Remembering Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais, the Frenchman Who Saved the American Revolution
As Americans celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this year, our thoughts naturally turn to the “Founding Fathers.” If you peruse the various lists historians have...
Remembering Mary Matilda Matthews, A Pioneer Woman in the 1870’s
Imagine a young woman who leaves her comfortable home and family life in New York and travels to the frontier territory of Northern Nevada in 1870, to seek out the explanation for her brother’s...
Remembering Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill, born William Frederick Cody on this date in 1846, was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman who became one of the most famous figures of the American West. He earned the...
February 8, 1887: The Infamous Dawes Act Becomes Law, Targeting Native-American Reservations for Extinction
The Dawes Act We’ve written a number of stories about the slow and steady erosion of Native-American tribal lands in the 19th century due to the encroachments of white settlers—the natural...
Remembering Red Cloud
We’ve written before about some of the greatest Native-American warriors of the 19th century: Crazy Horse, Chief Joseph, and Quanah Parker, to name a few. Today we write about another of the great...
Transcontinental Railroad
Between 1865 and 1869, over 12,000 Chinese laborers were instrumental in building the Central Pacific Railroad through the Sierra Nevada mountains. Recruited largely from southern China, these...
Remembering Doc Holliday
When thinking about “Old West” characters, many come to mind – Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Billy the Kid among others. While people tend to categorize these characters as “good” or...
Remembering Benjamin Harrison
Born on August 20, 1833, Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States (served, 1889-1893). He was a descendant of a prominent Virginia family, and was the grandson of William...
Remembering Chief Joseph
September 21 marks the anniversary of the death of Chief Joseph, one of the most famous Native-American chiefs during the period of our nation’s decades-long “Indian Wars” in the second half of...
Remembering Charles Crocker
“Robber Barons.” Americans have used this phrase for over a century to describe the late 19thand early 20th century men who were instrumental in the financing of America’s industrial and...