More Adventures of Al Urness

It is this newspaper clipping with Al's miniatures in the background
 from a show that he had at Eastern Montana College that gives me
 hope that some of these and others still exist.

Day 10 (12/25/14)

I have a few more stories from people who crossed paths with Al. Considering that he died in 1998 at 89 years old I am glad to have come across as many people who knew him as I have. As I have stated before, there seems to be a certain amount of press about his journeys, but I have had to rely totally on personal contacts for his artwork. I am still holding out hope that somewhere there is a collection of his work, including the sketches and watercolors that he did on his journey down the Yellowstone, Missouri and Mississippi rivers. In the mean time I will continue to post what I can get. In many ways I like the personal nature of these pieces anyway. The next person I heard from was Shawn Cramer who wrote:

Hopefully, I have attached the pencil sketches Al Urness did of my Grandparents, Andrew and Orvella Christensen in Glasgow, MO in 1970.  My Grandpa worked on the Missouri River for the Corps of Engineers.  He started his career working on the Ft. Peck dam in Glasgow, MT. He and Grandma moved down the river before finally settling down in Glasgow, Missouri around 1940. Grandpa retired from the Corps in 1970, the year these drawings were made. I am not sure how he made Mr. Urness' acquaintance. Grandpa passed away in 2000 at the age of 95, but I will ask my Grandmother if she remembers. She is still alive and doing pretty well at 98.

Sincerely, 

Shawn Cramer

Orvella Christensen by Al Urness

Andrew Christensen by Al Urness

Then in April of this year I received this from Janis Walker:

In 1955 or 1956, my Daddy was fishing on the Mississippi and saw Mr. Al coming down the river. We were told that because of the current of the flooded river, he seemed to be in trouble. Daddy helped him come ashore and brought him to our home in Covington, TN. He stayed with us for several weeks in which time he made pencil drawings of my Mom, Dad, Great Grandmother and all of us eight kids. Over the years he would come back to visit us for a week or so. When I was about 11, we got our horse. He brought me a blanket from Wyoming and also subscribed me to the Western Horseman magazine. He was loved by all of us, like a favorite uncle. My Mom died in 1972 and he came to visit several years after her death. My step-mother made it very clear to him that she didn't care for him (she didn't care for us either) and he never returned. He gave one of my sisters a painting of Devil's Tower and so it became like a sacred place to all of us. In 2008 my younger sister and I made a trip out there and when we read the story behind Devil's Tower, it became even more so. You see, there are seven of us sisters and we have one brother. He also painted a picture for each of us, of the house we grew up in, in Covington. He is loved and missed by all of us.

I of course had to look up the legends of Devils Tower after this of which there are several but I am sure this is the one Ms. Walker is talking about. It is a Kiowa legend of Devils Tower:

Eight children were there at play, seven sisters and their brother. Suddenly the boy was struck dumb; he trembled and began to run upon his hands and feet. His fingers became claws, and his body was covered with fur. Directly there was a bear where the boy had been. The sisters were terrified. They ran with the bear after them. They came to the stump of a great tree, and the tree spoke to them. It bade them climb upon it, and as they did so it began to rise into the air. The bear came to kill them, but they were just beyond its reach. It reared against the tree and scored the bark all around with its claws. The seven sisters were borne into the sky, and they became the stars of the Big Dipper.

It is the stories from these people who have inspired me. The more I hear of his life the more I want to know. Perhaps it is time to throw out a few more lines or revisit some old ones. At any rate I am sure there will be more to come in the adventures of Al Urness