Phone photo 914

Topnotch Tavern and Willis Motel
Raymond, Washington

The story I've been told is that the Topnotch was founded by my grandfather's twin brother, London Willis, in the 1930s or 1940s. London was an old moonshiner/bootlegger in the 1920s who apparently attempted to drive to Japan and had a little trouble once his vehicle hit the salt water. It is safe to say alcohol was involved.

Phone photo 861

On the left, my paternal grandparents born 1887 and 1890, portraits drawn into wood by Mary Ann Bigelow about 25 years ago. The ports were taken from a photo taken around 1906-1907. Londy and Calla were products of the border region of Kentucky/Virginia.

The chalk portrait is me at the Seattle World's Fair ca. 1962.

All three of us were destined to spend most of our lives in the 20th century (unless I live into my 90s). I only overlapped in time with my grandmother for a few years, but long enough for her to be branded into my memory.

Phone photo 588

EAT
Vader, Washington

It was just a bit north over the county line in Lewis County not far from this ancient giant EAT sign (just as easily seen on Interstate 5 today as it was when it was displayed on the Oregon Trail during the time this little cafe served the pioneers), that my ancestors first settled in Washington Territory in the mid-1870s.

Phone photo 549

Pioneer Cemetery
Centralia, Washington

I have several ancestors buried in this place

Bootleg

A poster I drew for the 1989 production of Bootleg, a play written by my brother.

The content of this dramatic work was partly based on the exploits of the Willis family concerning their activity in distilling illicit booze and then employing a very libertarian philosophy in the free market distribution of said product, both in Dickenson County, Virginia and in Pacific County, Washington.

Crackpots and Visionaries

Crackpots and Visionaries was a cardset giveaway as part of a 1992 fund drive for WFMU radio in New Jersey.

The cartoonists in this project: Byron Werner, Drew Friedman, Carel Moiseiwitsch, Stephen Kroninger, Hank Arakelian, Roy Tompkins, J.R. Williams, Steve Willis, Joe Coleman, Mark Beyer, Gary Panter, Charles Burns, J.D. King, Harold S. Robins, Julie Doucet, Jim Ryan, Scott Cunningham, Mark Newgarden, Steven Cerio, Carol Lay, Mack White, Doug Allen, Lennie Mace, Sean Taggart, Krystine Kryttre, Richard McGuire, Glenn Head, Jayr Pulga, Ned Sonntag, Jim Woodring, Peter Bagge, Mary Fleener, Jonathon Rosen, Jimmy Piersall, and Kaz.

As tempting as it might be to say the title of this set concerns the cartoonists themselves, it actually refers to the content. Hank Arakelian gave us a list to choose from of various names throughout history. We then drew a portrait, and WFMU supplied the biography on the flip side of the card.

I chose William Jennings Bryan. His career from being a Populist champion and presidential candidate in his 30s to ending up as a Bible-thumping creationist clown at the Scopes Trial is a fascinating and sad descent. But through it all he was always an amazing political actor and showman.

Hank didn't particularly care for my portrait of Bryan. He thought the image was too simple-- not busy enough. But he used it anyway and I was glad to be included in the company of so many great cartoonists. I have an uncut sheet of all the cards on display in my studio.

Bryan also had an indirect role in our family names. His first, and most highly charged, run for President was in 1896. Out in the silver fields of Colorado and Nevada he was practically a God. It was in August of that campaign that my grandfather, William Jennings Bryan McDowell, was born in Ouray, Colorado, a silver boom town.

My great grandfather, Ben McDowell, had dragged his whole family up there from Illinois in the 1880s as he chased silver and gambled away two fortunes (so they say). Several of his brothers lived there too. Ben deserted the family and spent his last years chasing gold in Cripple Creek, Colorado.

Meanwhile, my grandfather's name was shortened to Bryan. The labor violence he witnessed during his formative years turned him into a lifelong Socialist in political philosophy.

The McDowells were never big on preserving family history. About 30 years ago down in Centralia, Washington one of my Mom's cousins gave me a big puffy Victorian era McDowell family photo album, saying "Here kid, I'm not into all this gynecology stuff."

Lots of pics of Ouray, plus some from the Midwest, including tintypes. We think my great grandfather Ben is in a group portrait with his brothers in one shot (nothing is marked), probably the one on the upper left.

And today the name Bryan lives on through my brother.

Sort of strayed here, eh?

Phone photo 292

Days of Family Past

Throwback

21 copies were printed July 1, 1998 (10 blue, 11 pink). The 1st Danger Room Reprint Ed. of June 2005 had 5 blue copies. All printings were on cardstock.

This is not one of my favorites. I sort of based the bad guy on George Bush I and the hoity toit, tired, gutless and boring genealogical snobbery I have occasionally encountered. For the record, I had two ancestors aboard the Mayflower, and a ton of folks in Jamestown before that, as well as Shawnee forebears-- but I always liked that quote from political comedian Pat Paulsen (who was a native of Pacific County, Washington, right next door), "All the problems we face in the United States today can be traced to an unenlightened immigration policy on the part of the American Indian."

Anyway, I don't think this minicomic really worked. But the last page does suggest Morty is indeed not an individual but an entire breed.