“You need teflon pants!” Thus spake Lady Marilyn. It is known that I am hard on gear and clothing. Custom hatmaker Gene Baldwin feigns dismay every time he sees me in my Baldwin Boss of the Oregon Trail hat — soiled, sweat-stained, its precise pencil roll brim busted down and the binding frayed. I say feigned, because he also appreciates the … [Read more...] about Stuff That Works — Old Men And Teflon Pants
Once Upon A Time In Los Angeles
The next Frontier Partisans Podcast series — Once Upon A Time in Los Angeles — requires a little bit of a personal introduction. I have posted an audio introduction on The Frontier Partisans Podcast. You can listen to it here or on your preferred podcast platform — there’s a little more extemporaneous exploration than what lies below... * I was … [Read more...] about Once Upon A Time In Los Angeles
‘Reminiscences of a Ranger: Early Times in Southern California‘
By Matthew Isleman (Editor’s note: Matthew Isleman’s review of Reminiscences of a Ranger: Early Times in Southern California comes at a fortuitous time, as the next Frontier Partisans Podcast series will focus on the wild frontier history of my old home town. I referenced Horace Bell’s books in the series on filibustering, and it got Matt’s … [Read more...] about ‘Reminiscences of a Ranger: Early Times in Southern California‘
The Weapons Of Tiburcio Vasquez
Rolling along with the reading for the next Frontier Partisans Podcast series, Once Upon A Time In LA. As I’ve confessed a couple of times on these pages, I sometimes get a little nostalgic for the city of my youth, and I’m indulging that tendency for a bit. Rest assured, it’s legit — Los Angeles has one helluva weird and wild frontier history. And … [Read more...] about The Weapons Of Tiburcio Vasquez
Following The Fiddle
Delighted to note that the Sisters Folk Festival is bringing Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas back to the event at the beginning of October. I believe I first discovered Alasdair Fraser’s glorious Scottish fiddle when I was working at Paulina Springs Books in Sisters back in the 1990s. First Light/Dawn Rant is one of the most stirring pieces of … [Read more...] about Following The Fiddle
Frederick Nolan, RIP
Another great frontier historian has gone up the trail. Frederick Nolan was a key historian of the Lincoln County War. His book The West of Billy the Kid is an essential text, and his The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History revealed that bloody episode as the battle for commercial domination that it was. Lynda Sanchez sent … [Read more...] about Frederick Nolan, RIP
Rigby Farquharson
John Rigby & Co. has released a limited edition falling block rifle. Modelled on the late Victorian Farquharson rifles, London gunmaker John Rigby & Co. has just launched their first 10 new limited edition Rigby Falling Block rifles. After three years in the making, the rifle is built around a true Farquharson action, identical to the … [Read more...] about Rigby Farquharson
Tally-Ho To The Transvaal!
The long-delayed podcast on The Jameson Raid is up. You can access it here or on most podcast listening platforms. The Raid, which took place at the turn of the year 1895/96, in the Transvaal in Southern Africa, was one of the most spectacular military cock-ups of all time. The Raiders, who had the backing of the imperialist diamonds-and-gold … [Read more...] about Tally-Ho To The Transvaal!
Working The Trapline — Bush Tucker & Badasses
The Almighty Algorithm threw something wonderful in my path in the wee hours of the morning. I look forward to exploring the work of Les Hiddins, aka The Bush Tucker Man. This is exactly what I needed at the present moment — literal time in the bush and virtual time in the bush — to stay grounded in the turning and turning of the widening gyre. (To … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — Bush Tucker & Badasses
The Old Bison Has Gone Up The Trail
Any of us who explore the frontier history of the American West are walking trails blazed by Robert M. Utley. The great frontier historian and historical preservationist known by the handle The Old Bison went up the long trail on June 7, at the age of 92. Paul Andrew Hutton, himself an outstanding historian, deems Utley the greatest Western … [Read more...] about The Old Bison Has Gone Up The Trail
