Emigrants heading west in covered wagons usually had a wagon master who knew the trails and had experience getting throu…
Rascals of Tombstone: Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne Two outlaws' Arizona misadventures.
After running away from the gunfight in the vacant lot near the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Ike Clanton made a desperate a…
Tumbleweed Wagons Old West jails on wheels.
They called them “tumbleweed wagons” because like their namesake, the Russian thistle, they seemed to wander aimlessly a…
What are “long-tailed heroes”? In the book Roughing It, Mark Twain refers to gunfighters as “long-tailed heroes.” What does that mean?
In the book Roughing It, Mark Twain refers to gunfighters as “long-tailed heroes.” What does that mean? Paul Gortarez Ph…
Did Billy the Kid Serve as an Interpreter for Irish Immigrants?
Did Billy the Kid serve as an interpreter for Irish immigrants? Marcil d’Hirson Garron Newhall, California Being of Iris…
Free Trappers Why partisans were so important to trapper communities.
Basically there were only two types of trappers, the engage, or lowly company employee who worked for wages and the ente…
The Rendezvous Trappers gathered yearly to barter and sell fur pelts.
Like gold dust on the mining frontier, beaver pelts acted as the medium of exchange in the mountains. Unique to the Amer…
Did the Cowboys or the Pioneers use Snowshoes in Tough Winters?
Did the cowboys or the pioneers use snowshoes in tough winters? Kathy Church Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Yes, they used sn…
Mountain Men The men that left an indelible mark on American and world history.
The first white men to venture “across the wide Missouri” were awed by the breathtaking sight of the majestic Rocky Moun…
Frontier Editors Torch carriers for justice, seekers of truth, and ruthless writers.
Wherever folks settled in the rugged wilds of the West there remained a desire to keep up with what was happening “Back …