Life in the Old West

Why does Billy the Kid generate such fascination, passionate feeling?

Of all the outlaws and lawmen, villains and heroes, few generate such passionate feelings and fascination as Billy the Kid. Why do you suppose that’s the case?

Was it because the Kid was a rowdy young gunslinger with a chip on his shoulder and fire in his eyes?

Billy the Kid washing dishes? Different image for famous desperado

Billy the Kid washing dishes? Really? That certainly provides a different image of the Kid from that of the famous desperado of popular Western history, film, and TV lore.

In fact, I ran onto at least two sources that spoke of the Kid doing such routine, common labor to make his way as a teenager-young man in a tough world.

Well assembled bedroll helps you when traveling light

Back in the days of the Old West, a cowboy’s bedroll was much different than we imagine as overnight travelers, hikers, or campers today. Today’s bedroll generally means a hastily thrown together and rolled up sleeping bag, perhaps with a pillow and additional blankets tossed in, maybe even including a good change of underwear and one day’s outerwear. We strap all this together and shove it into the trunk of the car, or if we’re real outdoors adventurers, onto a bicycle, motorcycle, or horse.

Horse riding boots or cowboy boots — find great deals on eBay!

Whether you call them horse riding boots or cowboy boots, you’ll always find great bargains on a huge selection at eBay. As the world’s largest auction site, eBay offers western wear, cowboy clothing and apparel, horse riding boots, and horse saddles and tack, and other horse gear of every kind.

Soapy Smith added flair to Denver’s gambling scene in 1880s

(IMPORTANT EDITOR’S NOTE: Shortly after I posted this article to the website, I received a comment from Jeff Smith, the great-grandson of Soapy Smith, and a gentleman who graciously corrected some of the misinformation I had picked up about his great grandfather and passed along below. I urge you to read Jeff’s comment on this post — located at the end of the article — for his corrections and clarifications. I also encourage you to learn more about Soapy Smith from Jeff Smith’s website, “Alias Soapy Smith,” and Jeff’s blog, “Soapy Smith’s Soap Box.” But be warned: The information on that website and that blog is “addictive,” so give yourself lots of time to go there a look around. Heck, if I were you, I’d be sure to bookmark both sites in your browser so you can return there often!)

Six-Gun Egg Fryer makes fun Western gift for cooks

In the interest of adding a little fun to this site from time to time, I offer you a fun gift for Western dads on Father’s Day or any other day: The Six-Gun Egg Fryer from a really fun merchant partner of ours, the clever folks at Stupid.com. (Just click on that link or keep reading and scroll down on this page for a picture of this simple, Western-style egg cooker.)

Vigilantes became the law in 1863-64 Montana

For a period of several months in 1863 and ’64, vigilantes became the only just and true law in and around the gold fields and young settlement of Virginia City, Montana.

Find great deals on cowboy hats at Amazon.com

Find great deals on cowboy hats and other western clothing at Amazon.com.

We partner with Amazon.com, one of the world’s most trusted online merchants, to offer you a wide variety of cowboy hats and other western apparel.

Gold Rush came slowly in early Colorado

The so-called Gold Rush, which burst into America’s history with the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in California in 1848, came about in pretty leisurely fashion in Colorado, driven by the casual bands of settlers and stragglers that came to be known as Coloradans. (They “came to be known” by that name because the earliest miners and settlers who populated the region first named it “Jefferson Territory.” The name “Colorado” came as a second choice, after the initial enthusiasm to name the territory to honor President Thomas Jefferson.)

Little gun had amazing impact on history of westward expansion

If you’re interested at all in the Old West, you probably know from the title of this article what little gun I’m writing about that had an amazing impact on the history of the West, in fact on the history of our country in general.

Log cabins for sale: Get your own piece of the Old West

Log cabins for sale: If you’ve got some money to put into it, you can find many deals to get your own piece of the Old West. Buy your own log cabin — either one you can put up on your land, or something that includes your cabin AND the land to put it on.

How Buffalo Bill Cody almost saved Sitting Bull’s life

If everything had worked according to Buffalo Bill’s plans, he may have saved the life of his friend, Lakotah Warrior Sitting Bull. However, since things rarely work out according to plans in real-life, the story has some odd twists to it — and, sadly, an unhappy ending.

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