THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE VERY UNIQUE AND EXTRAORDINARY JESS HARPER

INTRODUCTION:

I read somewhere once that if you want to be a good person, that you should do this as an outline for yourself. It would help to pick out someone from the past that was found to be honorable, someone that you admired and could identify with and learn about them and what made them grow into being a good person. Then you should pick out someone in your own day and age, and do the same. Now then, finally you should pick out a character from a story  (book/TV/movie) and also do the same. You now have three good examples to use as a “trail of sorts”, for yourself, and you have your own unique attributes as your tools.

As to my way of thinking this has now given you a past foundation that stands the test of time. A way for new growth as to someone in progress. And, lastly an imaginary person that you have as a spiritual sounding board, because they aren’t real in the physical sense, they are in your heart and mind. Now if you put that all together and pray to the good Lord as your corner stone and build on all this, with your tools, then you are on mighty solid ground.

OBVIOUSLY I have long ago chosen ROBERT FULLER'S JESS HARPER as well as his COOPER SMITH as examples to learn from. That is what has led me to do: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE VERY UNIQUE AND EXTRAORDINARY JESS HARPER. 

The emotional qualities of his Jess Harper made me want to see and understand how his past fit together, as it was the reason he was on the drift in the first place, and led him to this point in time, in Laramie.

So many adventures Jess found him self in, as to his future days now at the Sherman Ranch, were because of things that had happened in the past, and were still able to connect to his life through a variety of ways (through the people he knew). For the most part, once these were set right, cleared up, or exposed, he was free to be in control of the connections or links to the past, and the connections had no power over his life, except for his good and what he chose to keep on.  These things eventually worked out for his good and the good of others, because of how he handled them.

I wanted to see what he was going through at different points in time, as it all shaped the man he was becoming and now is, as we know him on the Sherman Ranch. I found this very interesting and even more so as the stories were pretty much able to fall into a believable order as to years and possible age. As there were so many authors, there may be a slight overlapping, but in general, the fit is amazing.

I mostly only listed 6-month breaking points along the way, as it was just to pick spots in time to give the general idea. I did not make it too complicated or rigid as to the specific month or age, as the year was more important, but some detail here was still needed. (Also remember, in a season of episodes, these guys can travel in two to three months, what would NORMALLY take maybe six, if not, how would they fit all these wonderful adventures into ONE season! So please remember this, as we get to the future times of Jess and Slim and their “four-season show” of Jess’ new home at the Sherman Ranch.)

 I have listed ONLY the EPS that were needed for solving the mystery of Jess' past in regards to who he met and the where’s and when’s.  So there will be many that aren’t listed, as they are more about his future days at Sherman Ranch.

Sure hope it will be a fun adventure for you that love RF's Jess Harper and his unique ways, ways that lead up to and continued on ... at the Sherman Ranch, near Laramie.  Robert Fuller is a great pleasure to watch as his uniquely superb acting skills are unequaled, and the life and emotions he puts into his characters, specifically JESS Harper here, do every story, by every author, justice and honor.

Here are my few last thoughts in the poem below, for you to contemplate, as you prepare to partake of this journey down JESS HARPER’S memory lane, with THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE VERY UNIQUE AND EXTRAORDINARY JESS HARPER, to see how these puzzle pieces connect.  A carefully laid trail of Laramie clues revealing JESS HARPER’S LIFE, from a young boy’s start  … as he journeyed through manhood … to and his eventual home AT THE SLIM SHERMAN RANCH.

I was always intrigued with what I call the "golden thread" that runs through Jess' tale in Laramie...

We first see its presence flow, as Jess Harper stops for a drink on Slim Sherman's ranch, Jess was a trespassing you see...

Little did Jess know, that soon he'd belong in this place...

And Slim would soon be smiling, when he saw his face...

It flows through the first episode...

As we learn of places that Jess had previously rode...

It takes us on each passing day, month and year...

As his life at Sherman ranch, starts to grow AND unfold here...

This shining gold thread, spun, wrapped and entangled through many years of Jess' travels, shows things that we have never seen...

But now as we follow it and trace it back, there is so very many choice things to glean...

How he came from the Texas Panhandle, and left because of great woe...

How he met up with troubles, not ALL of his OWN making, and how he walked as the hero, for many he came to know...

And though this show was written by so many different people, you can still see this golden thread...

It draws all these EPS into place, as Jess speaks and leaves us clues to all the places, that to this point, the golden thread has led...

To see it all fall into place, and the creative fun it brings...

We must take hold and with care, gently pull, on this special string...

As it runs through the joints of these here puzzle piece-ses...

So that then, we may lay them down in order, with Jess' age and years in time, as best we can complete-ses...

And as we do so, why lo and behold...

Jess Harper and his unique life story is a told...

Well now, why should we know, and why should we care...

In our modern world of survival and world troubles out there...

Well those of us that see and know...

We will tell and show...

When someone has the skill to do with a character, what Robert Fuller did for Jess...

It is never wasted work, to present a full pictured example of a caring human being, here, his work is Jess, trying to do his best...

As in the long run of life, you learn in many ways, how to hold your head up high and respect your fellow man...

With a strong and honorable heart, and then to give and help the best you can...

After seeing all that our cowboy Jess has gone through, since his first hurt and loss, in his life...

And how he has kept true to himself, and continues on honorably through the fight...

We can enjoy this as AN INSPIRATION and know...

That as others held the pen that wrote out Jess' life, working it all for good in the end, with that golden thread a flow...

That somewhere in our own story, that we travel through...

Well, just maybe SOMEONE, up above, is a doing that for you...

So here we go now, hope you have fun with this chart today…

And all that I have gleaned together and set on display…

Best wishes, from an inspired heart, from Neebeeshaabookway…

AGE FIGURED FROM EPS

USED

R.F.’s July 29 BIRTH DATE FOR JESS HARPER

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE VERY UNIQUE AND EXTRAORDINARY JESS HARPER

YES I USED SOME

SOME PERSONAL THOUGHTS 

TO THE SOLVING, AS IT WAS DEEMED NECESSARY FOR THIS LIFE STORY PUZZLE

  REMEMBER

 THE CITY  LARAMIE ITSELF WAS NOT

BASED CORRECTLY

IN REGARDS TO HISTORY

IN THE YEAR:

(end)=

end of July as a birthday marker*

JESS’ MOST LIKELY AGE

*broken down into Jan and July’s mostly for space marking every six month or so*

A FAIRLY BELIEVABLE CHAIN OF EVENTS CONNECTED BY

A HIDDEN GOLD THREAD

USING LARAMIE PUZZLE PIECES

THAT BELONG TO

JESS HARPER

(Slim EPS could cause this not to work.)

THIS IS MORE TO

MY PERSONAL THOUGHT,

AS TO SOME  MYSTERY SOLVING

BUT

STAYING TRUE TO FORM

TO

CHARACTERS CLUES

 *used war events as to “Laramie” facts, so may not fit history*

EPISODES TO HELP

& SOME TRUE BITS OF HISTORY THAT ACTUALLY DO HELP

*Civil war bits may have to be considered “STORYBOOK LARAMIE” *

APRIL 1855

late 15

then three months later, near end of July he’s 16

Jess’ family fire, caused by the Banister raiders.

Possibly April, as may be not good to go raiding, stealing cattle etc. during hot dry summers.

Jess said to the Marshal in the cave,

that he was 15 years old when this fire happened.

(In this setting it would be three months before his 16th. birthday.)

Water for animals etc. is scarce… for the long haul with stolen animals…or for the get-aways etc. as Texas is big and dry and so is going into New Mexico or even elsewhere.

 His family were sharecroppers and knew what the hard and simple life was.  

He did love his home and family,

 or he would not have wanted retribution so badly through the years, shown in

 “MEN OF DEFIANCE”.

BUT,

it could have still been a hard life,

 and not much of the family

he’d have hoped for

though, as,

if all you ever see of your

Pa is when he’s done working

and has no family time

as his life is near owned by the boss.

or maybe

as it came to a halt in a violent way

 it was just too short, sadly but true…

as Jess said

he never had much of a family,

as in

 “DUEL AT ALTA MESA”

Jess’ family fire, caused by the Banister raiders

was possibly

March/April,

 I will use NEAR end of April as it fits well, later.

.

“MEN OF DEFIANCE”

 Jess said he was 15, when he was speaking in the cave, as to seeing his family home burn down.

“DUEL AT ALTA MESA”

THE HUMBLE HARPER

HOME

WHERE

JESS HARPER’S FAMILY

lived

in the Panhandle

WE WOULD HAVE TO SAY

IS

STORY BOOK LARAMIE.

(We already know that we are not true to “our” history, as to the Laramie of Slim and Jess.) (And, here now, as well, we are not true to “our” Texas Panhandle history either.) (We will also soon discover that we can’t be true to “our” civil war history, most probably, as well.)

AS THE PANHANDLE WAS NOT ABLE TO BE SETTLED UNTIL AFTER

THE CIVIL WAR

BECAUSE OF THE INDIANS THAT LIVED THERE.

It was ready to start up with settlers after the

CIVIL WAR AND PALO DURO

(1865 and 1874)

in 1876.

(And 1876 is about the time that we see the finish of Laramie EPS!)

TO STAY AS CLOSE TO HISTORY

WITH SOME KIND OF A BASIS THOUGH,

  We would have to say that the landowners that the Harper

Family worked for would have had to start this place

at the earliest,

 ABOUT 5 YEARS BEFORE

THE FIRE

FROM BANISTER’S RAID

(Panhandle was formed by the Compromise of 1850)

AND THAT WOULD BE 5 YEARS

AFTER TEXAS

WAS

ANNEXED

(1845).

WE WOULD NOW THEN

USE THE PANHANDLE

AS IF IT

WAS

IN

THE DEVELOPED STAGES IT REACHED

BY ABOUT  

1866/67.

  Then the landowner that the Harpers worked for

would be one of the first settlers

and possibly easy prey for raiders.

AND

Jess could now have been from

POSSIBLY AROUND

AMARILLO

as it was only a “stopping off” place, in its first days.

  JESS

never gave a known area.

As the

Panhandle would have been in the process of being settled, so he would refer to it as he always did when he was growing up.

And the landowners would have been out of reach of any town that would be anywhere near its infancy anyway.

JULY 1855

(end)

  16

Possibly NEAR to his “BIRTHDAY” in “JULY”, give or take a month or two, as a kid bent on retribution-justice,

Jess

HAS NOW BEEN ABLE TO LEAVE.

  He would have left Francie with others

BY NOW.  

 “There were a lot of us Harper’s then”  …  sounded like an unworthy lot, possibly far off no-good kin, somewhere else in the PANHANDLE,

not living on sharecropper land OR willing to work with the family ties.

 All gone now,

HE SAYS LATER,

at a point in

 “FUGITIVE ROAD”.

 Jess needed to find a gun, horse, odd jobs, as after a raiding fire, no horses, or anything left and no help from any no-good kin.

AS TO GUNS

He may have hunted with a family rifle for food

but for the most part

must have done field work with his folks

and siblings.

As any kid in a field worker home would do.

There would be no time or money for gunplay, so he would now be on his own quest as to this new project.

(I have never seen all the Laramie’s so I don’t know if they said more on the “other Harper” from the fire)

THIS IS SPECULATION ON MY PART ABOUT THE OTHER HARPER MENTIONED:

As to the other HARPER saved from the fire I assume it would have been an older brother, following in the footsteps of  “there was lots of us Harpers in those days, and Francie was the only worth anything”.  Thus he saved himself out of the fire, and realized Jess was out, along with Francie.

 Quite possibly Jess helped her, as we know Jess, but couldn’t go back in, as the house was already gone. And is quite possible that the other two kids were a bit younger and in another room with parents, as it would have been a small house.

So, quite possibly, not being able to face it all the other HARPER would take off.

If he HAD felt close to Jess, or his family, he would have teamed up with Jess, most likely. But Jess has always made it clear he was on his own in his quest. 

IMPORTANT

to note, that Jess wanted to feel close to family, and CHERISHED that Slim was like a BROTHER TO HIM. 

YOU MUST ASK YOURSELF WHY. Could be because of something that happened with the other HARPER saved from the fire.

“FUGITIVE ROAD”.

Jess said Francie

was 16

when he last saw her, and Jess had now turned 16, as well, so there are close enough in age for him to feel like she is his “kid” sister, as said in this EP.

(Later in “SHADOW FROM THE PAST” she says he is her “kid” brother.)

 It can be seen how Jess feels about family, with Ma in “STAR TRAIL” and with his relationship in all the episodes with those at Sherman Ranch,

 and the way he responds to Mort’s wisdom, friendship and authority.

STILL

JULY 1855

(end)

JAN 1856

JULY 1856

(end)

Jan 1857

JAN 1858

 16  

mid 16

17

mid 17-18

mid 18 

BEGINNING HIS DRIFT  STARTING

THROUGH THE PANHANDLE

     MOST likely knew John “Mac” McLane

and also even Vern Cowen then too, as “Mac” knew Vern as well, from early

PANHANDLE days.

Jess knew “Mac” very well, and Jess didn’t get back to his home area except once, mentioned after the war.

 Jess asks “Mac” about the panhandle in Texas,

in “DARK VERDICT”.

Jess and “Mac” could have even worked together. He may have followed on a bit with Jess, work wise, or even practiced shooting together, as they knew each other well.

Roaming and on the hunt, and drifting to find Banister and needing money.

 OR

gallivanting all over creation, as Francie later said, in “SHADOW OF THE PAST”.

Using any free time for learning his gun, shooting into dirt banks etc., as he would be poor from earning odds and ends.

(Until he had money to buy more cartridges etc., said in Slim’s days. And EVEN in Slim’s days, said he still loads his own, in

 “NO SECOND CHANCE”.)

   As Jess started out on his own now, along with trying to survive he also finds many opportunities for trouble OBVIOUSLY, especially with his big mouth (as Jess call it) and hip-gun (not many men carried them that way).

 May have moved through TEXAS,

 as Banister likely did, and Jess trying to follow…could have had the troubles here with the lynch mob in Laredo,

as in “CACTUS LADY”. 

Jess was young and naïve enough to fall for Troy’s lies, lies that he tried to warn Slim about.

  Would not have been the Merkle rescued-hanging, as IF Jess was really hung here in Laredo, he sure would have been MORE explicit about it than just saying he felt the rope around his neck.

(As the example in “DUEL AT PARKINSON “ with the noose around his neck, and how he behaved about feeling it  … there is a difference in feeling it and HAVING TO BE CUT DOWN AFTER YOU WERE HUNG WITH IT AND LEFT FOR DEAD)

(A lynch MOB wouldn’t have stood by and let a drifter like Merkle cut him down.)(Plus this would not have happened this way, or MOST everyone in Laredo would have known who it was that cut Jess down, and most probably would have strung them both up.) 

Also wanted poster’s from Soho Texas show, he would have known Harv and Mel Doleman.

As in  “BROKEN HONOR”,

 as Mort said,

These were Jess’ troubles from when he was a young kid. 

Also, may have known Darby, here, as it took Jess a bit to remember him in

“THE BETRAYERS”

so it must have been a long time. 

BUT NO ONE

forgets Jess,

as we know, because he is not the type to be forgotten. 

Darby reminded Jess that it had been

in

AMARILLO AND WACO,

that he had seen him.

 Finally he told Jess of the wild time they were

having and

making a lot of commotion, etc.

Enough commotion it must have been, as that when it was mentioned,

JESS DID REMEMBER DARBY!

(minus the beard Jess said)

(18 AND 19 YEAR OLDS CAN GROW BEARDS AS WELL)

SPECIAL NOTE:

 But if you don’t like the fit here, you could still say Darby and Jess met up in Texas, when Jess was moving through searching for Merkle for two years, near 1867-68. It doesn’t appear that it would hurt any time frame, and Amarillo would still not exist.

(You could still think if there was a “slip-up”

 and Abilene would work here too.)

OR  JUST AS WELL YOU CAN STILL THINK OF

AMARILLO

AS

STORYBOOK LARAMIE’S

AMARILLO

Where ever you choose to do the fit.

*cannot become a fast gun of his reputation and proven ability overnight, takes time, and situations *

*also learning a

variety of other skills*

*Most probably checked out most of Texas, as Banister most probably was on the move from one end to the other, at first.  Eventually he would become to well known, and move to other territories, and finally to more out of the way places, such as New Mexico, and such type areas. 

And this is some of the area Banister was passing through when Jess and the marshal were on his trail, in

“Men of Defiance.” (Banister had just escaped, it seems.)  Now it seems, after so long since his first raids, Banister sure knew his way around and how to avoid getting caught.

AS TO THE WILD TIME THAT DARBY AND JESS HAD:

 AMARILLO TEXAS

WAS NOT IN EXISTENCE,

AS A CITY OR ANY WHERE NEAR BEING ON UNTIL IT WAS A  FIRST A MUDDY CONSTRUCTION CAMP, IN

1887

COULD IT BE THAT

in that EP

 Amarillo was a supposed to be Abilene, Texas… and maybe it just was “filmed slip-up”

AS

Abilene did exist then, at least, at this time and in that EP at that time.

SEE THE RIGHT HAND HISTORY NOTE COLUMN.

BUT I AM NOT SAYING IT WAS

A “SLIP-UP”

AS:

AMARILLO

was a PANHANDLE town and maybe that is what they were going for in the story.

 But then Jess and his old friends usually just use the term PANHANDLE for this “specific area” and Amarillo is smack dab in the middle of it.

  REMEMBER ALSO,

THE PANHANDLE

IS JUST

NEWLY BEING SETTLED

(And wouldn’t exist at all, as settled, except for our story book Laramie.)

 SO

 AMARILLO,

WOULDN’T EVEN BE AMARILLO RIGHT NOW!

OR

DURING THE TIME

THAT LARAMIE EP

 “THE BETRAYERS”

 was supposed to happen.

BUT DO REMEMBER

Jess always seems to recognize everyone else from his past okay but they don’t seem to go back this far,

except for the men

THAT HE DID KNOW WELL.

YOUNG MEN AT AGE 18-19 DO CHANGE SO MUCH INTO MEN,

THAT THEY ARE HARD TO RECOGNIZE YEARS LATER,

BECAUSE THEY HAVE MATURED SO MUCH.

So this is a fairly good time frame fit.

AMARILLO STILL WOULD BE A “FAR FETCHER” AS WE TRY TO STAY CLOSE TO “OUR” HISTORY WITH

STORY BOOK LARAMIE,

AS ARE:

1) LANDOWNERS AND SHARECROPPERS AND RANCHES ETC. THIS EARLY,

IN THE PANHANDLE

2)PALO DURO

3)FORT DEFIANCE

4)FORT LINCOLN

5)YUMA PRISON

6)LARAMIES LACK OF A RAILROAD

AND STILL RUNNING STAGE LINE

“NO SECOND CHANCE”

“SHADOW OF THE PAST”

“DARK VERDICT”

“CACTUS LADY”.

“BROKEN HONOR”,

 “THE BETRAYERS”

HERE IS A LIST OF CITIES MENTIONED IN THIS

TIME FRAME,

AS TO HISTORY. 

BUT:

remember, please, if

TRUE LARAMIE

has been changed to suit the show, as well as the

TRUE PANHANDLE, then these cities are actually free for our use.

HOWEVER THOUGH

I HAVE STILL

TRIED

 AS WELL AS POSSIBLE TO KEEP THEM IN THEIR

NEAREST POSSIBLE CORRECTNESS.

LAREDO

(TEXAS WAS ANNEXED IN 1845, AND LAREDO WAS A CITY EVEN BEFORE THAT)

SOHO, TX.

(was shown on the wanted poster)

COULD JUST BE A LARAMIE

STORY BOOK TOWN?

WACO, WAS MENTIONED AS BEING

WAS INCORPORATED IN 1857

 AND A TOWN IN 1859 THOUGH NOT A CITY

(AROUND 2,200 SOLDIERS FROM HERE EVEN FOUGHT IN THE CIVIL WAR)

 AMARILLO TEXAS

WAS NOT IN EXISTENCE,

AS A CITY OR ANY WHERE NEAR BEING ONE UNTIL IT WAS A  FIRST A MUDDY CONSTRUCTION CAMP, IN

1887

SO COULD JUST BE

  STORY BOOK LARAMIE

WITH THEIR

OWN VERSION

AND THIS BEING THE CASE, WE WOULD JUST USE IT THIS WAY. 

BUT IF WE CONSIDERED IT A “SLIP-UP” THEN MOST LIKELY

DARBY WOULD HAVE MEANT

ABILENE, TEXAS,

AS IT IS MUCH CLOSER TO WACO,

 and would have done just right for the time frame of seeing Jess, as Darby mentioned both without much of a “skip a beat”.

IT

 WAS FIRST SETTLED IN 1858

 AND

LATER IN 1860 NAMED

ABILENE

JESS ALSO AGREED

WHEN ANDY ASKED IF HE HAD BEEN IN

DALLAS,

WHICH WAS A TOWN IN 1856,

THOUGH NOT A CITY, He still could have been to Dallas at this time, or at later times, or both.

 APRIL

1858

JULY 1858

later 18 

19

Getting older now,

more experienced, but still cocky…though more sure of himself and his so-called skills. Trying to stand up in a man’s world more, as in saloons etc.

BUT: as in

“MEN IN SHADOWS”

 Dixie Howard shoots the gun out of his hand (choosing not to shoot Jess dead, with due call). This impresses Jess enough to that he wants to ride with him.

SO HE MUST STILL BE YOUNG ENOUGH

to decide there is

something to be gleaned by hanging around with this man for a bit.

As he told Slim that he rode with him, and he KNEW DIXIE ALMOST AS WELL as he knew Slim.

You know Jess will still not let go of Banister, as seen

in “MEN OF DEFIANCE”

so if he

wasn’t ready in a shoot out

 with Dixie Howard, well, he needs some more growing.

Jess maybe had no more leads on Banister at the moment, and the need to have some one to learn from, someone that he

now respected

AND WAS GRATEFUL TO

was tugging at him.

As to Jess being green, this is seen in

“MEN OF DEFIANCE”

“MEN IN SHADOWS”

Jess has never forgot about Banister, as you can see how strongly he felt about it in

“MEN OF DEFIANCE”

NOTE:

IN

“MEN OF DEFIANCE”

The marshal with Jess is talking about when he arrested

BANISTER

(WHO IS NOW ON THE LOOSE AGAIN) 

 That was the reason why JESS NEVER

CAUGHT UP WITH HIM OR FOUND HIM IN THE PAST.

IT IS NOT

MENTIONED

  if Jess just learned of this when he teamed up with the marshal for this chase.

AS JESS HAD JUST

PINNED THIS BADGE ON IN LARAMIE as a deputy to this marshal.

It is not

mentioned either if this was a recent arrest or an old one from awhile back.

 Or if Jess learned of this earlier along his searching and drifting.

(Jess did try to stop his drift

in Colorado

to try at homesteading, and he also decided to stay at

Slim’s so he did not have any fresh leads at these times or maybe heard Banister was caught.)

JAN 1859

JAN 1860

JULY

1860

 (end)

JAN 1861

*beg. civil war of it*

JULY 1861

(end)

JAN 1862

JULY 1862

(end)

*ongoing  of the civil war*

SEP/OCT  1862

OCT/NV

1862