Cavalcade of Ask The Marshall

Lessons I have learned during more than a quarter century of “Ask the Marshall.”

- MARSHALL TRIMBLE

What did the expression "I'm your huckleberry" mean?

Clinton Smith Ruidoso, NM

There's been a lot of discussion on the meaning ever since Val Kilmer uttered it in the 1992 film Tombstone. It was a commonly used statement in the West, and since the film came out, there have been a number of bad or bogus definitions. Basically it means, “Name the place, and I'll go with you” or “Name the job, and I can do it.”

When the pioneer women were crossing the Great Plains—where there were no trees—how did they find a private place to pee?

Betty Larson Newton, KS

Come potty time on the lone prairie, the women went out in a group and formed a large circle and spread their skirts. One or two would enter the circle, squat and do their business (unencumbered by panties). After each had their turns, they would return triumphantly to the wagon train.

The cowboy song “Little Joe the Wrangler” says he died in a cattle stampede. One version says they camped by the Pecos River; another claims it happened by the Red River. Can you tell me where the stampede happened?

Charlie Thorne Newton, KS