Volume 14 , Issue 52

Duchess of Weaselskin

My human friend, RL Wagner, took this photo on the left this last week at Vallecito Lake, which shows the north end of the dry lake-bed covered in snow, and looking to the northwest mountains of the San Juan National Forests.

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100 Years Ago Today - 23 December 1912

One hundred years ago today, 23 December 1912, we find that a "Sensational Mining Drama Opens in the Mojave desert." This headline appeared on the front page of The Call, out of San Francisco, California, Monday, December 23, 1912.

The view of disputed potash, soda and borax claims in Searles Lake District, Mojave desert, and several capitalists who were interested in outcome of the bitter fight for possession was the cause of this dispute.

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NW Okie's Corner

Duchess let you know that this week's OkieLegacy Ezine is being published on Sunday instead of our Monday evening edition. That is because of Christmas Eve falling on Monday of 2012.

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The Children's Friend

Have you ever run across Washington Irving's version of "The Children's Friend" written about 1821? But before we get to Irving's christmas poem, The Childrens Friend, here is an interesting side story concerning Diedrich Knickerbocker and the History of New York.

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History of Rockbridge County, Virginia - Establishing Rockbridge

In this week's of The OkieLegacy we continue with Oren F. Morton's book on The History of Rockbridge County, Virginia, with the establishing of Rockbridge county and the Cornstalk affair, Annals of 1778-1783).

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The Knickerbocker History

We have been looking back three years ago thru our archives of the OkieLegacy Ezine (Vol. 11, Iss. 51, dated 2009-12-21) for information relating to Sinter Klaaz and Christmas, and concerning The Knickerbocker History. It was interesting to this little old NW Okie, because of my Dutch ancestors on my mother's side of the family (VanKouwenhoven). They were part of the Dutch that settled Flatbush, Nieuw Amsterdam (New York).

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Who Was St. Nicholas, Sinterklaas (a.k.a Santa Claus)

With just four days before christmas, have you ever wondered ... WHY? What is the real meaning of Christmas? Who was St. Nicholas? How does that relate to our Santa Claus of today? How did the Santa Claus tradition begin?

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Speak of Reason & Passion

Do you have a passion for anything that oftentimes battles with your reason and judgment? Don't we all have some sort of passion? I found this poem by Kahlil Gibran in the book, The Prophet, that speaks of "Reason and Passion." Whether you agree with me is not important at this venture. It is just another point of view.

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A Visit From St. Nicholas

As legend has it Clement Clarke Moore, composed "A Visit from St. Nicholas" for his family on Christmas Eve of 1822, during a sleigh-ride home from Greenwich Village. He supposedly drew inspiration for the elfin, potbellied St. Nick in his poem front he roly-poly dutchman who drove his sleigh that day. But from what we know of Clement Moore, it is much more likely that he found his imagery in literary sources, most notably Washington Irving's Knickerbocker History (1809) and a Christmas poem published in 1821 called "The Children's Friend."

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Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus

I still love this 1897 news clippings that appeared in the New York Sun, with a reply from the editor to Virginia's letter to the editor, as it appeared in the September 21, 1897 edition of the New York Sun. The editorial, which included the famous reply "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus", has become an indelible part of popular Christmas lore in the United States.

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