TexasCHLforum.com

http://www.roundrocktexas.gov/home/index.asp?page=953" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The above link is several pages long and sums up the colorful life of the
famous outlaw Sam Bass. He was born in Indiana. After coming to
Texas he lived in Denton and was a reliable employee, then turned to
a life of robbing stagecoaches, then trains.

He robbed a train in Allen. Things were getting hot in North Texas,
so he and his gang headed to Round Rock (Williamson County, just north
of Austin/Travis County) where he was shot by Texas Rangers and died on
his 27th birthday.

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/folk- ... 20Bass.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The above link is for the lyrics of "The Legend of Sam Bass."

There are major streets named "Sam Bass" in both Denton and Round Rock.

SIA

I am sitting, as I type this, just a couple of hundred yards from where Sam Bass robbed that train in Allen. My daughter used to live in Round Rock.

When Sam Bass was working for the LEO in Denton, he used to have to go down
to Dallas on horseback or maybe with a wagon. Denton to Dallas is 39 miles, 78 miles
round trip.

When the gang was on its way from Denton to Round Rock, keep in mind that this is
208 miles. Even driving it's going to take about 3 hours to make this trip.

I wonder how many miles men on horseback could travel in 1 day. Anyone know?

SIA

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:When Sam Bass was working for the LEO in Denton, he used to have to go down
to Dallas on horseback or maybe with a wagon. Denton to Dallas is 39 miles, 78 miles
round trip.

When the gang was on its way from Denton to Round Rock, keep in mind that this is
208 miles. Even driving it's going to take about 3 hours to make this trip.

I wonder how many miles men on horseback could travel in 1 day. Anyone know?

SIA

Depends on the horse...

I remember my college days at UT; whenever there was some sort of treasure hunt, a visit to Sam Bass's grave at 2:00 a.m. was involved.

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:I wonder how many miles men on horseback could travel in 1 day. Anyone know?

Riding 60 miles a day is no great feat with good footing (dry, level ground). Competitive endurance riders regularly ride 100 miles a day.

Of course it depends on the horse. The kind of horse that can make that speed is used as a long-distance riding horse, typically a quarter horse or mustang in those days.

- Jim

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:When Sam Bass was working for the LEO in Denton, he used to have to go down
to Dallas on horseback or maybe with a wagon. Denton to Dallas is 39 miles, 78 miles
round trip.

When the gang was on its way from Denton to Round Rock, keep in mind that this is
208 miles. Even driving it's going to take about 3 hours to make this trip.

I wonder how many miles men on horseback could travel in 1 day. Anyone know?

SIA

Western States Trail Foundation Tevis Cup Race - 100 miles in 1 day. The 2007 winner did it in 14 hours and 28 minutes.

seamusTX wrote: The kind of horse that can make that speed is used as a long-distance riding horse, typically a quarter horse or mustang in those days.

- Jim

Today's Tevis Cup is mostly Arabians, or Arabian derivatives.

Arabians are endurance champions, but few had been imported into the U.S. in the 19th century.

Mustangs are descended from Andalusian stock, which is derived from Arabians. You can hardly tell a purebred Andalusian from an Arabian by looking.

- Jim

TAM & Seamus:
Thanks for the horse travel mileages.

Something I had read about Sam BAss, but didn't know if it was feasible is this:

When Sam Bass' LEO employer used to send him from Denton to Dallas on bidness,
the employer would give Sam some money that he could use to pay for a hotel in Dallas.
So that the 78 mile round trip could be done on 2 separate days.

Sam would leave Denton early enough to get to Dallas, do his biz, and return on the same day.

Then Sam would give the hotel money back to his boss. He started off honest, but then thought
robbery was the way to go.

SIA

It's an interesting evolution. As you say, he started off honest, then (at age 24) turned to gambling and hanging around saloons, then robbery.

Even Satan started out as one of the good guys.

- Jim