Explorers & Pioneers
Jim Bridger: Trailblazing Raconteur & Mountain Man of the West
Sitting around evening campfires, Jim Bridger, one of the Old West’s funniest trail guides, frontiersmen, trappers, and explorers,…
Guns
Spencer Repeating Rifle: The Seven-Shooter That Changed the Civil War
The Spencer repeating rifle was one of the first successful repeating rifles in the world, and ultimately changed…
Guns
How the Sharps Rifle Became A Legendary Sharpshooter of the West
“…being armed with breech-loaders they [the Sharpshooters] could lie low, and without changing position reload and fire ten…
Arts & Entertainment
74 Western Tattoo Ideas, from Cowboy Skulls to Scorpions
Traditional American tattoos may be rooted in the open seas of the 1800s, but vast Western landscapes inspired…
People
The Curious Expeditions & Conspiracies of Zebulon Pike
The Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804 to 1806 was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the…
Lawmen
Frank Hamer: The Tough Texas Ranger Who Brought Down Bonnie & Clyde
In the early hours of May 23, 1934, Frank Hamer, a tough-as-nails Texas Ranger with a deep, authoritative…
Women
Molly Brown’s Unsinkable Wild West Rags-to-Riches Story
The Unsinkable Molly Brown is forever associated with the RMS Titanic, the ill-fated luxury liner that struck an…
Places
Chisholm Trail: The West’s Greatest Cattle Route
The Chisholm Trail is renowned for cattle, cowboys, chuck wagons, and nearly everything iconic about the Old West.…
Life in the West
How Barbed Wire Tamed the West’s “Wild” Era
On November 28, 1965, a local television station in North Texas aired a special about a discovery outside…
Guns
Colt Peacemaker: How the Colt Single Action Army Won the West
When the smoke cleared from the side lot of C. S. Fly’s photography studio, just six doors down…
Lawmen
Judge Roy Bean: The Controversial “Law West of the Pecos”
Judge Roy Bean was the worst and most colorful dispenser of justice of the Old West. To fall…
People
8 of the Most Famous Cowboys & Figures in Wild West History
The American cowboy occupies a revered position in history, folklore, and popular culture. The most famous figures of…