Contributors
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
The American West: The Doomed Gold Rush Of Wyoming’s Wind River Canyon
In 1906, a gold rush erupted in Wyoming’s Copper Mountains above the Wind River Canyon. Asmus Boysen’s dream to build a dam and power for these mines was destined for ruin.
Jackie DorothyFebruary 28, 2025
The American West: The First Settlement Of Pueblo, Colorado
For many years, the first official, permanent settlement of today’s city of Pueblo, Colorado, has been credited to the noted mountain man, James P. Beckwourth. But Major Jacob Fowler may have been there twenty years earlier.
James A. CrutchfieldFebruary 27, 2025
The American West: Was Frank James in Wyoming?
One puzzling historical question remains unanswered: Was Frank James (Jesse James' brother) part of the Big Nose George Parott gang that killed two law enforcement officers near Elk Mountain in Wyoming on August 19, 1878?
Mark E. MillerFebruary 26, 2025
The American West: Termespheres -- A Unique Universe Of Art In South Dakota
Each of Dick Terme’s painted spheres are unbelievably complex, painted by a masterful artist whose imagination and multifaceted techniques are beyond compare.
Quackgrass SallyFebruary 25, 2025
The American West: Solomon Butcher – Nebraska’s Prairie Photographer
Solomon Butcher didn’t want to be a homesteader, but he clearly admired those with the grit and gumption to build a home of sod and a life on the land so he made a career traveling the prairie and making photographs.
Candy MoultonFebruary 24, 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: The McCarty Brothers - Criminals Who Made Butch Cassidy Famous
As the bank robbers raced out of Telluride in 1889, Butch Cassidy entered the history books for his first hold-up that would lead to the formation of the Wild Bunch. Butch Cassidy is the best known of Wild Bunch outlaws, but behind his prominence were the McCarty Brothers.
Linda WommackFebruary 22, 2025
The American West: Murder And Mayhem In Old Deadwood
After the killing of Wild Bill Hickok on August 2, 1876, another feud in Deadwood broke out. This time it was between Laughing Sam and Harry Young. Speculation is that it was over a woman. Unfortunately, the feud led to the death of Bummer Dan in a case of mistaken identity.
Bill MarkleyFebruary 21, 2025
The American West: Butch Cassidy’s Banker, Eugene Amoretti Sr.
Eugene Amoretti Sr. was the founder of Lander, Wyoming, and known friend of both outlaw Butch Cassidy and Fremont County Sheriff Charles Stough, who pursued the outlaws. Amoretti came to America to seek his fortune and died a millionaire.
Jackie DorothyFebruary 21, 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: Tracking Early Humans in Montana
The Anzick site excavation and aftermath should be a model of the cooperation that can exist between the scientific world and American Indians who want to preserve the reverence, respect, and solemnity for their ancient ancestors' remains.
James A. CrutchfieldFebruary 19, 2025
Recalling United Flight 409 Which Crashed Into Medicine Bow Peak in 1955
With today's news of airplane wrecks dominating the news for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been experiencing flashbacks to 70 years ago when I helped report on the worst airline disaster at that time.
Dick PerueFebruary 17, 2025
The American West: Is This The Alamo’s Commander William Barret Travis?
Without the sketch attributed to Wiley Martin we have no verified authentic likeness of the commander at the Alamo, and therein lies its greatest value. But it takes a history sleuth to determine if the sketch is authentic.
William GronemanFebruary 16, 2025
The American West: Following Custer’s Guidon
George Armstrong Custer finished last in his class at West Point, but served admirably in the Civil War before coming to the West and commanding the 7th Cavalry. Along the way he met a gal who followed him from one Army post to another.
Candy MoultonFebruary 16, 2025
The American West: The Love Saga of Josie Bassett and the Brown’s Park Wild Bunch
Josie Bassett lived most of her life on her father's ranch, the center of the outlaw hideout known as Brown’s Park. She had five husbands - divorced four of them, running one off at gunpoint, and one husband died of natural causes … unless he was poisoned.
Linda WommackFebruary 14, 2025
The American West: The Failed Texan - Santa Fe Expedition
The Republic of Texas’ grand scheme to tap the markets of New Mexico and reap huge profits from the trade between Cuba and Santa Fe by placing Texans in a “middleman” position failed miserably.
James A. CrutchfieldFebruary 13, 2025
The American West: Oliver T. Jackson's Black Colony Of Dearfield In Northeastern Colorado
Oliver T. Jackson’s land thirty miles east of Greeley, Colorado, became the nucleus for the black colony of Dearfield, organized in 1910. The community was inspired by a book written by Booker T. Washington.
Linda WommackFebruary 13, 2025
The American West: Bill Carlisle – The Lone Bandit Strikes Again (Part 2)
PART 2: Bill Carlisle, who had brazenly robbed Union Pacific Trains in 1916, and escaped through his own elusive efforts – and with some aid provided by ranchers – would hide in plain sight for several weeks. But his crime spree wasn’t over.
Terry A. Del BeneFebruary 11, 2025
The American West: Bill Carlisle – Wyoming’s Most Affable Train Robber
Bill Carlisle managed four solo robberies (three in a few months) in his extensive life of crime without injuring anyone. The train robberies promoted him from a common criminal to a newsworthy commodity.
Terry A. Del BeneFebruary 11, 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: American David Meriwether Taken Prisoner And Marched To Santa Fe
Anxious to make a trip to New Mexico to investigate stories of abundant gold there, David Meriwether headed West only to be captured by Spanish soldiers and marched to Santa Fe in 1820. When freed, he promised never to return—but he broke the promise thirty years later.
James A. CrutchfieldFebruary 09, 2025
The American West: Tip Vincent And The 1878 Elk Mountain Murders
Henry H. “Tip” Vincent, a detective and tracker for the Union Pacific Railroad, carried a Sharps rifle loaned to him by Otto Franc as he pursued George Parott and a group of train robbers to the west side of Elk Mountain, where he was gunned down and the Sharps was stolen.
Mark E. MillerFebruary 07, 2025
The American West: Josiah Gregg - Documentarian of the Santa Fe Trail
Josiah Gregg, through the magic of the written word, brought the romance and mystery of the Santa Fe Trail to anyone who would take the time to read his wonderful book.
James A. CrutchfieldFebruary 07, 2025
The American West: Charles Dickens Visits America’s Plains
In the 19th Century, the American West had a brisk tourism industry, which grew as the convenience of travel provided by coach service, railroads, and boats. Among the early travelers was Charles Dickens, England’s most accomplished author.
Terry A. Del BeneFebruary 06, 2025
The American West: Like A Soldier -- Col. William Travis Fulfills Pledge Made At Alamo
William Barret Travis wrote to “The people of Texas and all Americans in the world,” on February 24, 1836, the second day of the siege at the Alamo, that he would “die like a soldier who never forgets what is due his own honor & that of his country.”
William GronemanFebruary 04, 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: Western Farmers Used Wind For Power Long Before Green Energy
For hundreds of years in America, the most important application of windmills was to provide power to pump for water and it became an essential of life on the Western plains and prairies.
Linda WommackFebruary 02, 2025
The American West: Mountain Man Joe Meek Arrived In Wyoming in 1829 As Greenhorn Teenager
The roar of the grizzly, war cries of the Blackfeet, and the lonesome song of the wind ushered 18-year-old Joe Meek to a world of the mountain men. Death was a constant companion and if you weren’t at the Rendezvous, it was assumed you had met the grim reaper along the way either by beast, enemy, or harsh weather.
Jackie DorothyFebruary 01, 2025
The American West: Wyoming Hereford Bulls Top Denver Stock Show In 1916
At the January 1916 Denver Stock Show, three registered Hereford bulls bred, reared, and shown by L. G. Davis of Saratoga not only took championship honors, but also brought record prices. All the bulls were sired by the Davis Ranch herd bull Beau Carlos II.
Dick PerueJanuary 26, 2025
The American West: Thomas H. Leforge/Horse Rider - Walking In Two Worlds
“I worship the Sun and Big Horn Mountains… their offspring lands and streams provided me with an abundance of good food and rich raiment. I was born an Ohio American, I shall die a Crow Indian American.” – Horse Rider
Terry A. Del BeneJanuary 25, 2025
Albert “Slick” Nard: The Outlaw & Deputy Despised By The Wild Bunch
Albert “Slick” Nard was both an outlaw and deputy during the late 1800s in Wyoming. He was scorned by the members of the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang as a despicable outlaw and informant.
Jackie DorothyJanuary 24, 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 World War II POW Camp Housed In Snowy Range
R. R. Crow, the owner of the sawmill and logging operations in the Upper North Platte River Valley, requested prisoners of war to help with his sawmill. His request was granted and Italian and German prisoners were housed in the mountain town of Ryan Park from 1943 to 1945.
Dick PerueJanuary 12, 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: Ute War Chief Kaniache Tangles With Kit Carson and Ouray
Kit Carson had to walk a fine line in negotiating with the Colorado Utes. He knew the government was eager to move the tribes onto reservations by force if necessary. The Indians knew it, too.
Linda WommackJanuary 10, 2025
The American West: Gateway To The West – St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri, the legendary “Gateway to the West,” has a long and important history in the story of America’s westward movement. Once owned by France and then by Spain, it it fell under the jurisdiction of the United States in 1803.
James A. CrutchfieldJanuary 09, 2025
The American West: How Sacajawea Helped Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark may not have starved as they ventured up the Missouri River and then down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean in 1805, but they could have suffered from scurvy without the food plants gathered and prepared by Sacajawea.
Candy MoultonJanuary 05, 2025
The American West: Bear Butte, The Cheyenne And Lakota Sacred Place
The Cheyenne who have lived in the Northern Plains for hundreds of years, call Bear Butte, Noahvose, or Where the Cheyenne Are Taught. The Lakota call the mountain Mato Paha meaning Bear Butte. The mountain is a sentinel guarding the approaches to the Black Hills.
Bill MarkleyJanuary 04, 2025
The American West: Cattlemen Needed A Solution To Control Rustlers And Hired Tom Horn
When cattlemen needed a solution to the rustling problem in Browns Park, they contacted a man from the Pinkerton Detective Agency. A man who could be relied on to do the job no questions asked: Tom Horn.
Linda WommackJanuary 03, 2025
The American West: A Tale of Two Fur Men
John Jacob Astor's employees experienced many adventures and opportunities in the wilderness of the great Northwest before Astor had to pull out of the Pacific fur trade altogether. Two of them, Ross Cox and Alexander Ross, left written accounts of their adventures.
James A. CrutchfieldJanuary 03, 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: Wyoming’s First Female Doctor Kept Big Nose George's Head For Flower Pot
After the lynching and subsequent medical examination of outlaw Big Nose George Parrott, Lillian Heath, who became Wyoming’s first doctor, kept Parrott’s skull cap for years, and used it as a flower pot.
December 30, 2024
The American West: Statehood for Texas
Few issues in American history have generated more political controversy than the annexation of Texas. The decade following its independence from Mexico was filled with debate about the wisdom of allowing the new republic to enter the Union.
James A. CrutchfieldDecember 29, 2024
The American West: Big Trouble in Little Chinatown
The ramifications of the Rock Springs Massacre were only beginning. The murders became an international incident. A formal apology was issued by the United States Government and reparations authorized.
Terry A. Del BeneDecember 28, 2024
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: Denver's First Christmas In 1858
The Christmas holidays of 1858 were particularly joyous for Denver City. Wild game was plentiful, as were potatoes, beans, and dried fruit. All were prepared for the holiday meal. Then Richens L. Wooten arrived in Denver City with several wagon loads of merchandise, including wooden kegs of “Taos Lightening.” And the party started!
Linda WommackDecember 22, 2024
The American West: The United States’ First Christmas Present
If the Americans had not crossed the Delaware and if Trenton had not fallen to those rebels, the United States may not have come into existence. The man who saved the day was George Washington – truly the Father of Our Country.
Bill MarkleyDecember 21, 2024
The American West: A Holiday Dinner with Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch
Historians write of one fanciful event that took place about 1895 when the Bender Gang, Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and Elzy Lay treated the residents of the Brown’s Park to Thanksgiving dinner.
Dick PerueDecember 21, 2024
The American West: Chuck Wagons and Cattle Brands
Two enduring features of the heritage and lore of the American West are the development and use of the chuck wagon and the evolution and utilization of branding to denote ownership of cattle.
James A. CrutchfieldDecember 20, 2024
The American West: Northern Boundary Survey
When ordered to make a winter survey in 1873, Second Lieutenant Francis Vinton Greene, of Illinois, set out with a command of men who would face unrelenting cold and extreme challenges as they surveyed the northern boundary between the United States and Canada across Minnesota.
Candy MoultonDecember 15, 2024
The American West: “Is Not This the Red River?”
Zebulon Pike, James Wilkinson, and the quest for the far southwest
James A. CrutchfieldDecember 14, 2024
The American West: Kenneth McKenzie, King Of The Upper Missouri
Kenneth McKenzie ruled an economic empire in the Upper Missouri River Basin during the mid-nineteenth century that was larger than most European countries. His base of operations was Fort Union on the Upper Missouri River.
Bill MarkleyDecember 13, 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
The American West: Things We Get Wrong About Davy Crockett
What have historians gotten wrong about Davy Crockett? Almost everything, including: what to call him, his size, his work ethic, he abandoned his family, and he kept a journal. They were right, however, about his choice of hat.
William GronemanDecember 08, 2024
The American West : Cathay Williams - The First and Only Female Buffalo Soldier
Cathay Williams was the only African American woman to serve in the Civil War and later as a Buffalo soldier in the United States Army, an extraordinary accomplishment.
Linda WommackDecember 08, 2024
The American West: Edward Curtis and His Legacy
Edward Curtis was convinced that he must photographically document the life and lifestyles of American Indians before they became more displaced and marginalized than they already were. With the enthusiasm of a zealot, he embarked on his monumental project.
James A. CrutchfieldDecember 07, 2024
The American West: What You Know About The Wright Brothers May Be Wrong
Every school child in America learns that Orville and Wilbur Wright were the first men to fly, but the schoolbooks could be wrong. There's plenty of evidence that Jacob Brodbeck actually took flight in an air-ship in Texas 40 years before the Wright's event.
R.B. MillerDecember 06, 2024
The American West: Henry Rowe Schoolcraft And His Search For The Mississippi
Henry Schoolcraft mounted a small expedition to search for the headwaters of the Mississippi River, hoping to succeed where several explorers before him had failed. With additional orders to visit as many tribes as he could, he set out on a journey that would forever link his name with the river.
James A. CrutchfieldDecember 01, 2024
The American West: Custer’s 1874 Black Hills Expedition
Custer’s expedition had sparked a gold rush and news was spreading nationwide. “GOLD!” proclaimed the Bismarck Tribune. The newspaper predicted the Black Hills would “become the El Dorado of America.”
Bill MarkleyNovember 30, 2024
The American West: When Luke Halloran Was "Rescued" by America’s Most Famous Cannibals
Feverish and too weak to travel, Luke Halloran was abandoned on the trail and left alone to die. But his luck seemed to have changed as he was rescued by some strangers. Their names: George and Tamsen Donner.
Terry A. Del BeneNovember 30, 2024
The American West: If You’re From Wyoming, You Could Have Ended Up In Utah
Wyoming was given its slice of Utah thanks, in part, to Thomas Jefferson. Of all the territories created by the federal government that later became states, Wyoming is one of the few whose borders, once established, never changed.
R.B. MillerNovember 29, 2024
The American West: Mo-chi - First Female Cheyenne Warrior
“Following the attack one her village at Sand Creek, Mo-chi seized her dead father’s Hawken rifle and pledged revenge. She would become the first female Cheyenne warrior.”
Linda WommackNovember 29, 2024
The American West: Earl Bascom - 100 Years Of Holding On
The riggin’ that makes what is usually considered rodeo’s most physically demanding event possible celebrated its hundredth anniversary in 2024, and its roots are traced to one man: Earl Bascom, one of the legendary Bronco Bustin’ Bascom Brothers.
R.B. MillerNovember 23, 2024
The American West: Jim Beckwourth - A Rocky Mountain Legend
James Pierson Beckwourth was a mountain man, scout, frontiersman, honorary Indian chief, and the first to pen an autobiography. And what a story it was. He was legendary in his own time, although early historians largely discounted him.
Linda WommackNovember 22, 2024
The American West: What Ever Happened to the Real Jeremiah Johnston?
So, with the help of their teacher, a group of 7th graders mounted a campaign to have Jeremiah Johnston’s remains moved from California to his old stomping grounds in Wyoming.
James A. CrutchfieldNovember 17, 2024
The American West: A Wink to Davy Crockett’s Vest
Davy Crockett’s buckskin vest on display at The Alamo is of special interest to visitors because it's something he wore. But no one really knows if the garment was actually Crockett's. But that hasn't stopped them from promoting it.
William GronemanNovember 16, 2024
The American West: Porter Rockwell Got A Gun
Long before there was Wild Bill Hickock or Billy the Kid, there was Orrin Porter Rockwell. To outsiders, he was considered a murderer, a “destroying angel.” To most Mormons he was thought of as an angel of a better nature, protecting his fellow Saints.
R.B. MillerNovember 15, 2024
The American West: Calamity Jane – Wild Woman of the West
Calamity Jane drank hard and could tell a good tale with the best of them. People who knew her well said she had a heart of gold. When Deadwood was struck with a smallpox outbreak, Calamity said she was immune and took care of the sick.
Bill MarkleyNovember 14, 2024
The American West: Confrontation on Bitter Creek
During an attack on the LaClede Station on the Overland Trail in 1867, it was lucky for the occupants of the station that the Sioux warriors did not know how the station was effectively defenseless.
Terry A. Del BeneNovember 10, 2024
The American West: Massacre at Bear River
No one can say how many lives Tin Dup’s dream saved. The Shoshone elder, known for his prophecies, saw through the haze of sleep soldiers attacking the winter camp in the Bear River bottoms in what is now southeastern Idaho.
R.B. MillerNovember 09, 2024
The American West: David Jackson - Entrepreneur of the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade
Jackson Hole is named for David E. Jackson, one of the most brilliant, yet elusive, players in the vast drama of the Rocky Mountain fur trade.
James A. CrutchfieldNovember 08, 2024
The American West: Jack Slade, Julesburg’s Legendary Villain
After Jules Beni shot Jack Slade six times in the streets of Julesburg, Colorado, Slade vowed he would live long enough to wear Beni’s ears as a watch fob. He accomplished his gruesome goal.
Linda WommackNovember 03, 2024
The American West: Women on the Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail was the oldest of several overland highways that linked the easternmost section of the Trans-Mississippi West with the Pacific coast. It was a long, tortuous, dangerous journey, but in the end, these hardy women persevered to bring American culture and lifestyles to the remote villages and towns of New Mexico.
James A. CrutchfieldNovember 02, 2024
The American West: Cumberland Gap - Gateway to the West
Daniel Boone, with 30 axmen to assist him, blazed a trail through Cumberland Gap – the Gateway to the West. His route became known as the Wilderness Road and opened the nation to westward expansion.
James A. CrutchfieldOctober 30, 2024
The American West: The Strange Case of Nat Rasper’s Skull
Browns Park was a lawless place where outlaws came and went as they pleased. Raids by the law rarely reduced the supply of rustlers, murderers, and robbers in that harsh environment. Only after a telephone line connected the area with Rock Springs did the outlaw period come to an end.
Terry A. Del BeneOctober 28, 2024
The American West: Celebrating Michener’s Centennial
James Michener’s characters in Centennial were based on real people or composites of actual historic figures making the miniseries epic true to human nature and compelling, a piece of film making that has stood the test of time.
Linda WommackOctober 27, 2024
The American West: The Many Ways James Bowie Died At The Alamo
James Bowie either died: as a murder victim; a suicide; a battle casualty; or of sadistic torture. He may have died fighting from his sickbed; died helplessly in his sickbed; or died of illness before Mexican soldiers did the job. He may have been killed by swords, bayonets, gunfire, or fire.
William GronemanOctober 26, 2024
The American West: A Bronc Rider Named “Blanket of the Sun”
Nez Perce cowboy Waaya-Tonah-Toesits-Kahn not only rode with Chief Joseph, but was named Saddle Bronc Riding Champion of the World at age 53. He's in both the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
R.B. MillerOctober 26, 2024
The American West: Amelia Earhart’s Cross-Country Autogiro Jaunt Included Wyoming
Famed female pilot Amelia Earhart stopped at several Wyoming Towns in 1931 as she set out to establish a round-trip record flying an experimental aircraft called the autogiro.
Lori Van PeltOctober 24, 2024
The American West: Using A “Two-Wheeled Man-Tormentor” To Cross The Plains
After crossing the Atlantic, the travelers now faced several weeks of grueling travel pushing and pulling what was called a “two-wheeled man-tormentors” although one historian said it “might be bettered rendered as ‘two-wheeled torture devices.’”
Candy MoultonOctober 21, 2024
The American West: Marie Dorion - Toughest Woman in the Old West
Despite a life of adventure, hardship, and bravery, Marie Dorion does not receive the recognition in history she earned and deserves. Other than a scattering of cursory historical markers, there are few reminders of the woman who may well have been the toughest in the Old West.
R.B. MillerOctober 20, 2024
The American West: The Bloody Adventures of Harry Tracy
In 1896, Harry Tracy - who was wanted for murder in Utah - joined Butch Cassidy’s notorious “Wild Bunch’’ at their hideout in Wyoming. Although his life of crime was short-lived, its brevity was punctuated by dishonesty, murder, and terror.
James A. CrutchfieldOctober 19, 2024
The American West: The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty
After several years of sporadic warfare with the Lakota and other tribes, the federal government desired to make peace and sent messengers to inform the tribes of a peace council to be held at Fort Laramie in June 1866.
Bill MarkleyOctober 18, 2024
The American West: A Remarkable Shot at Adobe Walls
Two legends were born when Billy Dixon grabbed his friend's .50-caliber Sharps rifle and picked off an Indian nearly a mile away at the Second Battle of Adobe Walls. First, his marksmanship. Second, the accuracy and killing power of the Sharps rifle.
James A. CrutchfieldOctober 13, 2024
The American West: A North Platte River Ferry Tale
For far longer than history records, the North Platte River Valley has been a thoroughfare through the American West. Crossing the river was sometimes impossible, often difficult, and always a challenge.
R.B. MillerOctober 12, 2024
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: John C. Budd – A Real Cowboy from Age 10
John Budd and his five siblings grew up as many pioneer children did: doing whatever possible to help the family survive. That included becoming a cowboy. In his own words: “I started riding horses as soon as I was weaned and by the time I was ten years old I was a real cowboy and one of the gang; at least I thought so.”
Candy MoultonOctober 08, 2024
The American West: Meriwether Lewis’s Last Journey
When Meriwether Lewis left St. Louis in late summer, 1809, on a trip to the nation’s capital, Tennessee was the furthest thing from his mind. But Lewis never arrived in Washington, and his violent death on the Natchez Trace remains a mystery to this day.
James A. CrutchfieldOctober 06, 2024
The American West: Matt Warner - The Outlaw Who Became a Lawman
Few would argue that Butch Cassidy would be at or near the top of any list of famous Old West outlaws. Matt Warner is not as widely known. But if not for Warner, Butch Cassidy would not have achieved the notoriety that lasts to this day.
R.B. MillerOctober 05, 2024
The American West: On This Day In 1877, Chief Joseph Surrenders His Gun
In shelter pits that had been hastily dug into the prairie of the Northern Plains, on October 5, 1877, with his weary, wounded people around him, Nez Perce Chief Joseph made his decision: “Tell General Howard I know his heart. I am tired of fighting.”
Candy MoultonOctober 04, 2024
The American West: The Great Yacolt Fire
The fires of 1902 caused an estimated $13 million [nearly one-half billion dollars in today’s economy] worth of property damage alone, not counting the loss of human and animal life and the billions of board-feet of prime timber.
James A. CrutchfieldSeptember 28, 2024
The American West: Charles Goodnight His Trail & His Chuck Wagon
If there ever was a quintessential pioneer, it would be Charles Goodnight. By the age of 18, Goodnight had already earned a reputation as a noted scout and Indian fighter when he joined the Texas Rangers.
Linda WommackSeptember 27, 2024
The American West: Native Hawaiian Cowboys Invade Cheyenne Frontier Days
The arrival of three paniolos — native Hawaiian cowboys — to compete in the steer roping event at Cheyenne Frontier Days back in 1908 set off a minor firestorm. But it was short-lived when they quickly proved their cowboy credentials.
R.B. MillerSeptember 27, 2024
The American West: St. Joseph, Missouri – Founded by Joseph Robidoux
In 1860, the Pony Express established itself in St. Joseph, and connected the nation during a period of great unrest just prior to the Civil War. The stables have been turned into a museum as has the Patee House, which served as the Pony Express Headquarters.
Candy MoultonSeptember 22, 2024
The American West: The Art of David Wright
There are big goings-on these days at the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale. It all started this past May when the museum presented one of the largest collections of original contemporary art of the mountain men. It is titled “One with the Land: The Mountain Man’s Journey into the Unknown” and includes 72 pieces of artwork from 38 individuals, including David Wright.
James A. CrutchfieldSeptember 22, 2024
The American West: Simpson’s Hollow, What Could Possibly Have Happened Here?
If you find yourself traveling Highway 28, this route places you among several National Historic Trails and expansion era roads. Roughly twelve miles west of Farson is a turnout at a stone monument and interpretive signs commemorating and educating visitors about one of the opening events of the “Utah War” of 1857.
Terry A. Del BeneSeptember 22, 2024
The American West: What happened to Reuben Van Ornum?
While not as well known as other tragedies on the emigrant trails, the Utter-Van Orman Massacre is one of the few recorded incidents that left the survivors so bereft they resorted to cannibalism to stay alive.
R.B. MillerSeptember 20, 2024
The American West: How The Sundance Kid Became A Notorious Outlaw
A young ranch hand and horseman in southwest Colorado met up with Butch Cassidy and a band of outlaws as a teenager. That partnership would make The Sundance Kid one of the most notorious western outlaws.
Linda WommackSeptember 15, 2024
The American West: George Catlin Helped Inspire Exploration With His Indian Art
Early America’s obsession with the West was inspired in part by early 1830s artists like George Catlin. His paintings and drawings of American Indians, including his famous tour of the Pipestone Quarry, sparked a young nation’s imagination.
James A. CrutchfieldSeptember 14, 2024
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Gene Wollen, Cowboy From Bill Who Once Roped An Eagle
Gene Wollen, of Bill, will be inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame in October -- joining his late father who was inducted in 2017. Gene was great with a rope. He once, even, lassoed an eagle although the eagle let him know quickly who was boss.
Candy MoultonSeptember 14, 2024
The American West: Memories of September 11, 2001 and Relating to Other Historical Events
On September 11, 2001, I served as Captain of Engine Company 308, FDNY. I also enjoyed a modest writing career, penning books and articles on some of my favorite subjects, the battle of the Alamo, Davy Crockett, John Steinbeck, and others.
William GronemanSeptember 11, 2024
The American West: The Great Santee Sioux Uprising of 1862
By the summer of 1862, residents of the Santee Sioux villages situated along the middle Minnesota River, a tributary of the Mississippi, were weary of the constant influx of German settlers in the area and frustrated from seeing their government annuity payments stolen by unscrupulous traders.
James A. CrutchfieldSeptember 08, 2024
The American West: Debunking Three Deadwood Wild Bill Hickok Legends
Warning: You may not want to read any further if you don’t like the idea of a legend being debunked. Many legends swirl around Wild Bill Hickok. Three of these are associated with his stay in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, in 1876.
Bill MarkleySeptember 07, 2024
The American West: The Pony Express And Buffalo Bill Cody
Some people are skeptical of Buffalo Bill Cody’s claims of being a Pony Express rider as he was only 14 at the time. However, he likely did ride for the Pony Express, but expanded and embellished what really happened.
Bill MarkleySeptember 01, 2024
The American West: The Battles Of Tohotonimme, Four Lakes And Spokane Plains
The U.S. Army's Indian battles in Washington Territory in 1858 set the stage for more settlers. First was a demoralizing loss for Lt. Col. Williams Steptoe in the Battle of Tohotonimme. The Army retaliated at the Battles of Four Lakes and Spokane Plains.
James A. CrutchfieldAugust 31, 2024
The American West: The Ohio Cavalry Protected Wyoming Trails
Split Rock Station, constructed in 1859 near the landmark of the same name, was garrisoned by about 50 soldiers of the 6th Ohio in 1862 when traditionally friendly Shoshone Indians and their Bannock allies attacked stage stations along the Sweetwater River...
Candy MoultonAugust 26, 2024
The American West: The Saga of Sarah Ann Horn
For nearly five centuries, these thrilling, yet oftentimes horrific, narratives of confrontations between primarily settlers -- many of them women and children -- and the native tribes of North America have provided exciting literary fodder for generations of readers.
James A. CrutchfieldAugust 26, 2024
The American West: Chinese Miners Helped Build Idaho And Montana
Before they found work building the Central Pacific Railroad, Chinese laborers were already working in gold mining operations across the Intermountain West.
Candy MoultonAugust 18, 2024
The American West: The Legend of Baby Doe
In March 1935, an emaciated corpse was found frozen to the rough-planked floor of a tool shack at the Matchless Mine in Leadville, Colorado. The winter’s intense cold had preserved her body so that even her facial features could still be discerned.
James A. CrutchfieldAugust 18, 2024
The American West: Documenting the Wagonhound
A Frenchwoman from New York came to the Wagonhound, a large ranch outside of Douglas in a snowstorm. Wyoming’s open spaces, the seeming emptiness of the landscape, was the inspiration she sought.
Candy MoultonAugust 12, 2024
The American West: The Army of the West
The life of the Army of the West was brief. From its establishment in June, 1846, until its demise after the American victory at Los Angeles in January, 1847, its members had traveled hundreds of miles against grueling, sometimes almost impossible, odds.
James A. CrutchfieldAugust 11, 2024
The American West: The Great Wyoming Diamond Swindle Of 1871
During the Gilded Age, the Rocky Mountain West had its share of speculation in get-rich-quick schemes. One such design happened in Wyoming. It was an elaborate con about the discovery of a mother lode of diamonds in Carbon County.
Terry A. Del BeneAugust 03, 2024
The American West: The Death of Buffalo Bill
When the doctor announced that Buffalo Bill Cody had no more than thirty-six hours to live, the old performer called his brother-in-law to his bedside to play cards.
James A. CrutchfieldAugust 03, 2024
The American West: John C. Fremont - The Pathfinder Fights Indians, Encounters Grizzly Bear In Carbon County
John C. Fremont first came into Carbon County in August of 1843, traveling west and camping on the principal fork of the Medicine Bow River near “an isolated mountain called the Medicine Butte.” This of course, was Elk Mountain.
Candy MoultonJuly 27, 2024
The American West: Bicycles and Buffalo Soldiers
To folks not familiar with the village of Missoula, Montana, or of the United States army post aptly named Fort Missoula located about four miles southwest of town, the sight which presented itself during the early morning of June 14, 1897, might have seemed strange indeed.
James A. CrutchfieldJuly 27, 2024