Elko got started in 1868 as a railroad town along northeast Nevada’s Humboldt River. But calling it a town might’ve been stretching the matter. It...
Buckaroos and Basques
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Departments
Did Old Westerners Generally Load only Five out of the Six Chambers?
Did Old Westerners generally load only five out of the six chambers? -Dan Clutter of Denison, Iowa Yes, letting the hammer rest on an empty chamber...
The Mormon Handcart Migration
When the Mormons, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, abandoned Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1846, they made a pledge to gather all...
Starvation Winter
"Any time I cash in now, I win,” Charles M. Russell wrote, a few months before his death on October 24, 1926, in the introduction for his short...
When’s the Last Time You Visited Last Chance, Montana?
WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU VISITED LAST CHANCE, MONTANA? Never, you say. Naw, that isn't right. This writer was there a couple years ago. Of course,...
Which Cards was “Wild Bill” Hickok Holding when He was Murdered?
Which cards was “Wild Bill” Hickok holding when he was murdered? -Michael Weirens of Sartell, Minnesota Legend says James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok...
When Mrs. Satan Ran for President
When Victoria Claflin Woodhull died, three months shy of her 89th birthday, news of her passing was announced on two continents. The press called...
A Clear Path to a Clear Fork Post
Jim Alexander has always liked November. It’s his birth month—he turns 82 on November 7—and he shares the month with the focus of his life’s work,...
Do Westerns Accurately Show how Horses are Saddle Broken?
Do Westerns accurately show how horses are saddle broken? -Carl Justice Bluefield, West Virginia I heard an old cowboy say, “The trick to breaking a...
The Coward of Little Big Horn
Marcus Reno’s historical reputation is: coward. He was a man who ran at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, leaving Lt. Col. George Custer and the...
The Deadliest Enemy
To the uninitiated in the Old West, the ranching business centered on cattle, but in reality, the livestock trade focused on grass and water, so...
No Place Like Home
Tomasita Duran could not believe what was right before her eyes. On that day in 2004, the director of the housing authority saw something special...