Nimrod Notions: Howdy buckaroos!
By: Linda Schylaske The Citizen-Standard Staff - 8/22/07

Howdy buckaroos! This week I’m gonna tell ya all a tale about going back in time to the mid-80’s, the mid 1880’s that is.

Dale and I traveled to our old stompin grounds in West Virginia the first weekend of August for the fifth annual Frontier Weekend at Timberline Four Seasons Resort.

The resort and the Saddle Tramps Old Western Heritage Club sponsored the event as a salute to the pioneering spirit that still exists in some areas of the country, including or should I say especially West Virginia.

Dr. Frederick Reichle, owner of Timberline Resort, welcomed visitors to the resort to enjoy a real cow camp with a completely restored covered wagon, a live shoot out on horseback and great old western music.

We packed some of our SASS (Single Action Shooting Society) stuff to wear to the festival as guests were encouraged to dress in mid-80’s mode.

After arriving in Davis, we unpacked and headed to the festival. When we left home in Tower City the temperature was oppressive, but up in the mountains the weather was beautiful, lower temps with little humidity.

We stashed our belongings in the cabin, and made our way down to Timberline to check the lay of the land. The first person we met at the festival was Dick ‘Bearclaw’ Pennington’ a retired park ranger who resides in nearby Dry Fork, WV. Bearclaw is one of the members of the Saddle Tramps, and when we met him he was wrangling the horses that appeared at the event.

Of course, Dale and I questioned him about the festival - what could we expect, what was going to happen, who would participate in the shoot out - and Bear Claw very patiently answered all our questions.

Then we got to meet some of the members of the Saddle Tramps, Willis, Joe, Wyatt, Ellie and others who were all dressed in authentic clothing and sported firearms from the period. All except Ellie, who I think is part blue-tick hound and part Australian shepherd. She was wearing a red collar attached to a length of rope and posed fetchingly for photos - sometimes balancing on a horse’s back and sometimes on her man Willis’ back.

Members of the Saddle Tramps are from West Virginia and Monongahela, Pennsylvania. The musical part of the Saddle Tramps are brothers Willis and Joe Gottselig, and Bill Bennett who has been part of the WWVA Jamboree for over 50 years. The Saddle Tramps were joined by other musicians including Doc Reichle and Roy Scott, another member of the Jamboree. On some George Straight songs, 10-year-old Wyatt Gottselig joined in on vocals.

The group plays at events that pay tribute to the American pioneer spirit. The music is a mixture of old western songs more suited to singing around a campfire and contemporary country and western music. The musicians can play anything from Hopalong Cassidy’s theme song to Willie, Waylon and Hank Jr. songs.

Dale and I soaked up the atmosphere on Friday until 1 a.m. when we had to excuse ourselves and make our way back to the cabin. The next morning we had an early wake up call to head to the stables for a long-awaited trail ride through the cool, green forest of the mountains. (More on that another week.)

After the trail ride Saturday, we returned to the festival and reveled in the entertainment once again. The weekend turned out to be fun, educational and entertaining for us and we met some really nice people. It proved to be a great weekend for kids, adults and pets alike and the best part of the festival is that it’s free. For that fact alone, we thought we had really gone back in time to the mid-1800’s.

I’ll close now with memories of my childhood heroes Roy, Gene, Gabby, Hoppy, Bullet and Trigger floating in my head, along with new visions of the Timberline Frontier Weekend. So long, Buckaroos and happy trails till we meet again.

(Frontier Weekend is held the first weekend of August at Timberline Four Seasons Resort, Davis WV.)