Pecos Bill: The Wildest Cowboy of American Folklore
Pecos Bill stands tall—larger than life—in the landscape of American frontier folklore. Born from the campfire tales of cowhands in the late 19th century, Bill embodies the boundless imagination...
The Pacific Railway Act: A Public Investment That Transformed a Nation
Although Americans tend to forget how critical our railway system was to the development of the American West, the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 stands as a defining example of how public investment...
The Bear Flag Revolt: A Brief, Turbulent Bid for California Independence
In the summer of 1846, a small frontier uprising in the northern California settlement of Sonoma briefly reshaped the destiny of the American West. Known as the Bear Flag Revolt, this short‑lived...
Louis McLane and the Early Rise of Wells Fargo
When people think of Wells Fargo, images of stagecoaches, gold shipments, and the rugged American West usually come to mind. What’s less known is the role played by Louis McLane, a...
Remembering General Nathanael Greene
The American Revolution produced a number of unlikely war heroes who came out of nowhere to become leading generals in the Continental Army. Henry Knox, for example, was a bookseller in Boston who...
Remembering Richard Henry Lee, Author of the “Lee Resolution,” Which Triggered the Continental Congress’ Move to Declare Independence
One of America’s Founding Fathers was Richard Henry Lee, who died this day on June 19, 1794 at the age of 62. A born-and-raised Virginian, Lee was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a...
The Bunker Hill Monument
On this date in 1825, the cornerstone for the Bunker Hill Monument was placed. It was a significant event in American history that commemorated the sacrifices made during the Battle of Bunker Hill in...
Remembering Benedict Arnold, Hero of the Battle of Saratoga, Traitor to his Country
Most Americans have heard of Benedict Arnold. He is generally known as a traitor to his country who rightly deserves our condemnation. Yet, as this story will describe, up until the moment that his...
Prelude to the Declaration of Independence: The 250th Anniversary of the Virginia Declaration of Rights
A man largely forgotten in this season of 250th anniversaries of the Declaration of Independence is George Mason, a Virginia political leader, Founding Father, and most importantly, the author of the...
Remembering Andrew Jackson
June 8th marked the 181st anniversary of the death of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States who served from 1829 to 1837. Born in the Waxhaws region along the border of North and...
