As you all know, I carry some deep ambivalence about this digital platform we share. Make no mistake I am deeply gratified that we have created a digital campfire here at Frontier Partisans — it’s the dark wilderness outside that circle of light that raises my hackles. Had an interesting conversation with a relatively new freelancer at The Nugget … [Read more...] about Digitizing Daniel Boone

By Rick Schwertfeger Captain, Frontier Partisans Southern Command, Austin, Texas My wife, sons and I were swimming in Texas’ slow flowing Guadalupe River during the annual Kerrville Folk Festival on the morning after seeing a remarkable performance by Ian Tyson. The Canadian western singer/songwriter had blown away the traditional folkies … [Read more...] about ‘Songs Of The Plains’

Posts on firearms are the most popular ones on Frontier Partisans. For several years, my post on The Guns of Blood Meridian was always at the top of the analytics pile. That's dropped off a bit, supplanted by The Guns of Pancho Villa, which has been viewed something like 16,000 times over the past three years, and The Mountain Man’s Rifle, which … [Read more...] about Purty, Purty Guns

I am privileged to live in the same town as one of the nation’s few traditional custom hat makers, Mr. Gene Baldwin. Craig Rullman, Lynn Woodward and I all proudly wear Baldwin Hats. You should, too. I have no intention of getting a hat anywhere else — but I do want to tip my Baldwin Hat to another craftsman, whose work I admire from … [Read more...] about The Mad Hatter Of Hollywood

I was living in Berkeley, California, with a woman I thought I was gonna marry. The wheels were coming off big time and I didn't know what the fuck was happening to my life. I was drinking. A lot. I had a stupid job that sent me driving all around the Bay Area in a little white Toyota pick-up. On October 17, 1988, I was walking down Telegraph … [Read more...] about Smell The Whiskey Burnin’

I cut through the Rockies like some unholy blade The icy depths of the Pacific I have bade Forever I wander, forever I stray The rustle of wheat fields starts callin’ my name Callin’ my name Let me die in the country that I love the most I’m a plain-to-see plainsman, and this I will boast A heart that lies far from the east or … [Read more...] about ‘Plain To See Plainsman’

Brian H.’s mention of the magnificent book The Tiger in a comment sent me exploring on Youtube Sunday night. You don’t have to go very far down the path of tigers and hunting before you run into the towering figure of Jim Corbett. One of the finest men to ever pick up a rifle — and a pen — Corbett was a slayer of man-eaters, leopards and tigers … [Read more...] about Legendary Hunters, Legendary Rifles

Last night I was doing a bit of reading on the Krag-Jorgensen rifle — the main arm of U.S. forces during the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902, which is a key element of Cowboy Revolutionaries: Rough Ride Into The American Century. More on that dark chapter in a future post. The Krag was a good rifle, but its .30-40 cartridge was underpowered … [Read more...] about Ranger Rifle

You may have noticed that many of the Latin American fighters depicted in my Cowboy Revolutionaries post a few days ago wield Remington Rolling Block Rifles. To refresh your memory — the feller on the right is armed with a Remington.   The Remington Rolling Block Rifle doesn’t get as much attention as its sexy sister, the Sharps, but … [Read more...] about Firearms Of The Frontier Partisans — Remington Rolling Block Rifle

Amazon’s magic algorithms decided I would like Larry Sweazy’s Texas Ranger novels — which may be so. The Cougar’s Prey kicked up on my Kindle, but the thought it triggered wasn’t “Buy that!” It was, “Damn! That bandito stole the Death Dealer’s horse!” Seems like a mighty risky proposition to me, but a stout sawed-off double-barreled … [Read more...] about Bandito Death Dealer