John G. Parke graduated second in his class at West Point in 1849 and was assigned to the Army Corps of Topological Engineers, an elite group of...
Lt. John G. Parke: Army Topographic Engineer
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Articles
Smile!
Most people who study photos from the 1800s, whether these are family photos or historical images of the American West, have wondered why the people...
Wyatt Earp’s Embarrassing Moment
Wyatt Earps Embarrassing Moment It was a moment Wyatt Earp wanted to forget. He was lounging in a Wichita saloon on January 9, 1876. His pistol...
The Navajos Nail It
Leave it to the Navajos to put an eloquent name on those unique summer storms that roll across northern Arizona this time of year. They refer to...
Jim Leavy, Gunfighter
Jim Leavy was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1842. His name was often misspelled Levy and this has led some to believe he was Jewish. He came to America...
Julian Street
The heyday of Cripple Creek began around 1890 when a cowboy named Bob Womack found gold. For years he’d been telling anybody who’d listen the narrow...
The Anti Horse Thief Association
The Anti Horse Thief Association was an important citizen-based crime fighting outfit in the Old West. It got its start in the late 1850s, battling...
The Earps Threatened C.S. Fly?
C.S. Fly’s photo studio/boardinghouse was right next to the empty lot where the Tombstone shootout occurred on October 25, 1881. That’s led to a...
Were Most Of The Old West Gunfighters Professional Gamblers?
Were most of the Old West gunfighters professional gamblers? Ron Bolza Slatington, Pennsylvania At some point, most of the famed Old West figures...
Unlikely Saddle Pards
“He doted on stories of his father’s daring exploits in Virginia and Louisiana” as a Civil War Union officer. So wrote renowned historian Peter...
On the Hunt for Buffalo Bill
The flowing locks and broad brimmed hat as William F. Cody cantered up on his horse made him “[look] like a picture of a cavalier of olden times”...
Lend Me Your Wife!
Cheyenne, Wyoming’s residents enjoyed a fine social life, and ladies hosted and attended a variety of social events and parties with varied themes....