John 'Liver-Eating' Johnson By western author Nick Brumby "I waved the knife with the liver on it in the air and I cried out, “Come on and have a piece! It’ll stay in your stomach ‘til dinner...” John "Liver-Eating" Johnson was a mountain man in the very best traditions of the Old West. Born John Jeremiah Johnston, Johnson lived a very full life.
The Pony Express By western author Nick Brumby "Alrighty boys, mount up and ride. Get that mail where it's goin'. Oh, and one other thing - last one to Missouri has to stay there." Pony Express riders Billy Richardson, Johnny Fry, Charles Cliff, and Gus Cliff pose for a group shot in a rare spare moment from delivering America's mail across the Frontier.
Chief Blue Horse of the Wagluhe Band of the Oglala Lakota By western author Nick Brumby “When I die, do not bury me in a bacon box doubled up. I want a box long enough so I can stretch my legs if necessary.” Chief Blue Horse Chief Blue Horse of the Wagluhe Band of the Oglala Lakota and his brother Chief Red Cloud
Wild West brothels By western author Nick Brumby "So help me Jane, step on my foot again and I'll shove that nightgown right where the sun don't shine." Jennies Place Brothel, Jerome Arizona - bar on the bottom and brothel on the top. Sporting ladies, scarlet women, dance hall girls, sweethearts of the night, soiled doves. It had many names, but throughout the
Cowboys and cattle drives By western author Nick Brumby "1271, 1272, 127-- dang it, Blackie, them durned cattle just won't stay still. Well, trail boss wants a count, he gets a count. 1, 2, 3..." Cattle drives were a major economic activity in the 19th and early 20th century American West, From the end of the Civil War until 1890, some 27 million
National Day of the American Cowboy By western author Nick Brumby Today is National Day of the American Cowboy. Whether you answer to cowboy, cowhand, cowpoke, buckaroo, or cowpuncher, today is for you. Let's give a huge thank you to cowboys everywhere, past and present. We all take our hats off to you. Today we celebrate cowboys for living by a code of
The Old West - what things used to cost By western author Nick Brumby “Howdy, I’m Ma Harrison. You scoundrels watch yourselves. Questions are free. But steal as much as a toothpick, and you’ll get today’s special – a coffin.” With today’s inflation rates hitting eye-watering levels, I thought I’d remind myself of what things used to cost. Back in the Old West money
The Cowboy Code By western author Nick Brumby “Cowboys need nothin’ more than a hat, horse, and the will to ride.” Were there rules to being a cowboy? No. But every cowboy, ranch hand, range boss, and cowpuncher knew there were basic principles by which everyone lived by. Some were just common sense and courtesy, such as: When approaching someone from behind, give a
Wild West stagecoaches By western author Nick Brumby "Leroy, I swear if you don't move them stinkin' feet outta my face I'm gonna kick ya off this here stagecoach." Often braving terrible weather, pitted roads, treacherous terrain, and attacks from bandits and Native American warbands, stagecoaches were an integral part of the westward expansion of the rapidly growing United States of America. Stagecoaches
Wild West oxen By western author Nick Brumby "Martha, you can take yer iron horse and poke it where the sun don't shine. I'm trustin' these ladies to get us home." Horses are fine and good, but when you absolutely positively needed to pull a load of freight from Kansas to Colorado, oxen were overwhelmingly the most popular choice for freight wagon trains.
