June 2008

I apologize for the delay in posting. I just haven’t had as much time as I would really like to. The next part of the Who were the real cowboys? series is well underway, I have just not had the time needed to finish it quite yet. Currently, I am working on an essay for … more →

In the late 19th century, the combination of high demand for beef in the eastern United States and the lack of railroads or really any kind of infrastructure in the west was the cause for a unique phenomenon west. The western ranchers in states such as Texas and Wyoming needed to find a way to … more →

The image of the American cowboy as we perceive it today was created in the 19th century, particularly in the postbellum period, or the period after the Civil War. After the war, many soldiers from both the Union and the Confederate sides had difficulties finding jobs in the east despite the South’s infrastructure laying in … more →

The history of the cowboy is a story that begins long ago. What we now think of as a uniquely American tradition is not solely American at all. Cowboy tradition first originated in mediæval Spain with the hacienda, or estate. The haciendas belonged to wealthy landowners and were generally, but not always, located on vast … more →

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I decided to open a forums page for general history-related discussion. They are now open! You can find them here: http://historyrhymes.alexseifert.com/forum

“Always drink upstream from the herd.” That was the advice of just one of hundreds of anonymous cowboys of the 19th century. While many of us are familiar with romanticized cowboys such as those played by John Wayne and Clint Eastwood in western films, many of us do not know much about the real cowboys, … more →

I apologize I haven’t posted anything in the past several days. I had a presentation on Thursday that consumed practically all of my time this week. The presentation, however, was on American cowboys and therefore I am going to use my research to post a new series about real cowboys, trail drives, etc. Look forward … more →

The Navajos struck fear into every person living in the American southwest since the first Spanish settlements until the American conquest of the southwest in the mid-nineteenth century. Their raids on the small villages and towns of present day New Mexico and Arizona were constant and were always devastating. The devastation, however, was generally not … more →