Posted on 01/02/2023 9:10:38 AM PST by nuconvert
I turned on the tv to watch the Rose Parade this morning just in time to hear an Ariz. marching band playing Ghost Riders. It was a favorite of someone now passed, so I decided to do some research on it and this is what I found. _________________________________________________
Texas is full of lore, legends, and ghost stories. The tale of the Ghost Riders is by far the saddest, most evil, not to mention, the most famous one in the country. This legend is sadly true, a senseless ghoulish tragedy which took place in Crosby County, Texas. You may know it as Stampede Mesa. The legend inspired the classic song “Ghost Riders in the Sky.”
It all began like any other cattle drive should have back in the fall of 1889. The weather had been less than cooperative; the cowboys were worn to a frazzle and the herd had been restless the entire trip. Late one night as they began climbing the slope to the top of the range near some water, a storm began brewing. They’d planned to set up camp just over the ridge near the water. Sawyer, the trail boss rode ahead to check out the surroundings and look out for Indians. He was shocked to see a brand new homestead perched right on top of the hill. He’d taken this route hundreds of times without incident, but now this was blocking his entire herd from crossing. It wouldtake hours to go around it.
Sawyer became infuriated. Without explanation, he shouted and cursed and, waved a blanket high into the air to create a stampede. The nervous cattle scattered. Horses, some with riders, some without began running with all their might. His men obediently followed behind. Sawyer was screaming, whipping at the animals, as lightning bolts began flashing through the sky. The panicked livestock hurled straight through the farmhouse crushing everyone and everything in its path. No one could hear the screams of the innocent as the animals raged through. Loud thunder and dark skies madethe terrified herd keep running until they ran off of several nearby cliffs to their death. Horses holding the cowhands followed behind.
Near dawn, Sawyer began surveying the devastating damage he’d caused. Below the mesa were nearly 700 dead steer. Lifeless cowpokes and their horses scattered around them. With no remorse in his soul, he ordered what was left of his hired help to round up the remaining three hundred cattle and hit the trail again.
When the drive ended, it’s said he never worked again. No one would work for him and try as he might, not a soul would hire him, even for menial tasks. Folks in that area turned their backs on him and he took comfort in liquor.He was never seen again
The following season, another trail boss and his men bedded down their herd on top of that same mesa which had been cleared of any previous devastation or debris. The skies were perfectly clear. In the early hours of the morning, for no apparent reason, the herd charged. Again, most of them and four other cowboys riding horses fell off the cliffs to their deaths. Unlike Sawyer, this trail boss was overcome with guilt and grief. He, too, turned to the bottle and was never heard from again.
Several more attempts by other outfits which baulked at the previous stories ended with the same results. Word spread, everyone believed evil was perched on top of Stampede Mesa.
All cattle drives from then on avoided that part of Texas. Only lone horsemen and curiosity seekers pass through now. Stories of ghostly counterparts up in the sky have been witnessed along with claims of blood-curdling screams and sounds of angry hooves of phantom longhorns. People still swear today to the haunting in that part of the Texas sky.
This particular legend inspired songwriter Stan Jones to write a western melody in 1948 about this tableland in Crosby County, Texas. “Ghost Riders in the Sky” was set to an old Irish song called “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye”. This Texas legend has spread throughout the world through music. Even if you’ve never heard the spooky legend of this evil, most likely you’ve heard the song.
Burl Ives was the first of more than 50 singers who have recorded this iconic tune. It’s become the most-recorded composed western song of all time. When Johnny Cash performed it, it topped the charts for months. The words remain exactly as they were originally written.
This was an incredible post. I loved it and appreciated it more than u will ever imagine. I’m a huge fan of ballads. I grew up with a dad who loved the Vaughn Monroe version of Ghost Riders in the Sky. I like it better than any other. When we were stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, my teen daughter was friends with the granddaughter of Vaughn Monroe. Her mother had his gold records mounted on a wall in their quarters.
My dad’s other favorite was a song called Cool Water……followed closely by The Hanging Tree. My own children grew up hearing that music.
Thank you for the post. Happy New Year.
Thank you. Love the song. Never heard the legend.
This song is on my workout playlist.
Loved the Outlaws version as a young teen in the 80s
“My dad’s other favorite was a song called Cool Water”
Sure, a classic
You’re very welcome. It was a strange coincidence that I just happened to turn on the tv at that moment. Gave me goosebumps.
Happy New Year to you and your family
It’s a GREAT song and I’ve got about a dozen versions by different artists.
The author of this article wrote “It all began like any other cattle drive should have back in the fall of 1889.”
By 1889, the era of the great cattle drives had just about ended.
“In the 1890s, herds were still occasionally driven from the Panhandle of Texas to Montana. However, railroads had expanded to cover most of the nation, and meat packing plants were built closer to major ranching areas, making long cattle drives to the railheads unnecessary.”
“The great Texas cattle drives started in the 1860’s because Texas had lots of longhorn and the rest of the country wanted beef. From about 1865 to the mid-1890’s, Texas vaqueros and cowboys herded about 5 million cattle to markets up north. The Chisholm Trail was used the most in 1871, but by the mid-1884, the trail wasn’t being used much anymore because railroads had been built in Texas so the cattle could be shipped from here.”
An old cowboy went ridin’ out one dark and windy day,
Upon a ridge he had to go as he went along his way,
A thought raced through his head as he dropped his britches down,
Left that roll of paper, in the bunkhouse back in town.
Yippie I ohhh ohh ohh Yippie I aye ye ye, What you gonna do, when you gotta go.
Interesting backstory about “GRitS” in Crosby County, TX. The “Yellowstone” tv series has a side story line currently developing on the 6666 Ranch, also in the Texas panhandle of King/ Carson/ Hutchinson Counties next to Crosby County.
Sons of the Pioneers did this song also. The first time I heard it was from them when I was a kid. My dad had the record.
That’s my favorite. :-)
Its the Burl Ives version for me. I even have it on my playlist.
I wouldn’t even bother to listen to it by anyone else, it would be sort of sacrilegious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDi6eYMZ_5Q
Call me irreverent - I prefer the Spike Jones / Doodles Weaver version.
“This is a cowboy legend? Oy!”
Johnny Cash - Ghost Riders in the Sky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LtmZM0OWO8
Glen Campbell & Roy Clark Play “Ghost Riders in the Sky”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_kbgjsuCec
Didn’t “Sons of the Pioneers” do “Cool Water”?
Sons of the Pioneers 1948 Cool Water
They probably did most of the western classic songs.
I was humming that song for a couple of days.
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