Archives for 2019

George Currie

The Prince Edward Island connection to Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch

The Wild Bunch Connection

When you think of the Island; you think of a pleasant place with beautiful beaches, lobster, horse racing, the potatoe industry, golfing and perhaps the sweet Anne of Green Gables. Butch Cassidy and The Wild Bunch, would not even come to mind. I guess it probably should cause George Currie was a prominent member of The Wild Bunch! He was born and raised right in West Point.

Currie Family Homestead

West Point is a small settlement located on the south western part of the province. Today it is better known for the Cedar Dunes Provincial Park; now established there. In the 1870’s; it was probably home to fishermen and farmers settling the land.
George Curry was the 2nd of six children; born in 1871, to John and Nancy Anne Curry. Around this time though; many young Maritimers were packing up and heading south to the Boston States to find work. John and Nancy Ann were no different. They ended up settling in Chadron, Nebraska. This was cowboy and farming country!

Butch Cassidy & The Wild Bunch

George spent his formative years here. Somehow he ended up working at a Utah ranch makin’ a livin’ cow punchin’(branding cows). This was where he got into his first scrape with the law. George got off easy on that charge and then drifted off to Wyoming. Somewhere along the way; George got kicked in the face by a horse. This was to severely alter his nose. You guessed it, he was rechristened as “Flat Nose”. By this time; Flat Nose was probably in his early twenties and rabble rousing was in his blood. He became bosom buddies with another rouser known as Harvey Logan.(aka Kid Curry) Well; together the rustlin’ and robbin’ grew. One day they were staying at a ranch near the Hole-in-the-Wall, Wyoming. This was a popular gathering spot for criminals that were hiding out from the law. Its here that they hooked up with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Life now turned into rustlin’ and robbin’ trains, shoot outs and killings. The money was good and they extended their spree all over Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas. They came famous and feared! The Law was soon onto them! The heat got so bad; that in the late 1890’s, the boys had to split up. George drifted back to Utah and picked up a job as a Cow Puncher again.

Flat Nose Currie

To make ends meet and because russlin’ came easy to him; George picked up on his old habits. On April 17th, 1900; (in Grand County, Utah) it all caught up to him. He was evading the law once again and running from a posse. Well; George “Flat Nose” Curry; from West Point PEI, took a bullet that day and drew his last breath.

The Wild Bunch

You probably wonder what happened to the rest of them. Well Kid Curry was gunned down by a posse in Colorado in 1904. His grave is just a short distance from Doc Holliday’s; in Glenview Springs Colorado. If you saw the movie, you know that Butch and Sundance were killed by the federales in Bolivia in 1908.

All in all, it was a hell of a way to make a living for these boys. I wonder if George ever gave any thought to the quiet life he could have had! Fishin’ lobster off the south coast of Prince Edward Island? And maybe…just maybe…the Islanders were relieved!

The Bluenose

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Picture the year 1921; in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. A quaint little town on this coast where fishing is the dominant industry. Here a fishing schooner is being built to fish the waters of the North Atlantic but it’s also being built to race. It will become a famous racing schooner and known as The Bluenose.

The design of this boat gives it a rather unique look and because of this it’s easily recognized. She is designed for the long, deep sea fishing expeditions on the Grand Banks. So in that design; the inside ballast is placed over the keel and the bow is raised. This feature provides more adequate space for crew members to eat and sleep comfortably while enduring the long hours at sea. Its a big build fin this little community. Anticipation is high. Its comparable to a racehorse in foal; with so much fuss, before it is even launched.

International Fisherman’s Cup

The International Fisherman’s Cup is a very prestigious race between American and Canadian fishing schooners. It’s held on a yearly basis and alternates between Nova Scotia and Massachusetts. Enter The Bluenose. Remember this is the 1920’s. The fishing industry is booming. The crew is well aware they have a fast boat and racing is on their minds.

Schooner Races

By 1921; The Blunose is a contender in the Fisherman’s Cup held off the coast of Nova Scotia. You guessed it! The Bluenose won hands down! The same happened in 1922 in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The schooner is fastly becoming an International celebrity. She is dubbed “The Queen of the North Atlantic!” In 1923 the race is held in Halifax, NS; with new rules implemented. The race is the best of three and The Blunose takes the first race quite easily. In the second she is disqualified for breaking a rule. Captain Angus Walters has a lot invested in the ship as both her captain and part owner. He appeals the decision. The judges rule against him. A very frustrated Angus hauls the boat out of the competition. In the end; the race is declared a draw and the prize money is shared. After this controversial race; The Fisherman’s Cup takes a 7 year hiatus from racing. Both sides involved are simmering mad about the whole situation and the outcome. A draw is unacceptable!!

In 1930; the Americans (in Gloucester, Mass) build a new ship called “Gertrude L. Thebaud.” Well it turns out that “Little Girtie” is pretty fast. So the owners invite the crew of the Bluenose down for a race. Angus takes the bait.(money is at hand) The Bluenose and her crew head out to give the upstart Americans a lesson in sailing. Well this time; The Bluenose gets beat by Little Girtie. An upset Angus returns home to make some minor adjustments to his schooner. He calls for a rematch to be held in Halifax; in 1931. Well this time she wins and bids adieu to Little Gertie and her crew for awhile.

Bluenose Final Race

Meanwhile; in 1937, the deep sea fishing industry is changing. Gone are the days of having a sailing ship. It is now more favourable to operate the much faster and motorised boats. So to accommodate for this; the masts are removed from The Bluenose and replaced by diesel engines. But it is not the end of the racing days yet. Gerties’ owners are looking to race the Bluenoce once again. Angus is very eager to keep racing! Even under financial strains; he manages to reinstall the masts and removes the diesel engine. In 1938, she sets out for Gloucester to race and win in her final deep sea schooner race.

Back home; the fishing industry is growing. The Bluenose design cannot compete for fish against the newer and faster boats. She gets tied up in the Lunenburg harbour and only goes out to sea periodicaly.

Whatever became of the beloved Bluenose! Well; in 1942; it gets sold to the West Indies Consortium and is converted to a cargo ship for the Carribean coastal trade. In 1946 and laden with bananas, she runs into a reef off the coast of Haiti. The crew is safe but the beloved Bluenose is abandoned, breaks up and slips into the sea; piece by piece. Its a very humbling end to the great ship known as “The Queen of the North Atlantic!”

Granny’s Kitchen Remedies & Household Hints

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Granny spent a great deal of her time in the kitchen. Preparin a meal; back in the day, was a huge undertaking. All foods were home grown, prepared from scratch and cooked in a big ol’ wood stove. That was a whole pile of work. Not only was Granny cooking; she was preparing remedies to keep her family healthy. She had all kinds of household hints to share about the activities of daily living. It was all a labour of love and survival!

Holistic Living

Now; way back when, life was not easy. People worked hard to provide a good life for their loved ones. Their survival and well being depended on shared knowledge of household hints and remedies. Household hints just made life easier. Access to medicine and health care was limited. There were diseases affecting their loved ones. People looked for ways to cure, provide comfort and relief. Therefore; most cures for what ailed ya, came from nature. These were prepared in kitchens just like Granny’s.

Household Hints

Granny ; like everyone else congured up all kinds of medicinal cures like tonics, tinctures, infusions, salves, soaps, laundry soap and whatever else was required. These methods and recipes all got passed along amongst families and friends; by word of mouth or demonstration. With limited resources; they turned to nature. They were pioneers of Holistic Living and Hoistic Medicine. Although; they didnt know it!

Natural Remedies

There was a whole lot of knowledge, teaching and learning that went along with this. One had to know how to identify the plants, know where to find them, learn about the medicinal qualities of each part, learn how to plant these plants, know how and when to harvest them, learn how to dry them, how to store them and how to use them in combinations for effective usage. Its knowledge that got lost to a lot of us over the years. But; thankfully there are people who did carry it along. In todays world; we have unlimited access to new technologies in health care, treatments and medications. Today; we still practice Holistic Medicine with some of these natural remedies that Granny used. So a big shout out to people like Granny!

Wildflowers

I dabble. The more holistic approach works for me. I love the household hints and old ways of doing things. An expert I am not! There are so many plants and their usages. Its a whole education in itself. I advise you to read up and seek assistance from the experts on anything deemed risky. So do be careful. I hope you will share your best practices so we can all benefit together. Household hints are just fun and easy ways to manage life. Even if we just share a information on the plants we grow in our area and what they were used for. We marvel at the beauty of a field of wildflowers; we see along our path. And they all have a secret purpose that we all may not know!

Folklore from East Coast Shores

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Def: Folklore – are traditional beliefs, customs and stories. They are passed along; by word of mouth, amongst family members and their communities.

Folklore

These stories are community based Folklore with traditions common to a culture, subculture or group. They can be oral traditions with tales, proverbs and jokes. Customary folklore are the rituals of celebration like Christmas, weddings, birthdays and dances. These are all passed along informally to individuals by verbal instruction or demonstrations. Old folklore changes with more modern times and new folklore gets created.

East Coast Folklore

So the East Coast has a diverse culture with many old traditional customs and beliefs that we all carry along with us. It will be fun to explore the Folklore from East Coast Shores. Do you have a story, a joke, a custom, a belief, a proverb from days of old? Do you have new traditions of your own that you created within your own family? Share the tales and legends from your community that got passed along; for, eons on strange goings on in yer community. Well lets just explore all that!

Mama’s Cornbread

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Cornbread is a favoutite of ours. Thought I would share Mama’s Cornbread recipe with y’all. Heard this slang the other day about cornbread. “His cornbread ain’t done in the middle!” Happy baking!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup margarine
1/2cup white sugar
3 eggs (I use 2)
1/2 cup chopped green/red peppers
1 can cream style corn(14 oz)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
good pinch pepper
pinch salt
good pinch cayenne pepper
2 tbsp jalepino peppers(optional)

Prep:

Combine flour, cormeal, baking powder, spices and set aside
cream margarine & sugar. Beat in eggs til light & fluffy. Add peppers,corn,cheese
Add flour mixture & blend well
Pour batter into 13×9 baking dish
Bake @325 oven for 45 minutes.(I bake 1 hour so its cooked in the middle)

Yum! Serve warm with butter! I also heat it up and pour maple syrup over top! Even yummier! Enjoy!

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