“Texas vodka? Man, that doesn’t even go together.” That was the reaction Tito Beveridge—yes, that’s his name—got when he started trying to peddle...
Crossed Sabres
The two crossed sabres insignia, cutting edge up, marked the hats of two different cavalrymen from the beginning and the end of the Indian Wars. The...
Stay on Target When Collecting Gun Shots
How many times have you looked at an antique photo and thought, “If this old photo could only talk?” Well, they do, in a way. As a collector of...
Ethnic Fare
“Those were exciting days. A regular pageant of non-descript people, coming and going, all the time. “I have but to close my eyes to live it all...
The Functional Side of Cowboy Boots
All the men were well shod in good looking riding boots, except the cook. I learned that the boots were mostly made by a boot maker named Hyer, of...
The Best BBQ Joints in Texas
Coming from South Carolina, I arrived in Dallas in 1984 and was shocked at what they called barbecue in Texas. It wasn’t pig meat. It was beef. And...
Framing the West
In Mackay, Idaho, a rugged cowboy and his trusty steed have braved the winter weather and harsh terrain to save a tender calf, with only a beacon of...
Best Photography of the True West
Ansel Adams started with with a Kodak No. 1 Box Brownie. Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter,”...
Ranch Style on a Budget
Jodi Finkenbinder did not just imagine what her new home could be, but she actually rolled up her shirt sleeves and helped create it. Starting with...
The Mouse that Roared
If any single gun had an impact on the history of the West, it was the palm-sized Deringer pistol that John Wilkes Booth used in 1865 to assassinate...
Frontier Wedding Menus
“One of the prettiest home weddings of the season was that of Miss Etta Scofield and Roy H. Tracey, Wednesday evening at 8 o’clock at the home of...
What to Wear This Summer
I wear a sombrero, silk neckerchief, fringed buckskin shirt, sealskin chaparajos or riding trousers [sic]; alligator hide boots; and with my pearl...