Lawmen
The Porvenir Massacre: A Borderlands Tragedy
Sometime after midnight on January 28, 1918, Company B of the Texas Rangers—under the command of Captain James…
People
The Hanging of Chipita Rodriguez
Late in the summer of 1863, a horse trader named John Savage rode through the warm, tree-scrubbed lowlands…
Indigenous History
Skeleton Cave Massacre: The Tragic Battle of Salt River Canyon
In early 1906, a cattleman named Jeff Adams, his two sons, and nearby rancher Ivy Crabtree discovered a…
Oregon Trail
Cholera on the Oregon Trail: The Blue Scythe of Death
On April 3, 1849, 18-year-old Rachel E. Warren married Nathan Pattison, 23, in Randolph County, Illinois, just south…
History
When Did the Wild West Really End?
The Wild West is a more nebulous term than you may think, so when the era ended is…
Indigenous History
Flint Knapping: Stone Age Technology that Built the First Nations
For thousands of years, the Native American people of North America relied on stone arrowheads and project points…
History
The Origins of Scalping: A True and Surprising History
Native Americans may have invented scalping, but European contact accelerated it.
History
Pleasant Valley War: The Deadliest Range Feud in Arizona History
As the United States expanded West, feuds pockmarked the open range like a shotgun blast. One of those…
Oregon Trail
Pioneers on the Oregon Trail: True Inspiring Stories
Overland pioneer stories are everywhere. There are thousands pooled in the ruts of the Oregon Trail slicing through…
Oregon Trail
Life on the Oregon Trail: A Guide to Daily Survival
When was the last time your daily routine included helping an ox with his snot-rag or filtering your…
Oregon Trail
16 Iconic Landmarks on the Oregon Trail
The many forts, rocks, springs and other landmarks along the Oregon Trail kept settlers from losing not just…
Places
The True Story and Real History of Hell on Wheels
When the Transcontinental Railroad was completed, Captain John Currier beamed: “Thus is the greatest undertaking of the 19th…