Memory Lane
. . . The Wild Wild West, a time of
days gone by . . .
Or . . .
. . Have they?
~
Welcome to ~
"There
was a trouble brewing in them thar hills " .
. .
.
. . while a small gang of old cowboys
were hiding out in Central Oregon,
minding their own business, when
they were suddenly approached by
a wily and unusual old cuss that
went by the name of Dr. Holm Neumann
aka "Doc Sawbones" SASS
# 181 (now that's a low number!)
Doc had taken a liking to a sport
called Cowboy Action Shootin in it's
pioneer days, but now he was after
some
"local" shootin companions.
Doc did his damndest for weeks to wrangle
them in. Finally, he roped in Jerry
and then Don Emerson, Mike Walsh and
Rick Burton soon followed. God only
knows what possessed these men to go
over the mountain to that Albany club
that weekend and see what all the ruckus
was about . . . in something called
"Cowboy Action Shootin"?
Never did they realize they would be
cast under a spell they would never
escape from, cause when these ole cowpokes
returned, they were a done deal! They
had been caught, hook, line and sinker,
as they had "become" - Cowboy
Action Shooters - for life!
.
. . . and so goes the story told around
the campfires of the earliest days
of a shooting club in Central Oregon,
better known today as the HorseRidge
Pistoleros. Everyone has their own
reason why they are so drawn to this
sport. For some, it's the love of the
Old West, for others, it's the reminiscing
of childhood fantasies as they watched
their favorite cowboy action star in
early television or movies. But
who, from time to time, does not wish
for a simpler time?
Still,
for many of our younger members, it's
the thrill of competition! Whatever
the draw is, as those cowpokes soon
realized, once your hooked, it's nearly
impossible to break its spell.
But
wait, that's only the beginning. Here
goes the rest of the tale . .
Next
came guns, costumes, and SASS aliases.
Guns came easy, as Koch quickly inventoried
them at his local gun store, through
finds at gun shows, dealers and shoots.
Costumes:
Dressing
the part of the 1860's period is a
SASS requirement and very important
to these shooters, but back then, rather
difficult to assemble. Once you did
your homework in researching your alias
and "look", you didn't just
go shopping, as we do now. One had
to be imaginative with what they had
in their closet or became more than
excited with a great find at a local
thrift shop. (Will we ever forget the "red
sash"
days or Big Mama's feathers?) But through
their creativity, many of our members
have since won several costume contests
at shooting and gun show events. (later,
family members that were not shooters
found a niche in one of the several
venues by either "dressing the
era" at club events, becoming
a member and obtaining an alias, or
simply helping out with club functions.)
Aliases:
Jerry
Koch became Texas
Jack Morales, Don Emerson
became Big
Casino, Mike Walsh became Poke and
Rick Burton became Stoney
Lonesome, although
Rick has changed his alias a few times
since.
These
cowboy shooters attracted a few more
local shooters wanting to "live
the old west", and continued to
attend matches throughout the State
of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California,
and at major SASS matches throughout
the country. For the first couple of
years these cowboys and soon, cowgirls,
were simply having fun, honing their
skills, and making a name for themselves
throughout SASS. They were winning
categories, coming home with ribbons
and awards, and letting other SASS
Cowboys know that they were a band
of pistoleros not to be reckoned with.
Still, they were a club without a name
or a home of their own.
Then,
through the support of another member
of their gang, Tumbleweed
Thom, they laid out plans
for the formation of a local club.
Tumbleweed Thom has been very instrumental
in "starting" cowboy action
shooting in the Northwest and founded
the Tri- County Gun Club in Sherwood,
Oregon.
It's
OFFICIAL! . . .
March
1, 1995, this
gang of cowboy action shooters Officially
formed the"Horse
Ridge Pistoleros". Membership
rules and numbered badges were designed
and assigned, and monthly club meetings
and matches had begun!
The first
12 Charter Life members of HRP are:
Jerry "Texas
Jack Morales" Koch
Don "Big
Casino" Emerson
Pat "Big
Mama" Popplewell
Gary "Popps" Popplewell
Mike "Poke" Walsh
Holm "Doc
Sawbones" Neumann
Todd "Cheatin'
Irish Will" Butler
Allen "Slim" Baldwin
Pete "Palaver
Pete" Pedone
Perry "Empty
Chambers" Adlrich
Barbara "Shotgun
Annie" Aldrich
Brent "Columbus
D. Shannon" Maddox
They sent the
word out that they had a club and
were putting on a match. At their
very first HorseRidge Pistoleros
match, April of 1995, there were
22 shooters! I remember helping Texas
Jack design the "challenge" to
other NW clubs and then made Lasagna
for the feed afterwards - and it was
cold! This match was a private shoot
in the snow covered hills of Sisters
on private land owned by Doc Sawbones.
Doc and his lovely wife Susan, generously
hosted several events for the shooters
in those early days including feeds
and Holiday parties.
In no time flat there
were over 40 HRP members and cowboy
action shooters. (The present-day club
membership has gained a few hundred
members throughout many states.)
Soon
following was our "SASS" club
membership. As stated by Palaver
Pete SASS # 4375, "A
bunch of mean cusses, known as the HorseRidge
Pistoleros, are forming a SASS
Chapter in Central Oregon . . .". and
the addition of our SASS Club affiliation
was formally announced in the June
1995 SASS Cowboy Chronicle.
This
announcement helped support awareness
of our club to other SASS clubs and
members, but that wasn't nearly enough.
Their work had only just begun. We
needed more local people to become
aware of HRP and join our club. And
so they began promoting HRP locally.
The
Pistoleros made an awesome impression
at the Sister's Rodeo Parade in June
of 95, and won a 1st Place Plaque saying
so. Everyone was gussied up in their
Old West costumes, on a wagon train
provided by Texas Jack's business "Guntraders",
and played the part of Old West Pioneers
and Cowboys. Later, the gang headed
for a steak feed and spirits at Doc's
ranch in Sisters.
Reenactments
of an Old West Shoot-out was a favorite
method to promote the club and included
gun safety tips by Poke and Big Casino.
These were always fun events that drew
a big crowd of spectators and media.
We also joined in local Parades and
for years had an HRP booth at the Deschutes
County fair. Members were eager to
volunteer in promoting HRP.
Not
long after they became the HorseRidge
Pistoleros, they met up with the men
forming the new C.O.S.S.A. Range. Members
got busy with HRP club construction
at their new "home" of the
HorseRidge Pistoleros, located in Millican,
Oregon.
The
Pistoleros hosted their first HRP match
at C.O.S.S.A. in November of 1995.
The HorseRidge Pistoleros have remained
a part of the C.O.S.S.A. family ever
since. Our annual events have generated
the highest single revenue source from
a COSSA club many times throughout
the years.
But
let's not forget those early days when
ole Blue Duck died a thousand deaths.
Or when Shorty was rescued from a hangin
before you ran down the hangman's gallows
to gun down his lynch squad. Maybe
a shave and cut was rudely interrupted
by a band of loathsome outlaws shooting
up yer town.
And
who could ever forget Lori Darling,
lovingly remembered from the Lonesome
Dove mini-series, and rescued in several
HRP stage scenarios? The antics of
throwing tomahawks, stabbing villains,
riding horses, crawling in and out
of props, etc., etc., were written
into dozens of stages, and remained
in the fond memories of those shooting
participants.
Among
the club duties, Big Casino and Texas
Jack Morales could be depended upon
to design and set-up stages, conduct
meetings, teach new shooters safety
and SASS rules, and attract new members.
Scoring was done by hand by Big Mama,
while Big Mama also kept us well stocked
with prizes by her scouting efforts
around Central Oregon.
Whatever
the club needed, she was always there
to lend a big helping hand. Columbus
D Shannon rode the wave of being labeled
a "gamer" before gamers was
the goal of all competitive shooters,
simply by figuring out a better way
to shave a few seconds off his time.
When Columbus D spoke, everyone listened!
Palaver
Pete edited articles to the SASS Chronicle
and COSSA, and everyone joined in to
help and enjoy playing in the spirit
of the Old West for a day. Ribbons
were passed out to the category and
overall winners, and prizes were won
for various feats, including a Booby
prize.
As you can see, we've
gone from raw land and sagebrush to
berms and town props. We've watched
our members bless us with their participation
and friendship. Some are still actively
involved while others have moved on.
The babies that were crawling in the
dirt at the range are now shooting
with us (as seen here with Last Chance
Morales, at age 3, a future Pistolero).
The
teens that were shooting along side
us then, are now serving our country
and raising families
of their own. Cactus Bud, we are very
proud of, serving in the Air Force,
returned from Korea, married
and recently a new father.) We have
seen stage scenarios and the tools
of the trade change over the years
with action jobs, short strokes, even
loading ammo has become a precise science,
the list goes on and on.
Our
club has grown in membership and SASS
participation, and remains one of the
oldest SASS affiliated clubs in the
Northwest. We have hosted either alone,
or with other Oregon Cowboy Action
Shooting clubs, the Oregon
State Championship years 1997 and 1999,
and the first Northwest Championship
in 1998 . We did so "unofficially", until
SASS incorporated these matches into
their "SASS Sanctioned" matches.
HRP
continues to Lead the way in Central
Oregon with SASS and
Cowboy
Action Shooting Fun!
HRP
hosted, “officially” the SASS
Oregon State Championships in 2001,
2002 and 2003 and beyond.
HRP
hosts the SASS
Oregon State Wild Bunch Championships
in 2009 thru 2017.
Then
SASS granted us the “The Great
SASS North West Regional” for
years 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013
and 2014.
After
6 years of Official SASS Sanctioned
State and Regional Matches, HRP members
voted to discontinue hosting these
matches. Our members needed
a break from these massive events and
wished to focus more on our efforts
at home.
In
2008, we doubled our monthly shoots
to twice a month. We also started shooting
and promoting the new SASS Wild Bunch
category. Then, in 2008 we resurrected
the SASS Governor's Cup into our annual
July match!
In
2008, HRP started training its interested
members in the new Wild Bunch category,
then started holding quarterly Wild
Bunch Monthly matches. The
addition of a 1911 and "stuffing" the
shotgun has created a frenzy of excitement
to young and more serasoned shooters
alike! We increased
Wild Bunch matches to monthly
throughout the summer, and into 2009.
With
the consent of SASS again, in 2009
HRP established the first
SASS NW Wild Bunch Championship,
and again has taken a lead in promoting
this new championship match for SASS.
We hope to become the SASS Wild Bunch
NW “Regional” hosts
when SASS makes "official" this
new shooting championship.
HRP now
holds 3 monthly shoots for 9 months,
with 2 monthly matches throughout
the year, (weather permitting).
HRP also hosts 3 Annual Matches, 2
of which are *SASS Championship matches;
Shootout at HorseRidge
The
Great SASS NW Wild Bunch Championship
The Annual:
Indian, Old Time & Hawaiian Shoots
With
well over 600 SASS clubs WorldWide,
HRP has hosted SASS recognized or sanctioned
annual matches 13 out of 14 years.
Very, very few SASS clubs have this
record of distinction.
2009
- The SASS Wild
Bunch "nominated
HRP" and unanimously voted the Horse
Ridge Pistoleros the SASS CLUB of the
YEAR! This is an incredible statement
of recognition and a deep honor!
Active HRP Members:
Many of our current
active HRP members have always been
highly visible and supportive at SASS
State, Regional, National and World
Championships and many have attended
the SASS Convention. Our Territorial
Governor, Texas Jack Morales, is one
of the original Summit TG's in SASS
(there are only 9 left from that group).
His advise is instrumental in the writing
of the SASS Shooters Handbook, and
the new Wild Bunch Shooters Handbook.
He has earned the respect of the SASS
Wild Bunch, and many of the other TG's.
More than a couple
of HRP members have also become SASS
World Champions, and highly promote
SASS and HRP.
At the
2009 State Championship, our very
own 15 year old Junior shooter, Last
Chance Morales, became the SASS Oregon
State Men's Champion. This is the first
time in SASS history a junior has won
this title in Oregon. Last Chance
Morales is also a
SASS Wild Bunch Team World
Champion, in both 2008 and 2009, along
with HRP members Texas Jack Morales
and Mojave Mick in 2008. We hope this
will help to create more of a draw
for Junior shooters into SASS and hopefully
at our home club and range.
the
nemisis "Doc Sawbones"
later on, Sober & Cleaned
up
Donny aka "Big Casino"
Jerry aka "Texas Jack Morales"
and Mike aka "Poke"
Sisters Parade June 1995
Pistoleros New Home - C.O.S.S.A. Range
Tumbleweed Thom, Big
Mama, L.C. Let'er Buck Hale & Prairie
Rose
HRP Club Promo 2001
And
on to the "NEW" Junior
Members:
"Dirt Ranger" 2007
"Kissable
Kim with Mom "Wildcat Annie" Shooting at
the Idaho State Championship 2007
"Last Chance Morales" 2008
Oregon State Junior Champion
Hard work and practice does pay off! Our newest State and Regional SASS
Champion for 2007 and 2008 Classic Cowboy "Sunrise
Bill"
Throughout
the years our club members have worked
hard and wisely to maintain a successful
club. This ensures our members continued
years of cowboy action shooting fun,
for all.
~~
MEMORY LANE ~~
Be
sure and ask to see one of our volumes
of HRP Photo Albums of parties, events,
and plain old silly fun that we were
able to sneak shots of over the past
21+ years! Your picture could
be next!
SASS
World Championship "End of Trail" -
1996
Big Casino, Slaughter
John, Judge Roy Bean, Texas Jack, Hickory
and Tumbleweed Thom (kneeling)
2007 "SHOOTOUT
at HORSERIDGE" Helltown
Stage
2007 Top "Master
Gunfighter" Shooters . .
.
2007 Oregon State SASS Champions from
HRP!
Mojave Mick, Texas Jack Morales, Last
Chance Morales, Big Casino and Palaver
Pete
Merry Christmas 2008
from the Horse Ridge Pistoleros!
2009 adds a new Annual
Match for the
HorseRidge Pistoleros
and COSSA!
After HRP members
Mojave Mick, Texas Jack Morales and
Last Chance Morales won the 2008
World Championship Wild Bunch
Team, our club decided to take this
exciting new SASS category to a new
level in SASS. It's popularity, spreading
like a prarie fire throughout the
country, is as addictive as it is fun!
In 2009 the Horse Ridge Pistoleros
announce their new Annual Match -
We
had phenominal sponsor support,
beautiful gold and silver trophybuckels,
and the shooters had a really great
time. This match is a keeper!
June
2009 the SASS Wild Bunch present
2 more
HorseRidge Pistoleros
with the coveted rank of SASS
Regulator:
Leggs
Balou #10400
~
Sunrise Bill #64301
They share this rare
honor with fellow HRP members Texas
Jack Morales and Big
Casino.
Congratulations
HRP members at the Oregon State
Championship 2009!
Texas Jack Morales,
Leggs Balou, Mojave Mick, Last Chance
Morales, Big Casino, Renegade Red Squirrel,
Sunrise Bill, Doc Valentine (not in
pic)
The new SASS
2009 Oregon
State Overall Male and Female
Champions:
Buckshot Shell-E and our very own Last
Chance Morales!
HRP is making a bit
of SASS history again, as this is the
first time that a Junior shooter won
the SASS Men's State Champion title
for Oregon!
We now offer 3 Annual
shoots, 24+ Cowboy
Action/Wild Bunch monthly shoots.
But throughout the years and the growing
pains of HRP, the original concept
has never been forgotten or destroyed
. . . .
"We
are Cowboy Action SASS shooters,
we Love the Old West, and thoroughly
enjoy our efforts in maintaining
our club which respects all aspects
of it's 1860's heritage! All while
we are having too much fun playing
at Cowboy
Action Shooting"!
In Memorandum
Tequila Rosies' presence and light will be remembered by so many. She's riding the wind on her beautiful horse, with the angels now.
This is a look into the formation and early growth of the HorseRidge Pistoleros. We continue to change and grow. I
hope you have enjoyed this visit
back in time with the HorseRidge
Pistoleros. I sure enjoyed creating
it and the reminiscence of simpler
days gone by . . .