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| Nat 'Deadwood Dick' Love |
In my review
of Nat Love’s autobiography,
The Life and Adventures of Nat Love, I
mention a section of the book in which Nat Love (a former slave, cowboy and
Pullman porter) urges his fellow Americans to “see America”. It is such an
exciting piece of inspired writing that I thought it worth quoting in full on
this blog.
It has always seemed strange to me that so many Americans
rush off to Europe and foreign countries every year in search of health and
pleasure, or to climb the Alps in Switzerland, and to view the scenery of the
old world, when our own North America, the new world, offers so many better
opportunities to study Dame Nature in all her phases, and I always say to the
traveling American, "See America." How many of you have done so? Only
those who have seen this grand country of ours can justly appreciate the
grandeur of our mountains and rivers, valley and plain, canyon and gorge, lakes
and springs, cities and towns, the grand evidences of God's handiwork scattered
all over this fair land over which waves the stars and stripes.
Go to New York and view the tall buildings, the Brooklyn
bridge, the subway, study the works of art to be found there, both in statuary
and painting, ponder on the vast volume of commerce carried on with the outside
world. Note the many different styles of architecture displayed in the palace
of the millionaire and the house of the humble tradesman, view the magnificent
Hudson river and the country homes along its grassy, tree-lined shores, note
the ships from every clime riding at anchor in the East river. Then speculate
on the changes that have been wrought in the course of the short time since
Manhattan Island was purchased from the Indians by Pete Minuts [sic] for
a few blankets and beads amounting in value to $24.00. Then board the
Pennsylvania Limited, whose trains are the acme of modern railroading and go to
Washington, the nation's capital city. Walk along Pennsylvania avenue and note
its beauty. Visit the capitol and let your chest swell out with pride that you
are an American.
Visit the tomb of General Grant and the thousand and one
magnificent statues scattered throughout the city. Visit Annapolis and West
Point, where the leaders of the nation's navy and army are trained. Walk over
the battlefields of Fredricksburg, Gettysburg and Lexington, and let your mind
speculate on the events that made modern history.
Note the majestic Potomac and the Washington monument.
Take a short trip north and see the great Niagara Falls, listen to what they
tell you in their mighty roaring voice. Go to Pittsburgh where the great steel
works are located, and see how the steel pen and the steel cannon are made. Go
to Chicago, that western hive of commerce. See the Great Lakes, or better still
take a cruise on them. Note the great lumber industry of Michigan, and the
traffic of the lakes. Go to Kansas City and Omaha and see the transformation of
the Texas steer into the corned beef you ate at your last picnic, or was it
chipped beef? See the immense stock yards with their thousands of cattle, hogs
and sheep, and think of the thousands of people that they feed.
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| The proud Pullman porter |
Cross the Missouri river and enter on the plains of the
great and recently unknown west. Think of the pioneer who in 1849 traversed
these once barren stretches of prairie, walking beside his slow-moving ox team,
seeking the promised land, breaking a trail for the generations that were to
come after him as you are coming now in a Pullman car. Think of the dangers
that beset him on every hand, then wonder at the nerve he had, then again let
your chest swell with pride that you are an American, sprung from the same
stock that men were composed of in those days.
Note the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains as they rise
from the plains, their peaks snow-capped, glistening in clear blue sky, breathe
the pure essence of life, drink of the crystal streams twinkling down their
sides, then scorn the wine made by man. Listen to the salute of the bells and
the whistles as the trains approach and pass that strange monument of nature's
handiwork, the Mount of the Holy Cross.
Go to the Yellowstone National Park and revel in the
wonders thereof, walk in the garden of the Gods and listen to the voice of the
Giant Geyser as it sends forth its torrents of boiling water. Bathe in the
life-giving springs and mud baths. Note the fantastic forms of the rocks and trees,
carved by the hand of nature, then go to Colorado Springs and climb Pikes Peak
and behold the world stretch out before you in valley, mountain and plain.
Visit the mines of Leadville and Cripple Creek, the store houses of a part of
the nation's wealth.
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| Nat Love and family |
Visit Denver and see the strides made in the improvement
of the west in a short time. Board the Denver & Rio Grande train and note
the magnificent scenery of mountain, canyons, gorges and the beautiful mountain
lakes and streams, note the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, the royal gorge. Now
note the great white expanse of the great Salt Lake, as it lies glistening in
the rays of the setting sun, and think of the stories you have heard of it
until the conductor brings you back to earth with the cry of "Ogden."
Note this bustling railroad center in the heart of the
Rocky Mountains, and acknowledge our country's greatness. Visit Salt Lake City,
the "City of Zion," the Canaan of the new world. See the beautiful
city nestling within the protection of the Warsatch and Oquirrh range of
mountains. Walk its wide tree-lined streets, visit the tabernacle and hear the
sweet strains of the world's greatest organs. See the Mormon temple. Visit
Saltair and sport in the waves of the briny sea. Board the San Pedro, Los Angeles
and Salt Lake westbound train and cross the end of this same lake, one of
nature's wonders.
Cross the desert of Nevada, which was only a short time
ago a desert waste, on and on until you smell the orange blossoms of sunny
California, and the train emerges from the mountains and brings into view the
grand Pacific Ocean. See the big trees of California, the seals and the scenery
of the Yosemite Valley. Visit the orange groves and the vineyards, and partake
of the orange and the grape.
Visit Catalina Island in the Pacific Ocean, and try a
couple of hours fishing in its waters. Then take the Southern Pacific and
return to New York by way of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, New Orleans, Florida
and other southern states. Then again let your chest swell with pride that you
are an American.
I think you will agree with me that this grand country of
ours is the peer of any in the world, and that volumes cannot begin to tell of
the wonders of it. Then after taking such a trip you will say with me,
"See America." I have seen a large part of America, and am still
seeing it, but the life of a hundred years would be all too short to see our
country.
Quoted from: The Life and Adventures of Nat Love, better known
in the cattle country as "Deadwood
Dick" — by himself. A true history of slavery days, life on the great
cattle ranges and on the plains of the "wild and woolly" west, based
on facts, and personal experiences of the author.
-o0o-
Whew! Now there was a man who, despite being born into
slavery, was able to carve out for himself and his family, a place in
post-Civil War America, and who did so on his own terms – growing to love and
embrace the United States.
If you are looking for something to download onto your
computer, smart phone, Kindle, iPad or whatever your preferred electronic
reading device may be, I highly recommend The Life and Adventures of Nat
Love.
-o0o-
