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