R.B. Miller
R. B. Miller writes novels, short stories, poetry, and history about the American West, with some two dozen books, numerous short stories, scores of articles, and many book reviews to his credit. Recognition for his work includes four Western Writers of America Spur Awards, two Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Awards, two Westerners International Poetry Awards, and the Academy of Western Artists Poetry Book of the Year award. He can be found online at writerRodMiller.com.
Latest from R.B. Miller
The American West: The Black Hawk War In Utah
The longest, bloodiest war between Indians and Mormon settlers in Utah saw fighting and killing in some 150 skirmishes spread across much of the territory for years. The Ute who led the fighting was Black Hawk, and it became his war.
R.B. MillerMay 02, 2025
The American West: The Texian For Texas Independence, 1836
When Texian delegates declared independence from Mexico in 1836 José Antonio Navarro of San Antonio was one of the signers. He would later sign the Constitution of the Republic of Texas, the only Texas native whose name was affixed to both the Texian Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
R.B. MillerApril 20, 2025
The American West: Elkhorn Ranch — Cowboys Saved By Sage Hens And Seed Peas
It did not take long for the cowhands in Cache Valley to realize their cattle would starve to death before spring as there was not enough hay for them all. And the cowboys also needed food for themselves, which came from unlikely sources.
R.B. MillerApril 14, 2025
The American West: Old Ephraim
A loud ruckus awakened Frank Clark from a sound sleep. Still in his in his underwear, Frank grabbed his rifle, and ran to investigate. He found a legendary grizzly bear named Old Ephraim, enraged and fighting to free himself from a 23-pound bear trap.
R.B. MillerApril 13, 2025
The American West: The Mormon Lad Who Died Stealing A Horse
Lot Huntington was on the run after stealing $800 from an Overland Mail strongbox at Townsend’s Stable in Salt Lake City, Utah, when he stole a horse that put a feared deputy U.S. Marshal on his trail and got him killed.
R.B. MillerApril 02, 2025
The American West: Actually, The First Woman To Vote Was In Utah
Wyoming’s role in winning the vote for women is well chronicled and documented in history, and rightly so. But the first woman to actually cast a ballot in an election is less well known, and often a surprise. She was not from Wyoming.
R.B. MillerMarch 27, 2025
The American West: Did The Wild Bunch, Rob The Bank In Winnemucca?
Three, maybe four, robbers entered the bank in Winnemucca, Nevada, in 1900, stole about $32,000, then made a daring escape, dodging bullets as they went. The most popular story is that Butch Cassidy pulled off the heist, assisted by the Sundance Kid and George “Flat Nose” Curry.
R.B. MillerMarch 21, 2025
The American West: Larger Than Life Cowboy Bob Fudge
Bob Fudge followed herds north from Texas to Montana many times, and eventually stayed on the northern plains with the XIT Ranch, which moved tens of thousands of cattle to grazing grounds in Montana.
R.B. MillerMarch 20, 2025
The American West: Peg Leg Smith, Horse Thief
In 1840, Pegleg Smith stole some 1,200 mules and horses at the Mission of San Luis Obispo and eluded a posse in the Mojave Desert. It was as wild and wooly as any criminal enterprise in the history of the American West.
R.B. MillerMarch 16, 2025
The American West: Pegleg Smith, Mountain Man
Pegleg Smith reportedly trapped and traded among the Sioux and Osage Indians for a few years, then worked as a free trapper in New Mexico, but he lost his leg in Colorado and became a horse thief in California.
R.B. MillerMarch 12, 2025
The American West: Charlie Siringo’s Cowboy Days
Charlie Siringo is best remembered for his years as a detective, undercover agent, and manhunter with the Pinkerton Agency, including his pursuit of Butch Cassidy and his accomplices in robbing trains. But Siringo was a cowboy before he was a Pinkerton detective.
R.B. MillerMarch 03, 2025
The American West: The Wild Bunch Moves On - The 1896 Montpelier Bank Robbery
When notorious outlaw Matt Warner was arrested and put on trial for murder in Utah in 1896, he lacked the means to pay for legal assistance. So, his friend Butch Cassidy put a team together and robbed a bank to help him out.
R.B. MillerFebruary 23, 2025
The American West: Vernal, Utah’s Parcel Post Bank
The Bank of Vernal, built in 1916, looks like any bank, but it's pretty unique. Freight rates for shipping there were prohibitive, so an alternative was devised. The bank is built from bricks shipped to the community via parcel post through the United States Post Office.
R.B. MillerFebruary 19, 2025
The American West: Wild Bill Hickok Invents the Old West Showdown
The walk-down, faceoff, quickdraw, showdown gunfight in the street has become an iconic image of the Old West. As far as history can tell us, the whole idea started with one of the Old West’s most famous gunfighters — Wild Bill Hickok.
R.B. MillerFebruary 09, 2025
The American West: Massacre of Shoshones at Bear River
The massacre of Shoshones at Bear River in southeastern Idaho is the highest number of Indians killed by Army troops in the entire history of the Old West. Despite this, it is unchronicled in any major way in history even today.
R.B. MillerFebruary 03, 2025
The American West: Shank’s Mare And Other Horses
John Muir is most closely associated with Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada mountains, first arriving there in 1868. He explored for a time, then an empty wallet forced him to a ranch in the San Joaquin Valley, where his work included breaking and training mustangs.
R.B. MillerJanuary 23, 2025
The American West: The Further Adventures Of Ned Beale And The Tejon Ranch
Ned Beale established the Tejon Indian Reservation but it was shut down shut down in 1864. By buying up and consolidating four Mexican land grants, Beale established the Tejon Ranch, which is still in operation today as a working ranch, and is California’s largest tract of private land.
R.B. MillerJanuary 11, 2025
The American West: Before Tesla Was An Automobile
The Tesla name was appropriated from the man who invented the world we live in today. A man who lived in Colorado Springs and demonstrated the feasibility of his invention at a gold mine in the Rocky Mountains above Telluride. That man was Nikola Tesla.
R.B. MillerJanuary 01, 2025
The American West: Ned Beale — Unsung Hero
Chances are, the name Ned Beale doesn’t roll off your tongue when reciting heroes of the Old West. It should. Beale’s accomplishments are many, and many are unmatched.
R.B. MillerDecember 27, 2024
The American West: How A Coffee Grinder And A Grindstone Changed Everything
The influence of the Frying Pan Ranch in changing the history of the American West is immeasurable. It proved the usefulness of barbed wire and forever changed livestock raising.
R.B. MillerDecember 26, 2024
The American West: The Emperor of America
“In 1859, Joshua Norton declared himself Emperor of the U.S. Norton did not dawdle. He went right to work issuing other decrees, including outlawing Congress. When they did not comply, he ordered the army to put them out. They did not comply, either.”
R.B. MillerDecember 12, 2024