History tells us that in the Old West, the rope was an instrument of both justice and injustice—sometimes they hanged the right guy for the right...
Let’s Hang This “Damned Nuisance”
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Jana Bommersbach
Happy Belated, Will Rogers
Even folks who know little about the old west know about Will Rogers, the cowboy philosopher, entertainer, writer who seemed to know just what to...
Thank You, November
This winter month gives us lots of reasons to celebrate the Old West: from rodeos to women's rights, from Roy Rogers to Annie Oakley, from one of...
If You Can’t Lynch a Cattle Thief, There’s Always Plan B
If there was anything unforgiving in the old west, it was cattle stealing. (Unless you were one of the big outfits that could get away with...
So Billy Sidles Up to the Bar Next to Wyatt
Here's a historical question not often asked: Did Billy the Kid and Wyatt Earp almost shoot it out over drinks the night of November 27, 1879 in the...
Through Yavapai-Apache Eyes
New Year's Day on January 1 is normally celebrated as the start of a new year, a day off from work and a day to eat black eyed peas for good luck....
One fascinating and Formidable Pioneer Woman
When she died in 1926, the Tombstone Epitaph wrote: “Mrs. Hughes was one of the few pioneer women in the territory who left a lasting impression...
Navajo Women Helped the War Effort, Too
While young Navajo men were away, secretly helping win the war as Code Talkers with their unbreakable code, hundreds of Navajo Women also did their...
Saying Goodbye to an American Hero
By now, most know the fabulous story of the Navajo Code Talkers—young Navajo men who joined the Marines during World War II and were sent to the...
The Women on the Mother Road
It was John Steinbeck who first named Route 66 the “Mother Road”--all 2,400 miles of it from Chicago to Los Angeles. But it was thousands of...
Roses So Sweet They Remember
Arizona has found a particularly sweet way to commemorate its pioneer women—the Territorial Women's Rose Garden at the Sharlot Hall Museum in...
When’s the Last Time You Visited Last Chance, Montana?
WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU VISITED LAST CHANCE, MONTANA? Never, you say. Naw, that isn't right. This writer was there a couple years ago. Of course,...