April 5, 2007 Bonus, Bonus, Bonus Blog
Got a call from Buckeye Blake. He got an email from the mayor and "village council" of Fort Sumner requesting a written proposal for his Billy the Kid sculpture. They are going to vote on it Monday night at a council meeting at 6:30. I asked him if he was going to make a call for supporters to show up like Paul Hutton, Drew Gomber or any of the Billy folk over at Lincoln and he said, "Oh God, no!" And he reminded me how much the Sumner crowd hates the Lincoln crowd (and vice versa). I had completely forgotten this aspect of the Kid world (early Alzheimer's?). And he's right. Please don't go to the meeting unless you are "from around those parts." You'll just make it worse.

I fretted all day about the Oklahoma railroad map. Emailed Ed LeRoy of the Old Cowtown Museum, Rod Cook president of the Cadlwell, Kansas Historical Society and Marcus Huff, former OK resident, but didn't hear back from them. Finally got this email from Gus late this afternoon:

“I was able to find info on the RRs in Okla. The one from Hennessey traveled mostly north to Waukomis, then to Pond Creek and enters Kansas at Caldwell. From Caldwell north to Wellington then on up to Wichita. Reference is from the map of Indian and Oklahoma Territory 1894 official records of the General Land Office. Good to go. If i’m wrong i’ll hang up my callipers.”
—Gus “The Mapinator” Walker

Well, that's good enough for me! I'll sleep better tonight knowinig that map is right. Thanks Mr. Mapinator.

Meanwhile, on the Paul Cool "Salt War" front. I painted one of the key buildings wrong (the aerial shape is off) and need to tweak it. No rest for the wicked.

"Never let the urgent crowd out the important."
—Kelly Catlin Walker