Bullshistory Vindicated!

Well, I’m a happy man this morning. Nothing can bring you happiness like vindication. When I started the last two posts on the Ghost Dance, and Fox Burns, I was hesitant to mention all that I knew about the two stories, or should I say “I thought that I knew”.

The first thing that I never do is take a newspaper or a book as “Fact”. Reporters often get things wrong, or inadvertently lead you in the wrong direction. Thank-God (Yeah, I know, I’m an agnostic.) for people like Ben, Kym, Spyrock, Olmanriver, and Anonymous, for keeping things in prospective and leading the story in the right direction. And, oh yeah, thank God for Suzy Blah Blah, who can add new depth to almost any conversation.

Also thank god for people like Kate Mayo, who didn’t get all things right, but at least she got them onto paper and provided us with “Pioneering in the Shadow of the Cahto Mountain”. Her book has become a family treasure to many of us Layton-villains (spelling correct). On the Bowman story that I got wrong, I was going from memory of the things that I have heard. My Kate Mayo book has become a stack of loose leaves, that I hold together with a rubber band when I’m not referring to it, but on page 22 it states about Elisa Bowman, that “They settled on 160 acres of rich bottomland and timberland near Hydesville on the main Eel River.” Now that I read it, the description is of Camp Grant, Hydesville is not even on the main Eel. Thanks to Ben for making that right for me.

The Bowman and Fox Burns story was finally brought together for me out of tid-bits of Bullshistory and actual fact. Thanks to “Joan” who recently wrote to me about the Bowmans, and provided me with a shocking discovery that Fox Burns was not a local Indian. My mother said that he looked different than the local Indians. But thanks to Kym, Spyrock, (My new lifetime friend) and my cousin from Laytonville, Penny Branscomb Comer for pulling it all together for me.

I now know that Camp Grant was the homestead of Elisa Bowman. She was attacked by Indians, her home was burned, On March 25 1869. The date of my birthday some years later. Though gravely wounded, she was able to get herself and her kids to a neighbors house where they were able to defeat the Indians. Her son, Andy Bowman, ten years old was able to run for help. Elisa, and her family, moved to Laytonville. Andy became quite famous in the Laytonville area, he cut a wide swath in his lifetime, his life was that of legends. My cousin Penny has the complete story of the Elisa Bowman Indian attack.

The story of Fox Burns now make some sense to me. He was a survivor of the Bloody Run Massacre! The massacre probably happened in the late ‘60s to early 70s?? I’m still amazed at how little info can be found about that event. Fox was a baby traveling with a band of Marauding Modoc Indians. The Modocs killed Jackson Farleys breeding stallion. The local people chased them down and killed all but a few children that were adopted by the local people. Fox was the last of them to die. He was probably in his seventies or eighties when he died. He was a great and gentle man, and a friend Andy Bowman, and of my Grandmother Ruby Branscomb.

A special thanks to Kym and Olmanriver for all the leads and links!

I hesitated to say what I thought that I knew, but if everybody tells their stories, the truth rises to the top like sweet fresh cream, and I do love cream! Thankyou everybody.