Papa Carter and His Heavy Horse Head Hitching Post

True story. The hitching post sits in front of my garage.

In the 1800's, cowboys rode the roads.

Trails were today's road courses.
Every saloon had a hitching post,
an emergency brake for cowboy's wild horses.

St. Louis has quite the history.
Early settlers and their Indian fears.
The western fur trade, typhoid fever,
Louisiana Purchase and the Trail of Tears.

But one man stood out.
A legend that all of St. Louis would boast.
That legend was Papa Carter,
and his heavy horse head hitching post.

There was a saloon in St. Louis.
Frequented by the best and the worst.
From soiled doves to three card monte,
hangovers in the saloon were nursed.

The saloon had a reserved parking spot.
Saved for their best customer of the day.
That customer was usually Papa Carter.
The saloon was never far away.

Papa had his favorite hitching post,
once he finished drinking and play.
If another cowboy had parked there,
he would find his horse had run away.

He drank at that saloon for years.
The same hitching post now had his mark.
They finally painted his name there.
No one else was allowed to park.

The town was growing too big.
The old saloon was closing down.
Competition springing up everywhere,
since the railroad came into town.

Papa's favorite hitching post,
would somehow become his.
He spent all night and hatched a plan,
concocted while drinking gin fizz.

Kind of crude by today's standards.
As plans go, some would have doubts.
Just simply ride in after closing,
dig it up and then hightail it out.

He showed up at midnight,
looked and no one was around.
Started digging and soon found out,
it weighed about two hundred pounds.

He dragged it behind his horse,
for long miles and all of the night.
He hid it behind some bushes,
came back the next day at first light.

Carried it away on a trailer,
just him and his prized abductee.
Had the one thing he always wanted,
proud of himself, as only he could be.

The hitching post he had,
the rest of the time he was around.
It has survived three generations,
and still resides on family ground.

That saloon was closed forever.
But there's one thing St. Louis still boast.
The legend of Papa Carter,
and his heavy horse head hitching post.