Cattle were king in the Old West, an economic and cultural foundation that fed the myth—until the Great Die Off. The summer of 1886 brought a...
High-flying Western Director
Director William Wellman’s career as a filmmaker during the mogul-studio era is a portrait in motion picture history, captured intimately by his son...
Rustling Felines
During the gold rush era in western history there were many ways to get rich without digging up dirt. One of the most unique money makers was by an...
A Tale of Kit Carson’s “Nephew”
The tale of Tom Carson fits the bill of Old West fabrications that have been recorded as fact. Storytellers claimed Tom was the nephew of legendary...
How easy was it to get a cup of coffee in the Old West?
How easy was it to get a cup of coffee in the Old West? Stace Webb Eugene, Oregon Coffee was ubiquitous in the frontier West. Contrary to popular...
Augustus Thomas Goes West
In 1897, Augustus Thomas was one of America’s most successful playwrights, but he’d hit a dry spell. So a neighbor in New Rochelle, NY suggested he...
Bozeman’s Darkest Night
When the log battering ram crashed against the jailhouse door, the prisoners inside cowered against the far wall, screaming for help in a desperate...
Poodles in the West
Image a poodle. How cute. How cuddly. Such a no-no in the old West. According to Anne Seagraves' Soiled Doves, poodles were the preferred pet of...
A Toast to the Dead
On the evening of Saturday, April 8th, 1905, two cowboys, John Shaw and Bill Smythe walked into the Wigwam Saloon in Winslow, bellied up to the bar...
Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving has been celebrated in America from the earliest days, but it became an official national holiday in 1863 in the midst of the Civil...
The Call of the Canyon
What do you get when you combine gutsy bravado, a genteel Victorian society background and the rugged backdrop of the Southwestern cultural...
Lottie Deno’s Gambling Past
Lottie Deno was an Old West success story. Born in 1844, she became a professional gambler in the 1860s—a rarity for a woman. She and her...