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...
The Luckiest Woman in America
THE LUCKIEST WOMAN IN AMERICA: That title has to go to a woman born a slave in a Mississippi plantation on August 15, 1818, and freed “forever” by a...
Love The Hair, Sweetie
Just like clothes, hairstyles have their day. Just look at any old picture—even one of yourself—and laugh at how your hair has changed over your...
Colorful Phrases of the West
Americans have lots of colorful phrases and sayings to specify a point—but often, although we know the point, we don't know beans about the origins...
An Exercise in Monotony
An Exercise in Monotony. That's how food in Arizona Territory military camps is described in the “Arizona Territorial Cookbook, 1864-1912” by Daphne...