Good Samaritans of the Plains
March 14, 2023
The Potawatomi’ left their reservation to hunt buffalo to prepare for a hard winter. After a successful hunt they camped near a small new community of freed slaves who were destitute, no food or shelter. They fed the people, helped build shelters, then split all their food and buffalo robes with them. They would not have survived without the kindness of the Potawatomi Prairie Band.
James Beckwourth
March 7, 2023
Born into slavery, once free he headed west. He joined the Rocky Mountain Fur Company along with Hugh Glass and Jim Bridger. He married a Crow woman and lived with the Crow band for several years. He was in California for the gold rush, blazed trails across the Rockies and Sierra Nevada’s. He achieved as much or more than his white counterparts and is now being recognized for his accomplishments.
Mohave Runners
February 28, 2023
Young Mohave boys were encouraged to race each other to prepare to be a runner. The runners enabled small bands to communicate and trade with each other. They could run 100 miles in 3 hours, 200 miles in 24 hours, even out run a horse over a long distance and go four days without food.
Law and Disorder
February 21, 2023
Marshal Dyer charged the government for cows and seed potatoes, the prisoners did the work, then sold it back to the government. Sheriff Johnny Behan testified against the Earps. Pinkerton Detective Tom Horn was caught robbing a faro game eventually hung for killing a rancher’s son. Most lawmen served honestly and with integrity facing danger and poor pay.
Killer Mine
February 14, 2023
Almy coal Mine Number 5 had water, methane gas, explosive dust and the danger of cave-ins and fire. Although they used the most modern safety equipment at the time, in 1895 two explosions destroyed equipment and instantly killed sixty-two miners. Some suffocated, burned or were killed by flying debris or concussion. The mine closed in 1909.
Big Nose George
February 7, 2023
A robber and killer, he was caught and after three attempts he was finally hung. His remains were found in 1950 in a whiskey barrel. His fame came from the fact that his skull and “strange” shoes are in one museum, his skull cap and shackles he wore are in another museum.
Steamboat the Unrideable
January 31, 2023
Black with white tufts of hair at the bottom of his legs, Steamboat was a magnificent horse. So powerful at unloading riders, they called him the “Outlaw Horse.” Some say his image is on the Wyoming license plate. One of only five horses named to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Jackson Hole Wyoming
January 24, 2023
Native Americans lived there for thousands of years. Mountain men, trappers and fur traders followed by “Bachelor settlers” prospectors, immigrants, runaways, and refuges from the law. The last of the old west, these people endured hardship but used the natural resources to make a living.
Rattlesnake Bites
January 17, 2023
Native Americans rounded up rattlesnakes, put them in a pen, then prodded them to strike a piece of liver to inject the venom. They pushed their arrow and lance tips into the liver to get the poison. There were many ideas how to treat snake bites, some worked, some didn’t. Today, getting to a hospital is the most important.
Native American Origins
January 10, 2023
The Native Americans all knew where they came from as these stories passed down from generations. There is a strong spiritual bond with the “Creator”, “The Master of Life”, the “Great Spirit” or “Wakan Tanka”. Most tribes believed their land was the center of the world and was a sacred place.