Although he’s not as famous as Billy the Kid or Jesse James, John Wesley Hardin probably holds the record for killing more men in the shortest period of time.  From the time he first killed in 1868 until he shot his last man ten years later, Hardin is known to have murdered more than 20 men.  Incidentally, his father was a Methodist preacher, and he was named after the founder of the Methodist Church.

So, how did John Wesley Harden spend Christmas of 1869?  On Christmas Day he went to the tiny town of Towash, Texas, seeking some holiday companionship and a good game of cards.  A big winner, Hardin got in an argument with a man named James Bradley, an obvious sour looser.

Bradley pulled a knife. Unarmed, in accordance with town ordinances, Harden went to his room and got his pistol. Later in the afternoon Harden encountered Bradley on the street. Bradley let out some curse words; pulled his pistol; and shot at Harden…Missing him. Hardin responded with a shot to Bradley’s head and chest. Harden then casually rode out of town.

The moral of the story? Christmas should be spent in church, with family, not gambling and shooting off your gun. Right, James Bradley?

I’m sure everyone who visits Cowboy To Cowboy is a fan of the rodeo.

One of the more fun events is steer wrestling. Have you ever wondered how it got its start? Well, wonder no more. Here’s the story

The son of black and Indian parents, Bill Pickett…who was born on December 5, 1871…learned his roping and riding skills while working as a cowboy on a Texas ranch..

Later he went to work for the 101 Ranch Rodeo. As a special attraction for the audiences, Pickett would ride his horse alongside a running longhorn steer. Then he would grab the steer’s head and bit its upper lip—an effective means of forcing the steer to follow Pickett’s commands.

Since bulldogs were known to control cattle by biting onto their lower lips and ferociously hanging on, Pickett’s steer wrestling method became known as “bulldogging.”

It’s unlikely that any working cowboy ever attempted to control a steer by “bulldogging” it, but the audience loved Pickett’s stunt. Although few cowboys were willing to copy Pickett’s lip-biting method, steer wrestling became a standard rodeo competition.

Pickett’s bulldogging performance made him a national rodeo star. The 101 Ranch closed in 1931, and Pickett died a forgotten man not long afterwards, at age 70, from injuries suffered while working horses for the 101 Ranch in Texas.

It was November 27, 1868 when Lieutenant Colonel (Who, incidentally, was no longer a General) attacked a band of peaceful Cheyenne living with Chief Black Kettle.

Earlier in 1868 Custer was convicted of desertion and mistreatment of soldiers by a military court, the government had suspended Custer from rank and command for one year. In September 1868, General Philip Sheridan had reinstated Custer to lead a campaign against Cheyenne Indians who were making raids in Kansas and Oklahoma.

On November 26, Custer located a large village of Cheyenne encamped near the Washita River, just outside of present-day Cheyenne, Oklahoma. Custer did not attempt to identify which group of Cheyenne was in the village, or to make a reconnaissance of the camp.

Had he done so, Custer would have discovered they were peaceful people and the village was on an Indian Reservation, where the commander of Fort Cobb had guaranteed them safety. There was even a white flag flying from one of the main dwellings, indicating the tribe was actively avoiding conflict.

Having surrounded the village the night before, at dawn Custer called for the regimental band to play “Garry Owen,” which signaled for four columns of soldiers to charge into the sleeping village. Outnumbered and caught unaware, scores of Cheyenne were killed in the first 15 minutes. Within a few hours, the village was destroyed. A total of 103 Cheyenne, including the peaceful Black Kettle and many women and children were killed.

Although anything but, it was hailed as the first substantial American victory in the Indian wars. However, it helped restore Custer’s reputation and succeeded in persuading many Cheyenne to move to the reservation.

Incidentally, Custer’s habit of boldly charging Indian encampments of unknown strength would eventually catch up with him at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.