Author Archives: Mustang

In the 1968 film titled Hang ‘Em High, Clint Eastwood plays the part of fictional Jed Cooper.  Cooper was an innocent man who survives a lynching in the Oklahoma Territory.  The year is 1889 and Jed is driving a small … Continue reading →

By the time William Alexander Anderson-Wallace arrived in Texas (c. 1836), he was barely 19-years old.  This may seem a bit young for someone seeking his fortune and adventure in a wild and dangerous place, but it wasn’t young back … Continue reading →

Lucas Brite was born in Caldwell County, Texas in 1860. His father passed away when Luke was only 3-years old.  Life was hard in Texas under normal circumstances, harder still when the mainstay of the family died.  As a lad, Luke … Continue reading →

Mary Fields (1832-1914) stood six-feet tall in her stocking feet, weighed 200 pounds, smoked cigars, cursed like a sailor, and would knock out any cowboy that gave her excess amounts of back talk.  She was also the first black woman … Continue reading →

Most people think of western migration as something that men did.  While true, we mustn’t forget that women endured the same hardships as the men. We should not ignore the vital roles these migrating women played in the development of early … Continue reading →

There are a number of reasons people leave their traditional homes.  We generally refer to these as the push—pull factors of human migration.  Push factors might include weather phenomena, disease, an encroachment by stronger groups, insufficient food, water, or other … Continue reading →

Jim Marshal, from Hopewell Township, New Jersey, was raised on the Round Martin Farm, known in1810 (and today) as Marshal’s Corner.  For whatever reason, Marshall decided to leave home in 1834 to seek his fortune. After spending some time in Indiana … Continue reading →

According to some folks, a fellow of the old west named Dave Rudabaugh was known as Dirty Dave because he had an aversion to bathing.  This could be true, since back in the old west there was a conspicuous scarcity … Continue reading →

Georgian by birth in 1798, Mirabeau Bonaparte Lamar developed into a well-educated young man, an excellent horseman, an expert in firearms, a credible poet and artist, and the editor of a local newspaper.  Lamar served the governor of Georgia as … Continue reading →