A century and a half ago the Iron Horse galloped across the prairie and plains of Nebraska then over and around the mountains and across the...
Hell on Wheels
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Articles
Tejano History Under One Roof
The entire history of early Texas—from a Spanish viceroyalty, to ownership by Mexico, to the Republic of Texas to statehood—was lived by the man who...
A Mixed Legacy
Peter Burnett was an important figure in the early history of Oregon and California. A lawyer, businessman, farmer and speculator, Burnett gained...
When the West was True
We live in a time of national discord. Americans find themselves adrift in a cultural malaise highlighted by overheated political rhetoric from all...
“…Kill or Hang All Warriors…”
If one winner came out of the Battle of the Washita, his name was Custer. In 1868, Southern Cheyennes and other tribes were camped along the Washita...
After the Long Drive is Done
Trail-driving movies always show the cowboys drawing their pay after reaching Abilene, Dodge City or Wichita and heading for the nearest barber shop...
Kin to the James Boys
Allen Parmer is best known as the brother-in-law of Jesse and Frank James—with some accusations that he also rode the outlaw trail with them. But...
What History Has Taught Me: Red Steagall
Red Steagall is a musician, poet and actor who shares stories of the American West. His performances include a White House party for President...
From Slavery to Cattle King
Born a slave near Inez, Texas, on September 15, 1860, the year before the war began that would free him, Daniel Webster “80 John” Wallace had a...
Lieutenant Charles Gatewood and the Johnson County War
In the spring of 1892, members of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association created a hit list and then imported twenty-two rough and ready Texans to...
What did American Indians Smoke in their Peace Pipes?
What did American Indians smoke in their peace pipes? Mark Evans Clearfield, Pennsylvania The Eastern tribes smoked tobacco. Out West, the tribes...
A Man Alone?
The story goes that Wyatt Earp single-handedly protected Michael O’Rourke—aka Johnny-Behind-the-Deuce—from a Tombstone lynch mob in January 1881....