In Memory of Trigger

While not a big headline grabber, something interesting in the news a few weeks ago was the auction of Roy Rogers memorabilia from the now defunct museum in Branson, Missouri.

Over the past few years I've heard talk the museum was experiencing serious financial difficulties. First they relocated it from California to Missouri, but apparently that move wasn't enough to save it. The problem, as I understand it, was the public had simply lost interest in Roy Rogers, and that hardly anyone under the age of forty had ever even heard of Roy and Dale. For reasons unknown to this writer you just don't see any of their old movies and television shows anymore, not even on the niche cable channels specializing in classic movies and TV.

Probably the most notable item to go on the block was Trigger. And as someone whose passionate about preserving history, I have to admit seeing the photos of Trigger, as he is today, gave me some mixed feelings and got me to wondering if a corpse should be a historic artifact.

I was a kid when Trigger died, and at the time it was a newsworthy story. It was announced that Roy was going to have Trigger stuffed, and as I recall Roy said it was so that Trigger's fans would still be able to see him. At the time I didn't see a photo of Trigger, post mortum, but I still remember Trigger's being stuffed the punchline for comedians for years afterward.

I recently came across a blog talking about the auction, which included a link. Upon clicking the link, I saw, for the first time, a photo of Trigger as he is today. It was a beautifully done display, but at the same time it gave me the heebie-jeebies. I felt bad for this animal. I've always believed that when the time comes all of use deserve a proper, dignified burial, and the same should be true for our pets and for animals like Trigger, who were public figures. But at the same time, as someone whose passion is historical preservation, I can understand the decision to preserve Trigger. Still, for me it was creepy, and I think a tastefully done display of Trigger artifacts, such as his saddles, photos, posters, and perhaps some of his horseshoes and locks of his mane may have been more appropriate.

Trigger was purchased by a television station in the midwest, and according to news reports, his new owners plan to use him to help introduce the public to Roy and Dale's movies. What a shame someone in the broadcast business didn't think of that some twenty or thirty years ago. If they had maybe the Roy Rogers museum would still be open today, and his kids wouldn't have had to go through the heartbreak of having to sell their parent's personal mementos.

My thought for the day.

GM