If you’d visited San Francisco back in 1967, you might have found a 14-year-old kid doing something a bit unusual for a teenager. He spent time in...
A View of Vasquez
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Articles
Cake Was His Last Meal
“How much am I bid for this cake?” asked the auctioneer as he lifted it to show the bidders. Cakes were often sold to raise money for churches and...
Dust, Death and Disability
Dust storms undoubtedly inspired heroic resolve in some pioneers committed to the land, while causing madness, disease and disability in those less...
Buckles: The Cowboy Calling Card
Out West, the belt buckle’s significance reaches beyond its functionality of keeping your pants from sagging. The buckle can proclaim the wearer’s...
Hauser’s Story Finds its Heartbeat
Cincinnati artist John Hauser left behind few letters and no diaries, making biographical details of his life and work sketchy at best. Yet an...
Black Warriors of the West
In the wake of the Civil War the American West offered perceived opportunities for nearly every element of society. So it came to be that some...
Why are smaller wheels on the front of stagecoaches and wagons?
Why are smaller wheels on the front of stagecoaches and wagons? Charles Baker Lake Panasoffkee, Florida The front wheels were smaller on both wagons...
Are the wooden hitching posts in frontier towns pure Hollywood?
Are the wooden hitching posts in frontier towns pure Hollywood? Barry Waldbaum Centereach, New York Since nearly everyone traveled either on...
How common were stagecoach robberies in the Old West?
How common were stagecoach robberies in the Old West? Katrina Devereaux Mesa, Arizona In Arizona alone, 129 stage robberies took place between 1875...
Did jail cells in Westerns always have a window to an alley?
Jail cells in Westerns always have a window to an alley where pals of the prisoner can toss notes or guns through. How accurate is that? Jim...
Did Old West folks wear sunglasses?
Did Old West folks wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun? David Fuller Storrs, Connecticut Not usually, sunglasses weren’t readily...
Did 19th-century U.S. soldiers carry military ID cards?
Did 19th-century U.S. soldiers carry military ID cards, or their equivalent, as all military personnel do now? James Rowley Laingsburg, Michigan ID...