Pecos Bill

By Crusader1307

 Perhaps no American ''Tall Tale'' Figure is more well known that that of ''Pecos Bill''. Of Song and Story, ''Bill'' and some of His ''Associates'' were actually NOT contrived during The Westward Expansion of the mid-19th Century AD, but in a 1917 Children's Tale (probably to stir interest in The Subject). Pecos would become so popular a figure, that a whole series of stories would result in the 1920 and 1930 in The United States. His ''adventures'' (seen as a rival to the famed ''Paul Bunyan''), would too become used by Walt Disney, in several featured ''animated shorts'' in the 1940s & 1950s. But as for His legend, Pecos Bill had His ''origins'' in the ''larger than life'' state of Texas (of course). Bill was but a baby, when His Family was traveling by Wagon thru The Desert. Bill ''accidentally fell out'' and lost. Rather than dying though, Bill was found by a pack of coyotes and raised as ''one of their own''. Eventually found, it took years to ''convince'' Bill that He ''was not a coyote''. He would grow tall and strong, almost possessed with ''supernatural power''. Becoming a Cowboy, He used several Rattlesnakes (tied together) as His Lasso. His horse was named ''Widow Maker'', for it's often fierce abilities. It was said no Man could ride Him but Bill. Bill's ''favorite food'' was said to be Dynamite. Bill's favorite hobby? He liked to chase down Tornadoes and lasso them.

Bill had a Girlfriend named ''Slue Foot Sue'', who Herself was rather ''legendary''. She rode a Giant Catfish and fell madly in love with Bill, who – while enamored as well, was overall ''too shy'' and constantly sought ways to avoid become ''caught'' as a Husband. Bill was said to be responsible for the ''creation'' of many of The American West's most famous landmarks. The Grand Canyon? That was Bill who was dying of thirst. He ''dug a hole'' to ''get to water''. The famed ''Painted Desert of Arizona''. That too, was Bill. He chased a Tribe of ''war painted'' Indians so fast thru the Deserts and Mesa's, that their paint ''rubbed off'' and created the now ''brilliant and glowing'' effect in Arizona's Desert. Another ''story'' relating to ''how'' Texas got it's name ''The Lone Star State''? That was Bill, who shot all the stars from the heavens – save one. With the coming of civi8lzation and technology, Bill became boed and had a hard time ''finding any fun anymore''. He and His Horse simply rode off into The West, never to be seen again. Some say that when people truly ''search for adventure'' – they can find Pecos Bill, waiting ''out there'' for them.