Kriya Singh Via the Internet Frederick Jackson Turner, in his 1893 essay, “The Frontier in American History,” claimed the frontier ended in 1890 and...
In your opinion, when did the Old West come to an end?
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Inside History
On a jeep tour in the Sonoran desert recently, our guide lectured on the jojoba plant, saying the beans are high in caffeine, which is why Native Americans chewed them for an energy boost and cowboys used them to make coffee. What do you think?
Roy McKay Phoenix, Arizona Your guide needs to take a refresher course on jojoba beans. They contain no caffeine. He’s right about the cowboys...
Has an original copy of the official inquest into the O.K. Corral shooting survived? A book by Al Turner purports to include the complete testimonies of the participants, but I also read that the original findings were lost in one of Tombstone’s fires.
Glenn Hebert Albuquerque, New Mexico I checked with Casey Tefertiller, one of the best experts on the Spicer hearing, and he says the original...
I’ve read that Billy the Kid had a brother. What happened to him?
I've read that Billy the Kid had a brother. What happened to him? Dennis Bagwell Anaheim, California Billy had a brother, or perhaps a half brother,...
Tumbling Dice Wins Hardin a One-way Ticket to Hell…John Wesley Hardin vs Constable John Selman
August 19, 1895 Wes Hardin is drunk and furious. “I’ll go and get a gun,” he bellows at John Selman, Sr., “and when I meet you I’ll meet you...
What were Rawhiders?
What were Rawhiders? J.D. Dillon Via the Internet Rawhiders were a rough-hewn class of frontier itinerants who gathered cow or buffalo hides for...
Is it true that the dime novel hero, Deadwood Dick, was really a black cowboy named Nat Love?
Is it true that the dime novel hero, Deadwood Dick, was really a black cowboy named Nat Love? Marina Bender Mesa, Arizona When aspiring writer Ed...
I just watched an old Army cavalry movie, and I’m wondering about the neckerchiefs and trouser stripes. What can you tell me about the cavalry uniforms of the Indian Wars?
I just watched an old Army cavalry movie, and I’m wondering about the neckerchiefs and trouser stripes. What can you tell me about the cavalry...
What is the origin of the phrase, “You bet?”
What is the origin of the phrase, “You bet?” Bill Beck Boise, Idaho “You bet” is a phrase all us Westerners grew up with. It’s regarded as a...
Can you describe a drover’s typical day on the Long Trail?
Can you describe a drover’s typical day on the Long Trail? Stace Webb Via the Internet Long and tiring. The drovers each had a two-hour watch over...
Did cowboys really make tenderfeet “dance” by firing their pistols at their feet as is often shown in old Westerns?
Did cowboys really make tenderfeet “dance” by firing their pistols at their feet as is often shown in old Westerns? Bill Ramsey Kansas City,...
While watching Joe Kid and The Journeyman, I’ve noticed the use of Mausers. Was this gun typical of the period?
While watching Joe Kid and The Journeyman, I’ve noticed the use of Mausers. Was this gun typical of the period? Dick Jenkins Via the Internet The...