The Great Coonskin Cap craze of 1955 resulted in the Great Raccoon Shortage of 1955. In the absence of fresh pelts, desperate furriers remodeled...
No Davy? No Dylan
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Articles
Alamo’s New Defender
James Butler Bonham faced his moment of truth in the pre-dawn of March 6, 1836. He and a handful of Texians reportedly manned an elevated artillery...
Where the Bodies Are Buried
In the hills outside the northeastern Oregon town of Baker City is a cemetery not unlike many that dot the old mining towns of the West. Except this...
Honor in Sacrifice
Death—that one great certainty of life—haunts us all. It terrifies us—like children fearful of the dark—all the while calling to us, fascinating us,...
Coffee with Lizards?
We’ve all heard of coffee with cream and sugar, but with lizards? Yep, such a concoction was drunk in Texas in the late 1800s. “At one of the dances...
A Deadly Oasis
It occurs naturally, everywhere in the West. It has a special affinity for the state of Nevada where it commonly exists in groundwater in amounts...
Cowboys & Steampunkers
Inspired by the Victorian era of buttoned-up gentility and amazing new mechanical inventions, Steampunk designers seek to rekindle a sense of awe...
Will the Real John Clum Please Stand Up?
All of these photographs are of John Clum. Yet one stereoview shows the Apache Indian agent twice; a stereoview that hammered in for $2,000 at...
Will the Real John Clum Please Stand Up?
All of these photographs are of John Clum. Yet one stereoview shows the Apache Indian agent twice; a stereoview that hammered in for $2,000 at...
Who Needs a Chiropractor?
On the third—or is it the fourth?—day driving cattle, the Burnt Well Guest Ranch herd crests a hill. Cellphone signals at last! Through the dust, I...
About how many cowboys came through a cattle town each season?
About how many cowboys came through a cattle town each season? Mike Franklin Poteet, Texas That’s a tough one to pin down; the number of cowhands...
What’s the story of the doc who killed gunfighter Dallas Stoudenmire?
I’m curious about Doc Manning, the man who killed gunfighter Dallas Stoudenmire. What’s his story? John Crawley Salem, Oregon Born George Felix...