We're Coming, Arkansas (We're Coming, Idaho)

DESCRIPTION: The singer mentions reports of a fine fountain in Arkansas/Idaho. The family heads out toward this wonderful place of health and wealth: "We're coming, Arkansas/Idaho, We're coming, ---, Our four horse team will soon be seen, Way out in ---"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1864 (published as by Frank French)
KEYWORDS: emigration
FOUND IN: US(MW,Ro,So)
REFERENCES (13 citations):
Randolph 343, "Eureka!" (3 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen-OzarkFolksongs-Abridged, pp. 279-280, "Eureka!" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 343A)
Cohen-AmericanFolkSongsARegionalEncyclopedia1, p. 362, "Eureka!" (1 text); Cohen-AmericanFolkSongsARegionalEncyclopedia2, pp. 579-601, "We're Coming, Idaho" (1 text plus a sheet music cover)
Rainey/Pinkston-SongsOfTheOzarkFolk, p. 26, "We're Coming Arkansas" (1 text, 1 tune)
Owens-TexasFolkSongs-1ed, pp. 236-238, "Hurrah for Arkansas" (1 text, 1 tune)
Owens-TexasFolkSongs-2ed, pp. 129-130, "Hurrah for Arkansas" (1 text, 1 tune)
Warner-TraditionalAmericanFolkSongsFromAnneAndFrankWarnerColl 195, "Away, Idaho (We're Coming, Idaho)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Larkin-SingingCowboy, pp. 86-90, "Way Out in Idyho" (1 short text with some unusual lyrics, 1 tune)
Fife/Fife-CowboyAndWesternSongs 113, "Way Out in Idaho" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lingenfelter/Dwyer/Cohen-SongsOfAmericanWest, pp. 120-121, "Idaho" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FolkSongsOfNorthAmerica 156, "We're Coming, Arkansas" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 47, "Way Out in Idaho" (1 text)
Dime-Song-Book #16, p. 43, "Idaho" (1 text)
ST R343 (Partial)
Roud #4760
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Wait For the Wagon" (tune)
NOTES [111 words]: The "Idaho" version was published in 1864 with Frank French listed as its author. Warner speculates that French rewrote an old Arkansas song to deal with the Idaho gold rush (for which see also "A Trip to Salmon"), though Cohen thinks French's version original.
The only useful thing I can add is that Arkansas versions seem to prevail in Texas and Arkansas and vicinity, while Idaho is mentioned in the versions collected elsewhere. and the latter versions seem to be at least as common, though they come from areas where collection efforts have been spotty. The implication is that the Idaho variant was probably more widely known. Though that doesn't prove much. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.6
File: R343

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