English Recordings

The cowboys

The cowboy is a famous figure of the Wild West with the outlaw (like Billy the Kid) or the bison hunter (like Buffalo Bill). At that time, his work included riding around the ranch and taking care of the cattle. He also had to drive the cows for several days to cow towns and the nearest railway stations to sell them. Before leaving, the cowboys used to organize roundups: they brought together the scattered cattle, sorted, roped and marked the young calves.
The 'Stetson' hat and blue jeans are also associated with cowboys. During the Gold Rush, American gold miners and western emigrants wanted clothes which were strong and did not tear easily. Levi Strauss who was a merchant of German origin, started a business supplying denim trousers. The word "denim" was said to come from the name of a French material from the city of Nimes. According to many people the word "jeans" came from "bleu de Gênes".

COMMUNICATIONS

In the Wild West, mail was delivered by stagecoach. But it took a long time. So, in 1880, the Pony Express, a relay of horse riders from Missouri to California, was founded and reduced the delivery to eight days. William Cody and Calamity Jane, two famous figures of the Old West, worked for the Pony Express. However this service only lasted one year: it was replaced by the telegraph system.

Eight years later the eastern and western railways were joined and the transcontinental line was completed. Railroads had a profound social effect as more and more women and children migrated, developing a real family life out west.

The Gold rush

During the first half of the 19th century, explorers like Lewis and Clark and a lot of pioneers opened the way west to discover new territories or have a better life.

In 1848 gold was discovered in California. From then on, thousands of "Forty-Niners" (year 1849) rushed west, hoping to get rich and boosting the population from about 14,000 to over 200,000 in 1852. But prospecting for gold was very hard and a matter of chance.

The effects of the Gold Rush were significant. Roads, churches, schools and other towns were built throughout California. The "Golden State" even became California's nickname

However, the Gold Rush also had negative effects: Native Americans who were attacked and pushed off traditional lands responded by attacking the miners.

I remember we all had to go to this Careers Advisors in our last year at school and I think she got really confused when she saw me because I just had no idea. I liked the sound of a lot of jobs and I couldn't make up my mind. When the time came to tell our teachers what we were going to apply for, I though, 'Well what "does" matter to me is being separate from my friends' so I went round to see one of them - the most important I suppose, and anyway she had chosen nursing, so that was it really - a difficult decision made easy, althought I must say, I've never regretted it.

From nearby Liberty, Missouri, in early April 1846, about fifty families prepared to make the journey to the far away Oregon Territory. I was then ten years old.

After we left Missouri, we went through a wildemess and over a trackless plain. And the journey became harder and harder.

Of those long weary months I cannot clearly tell.

THE OREGON TRAIL

I know it was April when we started and October when we reached Salem in Oregon. Sometimes we stopped several days in camp where we found a lot of water and good grazing. Then there were days we toiled over the arid plains till far into the night to reach the life-giving water that was a necessity to us and to our trains. The children of the company walked many many miles... sometimes I think I walked half of the way to Oregon!

But after all, we had but few difficulties compared with some of the emigrant trains. Some years you know, cholera wiped our entire families and trains were raided by Indians. Yes, we were very lucky.

The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri River and other rivers to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean for the purpose of trade. You should make detailed notes throughout your journey, and make several copies of the notes. Choose the most trustworthy individuals to care for them. Moke careful observations of latitude and longitude at all points on the river, especially at the mouths of rivers and other important places. We want to make new maps of the area. Plan to meet the Indian tribes and to begin trade with them. We want to know many things about the people you meet, including their tribe names, how many people are in each tribe, their languages and traditions, their occupations, any diseases they have and remedies they use, and the things they might need or offer in trade. Be sure to treat the natives in the friendliest manner that you are able. You should also notice and record information about new plants and animal that you observe and the minerals you find. Also record what the climate and landscape are. Return the way you came and confirm the observations that you made on the way out.

In the 1860s, American settlers decided they needed more land. Many treaties were signed with the Navajo but as they weren't respected, raids were organized and atrocities were committed by both the army and the Navajo.

A campaign against the Navajo was launched in 1863. They were attacked in Canyon de Chelly, their hogans were burnt. Their sheep and cattle were slaughtered, and about two million pounds of corn burnt. Families attempted to hide in caves in the canyon walls, but were hunted and put under armed guard. After many months of imprisonment, about 8,000 men, women and children were forced to make a 300-mile march, remembered as "the Long Walk", across New Mexico to a dry desolate strip of land known as Bosque Redondo. Without their land and their corn, the people were in a state of desperation, made worse by disease and starvation. They were wasting away. During their imprisonment, the Navajo lost about 25% of their people.

LIFE ON THE PRAIRIES

In the winter, Native Americans lived in the safety of their village homes but in the summer, they chased buffalo herds across the prairies of the Great Plains of North America.

They were very respectful of the environ ment: buffaloes were hunted not only for their meat, but also for their hides or skins, for their hair, their horns, etc. Some historians estimate that over 70 different items were made from the buffalo.

THE BIG MASSACRE

Until the early 1800s, there were about 60 million buffaloes roaming the vast Great Plains area of North America: they were the lords of the prairies. The inhabitants of the great plains depended on the buffaloes for everything but they seldom killed more buffaloes than they needed to survive and they used every part of the buffaloes they killed.

By 1885, there were only 500 buffaloes left. It was the arrival of large numbers of white settlers that nearly caused their extinction. At first the buffaloes were killed for their meat and hides. But afterwards they were shot down "for fun". Later still, the buffaloes were slaughtered to get rid of the Indians. The government believed that if all the buffaloes were killed then all the Indians would die because they would have nothing to eat, and so the massacre continued.

Today the numbers have increased to about 300,000 and the buffaloes are no longer in danger of becoming extinct.

Pocahontas was born in 1595 in what today is known as the state of Virginia, USA. She was an Indian princess. Her father was a powerful and important chief of the Algonquian Indians and his name was Powhatan. Her real name was Matoaka but her nickname was Pocahontas which means playful little girl.

She was about 12 years old when she first saw white men. Together with her tribe, Pocahontas watched the colonists build a fort and search for food.
She was interested in meeting the white men and she learned some English words. She traded with the colonists and brought messages from her father.

The colonists treated the Algonquian Indians badly. Then the Indians stopped helping the white men. Winter came and the colonists did not have enough food and were dying. Pocahontas helped them by bringing food to them.

A colonist called John Smith was captured by the Indians. He was brought to chief Powhatan who decided that Smith had to be killed. Pocahontas saved the colonist’s life by putting herself between John Smith and the Indians who were going to kill him.
Pocahontas was kidnapped by some white men in 1614. While being captive she converted to Christianity, was baptized Rebecca and got married to John Rolfe who was a colonist. They had a son called Thomas.

Because of this marriage there were several years of peace between the Indians and the colonists.
Pocahontas, her husband John Rolfe and their son Thomas sailed to England in 1616. The family traveled around England to help raise money to the Virginia colony. In England people were excited to meet a real Indian princess and she was treated very well. She even visited King James and Queen Anne.

She was called “Lady Rebecca”. Unfortunately, she got very sick. She had contracted small pox. She died in March 1617 at the age of twenty-one and was buried in Gravesend, England.

How do you sum up Charlotte? I remember her at the beginning of my Highgate life when I was sitting next to her in maths and she wrote on Tinkerbelle paper, I didn't imagine I would somehow end up being good friends with her a few months later... We were antitheses of each other, still are, but we've grown close and "acclimatised" to each other. Her joyful nature and incredibly lively character always make people smile. She is always kind and caring and will make you laugh when you're down, even if it is with a completely outrageous comment... QUIET is not an adjective Charlotte will ever be associated with. I assure you that you'll know when she is in the room.

There is rarely a day when she arrives in school without a story about something dramatic that's happened to her or a strange dream to share. The phrase "you'll never guess what happened to me" springs to mind and honestly, you would never guess. Her dedication and passion for performing arts and drama is evident, she pirouettes in any space big enough and she will get involved in every play possible, no matter how much she is already doing. One thing I will never do is get into a car with her. unless I was driving. I would prefer to stay alive... Overall, it's very hard to think of a single word to fit her so she is therefore, indescribable.