Anybody who has spent some time out in the desert knows that it can be a spooky place, especially at night. The U.S.-Mexico Border, La Frontera, has always had a special weirdness of its own. After all, La Llorona still stalks the land... Rocky Elmore is a retired United States Border Patrol Agent who has, apparently, experienced weirdness … [Read more...] about Getting Spooked On La Frontera
Working The Trapline — October 2019
Frontier Partisans scout Fletcher Vredenburgh took himself a trip through the Mohawk Valley — and back in time — over the summer. His write up at his blog is an excellent summary of the brutal civil war on the New York frontier. And it makes me want to trek the Valley in the muggy heat of summer... * Stumbled across an independent TV … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — October 2019
‘A Wanderer In And Worshiper Of Beautiful and Unspoiled Country’ — Colonel Townsend Whelen – American Rifleman and Outdoorsman – Part II
By Rick Schwertfeger, Captain, Frontier Partisans Southern Command, Austin, Texas “There, lying on the muddy shore, was the largest crocodile I ever have seen. I placed my bullet at the junction of its skull and spinal column and it just quivered and lay still. It measured 14 feet, 2½ inches from the tip of snout to tip of tail.” U.S. … [Read more...] about ‘A Wanderer In And Worshiper Of Beautiful and Unspoiled Country’ — Colonel Townsend Whelen – American Rifleman and Outdoorsman – Part II
Horrid Sorcerers And Hellish Conjurers
The story of the prodigious war, made by the spirits of the invisible world upon the people of New-England, in the year 1692, hath entertain'd a great part of the English world with a just astonishment. And I have met with some strange things, not here to me mentioned, which have made me often think that this inexplicable war might have some of its … [Read more...] about Horrid Sorcerers And Hellish Conjurers
More From The Trapline — September 2019
One of my favorite Frontier Partisan artists has recreated a scene I imagined vividly in my youth, when I imbibed the ur-myth of the American Frontier like wine. “On his first long hunt, Daniel Boone amassed a fortune in otter, beaver and deer skins. He was headed back east when Shawnee warriors led by Captain Will Emery surprised him. Captain … [Read more...] about More From The Trapline — September 2019
Colonel Townsend Whelen – American Rifleman And Soldier – Part I
By Rick Schwertfeger, Captain, Frontier Partisans Southern Command, Austin, Texas This is the first of a two-part article on Colonel Townsend Whelen (1877-1961), known as Mr. Rifleman. Part I addresses his work as a marksman; soldier; and designer and tester of rifles, cartridges, and everything related to firearms. Part II will explore his … [Read more...] about Colonel Townsend Whelen – American Rifleman And Soldier – Part I
Shiver And Hum
I mean, hell: In the song “Copperhead Road,” Steve Earle tells the story of three generations of the Pettimore family in less than five minutes. A writer doing the same thing would need hundreds of pages. That’s sorcery. — Alex Bledsoe * Sisters Folk Festival 2019 is in the books — and a fine one it was. As I anticipated, the highlight of the … [Read more...] about Shiver And Hum
Blue Gun Blues
Season 4 of Outlander featured an eye-catching detail. One of the Cherokee warriors encountered by the Frasers in the North Carolina backcountry is depicted carrying a blue-painted trade musket. This is a nice, authentic touch — some of the cheap, lightweight muskets manufactured for the Carolina deerskin trade were, in fact, painted blue. … [Read more...] about Blue Gun Blues
The Murder Of John Bozeman
John Bozeman met a violent end right in the middle of the epic fracas created by the trail he blazed running from Fort Laramie northwest to the Montana goldfields. A little over a year after the December 21, 1866, destruction of Col. William Fetterman’s command — even as the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho continued their harrying of the Army posts … [Read more...] about The Murder Of John Bozeman
Working The Trapline — September 2019
This one is a music-heavy trapline. It’s Sisters Folk Festival month, after all. The band that brings the most “frontier” to the festival is Le Vent du Nord. Ceili wrote a profile of the band for The Nugget, which you can read here: The traditional Quebecois band, Le Vent du Nord is an award-winning group considered leaders in the … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — September 2019
