The entire history of early Texas—from a Spanish viceroyalty, to ownership by Mexico, to the Republic of Texas to statehood—was lived by the man who...
Tejano History Under One Roof
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Art, Guns and Culture
Horrors of Stage Station Grub
By the 1850s, gold rush fever inspired more and more pioneers to board concord coaches and make their way West. The stagecoach held nine...
A Real Western Colt in the Reel West
It’s a firearms collector’s dream to find a gun that is well documented to have been owned or used by someone famous, or was involved in a...
Lone Ranger’s Iconic Saddle
Western Americana saddles are more than just a piece of horse equipment. When coupled with beautiful craftsmanship and outstanding ownership, they...
Return to Fort Apache
One could argue there is enough negative about the history of Fort Apache that people might not want to come,” Karl Hoerig admits. “It’s a...
Mexican Marvels
The cuisine of Mexican natives living in the frontier West did not appear on menus in most restaurants or hotels. Victorian pioneers considered it...
History in Ink
What a difference an autograph makes. Last September, a collector successfully bid $6,500 at Cowan’s Auctions for a photograph from the Eric C....
The Mother Lode Spirit
Ed Arata’s history with Sutter Creek, California, goes back to the Mother Lode days when gold was plentiful and his grandfather worked at the Knight...
Hell on Wheels Meals
Wyoming Territory became home to makeshift towns as the Union Pacific Railroad laid tracks to meet the Central Pacific Railroad from 1867-1869. When...
Hollywood’s Flintlock Fakery
Movie making is all imagery, or as Hollywood calls it, “movie magic,” or the “suspension of belief.” After all, you don’t really think the actor you...
Custer’s Last Strand
Custer’s Last Strand” made news around the nation after links of the controversial cavalry commander’s curly blond hair sold at the June 9 auction...
America’s Cowboys Get Their Due
First, thanks go to the Franciscan priests who established 21 missions along the California coast starting in 1769, bringing with them the first...