Livestock herders in the Americas arose from a tradition based in Spain and Portugal, who brought their riding and herding skills with them when Mexico and California were colonized in the 16th and 17th centuries. Today, many of the skills of the western ‘cowboy’ can be attributed to these early vaqueros and their mastery of… Continue reading Vaqueros
Originating in the 19th century, Manifest Destiny was a belief that the US was destined to spread throughout the American continents. That this spread was inevitable and therefore justified, at any cost. The idea was that manifesting this inescapable advancement was the duty of all US citizens of the time. The term was originally coined… Continue reading Manifest Destiny
Thundering hooves across the prairie, kicking up clouds of dust. The sound of whinnying carried on the wind. What could evoke a more true image of the American West than a herd of wild horses pounding their way through a misty morning? Wild horses do still exist in this day and age, although their numbers… Continue reading Wild Horses in the American West
Daniel Boone was born in November 1734 and died around 85 years later in September 26, 1820. But in the intervening time period, he made a name for himself that still resonates throughout American history. Boone the Pioneer He was an all-American woodsman, pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman. As a matter of fact, his many exploits along the… Continue reading Daniel Boone: The Great Pioneer
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” This quote by Charles Dickens was meant to describe the upheaval caused by the French Revolution. But it could just as easily have been used to describe the chaos that erupted shortly after a certain carpenter named James Wilson Marshall, from New Jersey, found… Continue reading The California Gold Rush 1849: The Wonder and The Horror
Carl Dane - Western Author 