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Voices From the West: Lula Briscoe Ep. 12

Lula Brannon Briscoe, ca. 1903. Courtesy of the Brannon/Briscoe family

It’s time for Episode 12 of “Voices from the West,” our blog series featuring audio recordings of historical documents from the Museum’s Dickinson Research Center.

Our goal is to show that history is more than a timeline. At its core, it’s about people. And not just the famous and infamous, but the everyday and ordinary. If you missed previous episodes, you can start here.


About Lula

The oldest of six children, Lula had moved with her family from Texas to the Chickasaw Nation in 1898. They settled in Sugden, a small community near today’s Texas border that consisted primarily of farmers. She married Robert Willis Briscoe and together they had five children.

Listen Now


[audio mp3="https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/12-11101903.mp3"][/audio]

Ready for a ride, ca. 1910. McCoy, Colorado. Photographic Study Collection. Dickinson Research Center. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. 2001.087.19. 

Wagons from Sears, Roebuck, and Company Catalog, ca. 1902. Glenn D. Shirley Western Americana Collection. Dickinson Research Center. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. 

Fun Facts

We can’t be certain about the wagon Lula mentions, but it might be similar to those sold in the Sears catalog or to the “Studebaker junior wagon,” also pictured here. Painted green with yellow accents and red wheels, it was made “with oak frame, farm wagon gearing, all strongly ironed and braced, welded tires, staggered spokes, and oak shafts.”  

She also mentions Porter Young, a former deputy marshal with “sky-blue” eyes who was convicted of embezzlement while in office during the late 19th century. He stayed in Jefferson County for a time with his wife and children and worked odd jobs

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