Here's a sampling of what one could shop for in 1897 in the Sears Roebuck Catalogue, known officially as the “Consumer's Guide” but popularly as the...
Shopping from Home in 1897 with Sears Roebuck
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Jana Bommersbach
She Was the Best Man of the Party
The name Juliet Brier doesn't leap to mind when thinking about the courageous women who endured the wagon train trip to California. But it should....
This Month in History: May
May is a great month for birthdays to celebrate icons of the west—both human and major events--so let's bake a cake. This year, we'd have put 180...
The Bisbee Deportation of 1917
What happens when a corporation, the sheriff and citizens are all in collusion to do something “wholly illegal?” The giant Bisbee Deportation of...
Don’t Go Wakin’ Snakes
Old West slang was colorful and inventive and often brings a laugh. But they sure got their points across. Consider these: Someone would tell you...
Stagecoach Etiquette
Thanks to an 1877 Omaha Herald article, we know how we should have behaved if we'd taken a stagecoach in the old west. First, we were advised that...
Mormons Ate Best
Of all the pioneers who settled Arizona Territory—Indians, Mexicans, the military, miners, cowboys—the Mormons ate best. As Daphne Overstreet...
Strange Amusements
The 1800s are notable for its fascination with exhibits and strange things. And it didn't lack promoters or hucksters who would take anyone's...
A Bad Call on the Telephone
Sometimes when you're the biggest king on the hill, it's hard to see new kids climbing the slopes, and that's exactly what happened to Western Union...
Spring is in the Air
What do Tombstone, the Pony Express, an “anti-dude” club and Jesse James have in common? All made history during the month of April. For Tombstone,...
Chicken as Tender as a Maiden’s Heart
If you asked miners what they ate as they dug for the silver and gold and copper of Arizona Territory, they'd shrug and say: “The usual 3-B's:...
Who Really “Tamed” The West?
History has lots of candidates, from trappers to explorers to miners, military men, ranchers, homesteaders, even gunslingers. But you seldom hear...