Search Results for: Texas
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna Dies
In 1876 Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna died. I know of no other Old West character whose life was more of a roller coaster. Born to middle-class parents in Mexico, as a teenager he joined the army. In 1821 he gained national prominence as a military leader in Mexico’s fight for independence against Spain. This […]
Republic of California
We all know that Texas was an independent republic before becoming a state. But did you know that California was an independent republic too? Here’s more about the Republic of California. Although owned by Mexico, back in 1846 there were very few Mexican settlers in California. In reality there American settlers comprised the largest segment of […]
Jesse Chisholm Died of Food Poisoning
On March 4, 1868 Jesse Chisholm died of food poisoning. Even though the Chisholm Trail is known for its use during the cattle drive era, Jesse wasn’t a cattleman, but a frontier trader. He had a great knowledge of the southwest that was valuable in trailblazing. Because he was a trader, Jesse Chisholm’s trail was […]
End of Kansas Trail Drives
When it came to the Kansas Trail Drives, it seems that Kansas had a love-hate relationship with Texas cattle and the cowboys that brought them up. The love part was the profits to be made providing supplies to the cattle drives and a good time to trail-weary cowboys. Frontier struggling towns like Dodge City, Caldwell, […]
Old West Book Review: The Frontier World of Fort Griffin
The Frontier World of Fort Griffin, Charles Robinson Ill, University of Oklahoma Press, 800-627-7377, $14.95, Paper. 236 Pages, Illustrations, Notes, Bibliography, Index. This fast-paced, fun to read book tells of the exciting, albeit short, life of the rip-roaring Texas town called Fort Griffin. Wild and dangerous, it sprouted from the desolate prairie to fulfill the […]
