In the spring of 1889, the U.S. government faced a monumental task—opening the Unassigned Lands, nearly two million acres in modern-day central...
The Lawman & the Land Rush
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Mark Boardman
A Rope for a Rat
Two bodies swung from the cottonwood branches in the frigid wind on the night of January 4, 1864. One had a sign pinned to the back of his coat:...
Sadie vs. Josie
Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp fancied herself an actress. In later life, she told folks about her adventures in a drama troupe that traveled the wilds...
The Call of the Road
Carl Fisher had a need for speed, and because he hatched the means for long-distance travel in the U.S., tourism to the American West took off 100...
Long Road Home for Buffalo Bill Indian
In 1898, Albert Afraid of Hawk had the opportunity of a lifetime. He was hired as a performer with Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West, heady stuff for an...
Cole Younger’s Conversion
On a hot August night under a big-top tent, in the year 1913, an old man kissed his niece on the cheek, hauled himself slowly from his chair and...
Bloody Sunday Riot
The conflicts of Old West mining wars between labor and business spread to the fields of California agriculture in the latter stages of that era....
The Navajo War of 1913
After the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, the so-called end of the Indian Wars, cultural clashes between whites and American Indians still took place....
The “Icon” is Dead
The Icon is dead. Hear the sounds of sadness, relief and ... conflict. Glenn G. Boyer was the Icon, a nickname given to him by one of his admiring...
The Fighting Parson’s Fallout
For many American Indians, events of the past—even the distant past—are as real and present as something that occurred yesterday. The Sand Creek...
Soapy Smith’s Legacy
In September 1897, Jefferson Randolph Smith arrived in Skagway, Alaska, to make his fortune. Most people headed north to strike it rich in the gold...
Killed in the Line of Duty
Ezekiel Proctor was a Cherokee and proud of it. “Zeke” had walked the Trail of Tears from Georgia to the Indian Territory when he was a...