Loralyn “Dodie” and Jack Dennis wish to thank all of our faithful readers for your support. On the eve of our second anniversary for our CleverJourneys blog, we reached 1,110,011 unique viewers. Our best yet. We began on May 1, 2020. Although I previously wrote articles for Examiner, […]
Being a cowgirl goes beyond riding a horse and working with cattle. Growing up in Texas, we know that a cowgirl is a woman who is strong, confident, and not afraid of a hard day’s work. She is polite, sharing kindness with all the folks around her, and […]
John Capen Adams [1812-1860] became so famous for his love of grizzly bears, he would go down in history simply as “Grizzly Adams.” “Grizzly Adams,” in the 1970s, was the title of both a popular motion picture and NBC TV series “The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams.” […]
Gunsmoke was a popular radio program and later, a legendary television series that featured 635 episodes from 1955-1975. The series featured actor James Arness as the first marshal of Dodge City, Kansas. In reality the first sheriff and city marshal of Dodge City was my great-great grandfather, Charlie […]
Great grandfather James Allison Morgan was a real Texas Wrangler in the late 1880s and early 1900s. He taught his son-in-law (my maternal grandfather, a chef/cook in the Navy Seabees and later in Abilene), Bassett Arthur, how to make Texas Wrangler Stew. Just about every bite features generous […]
Our beautiful visit with a long-time-ago friend brought charming remembrances, intriguing history and a fascinating new book. Dodie and I recently had lunch with Cynthia Leal Massey to catch up and discuss her new book, What Lies Beneath: Texas Pioneer Cemeteries and Graveyards, being released today (August 1, […]
We traveled through enchanting Sedona a few weeks ago, although we couldn’t stay long. It’s only been a few years since I was there, but mercy has it grown…almost to the point that Sedona’s popularity could be a possible burden. Traffic congestion was considerable and all shops, restaurants […]
Lost Opata Mine South of Tucson, Arizona About 45 miles south of Tucson, Arizona, rises what remains of Tumacacori Mission, now a national park. The 18th-century church was built by Spaniards hoping to convert the pagan Opata and Papago Indians. The missionaries hired the Indians to work in […]
Travel deep into the heart of the Texas Panhandle and you’ll find a true natural wonder. Canyon walls gleaming orange in bright sunshine, otherworldly rock formations, and scenic trails lined with mesquite and juniper trees await at Palo Duro Canyon. About 120 miles long and 20 miles wide, and […]
President Donald J. Trump issued one of his last executive orders on January 18, 2021, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, for the construction of 250 statues in The National Garden. “The National Garden will feature a roll call of heroes who deserve honor, recognition, and lasting tribute because […]
After the Civil War, millions of cattle running wild in Texas were worth only $2 or less per head, but worth $15 to $25 per head in Kansas. The money from the sale of cattle was responsible for bringing Texas out of the economic depression caused by the […]
#1 in our Accounts of the Old West series. The “27 Club” refers to the famous who died way too early at the age of 27. In modern days Jimi Hendrix, Curt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Robert Johnson, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, and Amy Winehouse are renowned “members.” Following […]
Clever Journeys 