Tom Blasingame
Encyclopedia
Thomas Everett Blasingame, known as Tom Blasingame (February 12, 1898 - December 27, 1989), was a Texas
cowboy
for seventy-three years. At ninety-one, he was still on the job at the JA Ranch
south of Amarillo
. Two days after Christmas
in 1989, he dismounted his horse
, Ruidosa, stretched out on the grass
, folded his arms across his chest, and died. Blasingame received many honors for his longevity
and dedication to ranching.
Born in Waxahachie
, the seat of Ellis County
, south of Dallas
, Blasingame decided as a child that he would work on a ranch. In 1918, he headed to the Texas Panhandle
and was hired on the large JA spread, which had been jointly established in the Palo Duro Canyon
by John George Adair
(1823–1885) and Charles Goodnight
(1836–1929), probably the best-known of Texas ranchers throughout history
.
, Arizona
, and New Mexico
. Blasingame said that he moved about during the 1920s so that he could see the country. Working for different ranches was the only way a poor man could travel, he said. He described life on the ranch accordingly:
Blasingame here describes his experiences training horses:
Back at the JA, Blasingame lived on Campbell Creek in a camp house without electricity during the week and came to Claude
, the seat of Armstrong County
east of Amarillo and north of the ranch, on weekends to see his wife, the former Eleanor Aloe Morris (May 26, 1914 - October 3, 1999), the daughter of a neighboring rancher whom he married on November 2, 1933. At the time of her death, Eleanor was living in Boise, Idaho
, the city of residence of her son, Thomas White Blasingame (born ca. 1936), and her daughter, Nancy B. Etheridge (born ca. 1946). She hence outlived her husband by nearly a decade
. The Blasingames had four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Blasingame was not affiliated with a church but said that he had "read lots of books. Read the Bible
a lot. I believe what the Bible says, but I don't reckon I'm religious. Even if I was, I couldn't go to church because I've got too much work to do."
to Sweden
Teel Bivins
, an Amarillo Republican
, introduced a Senate resolution on March 1, 1990, which hails Blasingame's accomplishments. Bivins, whose family has long held ranching interests in the Texas Panhandle
, recalled that Blasingame personally taught Bivins as a youngster how to handle livestock
.
In 1989, Blasingame received the "Texas Trailblazer Award" at the annual Texas Ranch Roundup. It was noted that he had full days, often riding a hundred miles, and having returned to his camp house to prepare his evening meal. His only luxury was said to have been his transistor radio
, which he used to listen to Texas Rangers
baseball
. Blasingame also received the Western Heritage Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City
. In 1986, Governor
Mark Wells White
recognized Blasingame for his dedication to ranching.
"Tom Blasingame" is also the title of a western song with lyrics by Ian Tyson
. The composition refers to "eighty-five years in the saddle" because Blasingame began horseback riding at the age of six.
Blasingame's tenure at the JA Ranch partly corresponded with that of Clarence Hailey Long
, the inspiration of the original Marlboro Man
advertising campaign.
At Blasingame's funeral in the JA Cemetery
(where Eleanor would also be interred therefter), a tent was erected for friends and the media representatives who attended. No one had been buried in the old ranch cemetery for years, but Blasingame requested to be buried there. Cornelia Wadsworth Ritchie "Ninia" Bivins, the only child of owner and ranch manager Montgomery Harrison Wadsworth "Montie" Ritchie
and herself the JA heir, led an empty saddle procession to the cemetery, with cowboys following her. Mrs. Bivins saddled Blasingame's gray horse and turned his second best pair of boots backwards in the stirrup
s, much as the military does to honor its fallen comrades by demonstrating an "empty spot" difficult to fill.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
for seventy-three years. At ninety-one, he was still on the job at the JA Ranch
JA Ranch
The JA Ranch, jointly founded by John George Adair and Charles Goodnight, is the oldest privately owned cattle ranch in the Palo Duro Canyon section of the Texas Panhandle southeast of Amarillo. At its peak size in 1883, the JA, still run by descendants of the Adair family, encompassed some of...
south of Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
. Two days after Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
in 1989, he dismounted his horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
, Ruidosa, stretched out on the grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
, folded his arms across his chest, and died. Blasingame received many honors for his longevity
Longevity
The word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
and dedication to ranching.
Born in Waxahachie
Waxahachie, Texas
Waxahachie is a city in Ellis County, Texas, United States, and a southern suburb of Dallas. The population was 21,426 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ellis County....
, the seat of Ellis County
Ellis County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 111,360 people, 37,020 households, and 29,653 families residing in the county. The population density was 118 people per square mile . There were 39,071 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile...
, south of Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Blasingame decided as a child that he would work on a ranch. In 1918, he headed to the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
and was hired on the large JA spread, which had been jointly established in the Palo Duro Canyon
Palo Duro Canyon
Palo Duro Canyon is a canyon system of the Caprock Escarpment located in the Texas Panhandle near the city of Amarillo, Texas, United States. As the second largest canyon in the United States, it is roughly long and has an average width of , but reaches a width of at places. Its depth is around...
by John George Adair
John George Adair
John George Adair , sometimes known as Jack Adair, was a Scotch-Irish American businessman and landowner who provided the seed capital for the large JA Ranch in the Palo Duro Canyon of the Texas Panhandle, a region of Texas...
(1823–1885) and Charles Goodnight
Charles Goodnight
Charles Goodnight, also known as Charlie Goodnight , was a cattle rancher in the American West, perhaps the best known rancher in Texas. He is sometimes known as the "father of the Texas Panhandle." Essayist and historian J...
(1836–1929), probably the best-known of Texas ranchers throughout history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
.
Ranching experiences
Before he settled permanently at the JA, Blasingame worked for a time on ranches in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. Blasingame said that he moved about during the 1920s so that he could see the country. Working for different ranches was the only way a poor man could travel, he said. He described life on the ranch accordingly:
Blasingame here describes his experiences training horses:
Back at the JA, Blasingame lived on Campbell Creek in a camp house without electricity during the week and came to Claude
Claude, Texas
Claude is a city in Armstrong County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,313 at the 2000 census. Located east of Amarillo, Claude is the county seat of Armstrong County in the south Texas Panhandle...
, the seat of Armstrong County
Armstrong County, Texas
Armstrong County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas, and was formed in 1876 from Bexar County. It is part of the Amarillo metropolitan area. As of 2000, the population is 2,148. Its county seat is Claude. Armstrong is named for one of several Texas pioneer families named Armstrong...
east of Amarillo and north of the ranch, on weekends to see his wife, the former Eleanor Aloe Morris (May 26, 1914 - October 3, 1999), the daughter of a neighboring rancher whom he married on November 2, 1933. At the time of her death, Eleanor was living in Boise, Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
, the city of residence of her son, Thomas White Blasingame (born ca. 1936), and her daughter, Nancy B. Etheridge (born ca. 1946). She hence outlived her husband by nearly a decade
Decade
A decade is a period of 10 years. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek dekas which means ten. This etymology is sometime confused with the Latin decas and dies , which is not correct....
. The Blasingames had four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Blasingame was not affiliated with a church but said that he had "read lots of books. Read the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
a lot. I believe what the Bible says, but I don't reckon I'm religious. Even if I was, I couldn't go to church because I've got too much work to do."
Tributes to Blasingame
Former Texas State Senator and AmbassadorAmbassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Teel Bivins
Teel Bivins
Miles Teel Bivins served as United States ambassador to Sweden between 2004 and 2006. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 21, 2004, and sworn in at Washington D.C., on May 26. He presented his credentials to King Carl XVI Gustaf in Stockholm on June 9...
, an Amarillo Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, introduced a Senate resolution on March 1, 1990, which hails Blasingame's accomplishments. Bivins, whose family has long held ranching interests in the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
, recalled that Blasingame personally taught Bivins as a youngster how to handle livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
.
In 1989, Blasingame received the "Texas Trailblazer Award" at the annual Texas Ranch Roundup. It was noted that he had full days, often riding a hundred miles, and having returned to his camp house to prepare his evening meal. His only luxury was said to have been his transistor radio
Transistor radio
A transistor radio is a small portable radio receiver using transistor-based circuitry. Following their development in 1954 they became the most popular electronic communication device in history, with billions manufactured during the 1960s and 1970s...
, which he used to listen to Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. Blasingame also received the Western Heritage Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
. In 1986, Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Mark Wells White
Mark White
Mark Wells White is an American lawyer, who served as the 43rd Governor of Texas from January 18,1983-January 20,1987.-Biography:...
recognized Blasingame for his dedication to ranching.
"Tom Blasingame" is also the title of a western song with lyrics by Ian Tyson
Ian Tyson
Ian Tyson CM, AOE is a Canadian singer-songwriter, best known for his song "Four Strong Winds". He was also one half of the duo Ian & Sylvia.-Career:Tyson was born to British immigrants in Victoria in 1933, and grew up in Duncan B.C...
. The composition refers to "eighty-five years in the saddle" because Blasingame began horseback riding at the age of six.
Blasingame's tenure at the JA Ranch partly corresponded with that of Clarence Hailey Long
Clarence Hailey Long
Clarence Hailey Long, Jr., often known as C.H. Long , was the rugged Texas cowboy sensationalized as the original Marlboro Man. Long, then foreman of the JA Ranch, was catapulted to national attention in 1949, when LIFE magazine published a series of Leonard McCombe photographs on ranching in the...
, the inspiration of the original Marlboro Man
Marlboro Man
The Marlboro Man is a figure used in tobacco advertising campaign for Marlboro cigarettes. In the United States, where the campaign originated, it was used from 1954 to 1999. The Marlboro Man was first conceived by Leo Burnett in 1954. The image involves a rugged cowboy or cowboys, in nature with...
advertising campaign.
At Blasingame's funeral in the JA Cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
(where Eleanor would also be interred therefter), a tent was erected for friends and the media representatives who attended. No one had been buried in the old ranch cemetery for years, but Blasingame requested to be buried there. Cornelia Wadsworth Ritchie "Ninia" Bivins, the only child of owner and ranch manager Montgomery Harrison Wadsworth "Montie" Ritchie
Montie Ritchie
Montgomery Harrison Wadsworth Ritchie , known as Montie Ritchie, was a dual British subject and American citizen who became a leading cattle rancher and businessman in the Texas Panhandle during the 20th century. From 1935-1993, he was the manager of his family-owned JA Ranch southeast of Amarillo...
and herself the JA heir, led an empty saddle procession to the cemetery, with cowboys following her. Mrs. Bivins saddled Blasingame's gray horse and turned his second best pair of boots backwards in the stirrup
Stirrup
A stirrup is a light frame or ring that holds the foot of a rider, attached to the saddle by a strap, often called a stirrup leather. Stirrups are usually paired and are used to aid in mounting and as a support while using a riding animal...
s, much as the military does to honor its fallen comrades by demonstrating an "empty spot" difficult to fill.