Part 1: Shoshone and Paiute Tribes Western Slope of the Panamints in winter California's Death Valley is magnificent. Wildly beautiful, strange, remote, awe-inspiring - it deserves these accolades, and more. It is an odd place; nothing quite like it exists anywhere else on this continent. Nothing is on a small scale here; extreme is the … Continue reading The People of Death Valley
People
Bass Reeves: The Best Lawman in the Old West
One of the most effective lawmen of the old west wasn’t Wyatt Earp or Wild Bill Hickok. He was a Federal Marshall who worked out of Judge Parker’s court in Fort Smith, Arkansas. His job was hunting outlaws in the 75,000 square miles of Indian Territory - what is now the state of Oklahoma. Bass … Continue reading Bass Reeves: The Best Lawman in the Old West
Cowboys
When I was young, my folks would take us to visit my aunt and uncle on their Ranch in Wyoming. They had a marvelous old house with a steep roof and whitewashed wood siding. It was huge and warm and always filled with the good smells of baking – bread, cinnamon rolls, cakes, that sort … Continue reading Cowboys
Shorty Harris of the Mojave
I’d like to introduce you to one of my favorite characters from the west. He’s a prospector from the Mojave Desert called Shorty Harris who lived a few years in the boom town of Ballarat. Ballarat, California is a town on the edge of nowhere, a collection of mud huts and tin shanties in one … Continue reading Shorty Harris of the Mojave
Tuba City and The Hopi
Part 6 of Northern Arizona Visiting the Navajo Nation is an adventure. The people are very welcoming, but there are some rules visitors need to follow there. First is, we’re not just crossing a state line or entering a Park when you enter Navajo land. You’re entering a sovereign, self-governing nation with its own tribal … Continue reading Tuba City and The Hopi
The History of Navajoland
Part 5 of Northern Arizona The land of the Navajo is wonderfully varied with high deserts, pinon trees on grassland and alpine forests. The high plateaus, mesas and mountains touch the clouds, reaching out from the desert floor at 2700 feet to mountaintops over 10,000 feet. Volcanoes and wind and water erosion carved the Navajo … Continue reading The History of Navajoland
Old Bill and Williams, Arizona
Part 3 of Northern Arizona Williams, Arizona, is a place that has always piqued my interest. It’s high up in the pines, about 30 miles west of Flagstaff. Summers there are mighty pleasant, very different from much of Arizona. Nowadays it’s a tourist town, famous for being the southern entrance to the Grand Canyon and … Continue reading Old Bill and Williams, Arizona
The Magic of Northern Arizona
Part 1 of Northern Arizona San Francisco Mountains Northern Arizona is wild and beautiful, a truly unique area. It isn’t the Arizona most people think of; Yes, there is desert, but there are also mountains - snow capped mountains in winter - pine forests and comfortable summers. It’s the home of the Grand Canyon, and … Continue reading The Magic of Northern Arizona