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#11
The Tailgate / Re: Ok, I'm ready.
Last post by remrogers - Yesterday at 11:08:55 AMIt was 61 degrees here yesterday. Coldest it has been here this winter was 25 degrees. Normal precipitation for January is a bit over 5 inches and have only had around 2 inches. Also, our snow pack is in terrible shape. Cascades look like it is mid April and not the first of Feb.
#12
The Tailgate / Today in history 2-1
Last post by remrogers - Yesterday at 11:04:16 AM1913
Feb 1
Multi-sport star Jim Thorpe signs MLB contract with Giants
On February 1, 1913, 25-year-old multi-sport star Jim Thorpe—who won two gold medals at the 1912 Olympics—signs a Major League Baseball contract with the New York Giants. The signing comes on the same day Thorpe returns his Olympic medals to Sweden for a violation of amateur rules. Years earlier, he was paid to play minor league baseball.
"The peerless athlete, chaperoned by Glenn Warner, his guide, philosopher and friend, arrived early in the morning from Carlisle [Pennsylvania], and on the same day that his prizes as amateur athlete were being returned to Sweden affixed his name to the document which will give him a fat stipend as a ball player," The New York Sun reported.
"Pop" Warner coached Thorpe at Carlisle Indian Industrial School.
Thorpe didn't seem upset that he was forced to return his Olympic medals, The Sun reported.
Added the newspaper: "For a greater part of the day the offices of the New York club were filled with fans, rooters, bugs and nuts. Thorpe was the reason."
Warner, a legendary football coach, said the popular Thorpe wasn't a "freak attraction" for the Giants.
"I haven't any doubt that he will develop into a first class ball player," he told The Sun. "He has the ability, mental and physical. He'd rather have played baseball at Carlisle than gone to the track team and was always at me to let him play ball, but he was too valuable on the track team and so played baseball only occasionally."
In addition to competing in track, football and baseball, Thorpe was adept at basketball, boxing, lacrosse, swimming, hockey, handball and tennis. He even won an intercollegiate ballroom dancing championship.
In his first MLB season, Thorpe—an outfielder and pinch-hitter—played only 19 games, batting .143. He played six seasons in the big leagues, finishing his career with the Boston Braves in 1919. Thorpe's career batting average was .252.
Feb 1
Multi-sport star Jim Thorpe signs MLB contract with Giants
On February 1, 1913, 25-year-old multi-sport star Jim Thorpe—who won two gold medals at the 1912 Olympics—signs a Major League Baseball contract with the New York Giants. The signing comes on the same day Thorpe returns his Olympic medals to Sweden for a violation of amateur rules. Years earlier, he was paid to play minor league baseball.
"The peerless athlete, chaperoned by Glenn Warner, his guide, philosopher and friend, arrived early in the morning from Carlisle [Pennsylvania], and on the same day that his prizes as amateur athlete were being returned to Sweden affixed his name to the document which will give him a fat stipend as a ball player," The New York Sun reported.
"Pop" Warner coached Thorpe at Carlisle Indian Industrial School.
Thorpe didn't seem upset that he was forced to return his Olympic medals, The Sun reported.
Added the newspaper: "For a greater part of the day the offices of the New York club were filled with fans, rooters, bugs and nuts. Thorpe was the reason."
Warner, a legendary football coach, said the popular Thorpe wasn't a "freak attraction" for the Giants.
"I haven't any doubt that he will develop into a first class ball player," he told The Sun. "He has the ability, mental and physical. He'd rather have played baseball at Carlisle than gone to the track team and was always at me to let him play ball, but he was too valuable on the track team and so played baseball only occasionally."
In addition to competing in track, football and baseball, Thorpe was adept at basketball, boxing, lacrosse, swimming, hockey, handball and tennis. He even won an intercollegiate ballroom dancing championship.
In his first MLB season, Thorpe—an outfielder and pinch-hitter—played only 19 games, batting .143. He played six seasons in the big leagues, finishing his career with the Boston Braves in 1919. Thorpe's career batting average was .252.
#13
The Tailgate / Re: Ok, I'm ready.
Last post by nastygunz - Yesterday at 10:39:32 AMP.S. Good luck with your furnace Jimbo.
#14
The Tailgate / Re: Ok, I'm ready.
Last post by nastygunz - Yesterday at 10:37:59 AMIm 100% ready for this winter to be over 
My fishing poles are covered in dust, my Fords covered in rust and my fuel bills about to bust!.
My fishing poles are covered in dust, my Fords covered in rust and my fuel bills about to bust!.
#16
The Tailgate / Re: Ok, I'm ready.
Last post by Hawks Feather - Yesterday at 09:22:00 AMThat does not sound good at all. Hopefully you will be able to get it (and yourself) fixed up real soon.
#17
The Tailgate / Ok, I'm ready.
Last post by FinsnFur - January 31, 2026, 05:41:03 PMIs it too early to be ready for Spring?
Been 20 below zero nights here, average the last week.
Everyone at work, now including me, is sick with some kind of head chest coughing mess.
And nowwwww...I come home from work Friday to a cold house. Went to check the furnace which is in the cellar, accessible from one of those 1912 outside ramp looking hatch entrances. And opened the door to a floor covered in water. Shined the flashed in there and looked at my cold lonely furnace setting there with a foot of water up around the bottom of it.
So, yah I'm ready
Been 20 below zero nights here, average the last week.
Everyone at work, now including me, is sick with some kind of head chest coughing mess.
And nowwwww...I come home from work Friday to a cold house. Went to check the furnace which is in the cellar, accessible from one of those 1912 outside ramp looking hatch entrances. And opened the door to a floor covered in water. Shined the flashed in there and looked at my cold lonely furnace setting there with a foot of water up around the bottom of it.
So, yah I'm ready
#18
The Tailgate / Today in history 1-31
Last post by remrogers - January 31, 2026, 11:48:21 AM1917
Jan 31
Germans unleash U-boats
On January 31, 1917, Germany announces the renewal of unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic as German torpedo-armed submarines prepare to attack any and all ships, including civilian passenger carriers, said to be sighted in war-zone waters.
When World War I erupted in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson pledged neutrality for the United States, a position that the vast majority of Americans favored. Britain, however, was one of America's closest trading partners and tension soon arose between the United States and Germany over the latter's attempted blockade of the British isles. Several U.S. ships traveling to Britain were damaged or sunk by German mines and, in February 1915, Germany announced unrestricted warfare against all ships, neutral or otherwise, that entered the war zone around Britain. One month later, Germany announced that a German cruiser had sunk the William P. Frye, a private American merchant vessel that was transporting grain to England when it disappeared. President Wilson was outraged, but the German government apologized, calling the attack an unfortunate mistake.
The Germans' most formidable naval weapon was the U-boat, a submarine far more sophisticated than those built by other nations at the time. The typical U-boat was 214 feet long, carried 35 men and 12 torpedoes, and could travel underwater for two hours at a time. In the first few years of World War I, the U-boats took a terrible toll on Allied shipping.
In early May 1915, several New York newspapers published a warning by the German embassy in Washington that Americans traveling on British or Allied ships in war zones did so at their own risk. The announcement was placed on the same page as an advertisement for the imminent sailing of the British-owned Lusitania ocean liner from New York to Liverpool. On May 7, the Lusitania was torpedoed without warning just off the coast of Ireland. Of the 1,959 passengers, 1,198 were killed, including 128 Americans.
The German government maintained that the Lusitania was carrying munitions, but the U.S. demanded reparations and an end to German attacks on unarmed passenger and merchant ships. In August 1915, Germany pledged to see to the safety of passengers before sinking unarmed vessels, but in November sank an Italian liner without warning, killing 272 people, including 27 Americans. Public opinion in the United States began to turn irrevocably against Germany.
At the end of January 1917, Germany, determined to win its war of attrition against the Allies, announced the resumption of unrestricted warfare. Three days later, the United States broke off diplomatic relations with Germany; just hours after that, the American liner Housatonic was sunk by a German U-boat. None of the 25 Americans on board were killed and they were picked up later by a British steamer.
On February 22, Congress passed a $250 million arms-appropriations bill intended to ready the United States for war. Two days later, British authorities gave the U.S. ambassador to Britain a copy of what has become known as the "Zimmermann Note," a coded message from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann to Count Johann von Bernstorff, the German ambassador to Mexico. In the telegram, intercepted and deciphered by British intelligence, Zimmermann stated that, in the event of war with the United States, Mexico should be asked to enter the conflict as a German ally. In return, Germany would promise to restore to Mexico the lost territories of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. On March 1, the U.S. State Department published the note and America was galvanized against Germany once and for all.
Jan 31
Germans unleash U-boats
On January 31, 1917, Germany announces the renewal of unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic as German torpedo-armed submarines prepare to attack any and all ships, including civilian passenger carriers, said to be sighted in war-zone waters.
When World War I erupted in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson pledged neutrality for the United States, a position that the vast majority of Americans favored. Britain, however, was one of America's closest trading partners and tension soon arose between the United States and Germany over the latter's attempted blockade of the British isles. Several U.S. ships traveling to Britain were damaged or sunk by German mines and, in February 1915, Germany announced unrestricted warfare against all ships, neutral or otherwise, that entered the war zone around Britain. One month later, Germany announced that a German cruiser had sunk the William P. Frye, a private American merchant vessel that was transporting grain to England when it disappeared. President Wilson was outraged, but the German government apologized, calling the attack an unfortunate mistake.
The Germans' most formidable naval weapon was the U-boat, a submarine far more sophisticated than those built by other nations at the time. The typical U-boat was 214 feet long, carried 35 men and 12 torpedoes, and could travel underwater for two hours at a time. In the first few years of World War I, the U-boats took a terrible toll on Allied shipping.
In early May 1915, several New York newspapers published a warning by the German embassy in Washington that Americans traveling on British or Allied ships in war zones did so at their own risk. The announcement was placed on the same page as an advertisement for the imminent sailing of the British-owned Lusitania ocean liner from New York to Liverpool. On May 7, the Lusitania was torpedoed without warning just off the coast of Ireland. Of the 1,959 passengers, 1,198 were killed, including 128 Americans.
The German government maintained that the Lusitania was carrying munitions, but the U.S. demanded reparations and an end to German attacks on unarmed passenger and merchant ships. In August 1915, Germany pledged to see to the safety of passengers before sinking unarmed vessels, but in November sank an Italian liner without warning, killing 272 people, including 27 Americans. Public opinion in the United States began to turn irrevocably against Germany.
At the end of January 1917, Germany, determined to win its war of attrition against the Allies, announced the resumption of unrestricted warfare. Three days later, the United States broke off diplomatic relations with Germany; just hours after that, the American liner Housatonic was sunk by a German U-boat. None of the 25 Americans on board were killed and they were picked up later by a British steamer.
On February 22, Congress passed a $250 million arms-appropriations bill intended to ready the United States for war. Two days later, British authorities gave the U.S. ambassador to Britain a copy of what has become known as the "Zimmermann Note," a coded message from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann to Count Johann von Bernstorff, the German ambassador to Mexico. In the telegram, intercepted and deciphered by British intelligence, Zimmermann stated that, in the event of war with the United States, Mexico should be asked to enter the conflict as a German ally. In return, Germany would promise to restore to Mexico the lost territories of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. On March 1, the U.S. State Department published the note and America was galvanized against Germany once and for all.
#19
The Tailgate / Today in history 1-30
Last post by remrogers - January 30, 2026, 11:41:51 AM1933
Jan 30
"The Lone Ranger" debuts on Detroit radio
With the stirring notes of the William Tell Overture and a shout of "Hi-yo, Silver! Away!" The Lone Ranger debuts on Detroit's WXYZ radio station.
The creation of station-owner George Trendle and writer Fran Striker, the "masked rider of the plains" became one of the most popular and enduring western heroes of the 20th century. Joined by his trusty steed, Silver, and Native American scout, Tonto, the Lone Ranger battled western outlaws and Native Americans.
Neither Trendle nor Striker had any connections to or experience with the cowboys, Native Americans and pioneers of the real West, but that mattered little to them. The men simply wanted to create an American version of the masked swashbuckler made popular by the silent movie actor Douglas Fairbanks in The Mark of Zorro, arming their hero with a revolver rather than a sword. Historical authenticity was far less important to the men than fidelity to the strict code of conduct they established for their character. The Lone Ranger never smoked, swore, or drank alcohol; he used grammatically correct speech free of slang; and, most important, he never shot to kill. More offensive to modern historical and ethnic sensibilities was the scout Tonto, who spoke in a comical Native American patois totally unrelated to any authentic Indigenous dialect.
Historical accuracy notwithstanding, the radio program was an instant hit. Children liked the steady stream of action and parents approved of the good moral example offered by the upstanding masked man. Soon picked up for national broadcast over the Mutual Radio Network, over 20 million Americans were tuning into The Lone Ranger three times a week by 1939. In an early example of the power of marketing tie-ins, the producers also licensed the manufacture of a vast array of related products, including Lone Ranger guns, costumes, books and a popular comic strip.
The Lone Ranger made a seemingly effortless transition from radio to motion pictures and television. The televised version of The Lone Ranger, starring Clayton Moore as the masked man, became ABC's first big hit in the early 1950s. Remaining on the air until 1957, the program helped define the golden age of the TV Western and inspired dozens of imitators like The Range Rider, The Roy Rogers Show and The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok.
Jan 30
"The Lone Ranger" debuts on Detroit radio
With the stirring notes of the William Tell Overture and a shout of "Hi-yo, Silver! Away!" The Lone Ranger debuts on Detroit's WXYZ radio station.
The creation of station-owner George Trendle and writer Fran Striker, the "masked rider of the plains" became one of the most popular and enduring western heroes of the 20th century. Joined by his trusty steed, Silver, and Native American scout, Tonto, the Lone Ranger battled western outlaws and Native Americans.
Neither Trendle nor Striker had any connections to or experience with the cowboys, Native Americans and pioneers of the real West, but that mattered little to them. The men simply wanted to create an American version of the masked swashbuckler made popular by the silent movie actor Douglas Fairbanks in The Mark of Zorro, arming their hero with a revolver rather than a sword. Historical authenticity was far less important to the men than fidelity to the strict code of conduct they established for their character. The Lone Ranger never smoked, swore, or drank alcohol; he used grammatically correct speech free of slang; and, most important, he never shot to kill. More offensive to modern historical and ethnic sensibilities was the scout Tonto, who spoke in a comical Native American patois totally unrelated to any authentic Indigenous dialect.
Historical accuracy notwithstanding, the radio program was an instant hit. Children liked the steady stream of action and parents approved of the good moral example offered by the upstanding masked man. Soon picked up for national broadcast over the Mutual Radio Network, over 20 million Americans were tuning into The Lone Ranger three times a week by 1939. In an early example of the power of marketing tie-ins, the producers also licensed the manufacture of a vast array of related products, including Lone Ranger guns, costumes, books and a popular comic strip.
The Lone Ranger made a seemingly effortless transition from radio to motion pictures and television. The televised version of The Lone Ranger, starring Clayton Moore as the masked man, became ABC's first big hit in the early 1950s. Remaining on the air until 1957, the program helped define the golden age of the TV Western and inspired dozens of imitators like The Range Rider, The Roy Rogers Show and The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok.
#20
The Tailgate / Today in history 1-29
Last post by remrogers - January 29, 2026, 11:49:12 AM1861
Jan 29
Kansas enters the Union
On January 29, 1861, Kansas is admitted to the Union as free state. It was the 34th state to join the Union. The struggle between pro- and anti-slave forces in Kansas was a major factor in the eruption of the Civil War.
In 1854, Kansas and Nebraska were organized as territories with popular sovereignty (popular vote) to decide the issue of slavery. There was really no debate over the issue in Nebraska, as the territory was filled with settlers from the Midwest, where there was no slavery. In Kansas, the situation was much different. Although most of the settlers were anti-slave or abolitionists, there were many pro-slavery Missourians lurking just over the border. When residents in the territory voted on the issue, many fraudulent votes were cast from Missouri. This triggered the massive violence that earned the area the name "Bleeding Kansas." Both sides committed atrocities, and the fighting over the issue of slavery was a preview of the Civil War.
Kansas remained one of the most important political questions throughout the 1850s. Each side drafted constitutions, but the anti-slavery faction eventually gained the upper hand. Kansas entered the Union as a free state; however, the conflict over slavery in the state continued into the Civil War. Kansas was the scene of some of the most brutal acts of violence during the war. One extreme example was the sacking of Lawrence in 1863, when pro-slavery forces murdered nearly 200 men and burned the anti-slavery town.
Jan 29
Kansas enters the Union
On January 29, 1861, Kansas is admitted to the Union as free state. It was the 34th state to join the Union. The struggle between pro- and anti-slave forces in Kansas was a major factor in the eruption of the Civil War.
In 1854, Kansas and Nebraska were organized as territories with popular sovereignty (popular vote) to decide the issue of slavery. There was really no debate over the issue in Nebraska, as the territory was filled with settlers from the Midwest, where there was no slavery. In Kansas, the situation was much different. Although most of the settlers were anti-slave or abolitionists, there were many pro-slavery Missourians lurking just over the border. When residents in the territory voted on the issue, many fraudulent votes were cast from Missouri. This triggered the massive violence that earned the area the name "Bleeding Kansas." Both sides committed atrocities, and the fighting over the issue of slavery was a preview of the Civil War.
Kansas remained one of the most important political questions throughout the 1850s. Each side drafted constitutions, but the anti-slavery faction eventually gained the upper hand. Kansas entered the Union as a free state; however, the conflict over slavery in the state continued into the Civil War. Kansas was the scene of some of the most brutal acts of violence during the war. One extreme example was the sacking of Lawrence in 1863, when pro-slavery forces murdered nearly 200 men and burned the anti-slavery town.