Among the stories of the Old West, few are more exciting than the manhunts that pitted frontier authority against those …
Inside History
The Horseless Carriage Was Seriously Underestimated
“The horseless carriage…will never come into as common use as the bicycle,” the Literary Digest declared in 1899—t…
High Times in the Bitterroots Historic downtown Wallace, Idaho, celebrates its Wild West past.
When the Bitterroot Mountains exploded in wildfires in 1910, Buffalo Soldiers from the 25th Infantry helped evacuate the…
Shopping from Home in 1897 with Sears Roebuck
Here’s a sampling of what one could shop for in 1897 in the Sears Roebuck Catalogue, known officially as the “Cons…
Outselling the Best Sellers–Sears Roebuck
Readers in 1897 were captivated by two books that have gained immortality in the literary world—Quo Vadis by Henryk Sien…
Mattie Summerhayes: An Army Bride from New England Follows the Guidon
“The temperature was 122 degrees in the shade, the drinking water was 86 degrees, and the butter poured like oil. The s…
While on a Cattle Drive, Did Cowboys Wear Their Handguns or Store Them?
While on a cattle drive, did cowboys wear their handguns or store them? Bill Calloway Wilmington, Delaware Whether or no…
A Western Shootist is Born Tracking Wild Bill Hickok’s rise to Old West hero status is a hot and cold trail.
Late afternoon finds me on the square in Springfield, Missouri, seeking the spot where Wild Bill Hickok gunned down Dave…
Angels Camp Gold Rush
One of the stranger gold strike stories comes from Angels Camp, California in 1856. Bennager Rasberry was squirrel hunti…
The Birth of Tombstone’s Helldorado Celebration
Tombstone’s first Helldorado celebration was in October 1929—and like so many other things tied to the “Town Too Tough T…