Here is a really
great story about Lucas McCain.....before
the rifle.....before Margaret.....before Mark....before
North Fork!
Lucas McCain
1847
Before "The
Rifleman"
Lucas McCain was born in 1847 in Evansville,
Indiana. His parents were hard working Irish immigrants
who had come to this country during the great hunger,
the Irish potato famine during the years of 1845 - 1848.
During this famine, the absentee land lordship
foreclosed on the Irish farms rendering whole families
shelter less with no source of income. Millions of
peasants died of disease, or
starved to death, while another million emigrated, many
dying aboard the "coffin ships" provided by the English
to deport them to the United States and Canada. These
people had little skills to offer their new country
other than farming, and most stayed in the larger cities
in the east to try different occupations. Angus McCain
had different ideas. He had decided to take his new
bride to the farm country of Indiana and do what he did
best. He knew it would be a long time before he could
buy a farm of his own but he was young and strong and
could work as a farm hand until that day arrived. Times
were hard but work was good thanks to the generous
nature of the Indiana farmers. Angus's wife, Kathleen ,
would then be with child in the summer of 1846. On April
10, 1847, Lucas was born.
He was a fine looking lad and very large at birth. His
childhood years were much the same as any other his age
although he did stand out among his friends. He was 6'0
tall at 14 and still growing. By age 16 in 1863, he shot
up to 6'5". This was the same year he finished his
schooling and enlisted in the
U.S. Calvary.
Originally he was issued a Sharps rifle, later replaced by an
1863 Henry. During an engagement with a charging enemy
while dismounted (as was the rule), he accidentally
fired
his Henry rapidly at oncoming soldiers. This occurred
because of two reasons; His unfamiliarity with
his new issue Henry, and the size of his hands caused
only three fingers to enter the lever mechanism
while the index finger entered the area of the trigger
guard causing his finger to trip the trigger upon
return of the lever. In the heat of battle he did not
realize what was happening, only that he was firing
his Henry at a rapid rate. It was only after the battle
when he realized he had a bruised and cut index
finger. Later he
modified his Henry with a ring lever to accommodate his
large hands and later yet he adds the trip mechanism
screw remembering how his finger activated the
trigger.
After the war he used the Henry for a while and learned
that the company had been bought by the
Winchester Arms Co. in 1866 and introduced the
Winchester Yellow Boy. In 1873 he purchased a Winchester of that model year and
modifies it to the same configuration as his
old Henry.
This is the rifle he uses throughout his
life.
Thanks Tom for this
really great story!
Do you have something you would like to write or did
write and would like to share it? Maybe a picture you
drew? Maybe you think one of the episodes should have
ended differently or maybe you would like to write your own?
Please feel free to e-mail Cowgirl and get your own "this n'
that page!"
Site Map Here is a list of links to every page on my website
*Evansville....."this
ones for you Jeff!"
In November, 1962, Chuck Connors was the featured
guest star as The Rifleman at the Hadi Shrine Circus in
Evansville which ran 4 days with 8 shows. I had just
turned 6 years old but I remember it like it was
yesterday.
Also, Joe Higgins who played Nils, lived in
Evansville in 1955-56 and was the Assistant Manager at
the Hotel McCurdy in downtown Evansville.
Thanks Jeff!
Dr. Jerry P. Galloway
was originally from Evansville and he also remembers when.....
I read your site about Chuck Connors and the Shrine Circus in Evansville in 1962. I WAS THERE. I still lived in my birth city at that time and my grandfather was a high ranking official with the Shrine's Circus in Evansville at that time. So, I got to go down to the "temple" and MEET MR. CONNORS PERSONALLY before or after the show. And, I of course attended the circus at Roberts Stadium and sat with my family next to where he appeared. I was eight years old but can remember shaking his hand and looking up at him as we exchanged hello's and a comment or two.
Aside from being impressed by all that... I was always a big fan of the show. A serious and sophisticated western for the period.
