Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Indian Killer

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Mustang

The story of Lewis Wetzel, Frontiersman Long before the arrival of Europeans to America’s shores, native cultures moved freely through the Appalachian Mountain chain.  All we know about this region is what the historic record tells us.  William Penn, for … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

The Oklahoma Badlands

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Mustang

J. Frank Dobie (1888-1964) was quite a character.  We remember him as an American folklorist, a scholar, and a writer.  He was a liberal who spoke critically about Texas State politics and mechanization, which he believed harmed the American spirit.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Murderous Rage

Posted on July 27, 2020 by Mustang

The Confederacy was already dead by early April 1865.  With Robert E. Lee’s defeat at Sailor’s Creek, fighting in the Eastern Theater came to an end.  Fighting did continue in Alabama with Nathan Bedford Forrest struggling against James Wilson’s cavalry, … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil War, History, Justice, Texas, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Poker Alice

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Mustang

Life in the old west was hard on everyone, but it was especially difficult for the ladies.  In the post-Civil War period, it was common for proper young ladies to accompany their new husbands into the western territories.  It was … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

The Texas Highsmith Family

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Mustang

Even under the best of circumstances, whether by land or sea, the passage into Texas was an arduous undertaking in the early times.  Families making the overland trip knew that they would face a plethora of challenges, so they prepared … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

John Coffee Hays

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Mustang

In 1836, a 19-year-old young man by the name of Jack Hays migrated from his home in Tennessee to the Republic of Texas.  He came from a good family, was well-educated, and had influential friends or friends of the family, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

James Wilkinson: Image of Respectability

Posted on April 15, 2019 by Mustang

James Wilkinson (1757-1825) is one of those characters in American history that one seldom hears about.  At the end of his life, he had achieved prominence as the senior officer of the U. S. Army, a politician, and one of … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Gambling, Hard Drinking, and Gunfights

Posted on July 22, 2018 by Mustang

Nearly everyone interested in the old west is familiar with the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas but what most people don’t know is that the saloon was named after one of its founder’s home towns, Long Branch, New … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments