I’ve often said “The good old days really weren’t all that good.” Professor Joanna Bourke wrote “Agonizing toothache, horrifying extractions and...
Frontier Dentistry
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Marshall Trimble
What Did Photographers Use Before Flash Powder was Invented?
What did photographers use before flash powder was invented? Allen Fossenkemper – Fountain Hills, Arizona. Around 1836, photographers burned lime to...
Was Cochise County Sheriff John Behan a Crook?
Was Cochise County Sheriff John Behan a crook? Rocky Strong – Sherman, Texas. Behan was certainly a glad-handing, backslapping, joke-telling...
Lotta Crabtree
During the time the famous dancer Lola Montez was living in Grass Valley, the only woman who was friendly to her was the proprietor of a local...
Marie Delores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert aka Lola Montez
The women who played the frontier theaters---singers, dancers and actresses—had a head start on the road to success simply because they were women;...
What Rifles Did the U.S. Cavalry Carry During the Frontier Era?
What rifles did the U.S. Cavalry carry during the frontier era? Paul Gordon - St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. Following the Civil War, the U.S. Army...
Carlos Tafolla and Bill Smith
In 1901 a gang of outlaw operating in the wild, untamed country along the Arizona-New Mexico border was led by a former cowboy named Bill Smith....
The Outlaw King of Galeyville
Galeyville, on the eastern slopes of the Chiricahua Mountains wasn't much different from other tent camp mining towns in Cochise County. The...
Those Fighting Editors of Territorial Arizona
Wherever folks wandered in the rugged wilds of the West during the second half of the 19th century there remained a desire to keep up with the...
What Was The Most Common Gunbelt Carried Out West?
What was the most common gunbelt carried out West? Michael C. Westlund - Clarkdale, Arizona. The most common late frontier-era gun rig was the...
Doctor George Goodfellow: Gunshot Physician
The frontier was a great place for a doctor to practice....and that’s what many of them did…..practice. In 1880 Tombstone, a town of 2,000 had a...
Drugs on the Frontier
During the 19th century drugs were widely available and affordable. They were often in greater demand than alcohol. Used for medical treatment they...