The Frontier Journal
Stories of grit, heritage, and the American West — from a family that has been writing them since 1630.
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...
The Texas Longhorn: The Cattle That Walked the Trail
Spanish colonial cattle walked the great trail drives, nearly vanished after barbed wire and British breeds closed the open ran...
Barbed Wire: How the Devil's Rope Closed the Open Range
Joseph Glidden's 1874 Winner wire made cheap fences possible on a treeless prairie. Here's how barbed wire closed the open rang...
The Chuck Wagon: How Cowboys Ate on the Trail
Charles Goodnight built the first chuck wagon in 1866 so a trail crew could eat on a moving herd. Here's the kitchen, the cook,...
Real Cowboys vs. Hollywood: What Trail Life Was Actually Like
Real cowboys were hired hands on a moving herd, not lone gunfighters. Here's what trail life was actually like -- the jobs, the...
Vaqueros: The First Cowboys
Vaqueros were the original mounted cattle herders of the Southwest — the Spanish-Mexican craft that taught America how to cowbo...
Gifts for Ranchers & Cowboys That Are Actually Made in America
Most "western" gifts ship from overseas. Here's the honest, no-junk gift guide for ranchers and cowboys — USA-built hats, US-gr...
Candle Sizes & Burn Times: How Long Will Yours Last?
Does a 16 oz candle really burn twice as long as an 8 oz? Here's the honest math on burn time by size — and the burning habits ...
Breaking a Colt, Not a Spirit
You can force a colt to accept a saddle, or you can teach him to trust one. A Sunday reflection on patience, gentleness, and th...
The Chisholm Trail: The Cattle Drives That Built the West
In 1867, a cow worth $5 in Texas was worth $40 in Kansas — and the only thing between them was 800 miles of open country. The t...
