Articles
How did Pioneers Preserve Corpses?

How did Pioneers Preserve Corpses?

How did pioneers preserve corpses? George Townsend — Bella Vista, Arkansas. Pioneers preserved bodies in winter ice and snow, when available, or...

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The Life of a Fur Trapper

The Life of a Fur Trapper

There was no shortage of ways to go to the “go under” in the Far West during the heyday of the Mountain Men. In 1856 Antoine Robidoux could account...

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Twain Redux

Twain Redux

Robert Coover tackles the impossible in Huck Out West (W.W. Norton, $26.95), a sequel to Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that puts...

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The Rendezvous

The Rendezvous

Like gold dust in the mining camps, beaver fur was the medium of exchange in the mountains. In 1825 William Ashley came up with an idea unique to...

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I’m Just Joshin’ Ya

I’m Just Joshin’ Ya

There are a number of terms for playing a joke on somebody but one of the most interesting word origins for such schemes is called “joshing.” Its...

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Jim Bridger’s Tall Tales

Jim Bridger’s Tall Tales

Once there was a mountain man who couldn't write his name, Yet he deserves the front row seat in History's Hall of Fame, He forgot more about the...

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