Sundown Legends

Standing atop the wall of California, Michael Checchio decided to head out for Saline and Death Valley, the canyonlands of Arizona and Utah and the uplands of New Mexico. He would re-visit old haunts and explore new ones-and in so doing rediscover a world he thought he already knew. In Sundown Legends, Checchio offers up the American Southwest as a spiritual repository and source of inspiration. On his travels he talked to individuals whose imaginations have been shaped by the power of this desert landscape, including Ken Sleight, the Utah wilderness outfitter, who was the inspiration for a character in THE MONKEY WRENCH GANG and novlist John Nichols, author of the MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR, who wandered into Taos in the late sixties and found a place to make his stand. Like Michael Wallis, Michael Checchio is a powerfully gifted writer who has created an intimate and lasting portrait of one of our last remaining wild places.

Throughout the world, the cowboy is an instantly recognized symbol of the North American West. Legends of Our Times breaks the stereotype of 'cowboys and Indians' to show an almost unknown side of the West. It tells the story of some of the first cowboys -- Native peoples of the northern Plains and Plateau. Through stories, poetry, art, and reminiscences in this lavishly illustrated work, Native people invite the reader on a fascinating journey into the world of ranching and rodeo. The book also presents the special relationship between Native people and animals such as the horse, buffalo, deer, and dog, which have always played an important role in Native spiritual and economic life. By the mid-nineteenth century, Native people were highly valued for their skills in horse breeding and herding, and could take advantage of new economic opportunities in the emerging ranching industry. Faced with limited resources, competition for land, and control by governments and Indian agents, many Native people still managed to develop their own herds or to find work as cowboys. As the ways of the Old West changed, new forms of entertainment and sport evolved. Impresarios such as Buffalo Bill Cody invented the Wild West show, employing Native actors and stunt performers to dramatize scenes from the history of the West and to demonstrate the friendly competitions that cowboys enjoyed at the end of a long round-up or cattle drive. The popularity of rodeos also grew within Native communities, and arenas were built on many reserves. Native rodeos are still held, while many Native competitors ride in professional rodeos as well. Today, Plains and Plateau peoples proudly continue a long tradition of cowboying. Legends of Our Times is a celebration of their rich contribution to ranching and rodeo life.

This riveting exposé reveals how a distorted belief in Anglo superiority necessitated the rewriting of American western history, replacing heroic images of Mexican and Spanish cowboys with negative stereotypes. Early Anglo settlers in the Old West crafted negative images of Latinos in part to help justify the takeover of land occupied by Mexicans and Spaniards at the time. Unfortunately, these depictions were perpetuated throughout the 20th century in art, popular culture, and media ... eventually reshaping the narrative of the American West to the exclusion of the non-Anglo people. This book contrasts dominant lore with historical reality to provide a broad overview of the history and contributions of Latinos in the Old West. Author D. H. Figueredo sets out to debunk the myths and falsehoods of the American West by chronicling the cultural perceptions that led to such historical inaccuracies. Through spellbinding accounts, chapters address such topics as the legends behind the caballeros, Mexican culture in the Old West, and the search for cities of gold in the Southwest. Arranged chronologically and thematically, the book examines how popular culture diminished the role of the Mexican vaqueros and illustrates how the image of the Anglo cowboy became the iconic symbol of the Old West.

Mist on the River chronicles a search for wild steelhead salmon in the remaining wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. As he says in the prologue to his book, Michael Checchio likes his fly-fishing on big western rivers where there are lots of mountains to look at, and where the steelhead don't come out of a hatchery but are born as nature intended, in the cold gravel of a clean stream. He finds all this and more up in British Columbia on his search for some of the last great runs of wild steelhead left on earth. Steelhead, the great sea-run rainbow trout of the Pacific Northwest, have long been sought by fly-fishermen. To Checchio, they have become a powerful symbol for the last of the wild in the Pacific Northwest and are to the Northwest what lions are to the Serengeti. And like their cousins, the salmon, they are among the species of fish most threatened by the modern world. A passionate fly-fisherman, Checchio discovered steelhead when he moved to the West Coast a little more than a decade ago. Fishing for ever diminishing returns of these magnificent fish in the rivers of northern California and Oregon, he dreamed of faraway waters in Alaska and Kamchatka, where he might find the last strongholds of wild steelhead remaining on the planet. Finally, he was able to take a dream vacation north to experience for the first time the steelhead Valhalla awaiting the fly-fisherman in British Columbia. Michael Checchio has been praised by the fishing community as a passionate writer on the plight of the great outdoors and the steelhead trout. But this book is not written just for the fly-fishing fraternity, but rather to the general reader who has a love of nature and the outdoors, and a deep interest in the fate of wildlife and the future of the environment. Checchio's personal steelhead journey leads him on a quest toward rivers and landscapes ever more pristine and wild, providing illuminating sights and thoughts along the way.

A magical clock in a castle full of hidden treasures. A family punished for its curiosity by being turned into stone. What do the above scenarios have in common? They are all part of the fabric of Peruvian tales that are retold on the pages ahead. Many cultures express ideas about their past and present through such a richness of myths and legends that magically describe what was, and what could have been, in a specific time and space. Each little Peruvian community I have visited in ceaseless travels across my native land has invariably found me sitting enthralled, by the sides of lagoon, river, or bridge; in a field or on a farm, listening to the wise voices of the people I meet there, and learning from them. I invite you to come along on a wonderful journey where you will meet supernatural characters with wonderful names like Pachamama, Mamakilla, Inti, the Apu spirits, and the Kocha deities, who interact with humans and determine their destiny. I hope that these tales of life, love, curiosity, magic, and adversity will touch you as they did me. Cul es la relacin entre un toro encantado y un sol encadenado intentando buscar su libertad? Qu significa un reloj mgico en un castillo donde se esconden valiosos tesoros inalcanzables para aquellos que los buscan? O dos ancianos convertidos en piedra debido a su curiosidad? Muchas culturas logran expresar su pasado y presente a travs de nutridos mitos y leyendas que mgicamente describen lo que fue o lo que pudo ser en un tiempo y espacio determinados. En cada pequea comunidad del Per que he recorrido, me he sentado fascinada al lado de alguna laguna, rio, puente, pradera o chacra a escuchar y aprender de las voces iluminadas de sus habitantes. Naveguemos juntos por estas sorprendentes narraciones sobre la vida, el amor, la curiosidad, lo mgico y la adversidad, que tienen como elementos principales a Pachamama, Mamakilla, Inti, los Apus y las Kochas, quienes interactan con la humanidad.

Relates the story of Santa Claus from his historic origins to his current incarnation, discussing Saint Nicholas, the Americanizing of Santa, his commercialization, and his treatment in songs and movies.

Originally published over 100 years ago, New England Legends and Folk Lore is Samuel Adams Drake's extraordinary collection of legends and folk tales. Stories include dozens of classics of New England lore that describe the times of witches and seafarers, strange nighttime occurrences and mysterious places.