Contributors
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
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