Contributors
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: The Manassa Mauler Jack Dempsey
From meager beginnings in southwest Colorado, Jack Dempsey fought literally for everything he had, including the world championship boxing title in 1919. It was a time when America needed a hero and Jack Dempsey delivered.
Linda WommackMarch 11, 2025
The American West: U.S. Presidents And The Alamo
The Alamo garrison celebrated George Washington’s birthday in San Antonio on the night of February 22, 1836. It was their last party. There are many other Alamo connections to the presidents.
William GronemanMarch 10, 2025
American West: The Kidnapped Doctor And Wounded Outlaw
In 1904, two masked men kidnapped a Thermopolis doctor to save the life of an outlaw at their remote ranch. The horse thief had been shot in a shoot-out with lawmen and his true identity remains a mystery to this day.
Jackie DorothyMarch 09, 2025
The American West: The Pleasant Valley War Erupts in Arizona
One of the most famous gunfights in the history of the Old West took less than one minute. It was only one battle in what would become known as the Pleasant Valley War.
James A. CrutchfieldMarch 08, 2025
The American West: Jedediah Smith Mountain Man Trailblazer
One of Jedediah Smith’s goals was to "be the first to view a country on which the eyes of a white man had never gazed and to follow the course of rivers that run through a new land." He would break trails to California, Oregon, and Washington.
March 07, 2025
The American West: POWs, Timber Dominated Headlines During WWII
One Saratoga resident’s brother was in Europe fighting Germans during World War II, while his father was working in the timber industry with German prisoners from a POW Camp at Ryan Park, treating one of them as if he was one of our neighbors.
Dick PerueMarch 06, 2025
The American West: Mountain Man Extraordinaire - Mariano Medina
Mountain Man Mariano Medina built a post near present Loveland, Colorado that was “a known location for the ‘pony trade,’ ‘Whites,’ ‘Mexicans’ and ‘Indians’ who traded on a regular schedule in the Big Thompson Valley."
Linda WommackMarch 06, 2025
The American West: Geronimo - Master Guerrilla Fighter
The fierce Chiricahua Apache fighter Geronimo had an all-out war that spanned the American-Mexican border as he defended his people and their way of life, eluding the army for decades.
Bill MarkleyMarch 05, 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 – Writing Advice From John Steinbeck
People often lose sight of John Steinbeck as a Western writer. Born in California, half of his published books take place in his native state or in Mexico. Some feature the theme of Westering – traveling toward the goal of California.
William GronemanMarch 02, 2025
The American West: How A Wyoming Outlaw Won A Gunfight With A Coffee Mug
When outlaw Tom O’Day was ambushed in a Thermopolis café back in 1903, a coffee cup was his only defense. Although O'Day was injured, he was declared the winner of the gunfight by newspapers all across Wyoming. The media lampooned the gunman for losing to a coffee cup.
Jackie DorothyMarch 01, 2025