Charles Badger Clark

Charles Badger Clark ( born January 1, 1883 in Albia, Iowa, † September 26, 1957 in Hot Springs, South Dakota) was an American poet and writer.

Life

Badger Clark came in 1883 as the youngest son of the Methodist preacher CB Clark to the world. At that time, many people moved west in the freely given to colonize former Indian territories. As Badger was 3 months old, leaving his family in Iowa and South Dakota was looking for a new home. His father tried to gain a foothold there in different places as a preacher. Thus, the family lived in Plankinton, Mitchell, Huron, Hot Springs and Deadwood. In Deadwood Badger Clark visited the school and moved from there to the " Dakota University " (now the Dakota Wesleyan University) in Mitchell, whose founders belonged to his father. His father was also the one who referred him after an argument from the university, so that Badger earned his livelihood as a farm laborer. 1904 Badger Clark traveled to Cuba to begin a new life there. After 2 years he returned from Cuba back to South Dakota and contracted tuberculosis. In order to cure the lung disease in the hot and dry climate of Arizona, he moved to Tombstone, where he lived as a cowboy. In addition, he began to write on the ranches poems about his work and experiences. His stepmother sent in 1906 one of the poems in the magazine "Pacific Monthly" and shortly thereafter Badger Clark wrote regularly poems and articles for this journal. When his father fell seriously ill in 1910, Badger finished his cowboy life in Arizona and moved to his father in South Dakota. After that he worked mainly as a writer for various magazines, such as " Sunset Magazine ", " Pacific Monthly", " Arizona Highways ", " Collier's " ', " Century Magazine ," " The Rotarian " and " Scribner's ". He also published his poems and stories about life in the Wild West in books. Until the mid- 1920s he was known across the U.S. with "Sun and Saddle Leather" and "Spike " as a cowboy poet. His poem "A Cowboy's Prayer" ( first published in 1906) is famous to this day in the United States. 1925 Badger Clark received state permission to build a cabin in Custer State Park. This small house in the Black Hills, which is called " Badger Hole ", may still be seen on walking tours today. In the " Badger Hole" Badger Clark worked and lived for 30 years under very simple, semi-natural conditions. In 1937 he was honored by Governor Leslie Jensen titled poet laureate of South Dakota. His livelihood, he also earned himself as a storyteller on numerous tours throughout the United States. With 75 years he became ill and was taken to Hot Springs hospital, where he died. His grave is located in the Evergreen Cemetery in Hot Springs.

Using the example of country songs "Spanish is the Loving Tongue", which is based on the poem "A Border Affair" by Badger Clark from 1907, it becomes clear what role Badger Clark takes as a cowboy poet. The song was in 1925 by Billy Simon composed and interpreted for decades repeatedly by well-known artists such as Ian and Sylvia, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Marianne Faithfull, Emmylou Harris, and Michael Martin Murphey.

Works

• Grass - Grown Tales ( 1917)
• Sun and Saddle Leather ( 1919)
• Spike (1925 )
• When Hot Springs Was a Pup (1927 )
• God of the Open
• Sky Lines and Wood Smoke ( 1935)
• The Story of Custer City S.D. (1941 )
• Boot and bylines (posthumous, 1978)
• Singleton (posthumous, 1978)