indian freight driver and cowboy (a tape recorded...

FRANK COLEMAN

Indian freight driver and cowboy

(A tape recorded interview)

by

Richard L. Dyer

Instructor, Columbia Junior College

Summer, 1972

Chicken Ranch, Jamestown, California

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"~i·:~~~S~~,:-· .,:.; Obituaries ....\~ ~ • ~ "'~'." ..... ~.;:;:~~.;.:. .,.:~ '~~"'; _ ,I~' ._ .' -,. ::~ • '.':• J ,

· Fra:n.JL.William Coleman ~ . 31 yearS; died Wednesday . , ,~> ~;',,:: '" . ''''. ,"v--: in a local hospital." .. ~:-' _, :'4"'<

· ~. Fr a n k:'~ .WH 1i am:..' Driving the Columbia . She' was a member of · ~,83;·:Of,{~James.-stage line was also a part- the Sonora Moose lodge tOWDi~ ,was:.~ pronounced-: timejob for Mr; Coleman, .' auxiliary! ' :., .' ~:,;; { dead on arnval'at'a local'~1 who-worked both for zane Mrs::,Taylor leaves'her

'. hospital Jastt'ilight ',' after ", Orr':'former oWner:of the husban~, Roy, of Soulsby- . apparently~;..silffering~'a .. stage" and current. owner ville; two sons;, Roy

. ~eart ~ttack~ :;;i~·~;:~<~·f;.Louie:'~·tGoo~in~'-;'::·Mr,. Wayne Taylor and Robert ~ Mr_._Colema ',.,. had':"'a;:,,: .Coleman was -frequently ,~D, Taylor;'both of Kansas;

'_. history of ~ea~;'tr~uble.. i,stage ';driver :>:in "movies ':. two ~' daughters, ,Beverly according,~' to.;",:Lt::.:,{ .Ray",}:, filmed locally",· ,_ ''(;' .... .- Neal, of;" Soulsbyville and Antonini,;::~hie~~:deputy ,;..":. Mr.',Coleman. made his, Vicky Parsons of Kansas;. corooer:"~.~~{}~~5':':~;%:-g:~.~ ,.;£;. home; with his. sister-in- '~ne sister, ~uby. Mangus , A native of Coulterville, '.-,law,. Pansy, Jacobs, 'of of New ~eX1co;a brother, Mr. Coleman spent all but ',~~amestown. _ _ ' " Roberb,,~~ ManguS( .", of

" 'the first.year of ~~i!.e ,in '0~~ He is .suryived by one .Colorad.o,'-';:' and.!;~ .~ight Tuolumne.county ',: "..;;~-:>- "son ,Lows of Mariposa' a ,grandchildren '; ",.'pJ"~" ..

.... . Mr. ,Colem~m;:"~~~'':'a~rda~ghte~, Katheri~e'. - Pallbearer~ .' wni:,.-bc heavy equipment operator :-,,'Borba of Chino' one niece ,Dean Duncan, B.D. King, for SO ·~ears, f:beginning'::Velma Nelson 'of :JameS: .Toby ~';.: Adams. : D.V. with. the :..Civilian Con-, town; two nephews, Toots Gregory, Ed Reed, and servation corps during the - :.warn~ -of Oakdale and.- Don Lydick, " " ,.'. ' depression as,a, bulldozer .George Warne of Sonora'" 'Interment· will . be in,

._ instructo~.:.J:,;·~~:~~~\~~i"':··'>r'> '. ~ fourgrandchildren,and 12 .JMountajn Shado'w 'THe also worked on' the ~ great-gr'andchildren,~'- _ cemetery: c <'<

Hetch Hetchy; dam project ' •. , A seryice will be held at ,from its inception, 'for 34> 10. a:m. Monday at Ter· years... ,<:~tilF ..:" (~.: zic.h-Wilson Funeral home

':During World War I, Mr;:;:.~...:withthe Rev:, John Pruett ' , , , Coleman:1.worked·as'a .:: officiating. Interment will .

mailman' in : the Coulter-" be .. in Mountain Shadow ' ville area.:He.w.as. also a cemetery:,cowboy .' for,~mariy!.i years - . ':""':; ;~" , andc.h~lped;tdrive:cattle in~;the Sierra:Jfr(fnt the foothills;'!ol'".t;;Tuolumne county· ranche~;~~~€:li~.,-:~ ._, '--- ..-

Mr•. Coleman;worked as a paclrtrainguide,and ran

:; the-;;,Tuoluinne:;; Meadows ::.~, pack.,:: statiOn$~ffor;t' the '!;~osemite·Park:~lIld:'Curry ','Company: He'also' paCked

out of Kenn~)(;.~eadows. -~ '- • 7 , qiC': ' :;-:" ;,;..1.2-__

...........

•

FRANK COLEMAN Indian freight driver

and cowboy Summer, 1972

TAPE 1, Side 1 TOPICS INTRODUCED

Biographical information

Park trains, Tioga Road

Capt. Joseph Walker

Jim Savage

Joaquin Murrietta

Chief Tenaya

The Fremont family

The Chinese

Brothers and sisters

Indians around Coulterville

Miwok language

Side 2 TOPICS INTRODUCED

Indian leaders

Horses

Food

Animals

Tools


Religion

Buildings

Chief Lemee1s dances

Story telling

Chicken Ranch area

Middle Camp area




Tuolumne Rancheria

Indian messengers

Springfield and Columbia

Columbia Junior College

Indian inscriptions, Yosernite

Calaveras County Miwoks

Indians as conservationists

AUGUST 29, 1972

TAPE 3, Side 5 TOPICS INTHODUCED

(Long leader on tape)

Freight driver

Father's business

Ox teams

Horse teams

14 year-old driver

Preparing for the trip

Identification of horses

Working the team


Route to Yosemite

Wages

Working for Stoddard

vvorking the animals

Indian freight arl and cowboy

TAPE 3, Side 6 Wells-Fargo Express Summer, 1972

(cont'd) Railroads

Extra for movie companies

Columbia State Park

Yosemite National Park

AUGUST 31, 1972


Employment at Yosemite National Park

Indians in the Valley

Contacts with whites

Maria Lebrado

Captain Paul

Maggie Howard (TA-BU-CE)

Other Indians

Burial controversies

U. S. Army in the Valley

Locations

White and black troopers

Associations with stockmen


The Curtain f~~ily

Using stock dogs

Major Harry C. Benson

Wild fruit

Prominent acquaintances

Jim Hutchings

Galen Clark



Side 8 (cont1d)

TAPE 5, Side 9

TAPE 5, Side 10

TAPE 6, Side 11

Prominent acquaintances (cont I d)

The Leidig family

The Degnan family

'dilliam Taft

Theodore Roosevelt

The Curry family

TOPICS INTRODUCED

Routes to Yosemite

Old Tioga Pass

Big Oak Flat Road.

Coulterville Road

v{awona

The Valley

Win~er in the Valley

TOPICS INTRODUCED

Winter in the Valley (cont I d)

Working at Hetch-Hetchy

Rai]roads around Yosemite

Forest industries

Changes in Yosemite

SEPTEMBER 7, 1972

TOPICS INTRODUCED

Civilian Conservation Corp.

Camp 17, Mariposa

Road. construction proj ects

C. C. C. workers

FRANK COLEHAN Indian freight driver


TAPE 6, Side 11 Wages and other benefits

Constructing roads and trails

Off-duty diversions


Cowboy drives into high country

Looking fo r missing man

Working conditions

Fires

Weather problems

The longhorn


The lonehorn (cont'd)

Horses used by cowboys

Breciking horses

Branding

Rustling

The 45


l1ules

The Rodeo circuit

SEPTEMBER 16, 1972

At Columbia, California


Louie Gookin Ranch

Columbia State Park (stage coach ride)

FRANK OOLEMAN Indian freight driver


TAPE 8, Side 15 (cont'd)

OCTOBER 2, 1972

At Chicken Ranch

Driving the stage, Columbia State Park

6 horses

Tourists' reactions

Permission to use these tapes



-APPENDIX

TAPE 9, Side 16

Side 17

TAPE 10, Side 18

Side 19

TOPICS INTRODUCED Oc-\". 15, IC{lz...

The Big Oak Flat Road to Yosemite

Chinese Camp

Near Eagle-Shawmut Mine site

Moccasin

Priest1s

TOPICS INTRODUCF~

Big Oak flat

Groveland

Smith I s Station

Buck Meadows (Hamilton Station)

Cliff House (south fork, Tuolumne

River)

Crocker Station

Yo semite National Park

Hodgson Meadow

Crane Flat

Yosemite National Park (cont I d)

Visitor1s Center

Meadow, Valley floor

Stoneman Meadow

Yosemite Lodge

Pioneer History Center, Wawona

Inspiration Point

(Abrupt Conclusion)

indian freight driver and cowboy (a tape recorded...

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