Al Swearengen and his Gem Theater By western author Nick Brumby “Harrowing tales of iniquity, shame, and wretchedness; of lives wrecked and fortunes sacrificed; of vice unhindered and esteem forfeited, have been related of the place, and it is known of a verity that they have not all been groundless.” –Black Hills Daily Pioneer article about Al Swearingen’s notorious Gem Theater, after it
Idaho Spaghetti Trees By western author Nick Brumby Dateline: April 1, 2023 DID YOU KNOW?: America’s legendary wild Idaho Spaghetti Trees were discovered on this day in 1872 by two railroad workers lost in a blizzard while building the Transcontinental Railroad. The two men, Pa Star and Carb O'Nara, were part of a crew building the Central Pacific railroad west across the Swiss
American Quarter Horse By western author Nick Brumby “No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.” — Winston Churchill Heavily muscled, hardy, and acutely intelligent, the America Quarter Horse was the horse that won the West. Reputed to be the oldest all-American breed, the Quarter Horse was essential to frontier life for a very good reason - it could
Tumbleweed wagons By western author Nick Brumby “When the tumbleweed wagons come callin’, all the killers ‘n’ thieves ‘n’ other scum turned pale and went a runnin’ with their tail ‘tween their legs.” — Quote from upcoming Sheriff Sol Redding western IT WAS ONE of the most dangerous jobs on offer in the Old West – collecting the roughest, toughest murderers, rapists, rustlers
Cowboy superstitions By western author Nick Brumby “One white foot buy him, Two white feet try him, Three white feet leave him alone, Four white feet go on home.” — Cowboy superstition Strong, silent, lantern jawed, steely eyed – cowboys were (and are) known for rawhide toughness and being absolutely fearless when the chips are down. However, don’t be fooled – Old West
‘Hanging’ Judge Isaac Parker By western author Nick Brumby ‘Permit no innocent man to be punished, but let no guilty man escape.” — U.S District ‘Hanging’ Judge Isaac Parker He brought the law to a lawless land, sentenced eight men to death by hanging, and commissioned Bass Reeves as a US Deputy Marshal. And that was just ‘Hanging’ Judge Isaac Parker’s first day
Train-robber Tom 'Blackjack' Ketchum By western author Nick Brumby "Good-bye. Please dig my grave very deep. All right; hurry up.” — The last words of train-robber Tom ‘Blackjack’ Ketchum, just before he was unintentionally decapitated when the hangman bungled his execution. Blackjack Ketchum started life as a Texas cowhand and ended up as one of the most notorious outlaws in Old West history, terrorizing
Barbed wire: 'the Devil's Rope' By western author Nick Brumby "Barbed wire is lighter than air, stronger than whiskey, cheaper than dust." — Barbed wire promoter John Warne ‘Bet-a-Million’ Gates The invention of barbed wire changed the Old West forever. Like the introduction of the six-shooter, the telegraph, the windmill, and the locomotive, barbed wire brought civilisation and ‘fancy society living’ further west than
The Transcontinental Railroad By western author Nick Brumby “D-O-N-E.” — W.N. Shilling, a telegraph operator for Western Union, tapped out this word in Morse Code on the telegraph, as soon as the final rail spike had been driven into the ground, to let the world know that the Transcontinental Railroad was finished. Seven years, 1,911-miles of track, and countless millions of railway sleepers,
Native American Plains Tipi By western author Nick Brumby “The white man goes into his church and talks about Jesus. The Indian goes into his tipi and talks with Jesus.” — Comanche leader Quanah Parker For more than 400 years, the Native American Plains Tipi has been regarded by many as amongst the finest of all movable shelters. The tipi's unique ventilation system
