C.R.R. Trail Blazer. The Newsletter of the California Range Riders. Cinco de Mayo (Fifth of May).by Johnny Longknife

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1 California Range Riders C.R.R. Trail Blazer The Newsletter of the California Range Riders Cinco de Mayo (Fifth of May).by Johnny Longknife Cinco de Mayo has its roots in the French occupation of Mexico, which took place in the aftermath of three wars in Mexico from 1846 through These wars left Mexico nearly bankrupt. On July 17, 1861, Mexican President Benito Juarez declared that all foreign debt payments would be suspended for two years. France, Britain, and Spain sent naval forces to Mexico to demand payment. Britain and Spain negotiated with Mexico and withdrew. France, under the rule of Napoleon III, sent a well-armed French fleet to Veracruz, landed a large force and drove President Juarez into retreat. On their march from Veracruz to Mexico City the French army met heavy resistance near the town of Puebla, at the Mexican forts of Loreto and Guadalupe. The French army of 8,000 was crushed by the Mexican defenders of only 4,000 strong on May 5, The victory was a significant morale boost to the Mexican army and the Mexican people. The victory at Puebla came to symbolize unity and pride and established a much needed sense of national patriotism. The victory at Puebla was not the end of it. Thirty thousand French troops defeated the Mexican army and captured Mexico City a year later and installed Emperor Maximilian I as ruler of Mexico. The French ruled from 1863 to In 1865 the American Civil War was at an end and the United States (U.S.) began to provide political and military assistance to Mexico to defeat the French. By then (1867) Napoleon II was weakened by Mexican guerilla warfare, an escalating war with Prussia and fear of a war with the U.S. He began pulling troops out of Mexico. The Mexican army recaptured Mexico City. Maximilian and his generals were captured and executed. On June 5, 1867, Benito Juarez reentered Mexico City and installed a legitimate Mexican government. Some historians feel that France s real goal was to break up the American Union at the time in the midst of the Civil War by helping the Southern Confederacy. The defeat of the French army at Puebla on Cinco de Mayo prevented Napoleon III from aiding the Confederacy for another year. The historians feel that had Napoleon III been able to use Mexico as a base to back the Confederacy and free the Southern ports from the Union blockade the U.S. Civil War and the U.S. destiny could have been very different. Had this occurred and the American Union broken, France could then have gained a foothold in the U.S. as well as Mexico. The Cindo de Mayo celebration in Mexico is primarily observed in the state of Puebla where

2 P a g e 2 the battle occurred. For many Mexicans May 5 is a day like any other. It is not a federal holiday, so offices, banks and stores remain open. The American Cinco de Mayo celebration originated in the Mexican-American communities of the American West, South West and Northwest in the 1860 s. It grew in popularity and evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage. Many people outside of Mexico mistakenly believe that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican independence, which was declared more than 50 years before the battle of Puebla. That event is celebrated on September 16, the anniversary of the revolutionary priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla s famous Grito de Dolores (cry of Dolores), a call to arms that amounted to a declaration of war against the Spanish colonial government in I have attended a number of Cinco de Mayo celebrations over the years and really enjoyed the food, costumes and music. I have heard many different accounts of the origin of Cinco de Mayo, so I was compelled to do some historical research. With the help of Scarlet Angel and her computer, Wikipedia, and the stories I have heard as my sources of information, I thought you folks out there might enjoy a little history lesson since Cinco de Mayo is only a few days away. Johnny Longknife Thought for today- Any devise made by man will eventually malfunction. Don Reed (A friend of one of my favorite gunsmiths) HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Jerry Bestpitch May 02 Grace Torakawa May 04 Jack Safford May 06 Robbie Conley May 08 Coleen Davis May 11 Kendra Gomez May 12 Robert Leggitt May 12 Melissa Engelbert May 13 Lindsay Holland May 18 Kimberly Conley May 25 Mari Benson May 27 Caleb Johnson May 29 Tamala Lippincott May 30

3 P a g e 3 Blazing Saddles XIII & XIV Come on out and burn some gun powder! May 16 & 17, 2015 HOFFMANS ARENA, TURLOCK, CA Shooters, sign up for the Clean Match REWARD Saturday evening potluck, bring a dish to share Spectators always welcome Contact Old Buckaroo for more information

4 P a g e 4 Rip-Roaring opportunity for you and your horse! Equine Dentistry July 18 th 2015 weekend JD Cowgirl, aka Constance Jaegel, is hosting Dr. Richard Miller, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Miller specializes in Equine Dentistry only. This clinic will be held at Constance s place (9255 Tesla Rd in Livermore). The clinic will be held on July 18 th and 19t h, 2015 this year! Please call Constance for details or to book a spot. Contact info: Cell # is (408) , Home # is (925) and is iwasjdcowgirl@yahoo.com Dr. Miller brings his mobile office to Constance s ranch. His office is really something to see. It is a large horse trailer converted into one heck of a Dental facility on wheels. Your horse is asked to load into a trailer and the Dr. will show you hands on your horse s areas of necessary work or maintenance for good horse health. Only work you approve will be completed and is very reasonably priced. In my experience, Dr. Miller and his team were as wonderful with his four legged patients as their two legged owners. He encourages owner participation and photos. Dr. Miller is VERY thorough, patient and knowledgeable. Constance has hosted Dr. Miller for over 8 years now. The Dr. and his crew would like to get at least eight people to sign up per day for the clinic. Check out Dr. Miller s web site: This is worth checking out ya ll AND bringing your 4 legged 4-wheel drive. If you have any questions or would like to sign up contact iwasjdcowgirl@yahoo.com

5 P a g e 5 May 1st - Observed as May Day, a holiday and spring festival since ancient times, also observed as a workers' holiday or Labor Day. May 5th - Cinco de Mayo, a national holiday in remembrance of the Battle of Puebla in 1862, in which Mexican troops under General Ignacio Zaragoza, outnumbered three to one, defeated the invading French forces of Napoleon III. May 10 Mother s day May 11, To prevent its capture by Union forces advancing in Virginia, the Confederate Ironclad Merrimac was destroyed by the Confederate Navy. In March, the Merrimac had fought the Union Ironclad Monitor to a draw. Naval warfare was thus changed forever, making wooden ships obsolete. May 14, Smallpox vaccine was developed by Dr. Edward Jenner, a physician in rural England. Within 18 months, 12,000 persons in England had been vaccinated and the number of smallpox deaths dropped by two-thirds. May 14, During World War II, an Act of Congress allowed women to enlist for noncombat duties in the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC), the Women Appointed for Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES), Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS), and Semper Paratus Always Ready Service (SPARS), the Women's Reserve of the Marine Corp. May 17, Two dozen merchants and brokers established the New York Stock Exchange. In good weather they operated under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street. In bad weather they moved inside to a coffeehouse to conduct business. May 17, The first Kentucky Derby horse race took place at Churchill Downs in Louisville. May 20, Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, in the Spirit of St. Louis attempting to win a $25,000 prize for the first solo nonstop flight between New York City and Paris. Thirty-three hours later, after a 3,600 mile journey, he landed at Le Bourget, Paris, earning the nickname "Lucky Lindy" and becoming an instant worldwide hero. May 20, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. May 21, The American Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton. May 24, Telegraph inventor Samuel Morse sent the first official telegraph message from the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., to Baltimore. May 25 - Memorial Day (first observed on May 5, 1865, as Decoration Day with the tradition of decorating soldiers' graves from the Civil War with flowers.) The observance date was later moved to May 30th and included American graves from World War I and World War II, and became better known as Memorial Day. In 1971, Congress moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May, thus creating a three-day holiday weekend. Memorial Day, a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. May 27, Two hundred thousand people celebrated the grand opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco by walking across it. May 27, Wild Bill Hickok ( ) was born in Troy Grove, Illinois. He was a frontiersman, lawman, legendary marksman, army scout and gambler. May 29, Following the American Civil War, President Andrew Johnson issued a proclamation granting general amnesty to Confederates. The amnesty excluded high ranking Confederates and large property owners, who had to apply individually to the President for a pardon. Following an oath of allegiance, all former property rights, except slaves, were returned to the former owners. Visit The History Place for more information.

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7 P a g e 7 LAST RIDE Funeral services with horse drawn antique hearse. Contact Jerry Walker

8 P a g e 8 CRR dues are due for 2015.$50 individual, $80 for family Howdy all...come out and shoot!!! Looking forward to seeing all of our new members and prospective members at the upcoming events in If you re inexperienced, come ride time-only and learn the ins and outs of cowboy mounted shooting. Look for short notice, weather based practices and clinics to be announced shortly. PAST EVENTS April 25 CRR Quicksilver Shootout VIII (Turlock) We had 18 competitors and 6 Time Onlys Top 10 shooters 1. Kent Harstad was Overall winner 2. Robin Hambey was Overall Lady 3. Larie Merilles 4. Jerry Kurtz 5. Mark Thomas 6. Anita Simoni 7 Don Copeland 8. Dan Moore 9. Judy Moore 10. Gerret Hoffman *** Kent Harstad, won the Shotgun & Rifle competition clean shooters 11 riders entered on Saturday for a total of $ Judy Moore and Anita Simoni were the clean shooters $55 each April 26 CRR Quicksilver Shootout VIV (Turlock) We had 20 competitors and 6 Time Onlys Top 10 shooters 1. Jerry Bestpitch was Overall winner 2. Meg Gould was Overall Lady 3. Gerry Hoffman 4. Don Copeland 5. Lyn Letarti 6. Kent Harstad 7. Dan Moore 8. Judy Moore 9. Larie Merilles 10. Debbie Downing clean shooters 11 riders entered on Sunday, for a total of $ Jerry Bestpitch, Meg Gould and Gerret Hoffman were the clean shooters $36.66 each Thank you to all that help in the arena, announcing, range mastering, cleanup, and the great folks at the Hoffmans Arena, throughout the year. Don t be a benchwarmer pitch in, help out

9 P a g e 9 A p r i l UPCOMING EVENTS (subject to change due to weather) MAY 9 CRR Practice (Turlock) MAY 16 CRR Blazing Saddles XIII (Turlock) MAY 17 CRR Blazing Saddles XIV (Turlock) JUNE 5-7 (pending) CRR Horse Expo (Sacramento) JUNE 6 SJVR Eliminator/practice (Stockton) JUNE 7 SJVR Duel on the Delta (Stockton) JUNE 6-7 CRR Clinic with Gary Baddog Bennett (Penngrove) JUNE 27 CRR Desperado Trail V (Turlock) JUNE 28 CRR Desperado Trail VI (Turlock) JULY 11 CRR Ghost Riders in the Sky X (Turlock) JULY 12 CRR Ghost Riders in the Sky XI (Turlock) July 28- Aug 2 CMSA Western US Championship (Las Vegas) Watch your s for practice and possible spring/winter match dates subject to change due to weather. The reason for RSVP s (it's a courtesy) RSVP s are important. It helps us plan the amount of supplies (ammo, balloons, etc ) we need at each event. Effective as of April 1st, 2013 riders that do not RSVP and "just show up" at a match, will be charged an office fee of $15 There are many ways to RSVP: , text, phone, CMSA website, Facebook The 2015 match calendar is available on our website. Don t forget, we have a Facebook website check it out and join Just type in the search window (upper right) California Range Riders (CRR) As always, a big thank you to Scarlet Angel (Debbie McAlpin) for the excellent work on the CRR Trailblazer, and to all the contributing writers great job!...keep it comin Happy trails to all Old Buckaroo

10 P a g e 10 California Range Riders Club Points for Revolver # Points First Name Last Name CMSA # Class Wins Club 1 91 Jerry Kurtz 7825 SM3 1 California Range Riders 2 86 Robin Hambey 7302 L3 0 California Range Riders 3 76 Jerry Bestpitch 1592 SM6 0 California Range Riders 4 63 Don Copeland 215 SM3 2 California Range Riders 4 63 Gerret Hoffman M1 2 California Range Riders 5 56 Kent Harstad M3 3 California Range Riders 6 55 Ruth Piper 3015 L3 0 California Range Riders 7 52 Larie Merilles 6818 SL1 1 California Range Riders 8 49 Meg Gould L2 0 California Range Riders 9 45 Gerry Hoffman 4674 M2 3 California Range Riders Lyn Letarti SL1 1 California Range Riders Craig McGurn SM1 1 California Range Riders Judy Stewart 1506 SL2 2 California Range Riders Joseph Squillacioti 1926 SM2 0 California Range Riders Dan Millikin 2397 SM4 0 California Range Riders Gretchen Walters 7826 SL2 2 California Range Riders Coleen Davis 9920 L1 3 California Range Riders Deb Butcher 4987 L2 3 California Range Riders Mari Benson SL2 0 California Range Riders 16 7 Janet Freeland SL2 1 California Range Riders 17 5 Nicole Harstad L1 1 California Range Riders 18 4 Debbie McAlpin 3979 L2 0 California Range Riders 19 2 Jim Gray M1 0 California Range Riders If you would like to view your overall standings or standings for rifle or shotgun please visit the CMSA website.

11 P a g e 11 I d like to wish all the mothers (of two and four legged babies) out there a very happy Mother s Day. My mother passed her love of horses to my sister and me. We both showed them until we graduated high school. I think every horse/pony that came to live in our pasture went to a show of some kind. Mom got a break from the show ring for about 15 years, then I discovered Cowboy Mounted Shooting. I remember when I told I was going to do it she said, I thought my days of going to horse shows were over. I m not sure if she was excited to be riding shotgun in the truck to horseshows again or not. At least she doesn t have to be the driver this time around; bet she didn t think back then she d be announcing too. I would like to thank my mom for all the support, patience, inhaled trail/arena dust, horse holding..well the list could go on, as many of you involved with horses know. I m giving her a day off on Mother s day but she ll be back in the announcer s booth on the 16th. Thank you mom, you are one in a million. Scarlet Angel scarletangel86@sbcglobal.net The best view is from the back of my horse. Scarlet Angel, Heaven n Hell all rolled into one. I wouldn t want to be the one on the hell side. Patches McDuff President: Steve Holland Secretary: Judy Stewart C.R.R. Officers: Board members: Constance Jaegel Jerry Kurtz Debbie McAlpin Dan Millikin Joe Squillacioti Vice Pres: Jerry Bestpitch Treasurer: Judy Lewis-Jones

12 CMSA members sign up for our events online If you have a current CMSA membership, you can sign up for the California Range Rider events online Register or login here Then go to "events", and select "State" = California Pick the shoots, go to "details and entry" Hit "I agree" There is no cost or cancellation fees to sign up Riders from out of the area often look to see if there will be a full class, to make it a worth while trip. Your Opinions Count! Suggestions for improvement of future matches and ideas for prizes have been asked for at the awards ceremonies. If you are too shy to speak up in a group setting, take a moment to talk to Steve or one of our board members or send an . C.R.R. is always looking to make improvements for all of its members. Don t forget, every now and again you will receive a survey ranging from practice places, match places and days to awards, and many subjects in between. Please fill them out and return them. These surveys are designed to help improve our club for our club members. They are read and go before our board for votes and consideration. Maybe you have a suggestion you have not seen in a survey or cannot wait to suggest, it to Old Buckaroo at Oldbuckaroo7@aol.com. The board members look forward to your input! Watch your s for announcements regarding upcoming practices and fun activities. Check our website for 2015 Match dates. Remember, participating in Demos, Wild West Shows, and Clinics, as well as shooting at matches, will get you credit for CRR year end awards. Volunteer, it s a lot of fun! Submit your items for sale, stories (two part is OK!) and announcements to add to the newsletter to Scarlet Angel AKA Debbie at scarletangel86@sbcglobal.net. If you have any changes in your contact information, please it to President Steve Holland at: oldbuckaroo7@aol.com

13 P a g e Match Dates ( ) Schedule by Old Buckaroo Recent Updates in bright blue JAN 10 JAN 31 CRR Practice (Turlock) CRR Practice (Turlock) FEB FEB FEB 28 CMSA Southwest Regional (Queen Creek, Az) CMSA Winter US Championship (Queen Creek, Az) CRR Awards Dinner Party (Banta Inn, Turlock) March 7 CRR Practice (Turlock) MARCH 14 MARCH 15 CRR Riders of the Purple Sage VII (Turlock) CRR Riders of the Purple Sage VIII (Turlock) APRIL 12 CRR Practice (Hoffmans Arena, Turlock) APRIL 25 CRR Quicksilver Shootout XIII (Turlock) APRIL 26 CRR Quicksilver Shootout XIV (Turlock) MAY GBP Match (Fernley, NV) MAY 9 CRR Practice (Turlock) MAY 16 CRR Blazing Saddles XIII (Turlock) MAY 17 CRR Blazing Saddles XIV (Turlock) JUNE 5-7 (pending)crr Horse Expo (Sacramento) JUNE 6 SJVR Eliminator/practice (Stockton) JUNE 7 SJVR Duel on the Delta (Stockton) JUNE 6-7 CRR Clinic with Gary Baddog Bennett (Penngrove) JUNE 27 GBP Match (Fallon, NV) JUNE 27 CRR Desperado Trail V (Turlock) (new dates) JUNE 28 CRR Desperado Trail VI (Turlock) JULY 11 CRR Ghost Riders in the Sky X (Turlock) JULY 12 CRR Ghost Riders in the Sky XI (Turlock) JULY 26 GBP Match (Fallon, NV) July 28- Aug 2 CMSA Western US Championship (Las Vegas) AUG 22 CRR Faultline War XII (Turlock) AUG 23 CRR Faultline War XIII (Turlock)

14 P a g e 14 SEPT 13 GBP Match (Fallon, NV) SEPT 19 CRR Gold Dust Fever XV (Turlock) SEPT 20 CRR Gold Dust Fever XVI (Turlock) OCT 4-5 GBP Fallon Shootout III (Fallon, NV) OCT 10 CRR Ride Into Purgatory XIII (Turlock) OCT 11 CRR Ride Into Purgatory XIV (Turlock) OCT CMSA Worlds (Amarillo, Texas) NOV 7 CRR Shootout at Boothill VIV (Turlock) NOV 8 CRR Shootout at Boothill VV (Turlock) ***represents tentative dates CRR California Range Riders Old Buckaroo oldbuckaroo7@aol.com Gilroy, La Honda, San Jose, Ceres, Sacramento, Livermore, Waterford Hoffmans Arena mailto:hoffmansarena@aol.com Merced Ave, Turlock, CA GBP Great Basin Pistoleers Reno, NV RRR Roy Rogers Rangers Moreno Valley SoCal SoCal CMSA Murietta SJVR San Joaquin Valley Rangers Stockton

15 P a g e 15 The California Range Riders Shooters Bio Name alias: div/level City State Horses name Age Breed Occupation History Accomplishments/awards What do you enjoy about mounted shooting? Your motto to: oldbuckaroo7@aol.com