Cowboys vs. small ranchers in Tascosa. March 21, 1886. An ongoing dispute between cowboys at the LS Ranch--many former associates of Pat...
X Marks the Spot
How a famous ranch got its name. Fred Fritz started a ranch in Arizona in 1885. One day a brand inspector appeared and told Fred he needed to...
Clothing for the Cavalry…and Other Frontier Soldiers.
Soldiers on the frontier were issued all the clothing essentials, including socks and long woolen underwear. It was of cheap quality and wore out...
The Power of the Cow-Boys
A group of rustlers ran rampant in Cochise County. Before the Earp brothers arrived in Tombstone in late 1879, the Cow-boys had been rustling...
The Million Dollar Hangover
A rich discovery and the name of a new town. The story goes that prospector Charlie McMillan was a man strongly addicted to ardent spirits. One...
Kendrick’s Northern Cowboys
Growing up in the Texas Pan-handle, I often visited a cousin who worked at the 6666 Ranch, one of the old historic outfits in Texas, so I am quite...
Silver Screen Buckaroos
Films and television shows featuring real working cowboys have made America’s icon famous worldwide since 1894. In America’s first...
Dude or Not a Dude?
Can you spot the real cowboy? Only the photographer knew for sure. Ever since the first camera studio was set up, men and women have posed as their...
The Cowboy
America’s icon still rides tall in the saddle. They call him cowboy, vaquero, buckaroo, waddy, paniolo, saddletramp, wrangler and drover. He...
Dude Spotting
It’s harder to spot real cowboys than you might think. In my experience, nobody looks at a photograph of a welder and says, “That’s not a...
Cowboys Deluxe
Cowboys Deluxe At one time the Miller & Lux Ranch in California was the largest combined ranching, farming and meat-packing operation in the...
Underage Drinking in the West
Was there an age limit for youngsters to drink in the frontier towns? It appears most states and territories didn't have age laws so if a lad was...