo, built a new house and had the Bois d Arc door from Spanish Fort installed as the front door of his new home. When he died, he had requested this door be placed over his casket! I have never learned why he requested this, somewhat a mystery. Just Sayin...RJS

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