Doc Middleton (real name: James Riley) was one of the greatest horse thieves of the Old West era. Some estimates say he rustled 2,000 head over a...
Prescription for a Lawbreaker
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Articles
Did Frontier Soldiers go through Boot Camp?
Did frontier soldiers go through boot camp? Bill Haines Nashville, Tennessee Jefferson Barracks, south of St. Louis, Missouri, was established July...
Start of a Lawman
Dave Cook was one of the top lawmen in the Rocky Mountains, breaking up several outlaw gangs from his Denver base during the 1870s and 1880s. But he...
The San Patricios
The St. Patrick’s Battalion, or as the Mexicans called them San Patricios, were a battalion of mostly Irish Catholic immigrants who deserted the...
The Militancy of the Miners
Mining was vital to the growth of the Old West—perhaps more so than even the cattle industry. It also led to violent class struggles between mine...
Buffalo Bill and the Extinction of the Buffalo
Was Buffalo Bill was instrumental in the near extinction of the American bison (Buffalo)? In an odd sort of way Bill Cody helped in the preservation...
Powell and the People of the Plateau
John Wesley Powell’s first expedition down the Green and Colorado rivers through the Grand Canyon in 1869, made him a national hero. John K....
Roughing It
The other day a friend asked, “In Mark Twain’s book Roughing It he refers to the gunfighters as long-tailed heroes. What does that mean?" Mark Twain...
What History Has Taught Me: Mary Doria Russell
As a kid I saved up six hours of babysitting money every week to pay for one hour of horseback riding at a local stable. The hardest part of writing...
Who Repaired the Telegraph Lines if They Were Down and How Long Did it Take to Fix Them?
Who repaired the telegraph lines if they were down and how long did it take to fix them? Vance Rowe Gloversville, New York Western Union had crews...
More Than a Sidekick
Charlie Utter (right in photo) is best known as a sidekick to Wild Bill Hickok, but he had quite the life beyond that. Born in Niagara Falls, NY in...
The Lone Star Line
Prior to the Civil War, it was realized that an efficient way to deliver the mail and passengers across the country was needed. In 1857, the U.S....