The No-See-Ums Plagues In most books about the Old West, you seldom read about the bugs. Oh, there are great stories about bears, snakes, and mountain lions. But what about when the cowboys, prospectors, mountain men, and pioneers had to face the dreaded enemies of mosquitos, fleas, lice, gnats, and no-see-ums? Each of these little […]
CAN YOU GRUBSTAKE ME? Ward Ferguson knows about grubstakes. He teaches school and gets whole summers off to do what he wants. He often spent that time painting houses to supplement the income as well as to keep busy. But a few summers back he headed to the higher elevations for a little gold digging. […]
GOLD FEVER EVERYWHERE I lived in the little town of Winchester, Idaho, population about 350, and found a surprise one day. Down at the meat market I discovered people standing six deep at the cash register. I suspected a bit of gold fever happening. You see, the meat market sold lottery tickets and the jackpot […]
More Power to Jerky Did you know that jerky helped settle the West? For mountain men and prospectors, surveyors and cowboys, a handful of jerky provided critical nourishment. This in a time of no preservatives or refrigerators. Didn’t matter whether the jerky came from beef, deer, elk, or buffalo. All retained their flavor and value. […]
Sisters Seek Their Fortunes The Cheney sisters determined to make their fortune in the Montana gold mine fields. They followed their male counterparts who boomed their way west to the Agenta Gulch in 1892. They learned the first lessons in prospecting. Get there early or find no land left to claim. And don’t be a […]
Legends & Lies Try to pronounce Hassayampa, a legendary old time cowboy word. Some good words like that can’t be let go, even if you don’t know the definition. Cowboys might forget the original source by giving a word a new meaning. For instance, down in Arizona you’ll find a stream named by the Indians […]
How would you describe prospectors? Ever known any? How about grizzly and gray bearded? Dirty clothes and wide brimmed hat turned up in front? Pick in one hand and gold pan in the other? And of course, a faithful mule to ride. Driving along the Salmon River between Slate Creek and Lucile, I noticed a […]
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