Cowboy coffee - the brew that won the West By western author Nick Brumby “Boil it for two hours, then throw in a hoss shoe. If the hoss shoe sinks, she ain't ready." — Camp cook wisdom about cowboy coffee Stetson, saddle, spurs, blanket. Add in a bandanna and a devil-may-care attitude and any Old-West-era cowhand was ready to hit the trail for

Sawbones, quacks and Old West doctors By western author Nick Brumby "Until the 1860's—and in some sections long afterward—a frontier doctor was almost any man who called himself one." – George Groh, American Heritage The life of a doctor in the Old West was never dull. A typical day could see a ‘sawbones’ face death, disease, amputations, macabre surgeries, and even gunfights with

Teeth, blood and Old West dentistry By western author Nick Brumby “Most emigrants who made their way west did not practice any kind of dental care. As a result rotten teeth and bad breath were commonplace. Dentists wouldn’t become common on the frontier until the 1870s. The average citizen was completely toothless by the time he or she reached fifty.” — Author Chris

Buffalo chips and meadow muffins By western author Nick Brumby “It is certain, at any rate, that … it would be as impossible to live without buffalo chips as to exist without flour, coffee, and tobacco.” — Dr. Elliott Coues, American army surgeon, historian, ornithologist, and author It was an insect repellent, a source of light, heat, and fuel, a trail marker –

Buck Taylor ‘King of the Cowboys’ By western author Nick Brumby “The cowboy has been called America’s folk hero.” — Charles W. Harris John Wayne may have been ‘The Duke’, but the first ‘King of the Cowboys’ was a six foot four tall cowpuncher out of Texas who ended up performing before England’s Queen Victoria. William Levi ‘Buck’ Taylor was a real Texas

'Brazen Bill' Brazelton By western author Nick Brumby “I die bravely, my God! I’ll pray till I die.” – The dying words of 'Brazen Bill' Brazelton William 'Brazen Bill' Brazelton was a stagecoach robber who operated in Arizona and New Mexico during the Wild West era. According to newspaper the Prescott Enterprise, Bill Brazelton was “the most successful ‘single-handed’ highway robber of modern

Conestoga Wagons By western author Nick Brumby  “A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road." — Henry Ward Beecher It was the vehicle which built early America. The Conestoga wagon was the most popular transport vehicle of the American frontier during the 18th Century. Big, strong, and robust, it carried

'Wildcat' Kitty Leroy By western author Nick Brumby “Kitty had five husbands, seven revolvers, a dozen Bowie knives, and always went armed to the teeth.” — A Deadwood newspaper reporting Kitty Leroy’s death She was dancing professionally by the age of ten. By fourteen she was performing in dance halls and saloons and was a crack shot with a rifle. Kitty Leroy (1850

Chuckwagons and feeding cowboys By western author Nick Brumby "A cowboy is a person who would rather throw a bull than eat beans with his knife." – Charles Dorian Cowboys are tougher than rawhide, but after a long day in the saddle even the toughest cowpoke needs a good meal. Food was one of the few comforts a cowboy had when driving cattle north.