The Frontier Journal
Stories of grit, heritage, and the American West — from a family that has been writing them since 1630.
One in Four: The Black Cowboys Who Rode the Trails
Historians estimate one in four riders on the post-Civil War cattle drives was Black. Here's where that number comes from, what trail life was really like, and the stories of Bose Ikard, Nat Love, Bill Pickett, and Ba...
Read the Story →
How to Make Your Truck Smell Like Leather (and Keep It That Way)
Your truck is where life happens — it ought to smell like a saddle shop, not last Tuesday's drive-thru. Here's the whole play: ...
How to Fix Candle Tunneling (and Stop It Before It Starts)
Candle tunneling is a wax-memory problem, not a lost cause. Here's the foil fix, the hair-dryer fix, and the one-hour-per-inch ...
The Bandana: The Square That Took the Dust
The cowboy bandana came north with the vaquero kit -- a square of cloth at the neck that took dust, sun, sweat, and weather so ...
Get Back in the Saddle
Everybody comes off. The question is whether you climb back on without making the fall the whole story.
Chaps: The Leather That Took the Brush
Cowboy chaps came north as Mexican chaparreras -- leather over-pants with no seat, built to take brush, thorns, rope burn, and ...
Spurs: The Cue That Spoke at the Heel
Spurs came with the first cowboys -- Spanish and Mexican espuelas on the heel of the boot, a shank, a rowel, and a quiet cue th...
Cowboy Boots: The Heel That Locked the Stirrup
The cowboy boot came with the first cowboys -- Spanish and Mexican botas, a tall shaft, a pointed toe, and a high heel that loc...
The Saddle: The Seat That Worked the West
The western stock saddle came with the first cowboys -- Spanish and Mexican vaquero kit, a deep seat, a horn to dally, and a sh...
The Lariat: The Rope That Worked the West
The lariat came with the first cowboys -- Spanish lazo and Mexican reata, a honda that holds a loop, a dally or a tie, and a ro...
The Seventh Day
Six days will take everything you have if you let them. The seventh day was put in the week so a person could still be a person...
The Cowboy Hat: Work Gear That Became the West
Spanish and Mexican sombreros were the Southwest's work hat first. In 1865 John B. Stetson made the Boss of the Plains in felt ...
Cattle Brands: The Mark That Meant It Was Yours
Spanish iron marks became the title on an unfenced range. A registered cattle brand meant the hide was yours -- and the books s...
