A few years ago, I attended the Dalton Days event in Meade, Kansas (held this July 13-14), and met two re-enactors from Arkansas. They told me the...
Splitting Hairs
read more
Articles
Northfield Revelations
When Northfield re-enacts the James-Younger bank raid, during the Defeat of Jesse James Days this September 5-9, local historian Chip DeMann will be...
When the Rich Went West
"It is the easiest thing in the world to make a living here if a man is industrious; but I am more and more hopeless of our ever making enough money...
The Great Northfield Raid Revisited
On September 7, 1876, the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota, was robbed. Historians agree on that much. But ask them anything else—Who...
The Mini “Buffalo Gun”
When most people think of the Sharps rifle, it’s a good bet they probably think “Buffalo Gun.” The “Old Reliable” Sharps single-shot rifle was...
High Doom in the Andes
November 6, 1908 Two Mules for Aramayo Two heavily armed “Americanos on jaded mules” ride into the high mountain village of San Vicente, Bolivia. As...
The Iconic Duo
The last great year for Western movies was 1969, which saw the release of three classics: The Wild Bunch, True Grit and Butch Cassidy and the...
Following the Santa Fe Trail
When first opened to traffic in 1821, the Santa Fe Trail linked the American markets along the Missouri River with the long-established Mexican...
Singing for His Supper
Cy Scarborough’s heart never was in the “Natural State,” even though he was born and raised in Arkansas 85 years ago. “As a kid, I dreamed of going...
A Bonanza Paradise
“Fortune smiled the day we filed the Ponderosa claim” was one of the coolest introductions to a TV show ever. Backed by the galloping theme song, a...
Pizza in the Old West
“My wife has been in the habit for several years of putting up tomatoes for winter use…. She says they must be stewed a long time..,” penned a...
A Tale of Two Shirts
On June 20, 1905, “one of the greatest affairs of the kind” took place, a potlatch feast-giveaway of the belongings of Nez Perce Chief Joseph, who...