An energetic and ambitious woman has come to Lincoln, New Mexico, to restore the town’s legendary Ellis Store. Every day for the last 50...
A Little Town with a Big Agenda
Trinidad, Colorado, won’t let go of this 115-year-old gem. Nobody’s still around to remember the “glory days”—John Philip Sousa, Sitting Bull and...
Ringing the Bell
For the greater good of the state, two visionary women saved a school in Nome, North Dakota. This is a story about two North...
The Oldest West Savior
It wasn’t even called The West—was still the ‘New World’—when the foundation was laid. By all rights, there shouldn’t be a San Xavier del Bac...
If You Thought Dude Ranching Days Were Over….
Montana’s original wants to set you straight. It’s a fair guess that “the man who put ‘dude’ in dude ranching” would be pleased. Although he’s long...
Will This Bell Toll Again?
Tombstone’s first Episcopal Church says “Yes!” On January 21, 1882, a 24-year-old divinity student wrote in his diary, “So begins my journey West....
He Plucked One Paragraph Out of History
Kenneth Thomasma built an entire career telling stories we almost missed. Lifetime passions can start simply: like when a 30-something...
A Proud Heritage Saved, Texas Style
Nobody’s surprised it’s so big and so bold. It started during a visit to a Norway museum in the 1960s, when Texas Tech University President...
You Had to Look Hard – The Marquis de Morès Did
His wife’s beautiful name graces the charming town he left behind. "Little Misery” was about the only name you’d find in this part of the Dakota...
Let’s Honor a Kick-Ass Arizona Woman
Frances Willard Munds changed life in the brand new state. Arizona deserves a new tradition on election day: After voting, women could take...
Meet Mrs. Tombstone
Most places need a committee; Tombstone needed Edna. The Town Too Tough to Die was on life support when Edna Landin came to town in 1949. It was...
Aloha Cowboys
Hawaii’s Paniolo Preservation Society keeps the Old West alive in the 50th state. Here’s a Cliffs Notes history of the cowboy: The first were...