Search Results for: Texas
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 […]
A Duel With The Cactus
September 2, 1892, Daily Herald, El Paso, Texas – “Halt! What’s that?” said our leader in a sharp whisper. It was a clear moonlight night in the extreme southwest of Mexico. I was visiting a friend who conducted a large ranch and hacienda there. A local revolt had just been quelled in the neighborhood and […]
Old West Book Review: The Devil’s Triangle
The Devil’s Triangle, James Smallwood, Kenneth Howell, Carol Taylor, University of North Texas Press. Paper, $19.95. Non-fiction, Maps, Notes, Bibliography, Index. This book is a well-written study of the War of Reconstruction in Texas between 1865 and 1877. Gangs of ex-Confederate soldiers returning home to Texas after the “Lost Cause“ harbored hatred and resentment toward […]
