Bah, humbug. The high sheriffs of this rag twisted my arm to write about Victorian Christmas celebrations out West. I’m no Scrooge, but I live in...
A Dickens Christmas
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Articles
Let’s Rodeo
Wild West shows and frontier rodeos are largely responsible for the distinctive styling and flare seen on cowboy shirts today. The arena cowboys...
Fine Fruitcakes
"Inmates of various boarding-houses shudder to think of the vast amount of turkey and fruitcake leftover from the feast of yesterday,” wrote San...
Hometown Visionaries
The “Wizard of Oz” taught that you don’t have to go far from home to find your dream. Donna and John Sickles know what that means, and Saint Jo,...
The Dalton Death Rifle?
While many of the American frontier’s most famous arms are well known today, few have had the distinction of becoming a working classic for as long...
Rough Drafts 11/12
We’re approaching the end of a landmark year in Western book publishing, and the beginning of another. With so many great projects out there for us...
J.A. Johnstone Picks
Well, four from 2012, plus a timeless classic. Anytime Shane shows up on a list, the rest of the bunch has to be top-notch storytelling. 1. Wildfire...
Remembering D.L. Birchfield
The world of Western literature lost a treasured voice in the early morning hours of September 7, when D.L. Birchfield, Choctaw satirist and...
Native Performers in Wild West Shows
Devotees of the Buffalo Bill legacy will no doubt appreciate Native Performers in Wild West Shows. It explores fertile ground first recognized by...
The Stickler
“Did you sketch this picture of my daughter?” Cindy Costner, Kevin’s wife at the time, asked a Union soldier during a lull in the Dances With Wolves...
10 Myths on the Dakota Uprising
The Dakota Uprising that began in Minnesota on August 17, 1862, quickly grew into the largest “Indian War” in Trans-Mississippi American history....
The Sodbusters’ Historian
In 1886, Solomon Butcher had his eureka moment, the biggest idea of his life. He would compile a book, a photographic history of the pioneers of...