Delving deep into Ranger Lore of New England prior to the formation of Rogers Rangers in the French & Indian War. As podcast listeners know, Benjamin Church launched the American Ranger tradition during King Philip’s War (1676-77), and men who served with him formed the core cadre of a New England “ranging culture.” That culture manifested … [Read more...] about Maine’s Frontier Wars

To immerse yourself in Frontier Partisans history is to walk a path into darkness. From a very young age I was drawn as though magnetized to the heroic myth of the frontier hunter exploring and settling wild lands. By the time I was in my teens, I was steeped deeply enough in the history to recognize that my Frontier Partisan heroes were harbingers … [Read more...] about The Darkness

I’ve been enthralled by the paintings of Alfred Jacob Miller since I first started reading about the Mountain Men. His paintings are ubiquitous because they were derived from on-the-scene sketches and studies Miller made in 1837, in the last glory days of the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade and rendezvous period. Reenactors study them for authentic … [Read more...] about The Laird In Buckskins

Brown-eyed women and red grenadine The bottle was dusty but the liquor was clean... — Hunter/Garcia, “Brown-eyed Women” From BBC: Whisky found behind a hidden cellar door in a Scottish castle may be the oldest in existence, according to experts. About 40 bottles of Scotland's national drink were discovered in Blair Castle in Perthshire … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — Rubaboo, Dusty Bottles & Aztec Death Whistle

I don’t know if I’m being stalked by tatanka or if this is just the synchronicity that we encounter so often in these parts — but we seem to be running into buffalo everywhere. My friend and colleague John Elchert, who runs the Leelanau  Enterprise in Michigan and serves as COO for our newspaper group, got some great bison shots in Yellowstone when … [Read more...] about The Buffalo Trace

Congress may act to restore buffalo herds. A new bill was introduced on Friday, September 22: WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) introduced the bipartisan Indian Buffalo Management Act, legislation to create a permanent buffalo program at the U.S. Department of the Interior and help promote and … [Read more...] about A Buffalo Bill

They were duelin’, Doolin-Dalton High or low, it was the same Easy money and faithless women Red-eye whiskey for the pain — Glenn Frey, Jim Ed Norman, Don Henley Marvin Minkler scouted this one up. Due in November: Here’s the caper: The Last Outlaws is the thrilling true story of the last of one of the greatest outlaw gangs. The … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — Law & Disorder, Folklore, Tactical Brilliance

I have never properly given William F. Cody his due. Perhaps the very showmanship that made him the most recognizable American celebrity of the late 19th and early 20th Century put me off. Maybe there was just a bit too much bombast in his style for my tastes. I tend to favor grittier and less flamboyant heroes. But... sitting here in Cody, … [Read more...] about Showdown At Warbonnet Creek