Frontier Partisans

The discussion during my Warriors of the Wildlands presentation on Juan Cortina on June 12 swirled around matters of clan loyalty, feud, masculinity, and the determination to hold your land or bleed out on it. One of the participants said, “You know, all of this makes me think Yellowstone.” Yes, he was talking about My Cowboy Soap Opera. I told ’em … [Read more...] about Taylor Sheridan: Frontier Partisans Bard

The Robert E. Howard podcasters over at Rogues in the House scouted up a bit of Conan-related intel last week. They noted that the role-playing game creator Modipheus Entertainment has just released a new sourcebook titled Conan the Scout, taking the Cimmerian beyond the Black River for frontier adventures in the Pictish … [Read more...] about Conan The Texas Ranger

  Having run off down a sidetrail into the Bozeman Trail War — thanks to my fortuitous encounter with the ghosts of Captain William Fetterman’s command and the spirits of Crazy Horse and Jim Bridger — I am, of late, blessed with extraordinarily vivid dreams of the Riders of the High Plains. These are fed by the magnificent images rendered … [Read more...] about Lakota Dreams

“When I was young among our nation, I was poor. From the wars with one nation or another, I raised myself to be a chief.’ — Red Cloud The first thing that must be understood is that Red Cloud was an epic Frontier Partisan badass. Like the great Shawnee Tecumseh, he was named after a meteorite or comet. And like Tecumseh, he would become an … [Read more...] about Red Cloud — Mighty In War

The Frontier Partisans Muse took me by the hand last week and pulled me hard down the Bozeman Trail. On June 6, I headed out to Buffalo, Wyoming, for a newspaper conference and training session. The owners of my newspaper do these professional development sessions regularly, and I always wish I could take more time in our locations — but … [Read more...] about In The Hoofprints Of Crazy Horse

Cruisin’ down the center of a two way street Wondering who is really in the driver’s seat Mindin’ my business along comes big brother Says, “Son you better get on one side or the other” Oh oh, I’m out on the border I’m walkin’ the line Don’t you tell me ’bout your law and order I’m tryin’ to change this water to wine — The … [Read more...] about Out On The Border

(CNN) Wes Studi is set to make Oscar history. Studi, who is of Cherokee descent, will become the first Native American actor to receive an Oscar. The golden statuette will be awarded October 27 at the 11th annual Governors Awards... Studi is the first Native American to receive the honorary award. Buffy Sainte-Marie, the indigenous Canadian … [Read more...] about Honoring Wes Studi

Fred Anderson is The Man when it comes to French & Indian War scholarship. He is the author of the definitive narrative history of the Seven Years War, The Crucible of War, which was abridged as The War That Made America, to pair with the lavish PBS documentary series of the same title. The conflict is now recognized as the first “world war” — … [Read more...] about The Fate Of Empires

Gnadenhutten. The Ben Wright Massacre. Sand Creek. Wounded Knee. The annals of Frontier Partisan warfare are stained with so many tales of slaughter that cataloguing them all becomes a minefield of moral hazard. Gazing into this abyss is a reminder that man is a killer angel. My friend Greg Walker has published a hard-hitting piece on … [Read more...] about El Mozote