Bandera, Texas

Bandera, Texas

Cattle-drive roots and cowboy cahoots make this Hill Country town a favorite Old West destination.     It’s no wonder Bandera is a cowboy town.  This is where cowboys converged for longhorn cattle drives on the Western Trail to Dodge City and beyond from...
Babocomari Land Grant

Babocomari Land Grant

From 1821 until the Gadsden Purchase in 1854 the Mexican government sold and awarded granted land under Mexico’s 1824 Law of Colonization, it called for a three-year abandonment clause and the new owners were expected to mark the boundaries with monuments. The...
Cowboy Hats and Western Boots

Cowboy Hats and Western Boots

The two most recognizable fashion icons of the American West are selling out worldwide. Born out of necessity in the post-Civil War West, the American cowboy hat and Western boot have defined their wearers for over 150 years. Corporate American hatmakers and...
The Winner

The Winner

Joseph Glidden’s invention won the West. In the fall of 1873, Joseph Glidden did what many farmers did and do: he went to the county fair. In this case, it was DeKalb County, Illinois, due west of Chicago and south of Rockford. For Glidden, the annual fair turned out...