Pecos Bill

[Charles Doyle]

Mostly on the basis of electronic searches (which I am considerably less skilled at than many of y'all!), I just report on a handfull of early occurrences in print of the nickname "Pecos Bill"--some of which may point to the early existence of a super-cowboy figure so designated. The most recent study of narratives about Pecos Bill (as far as I'm aware)--James M. Day, "Pecos Bill: His Genesis and Creators," Publications of the Texas Folklore Society 44 (1982):35-47-- suggests that the protagonists (named or unnamed) of earlier legends simply started being dubbed "Pecos Bill" in (and following) O'Reilly's Century Magazine article of 1923.

---- Original message ----
>Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2006 06:32:13 -0800
>From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>Subject: Re: Pecos Bill
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>
>
>The Great Pumpkin  - now there's a folk hero !
>
>  What will your article about PB say, Charlie ?
>
>  JL
>
>Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU> wrote:

>
>As chance would have it, I am just finishing up a short article on the early history of Pecos Bill, that is, before 1923, when--it has been assumed--the character was first inserted into popular or fakeloristic tradition. There does exist a LITTLE evidence of such an prior existence.
>
>--Charlie
>_________________________________________________
>
>
>From: Jonathan Lighter
>Subject: Re: Pecos, Pecosin', Pecos Swap
>Comments: To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>
>Disney notwithstanding, "Pecos Bill" began his fictive life in 1923, the brainchild of Edward O'Reilly, who wrote "The Saga of Pecos Bill" for the _Century_ magazine.
>
>No dollar-a-day-and-found puncher ever told a Pecos Bill story in his life. Till after '23, that is. And durned uncommonly then, either.

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