For the greater good of the state, two visionary women saved a school in Nome, North Dakota. This is a story about two North...
Ringing the Bell
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Art, Guns and Culture
A Moving Target
When I was a kid, the Old West was 50 years in the rearview, and today my youth is 50 years in the rearview—and—to be honest, more like 60! Yikes!...
Alaska’s Real Bonanza
In the 1890s, stampeders and sourdoughs discovered the real bonanza was from the sea. Alaska, the final frontier of the American West, was actively...
Texas and the Paterson Colt
One hundred and eighty years ago, Samuel Colt’s revolutionary handgun broke trail for the Lone Star State and has been associated with Texas ever...
A Firearm Bonanza
The Rock Island Premier Auction lived up to its reputation for buyers and sellers. Decorated by Winchester’s famed engraver John Ulrich, Zane...
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...
O.K. Boomers
Wyatt Earp was a Boomer. As are most of the writers and historians arguing about him in this issue. Granted, the term Boomer has slightly different...
Amber Waves of Grain and Flowers
Kansas is still the breadbasket of America. Kansas pioneers knew their land was perfect for growing corn and wheat and an abundance of beautiful...
Under Western Skies
The annual Scottsdale Art Auction was a tour de force of classic and contemporary art of the West. All Images Courtesy Scottsdale Art Auction...
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...
They Showed me a Good Time
Last May I had the privilege of visiting a whole slew of Jesse James history sites in the great state of Missouri. Thanks to the knowledge and...
Oregon Cherries
The Beaver State, one of the great cherry-producing areas of the world, grows many varieties—from Bings to Royal Annes. Oregon has...