Jessica Crabtree

March 19, 1864: Birth of Western artist Charles Marion Russell

Raised in Missouri, Russell showed an early fascination with art and the West. He realized both at 16 when he left home to work on a Montana sheep ranch, where his obvious creative talent quickly drew attention. His early experiences in the northern Great Plains led to a prolific body of paintings depicting Western life and landscapes, including many portraits of the Piegan, Crow, Cree and other Indian nations before the onset of the reservation era.

Left: “A Cree Indian”
Above: “The Beauty Parlor”

By 1897 he opened a studio in Great Falls, Montana, where his career burgeoned under the shrewd management of his wife, Nancy. His works quickly became popular with collectors across the country, including celebrities such as Will Rogers. Like Rogers, he was renowned for his earthy wit and sincerity, and his deep attachment to the land he loved so much. He died in 1926 leaving thousands of paintings and sketches, bronze sculptures and carvings, and numerous literary works, all influential in memorializing the West in its Golden Age.

The Charles Marion Russell Museum
http://www.cmrussell.org/

Extensive online gallery of Russell’s paintings:
http://www.charlesmarionrussell.org/

“This is the only real American.
He fought and died for his country.
Today he has no vote
No country and is not a citizen
But history will not forget him.” (1914)

“A fanatic is always the fellow that is on the opposite side.”

“No nation in the history of the world was ever sitting as pretty. If we want anything, all we have to do is go and buy it on credit. So that leaves us without any economic problems whatsoever, except perhaps some day to have to pay for them.”

“Live your life so that whenever you lose, you’re ahead.”

“A remark generally hurts in proportion to its truth.”

“Don’t waste too much pity on poor old China; she will be here when some strange race of people will be excavating some of our skyscrapers and wondering what tombs they were.”

“That’s the trouble with our charities, we are always saving somebody away off, when the fellow next to us ain’t eating.”

“You can’t pick up a paper without seeing where the Marines were landed to keep some nation from shooting each other, and if necessary we shoot them to keep them from shooting each other.”

“Hawaii is the only place I know of where they lay flowers on you while you are alive.”

“History ain’t what it is; it’s what some writer wanted it to be.”

“The more ignorant you are, the quicker you fight.”

“Every time the government moved the Indians, they gave them the same treaty: ‘You shall have this land as long as the grass grows and the water flows.’ But finally they settled the whole Indian problem. They put the Indians on land where the grass won’t grow and the water won’t flow!”

“There are only a few original jokes, and most of them are in Congress.”

“You know, horses are smarter than people. You never heard of a horse going broke betting on people.”

I have a scheme for stopping war. It’s this – no nation is allowed to enter a war till they have paid for the last one.

Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.

Worrying is like paying on a debt that may never come due.

We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.

If you ever injected truth into politics you have no politics.

Ten men in our country could buy the whole world and ten million can’t buy enough to eat.

Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects.

The only way to solve the traffic problems of the country is to pass a law that only paid-for cars are allowed to use the highways. That would make traffic so scarce we could use the boulevards for children’s playgrounds.

The best doctor in the world is the veterinarian. He can’t ask his patients what is the matter-he’s got to just know.

November 4, 1879: Birthday of Will Rogers

This year marks the 130th anniversary Will Rogers’s birth in Oologah, Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory (what is today Oklahoma). Both parents were of Cherokee heritage; his father was a prominent leader in the Cherokee Nation.

Probably America’s most loved humorist, Will Rogers is famed for his congenial personality, piercing wit, and astute judgment. He rose from an early career as a cowboy to a successful movie star, radio personality, newspaper columnist, and international celebrity. In his vast world travels, his observant nature gained him valuable knowledge of the characters and habits of people of all walks of life. He is still much admired for his relentless attacks on corruption and his shrewd criticism of politics. His thoughts on society, economy, and government were far ahead of his time and are still relevant today. His death in a plane crash near Barrow, Alaska in 1935 was mourned all over the world.

Read a brief bio

Online Exhibit: Will Rogers at Tulsa World