Let the Water Flow In early March, a torrent of water rushed through the Grand Canyon. It was not an act of God; man was behind the Great Flood of...
Mike Blakely
I grew up in the country. We ranched, worked hard and did virtually everything ourselves. That kind of upbringing instills resourcefulness,...
Close-Ups on the Outcasts
Although director Arthur Penn made only three Westerns, his ranking is secure as one of the genre’s greatest interpreters. Actually, Penn’s first...
Cattle Track Creations
Living and working as an artist in one of the few places in Scottsdale, Arizona, that remains natural and largely undeveloped, Mark McDowell daily...
Speaking Horse
In the 17th century, New Mexico’s vaqueros imparted (under duress, most likely) their “secrets” of horsemanship to the Plains Indians. With these...
NRA’s Cowboy Celebration
“When fact becomes legend, print the legend!” So goes the words of the great film director, John Ford, when asked about portraying truth in his...
Dodge City’s All-Stars
The formation of the Dodge City Peace Commission took place 125 years ago this June, so I’m wondering, “Why all the hoopla?” Okay, so there isn’t a...
Charlie Russell’s Newest Painting
Charlie Russell showed off his newest painting at this year's C.M. Russell Art Auction. Impossible, you say? The esteemed cowboy artist did so...
Diabetes in the Old West
To the frontier doctor in the 1800s, the term “diabetes” referred to the patient who produced excessive amounts of urine. The term “diabetes” is...
Forting Up On the Apache Trail
Ominous clouds threaten rain as I pull off Highway 80 near the Arizona-New Mexico border at the Skeleton Canyon monument. I debate whether or not I...
Great Secrets of Our National Parks
Through blowing snow, a pair of cowboys rode across the top of a mesa, searching for stray cattle. Quaker rancher Richard Wetherill and his...
Trophy Hunting in Yellowstone
A journey along the “Grand Loop” of Yellowstone National Park in the late 1800s was a true adventure. An elite traveling public toured from five to...