Alaska native son Walter Harper was the first to ascend North America’s highest peak, but his fame—and life as a physician—were cut short by...
Olive Johnson
A coal camp teacher discovered herself and the world in the Mohrland, Utah, melting pot.
Frederick Schwatka
From fighting in the Great Sioux War to daring exploits in Alaska, the Oregon cavalryman had the right stuff.
Last of a Breed
Jesse Jefferson “Bear” Howard’s legendary life bridged two centuries.
An Officer and a Gentleman
Army Lieutenant Edward W. Casey served his country in the Western Indian campaigns with distinction and honor.
John X. Beidler
A shotgun messenger in Old Montana left a great legacy of service and courage.
Did She or Didn’t She?
The people who knew her, and the historians who love her, consider Madam Dora DuFran one of the most lucrative businesswomen in South Dakota. Her...
Seminole Scouts
These black scouts were descendants of runaways fleeing enslavement by whites. They sought refuge in Florida in the late 18th and early 19th...
Hit by a Volcano
E.E. Phelps and F.A. Tipple left Lance Graham for dead, covered in ashes, facedown in the snow. Carrying his 200-pound body down the hill would have...
The Black Father of Fort Worth
A black kid with a shining smile suddenly appeared in Colorado City, Texas, in 1886, hoping to make two bits a pop as a bootblack for blacking a...
Robber’s Roost Defender
Outside the mining camps of Deadwood, Dakota Territory, particularly on the road leading to Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory, violent men held dominion...
From Slavery to Cattle King
Born a slave near Inez, Texas, on September 15, 1860, the year before the war began that would free him, Daniel Webster “80 John” Wallace had a...