Graduate schools for American history?

So the time has come when I need to start looking into graduate schools. This upcoming academic year will be my last as an undergraduate. I am certainly more than ready to move on. I’ve been looking into some different graduate schools around the US. A couple of my favorites so far have been the … more →

August 20, 2009

George Custer on the Origins of the Indians

It is really quite amazing to read through some of the theories produced during the 19th century about the origin of the Native Americans. As I talked about in my last post, I am currently reading the memoirs of George Custer about his life on the plains and his personal experiences with the Indians. The … more →

August 18, 2009

My Life on the Plains

Last night I finished Ghost Stories of the Old West by Dan Asfar. Other than several editing mistakes (spelling, grammar, etc), the book was actually quite good. You always hear about legends and myths from Europe about haunted castles and so on, but to read the legends of some of America’s own haunted places is … more →

August 10, 2009

Ghost Stories of the Old West

So I decided to take a break from reading non-fiction and treat myself to a book full of short ghost stories of the old west. The book I found is appropriately titled Ghost Stories of the Old West and is by Dan Asfar. I really haven’t gotten very far into it at all; only a … more →

August 4, 2009

Hoax Played On 19th Century Rare Book Collectors

You don’t hear about a lot of hoaxes that are as successful as this one was. A friend pointed me to an article that tells about a hoax played on a large number of 19th century rare book collectors. I’ve posted part of it here: Jean Nepomucene Auguste Pichauld, Comte de Fortsas, was a man … more →

August 1, 2009

I need help!

I have two semesters left before I graduate from college. That means I will be finished in May 2010. Afterwards I want to teach English or American history somewhere in Germany, but I don’t know how I can go about getting that kind of position. I want to be in Germany for at least two … more →

July 25, 2009

Wilson’s Creek Battlefield

As you’ve already read from the last post, I recently returned from a trip to Missouri. I saw the houses of the James brothers and I also took a day trip down to Springfield, MO and visited the Wilson’s Creek battlefield where one of the first large battles of the Civil War took place. The … more →

July 24, 2009

Pictures of Jesse and Frank James’ Houses

I recently returned from a trip to Missouri to visit the family farm. It is always incredibly interesting going back there because my grandmother is really interested in our family history and the history of the area in general. As part of this most recent visit, we visited the houses of the James brothers near … more →

July 23, 2009

Large Buffalo Bill Poster Found

I read an interesting article on 9news.com yesterday that I thought I would share here. For those of you who don’t know what 9news is, it’s one of Denver’s news channels (NBC). The article is about a new poster that was found dating back to 1887 promoting Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. The poster was … more →

July 18, 2009

The History of Elkton Mine

I don’t think I’ve really said a whole lot about my fiction writing, but as a hobby, I enjoy writing fiction. I have mainly written short horror stories, but I’ve decided to try something different this time. I am going to try my hand at writing a short western. The story of course needs a … more →

June 19, 2009