This book is an offering of the Indians, and I am only the recorder. Or so Natalie Curtis claimed in her groundbreaking work, The Indian’s Book,...
A Song of Praise for a Forgotten Folklore Collector
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Art, Guns and Culture
John Wayne’s Silver Screen Shootin’ Irons
In True Grit, Wayne’s character Rooster Cogburn told defense attorney Mr. Goudy “a gun that’s unloaded and cocked ain’t good for nothin’,” yet...
Back to the Future
Texas History Movies—the name is not entirely accurate. Texas history? Yes. Movies? Nope, they’re comic books. These comics were once a major...
True Comics
Will Rogers, born in the Indian Territory in 1879, was a true American icon. As stage star, humorist, national newspaper columnist and radio and...
Preservation:Earp—All in the Family
Earp—All in the Family Bob and Melba Matson are brave, courageous and bold. In 1986, they bought a house in Monmouth, Illinois—but not just any...
Off the Reservation, the Range, the Ranch and the Regular
The first place to look for Western art has always been St. Petersburg, Florida. Falling to the ground with so many palm fronds and coconuts are the...
The Good, the Bad at the O.K. Corral
The last shot fired at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was the deadliest. Martha Knight pulled the trigger. We boys stood in the playground, pumped...
Wyeth Sets Record with Hickok Oil
The most famous Poker hand of all time, Aces and Eights, might have won the pot, had the gambler not gotten shot in the back of the head. Given the...
Preservation: James-Younger Gang Returns to Northfield
Back in the 1940s, visitors to the men’s room of a Phillips 66 gas station in Northfield, Minnesota, were greeted by an unusual sight—photos of the...
Preservation: James-Younger Gang Returns to Northfield
Back in the 1940s, visitors to the men’s room of a Phillips 66 gas station in Northfield, Minnesota, were greeted by an unusual sight—photos of the...
“Hoppy’s Favorite” Six-Guns
Although created as a fictional cowboy hero, Hopalong Cassidy—as portrayed by actor William Boyd—has become as real to millions of Western fans as...
Audrey Hepburn vs. Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton’s got a costume that frankly beats out pretty much most of what passes for collectible in the Hollywood memorabilia category so...