Olive trees made their way to California by way of the Spanish Missions run by Franciscan priests who imported the trees in the 1700s. By the...
Going Nuts Out West
Patients of Dr. J.H. Reeves, who settled in Glen Rose, Texas, in 1869, were often treated to tasty pecans that grew in the area. “A tow sack of...
Spicing Up the Frontier
Elario Cardova, born in 1861 and raised in Texas, recalled the value of spices, “We obtained our berries and fruits from the wild vegetation in the...
Beware of the Candied Cherries
Florence Mildred Campbell was desperate to be the wife of John Rathom, a star reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle since 1896, with whom she was...
Poverty Croquettes
Croquettes first appeared on English dinner tables in the 18th century. In the mid-1800s, Americans knew croquet as a lawn game. The food version...
Huber’s Café
Louis Eppinger, a five-foot-four, brown-eyed German immigrant, arrived in America in 1848. From the 1850s to the late 1880s, he managed and owned...
Texas Hill Country Trail: Cavalry, Cowboys and Germans
The Hill Country in Texas is steeped in rich history, and you can still step back in time when you visit. The area boasts historic sites, music,...
You Butter Believe It!
One may expect that basic kitchen staples, like flour, sugar and butter, on the frontier were identical to what cooks use today, but our...
The Dedicated Women Behind the Earp Men
Most True West readers are familiar with the name Earp, but more likely with Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan, James and Warren. You may know Josephine and...
Hamming it Up
In the mid-1800s, the word sandwich was almost synonymous with ham. If you ordered a sandwich, it was likely ham. The other two options were tongue...
A Cement Pudding
"I remember a strawberry festival that featured a huge floating island pudding,” recalled Mrs. Ford, who lived in Canyon City, Oregon, after the...
Of Grave Concern: An Ophelia Wylde Paranormal Mystery
Of Grave Concern: An Ophelia Wylde Paranormal Mystery) is another masterful tale by Max McCoy. He creates a gripping story as he blends the rugged...