WHERE THE COLUMBINES GROW

In considering songs about Colorado, it is important to remember § 24-80-909 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, which provides:

That certain song entitled “Where the Columbines Grow”, the words of which were written by A. J. Fynn and the music of which was composed by A. J. Fynn, is hereby adopted as the official state song of Colorado to be used on all appropriate occasions.

Columbines

Columbines

Accordingly, we have to discuss “Where the Columbines Grow.”  It is the law, and has been since 1915.

Now, I have lived in Colorado since the 1950s, and I have only heard this song performed perhaps half a dozen times.  That makes me wonder exactly what an “appropriate occasion” might be, though I am pretty sure this is one.  However, before considering the song, itself, we should look at columbines and their legal context – Specifically, §§ 24-80-905 through 908, which state:

24-80-905. Columbine:  The white and lavender columbine is hereby made and declared to be the state flower of the state of Colorado.
24-80-906. Duty to protect:  It is hereby declared to be the duty of all citizens of this state to protect the white and lavender Columbine Aquilegia, Caerulea, the state flower, from needless destruction or waste.
24-80-907. Limitation on picking state flower:  It is unlawful for any person to tear the state flower up by the roots when grown or growing upon any state, school, or other public lands or in any public highway or other public place or to pick or gather upon any such public lands or in any such public highway or place more than twenty-five stems, buds, or blossoms of such flower in any one day; and it is also unlawful for any person to pick or gather such flower upon private lands without the consent of the owner thereof first had or obtained.
24-80-908. Violation a misdemeanor – penalty:  Any person who violates any provision of section 24-80-907 is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than five nor more than fifty dollars.

The legislative history tells us that the lavender and white columbine was designated the state flower in 1899, but the provisions calling for its protection and criminalizing the picking of the columbine were not added until 1925.  It makes you wonder whether the intervening 26 years had been an time of floral vandalism making it necessary for the Legislature to take extreme measures.

This is not the time or the place to consider that issue.  We are talking about the state song, even though there is not yet a criminal penalty for failing to include it “on all appropriate occasions.”

The flower we usually think of as the “Colorado columbine” is a perennial that grows from seed, reaching a height of about 15 inches, and is found in mountain meadows or wooded areas (it prefers partial shade) in late Spring or early Summer.  In Colorado, the flower is usually blue or purple, but there are some 60 species of columbine that come in many colors.

Arthur John Fynn, a respected Colorado educator, certainly knew about the columbine.  He moved to Central City from New York in 1889, at the age of 32, and resided in the state until his death in 1930.  He wrote what became the lyrics of the first three verses of “Where the Columbines Grow” in 1909, and composed the music a year or two later. Continue reading

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

When I was attending college in Boulder, a friend of mine – a 21-year old reminiscing about her childhood long before in Colorado Springs – told me that when you look out at the scenery in Boulder you see the mountains; but when you look out in Colorado Springs you see the MOUNTAIN.  And if you climb the MOUNTAIN and look back, you see America the Beautiful – which just happens to be the second song in our Colorado Songs series,.

THE MOUNTAIN - Pikes Peak as seen from Colorado Springs

THE MOUNTAIN – Pikes Peak as seen from Colorado Springs

The MOUNTAIN, of course, is Pikes Peak, which rises to 14,115 feet above sea level.  Although it is only the 30th highest mountain in Colorado, it is more than 8,000 feet higher than Colorado Springs, which lies only 12 miles away.  It is higher than any point in the United States that lies East of its longitude, so it is an imposing and impressive sight.

Nevertheless, it is not difficult to get to its summit.  There is a steep, but fairly easy hiking trail; a paved auto road runs to the top; and there is a cog railroad.  It was a little more difficult back on July 22, 1893, when Katherine Lee Bates, an English professor from Wellesley College who spent several weeks one summer teaching at Colorado College, went to the top.  She described her ascent as follows:

One day some of the other teachers and I decided to go on a trip to 14,000-foot Pike’s Peak. We hired a prairie wagon. Near the top we had to leave the wagon and go the rest of the way on mules. I was very tired. But when I saw the view, I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse.

While on the mountain, she began a poem in her notebook, writing, “O beautiful for halcyon skies . . .”  That is probably not exactly the way you remember the words, but they have changed a bit over the years.   Continue reading

COLORADO TRAIL

From time to time, I have commented in these pages on songs that pertain to Colorado – songs like “Get Out of Denver” and “Colorado Christmas” and “On the Natural.”  As you know, there are hundreds of songs written and recorded about our state, and seemingly hundreds of people have compiled lists of the best or worst of those songs.  I have decided to join them, and spend the next several weeks looking at what I consider some of the quintessential Colorado Songs.  This post is the first installment, and I will begin with “Colorado Trail.”

Some of you may know the Colorado Trail as a 486 mile long hiking trail extending from Denver to Durango, at average elevation of over 10,000 feet; but that wasn’t completed

Major cattle trails

Major cattle trails

until 1987, and this song is much older.  It seems that the trail referred to in the song was a spur of the Great Western Trail that ran from near San Antonio, Texas to Ogallala, Nebraska, and which ran roughly parallel to the more famous Chisolm Trail.  The Colorado Trail was not well known or much used, but it extended all the way to Montana.  All of these trails were used to move cattle to towns located on major rail lines, and all fell into disuse as railroads expanded their service into cattle country. The Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad (C.B.&Q.R.R.) essentially followed the Colorado Trail as it brought rail service to Greeley and Northeastern Colorado in 1887.

An interesting thing about this song is that its composers are usually listed as Carl Sandburg and Lee Hays.  Today, we think of Carl Sandburg as the biographer of Abraham Lincoln and the poet who gave us “Chicago” as the “hog butcher for the world.”  However, long before he ever published any book, Sandburg was a traveling salesman and political organizer who traveled across much of the country.  Somewhere around 1910, he acquired a guitar and found that he could attract larger crowds by singing folk songs in addition to reciting poetry and plying his wares. Continue reading

EMAIL FROM HANALEI

I don’t usually post something two days in a row because I don’t really have all that much interesting to say.  Yesterday, though, I posted some thoughts about a small part of a speech given by presidential candidate Donald Trump.  I am afraid that those thoughts were mostly negative and uncharitable.  After thinking about what Mr. Trump had said, together with some of the other things he has been reported to have said during the past few days, it has become apparent that he is suffering serious psychological problems, and is crying out for some sort of intervention.  While I am not in a position to help him, I would hope that someone in the Republican hierarchy can guide him to the treatment he needs.

What I can do has nothing to do with politics or psychosis.  I can print something that is more positive and uplifting.  Last night I received an email from slack key guitarist extraordinaire Doug McMaster and his wife Sandy.  If you are not currently on their mailing list, let me share that correspondence with you.  They have a good story to tell:

Doug and Sandy McMaster

Doug and Sandy McMaster

The Bigger Picture
Last week, as we were stopped at a crosswalk for our friend Dan to cross on his recumbent bike, suddenly we were jolted by someone hitting us full speed from behind.  We didn’t have any apparent injuries, the driver of the other car was also okay.  We followed procedure and a police officer took a report (just happened to be 50 feet ahead giving someone a ticket).

Later in the day, at the post office, one of the postal workers we know asked if we were okay.  She had been right behind the woman who hit us.  She said the woman never slowed down and never put on the brakes and actually bounced off the back of our vehicle.  Scary!  We suspect the driver was texting or something on her phone because when we went to her car to check on her, she was texting on her phone.
We were pondering why we needed to hear the story from our acquaintance at the post office, marveling at the ‘to the second’ timing the greater powers had to coordinate for us to have that encounter with her.  We didn’t need a witness as the other driver had admitted it was her error.
As we looked at the overall situation, we realized that if we hadn’t been there, stopped and taken the hit from the other driver, she would have run right over our friend Dan because he was directly in front in the crosswalk.  Another example of ‘perfect timing’ to achieve the goal of saving Dan’s life.
Vietnam took a serious toll on Dan, taking one of his legs, a lot of his eyesight and more injuries that affect  him every day.  A couple years ago, a man driving one of the lifted, big tired trucks ran over Dan and then backed up over him to see what he had run over.  Dan was in the hospital for a long time and survived to get back on his bike (a new one of course) and head out for a ride every day he can.  We see him most every day at breakfast, and always he has a smile and a good word to say.  He is our hero and inspiration.
We suspect that there is a tremendously important mission Dan is on in his life and he is watched over by a very special guardian angel or angels.  Despite our immediate dismay of being hit, we are very honored to have been in place to help those angels.
We love the mystery, magic, and awesome orchestration of greater powers and wisdom than what our small human minds can conceive… opening and stretching our perception… reminding us that there truly is always a bigger picture. And keeping us looking for what opportunities we are being presented to play a part in making the world a better place.
May your days be filled with blessings of aloha and opportunities to serve!
A hui hou,
Doug and Sandy
I would say the same – a hui hou – until we meet again.