I’ve always been ambivalent about Geronimo. Though he is widely celebrated today as a patriot and the last Apache holdout (not quite), the militant Chiricahua Apache shaman and war-band leader (never a chief) was widely reviled in his own day by his own people. He was truculent, dishonest, and a dangerous drunk. But there’s no question that he was … [Read more...] about Once He Moved Like The Wind
Pluggy Gets Plugged
The march of the American Republic from sea to shining sea seems inevitable in hindsight. It’s easy to lose sight of contingency in history; moments when the trail could have turned in a different direction. Had the First Nations people of the Ohio Country acted in concert when the American Revolution broke out in 1775, if the British had … [Read more...] about Pluggy Gets Plugged
Fantastical Landscapes
I was recently privileged to scroll through the multitude of photographs my friends Jack and Jan McGowan took on a recent, epic seven-week trek through the American Southwest. There will soon be a post on their excursion into Canyon de Chelly, the last stronghold of the Navajo Nation. Their description of the experience of the Carlsbad Caverns … [Read more...] about Fantastical Landscapes
Unsettling The West
Perhaps I was moving too fast along the trail and failed to cut the sign. Maybe it was over-tracked by other critters. Somehow I missed the 2018 publication of Unsettling the West Violence and State Building in the Ohio Valley. Well, I’m hot on its trail now. Given the near fifty-plew price tag, I ordered it up through interlibrary loan. … [Read more...] about Unsettling The West
Working The Trap Line — November 2019 — The Warrior Tradition
The big action for November, as far as I’m concerned is the November 11 airing of The Warrior Tradition on PBS. The Warrior Tradition tells the astonishing, heartbreaking, inspiring, and largely-untold story of Native Americans in the United States military. Why would Indian men and women put their lives on the line for the very government that … [Read more...] about Working The Trap Line — November 2019 — The Warrior Tradition
Ghoulies, Ghosties and Long-Leggedy Beasties
“From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord deliver us.” — Scottish prayer Halloween is a most Celtic celebration. Ancient pagan Celts marked Samhain (pronounced sow-un) as the divide between the light of summer and the darkness of winter. In their belief, the veil between the … [Read more...] about Ghoulies, Ghosties and Long-Leggedy Beasties
A Feast Of Books
The weather turned cold and wet over the weekend, with the snow level dropping down to about 4,000 feet. The wind whipped the rain into stinging needles, occasionally breaking up the cloud cover to allow a glorious rainbow to arch over golden meadows. In other words, it was an ideal weekend for surrounding yourself with books. The inaugural … [Read more...] about A Feast Of Books
American Frontiersman — African Dynasty
Charles Cottar was the quintessential American Frontiersman: Adventurous, independent, impatient of authority, entrepreneurial, and tougher than leather. In an earlier day, his epic family saga might have played out in the forests and meadows of Kaintuck, or in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains, or out on the Southwest borderlands. But the Cottar … [Read more...] about American Frontiersman — African Dynasty
Welcome To The Jungle
This looks like fun. At least Emily Blunt in early 20th century adventuress kit is quite charming... Getting a Mummy vibe? Me, too. That’s no bad thing. Ceili and I have watched that movie about a thousand times. “I’m a... librarian...” Always up for a pulp adventure, so we are. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydnzilTiBcY From The … [Read more...] about Welcome To The Jungle
Scavengeology
If you haven’t scouted out Scavenology yet, git ye moccasins on and head off into the West Virginia hinterlands. This labor of love of attorney John Bryan and his family consistently turns up artifacts and history that make the Frontier Partisans heart pump hard and fast… What is “Scavenology”? Let Bryan explain: We are fortunate to live in the … [Read more...] about Scavengeology
