The American West: Fort Laramie Attacked
Though one of the most important military forts in the West, Fort Laramie lacked fortifications. It was an open assemblage of buildings that one might usually expect to find within protective walls of any U.S. Army fort in the Nineteenth Century.
Terry A. Del BeneJuly 14, 2024
The American West: How Calamity Jane Earned Her Stripes As An Army Scout
Sporting buckskin and a rifle, Calamity Jane looked every bit the part of a Western frontierswoman. She didn’t take kindly to the word “no" and quickly proved herself as an invaluable Army scout for troops in the Black Hills region.
Candy MoultonJuly 07, 2024
The American West: Transcontinental Railroad Challenge No. 1 — Where To Put It
Before the first transcontinental railroad could open the untamed West to the rest of the nation, a crucial decision had to be made — where to put it.
James A. CrutchfieldJuly 06, 2024
The American West: Fr. Pierre De Smet, The Jesuit Priest Who Baptized The West
Jesuit priest Fr. Pierre-Jean De Smet was born in Belgium, but found his life’s calling establishing Catholic missions throughout the early settlement of the West, including holding the first Catholic mass in Wyoming.
Candy MoultonJune 30, 2024
The American West: The 1864 Attack On The Kelly-Larimer Wagon Train
All that’s left today of the July 12, 1864, attack on the Kelly-Larimer Wagon Train in what would later become Wyoming Territory are the harrowing accounts of women taken captive and a small graveyard.
Terry A. Del BeneJune 29, 2024
The American West: Fetterman’s Massacre Was High Drama On The High Plains
The bloody and ill-advised skirmish with Indian warriors at Fort Phil Kearny in 1866 that became known as Fetterman's Massacre didn’t have to happen. Capt. William J. Fetterman disregarded orders and got his troops wiped out.
James A. CrutchfieldJune 23, 2024
The American West: That Time Rudyard Kipling Came To Yellowstone And Wasn’t Impressed
Rudyard Kipling was in a foul and despicable mood when his editor sent him to visit America. He was not impressed with the American West. "Today I am in the Yellowstone Park, and I wish I were dead," he wrote.
Terry A. Del BeneJune 22, 2024
The American West: First Missionary Women At Rendezvous Were True Trailblazers
Eliza Spalding and Narcissa Whitman were the first white women to come west in 1836. Although riding in a wagon across the Kansas and Nebraska was not a smooth journey, they found it to be a great mode of transportation.
Candy MoultonJune 16, 2024
American West: The Rendezvous Was — And Still Is — One Hell Of A Party
In 1825, Gen. William Ashley introduced a system known as the rendezvous, a methodology that revolutionized, but also simplified, the entire concept of trading with the American Indians. A total of 15 annual rendezvous were held between 1825 and 1840 and 11 of them were in Wyoming.
James A. CrutchfieldJune 15, 2024