THE TEXAS LONGHORN

HISTORY'S TIDBIT - Texas longhorn cattle are descended from Spanish cattle brought by Columbus to the New World in 1493. These cattle thrived in their new home. However, by the turn of the Twentieth Century, Texas longhorns had been driven almost to extinction. Over the last few decades, longhorns have begun to stage a comeback.

COMING SOON - BLACK COWBOYS OF THE OLD WEST

COMING SOON - BLACK COWBOYS OF THE OLD WEST: This is LARRY ELKINS (elkinsphotos,com), your guide through the history of the Old West. I'll be posting the first feature article - Black Cowboys Of The Old West - on Old West History by mid September. In the meantime, I'll be posting HISTORY"S TIDBITS.

THAR'S GOLD IN THAT THAR MILL - THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH

HISTORY'S TIDBIT - on January 24, 1848, foreman John Marshall and a group of workmen at Sutter's Mill in California found a gold nugget. John Sutter, the mill's owner, attempted to keep the discovery secret. However, word of the discovery leaked out, setting in motion the great California Gold Rush.

BILLY THE KID - THE RIGHT HANDED GUN

Today's History's Tidbit - It is a well known fact that Billy the Kid was left handed. Or should I say a well known myth? The mistaken supposition that the Kid was left handed is based solely on the fact that a famous tintype of the Kid appears to portray him as left handed. However, because the image in a tintype is reversed, the photo actually proves that Billy the Kid was right handed.

WILD BILL HICKOK AND THE DEAD MAN'S HAND

HISTORY'S TIDBIT - The dead man's hand, aces and eights, was allegedly the poker hand held by Wild Bill Hickok at the time of his murder in a Deadwood saloon.

ANNIE GET YOUR GUN

It's time for another of History's Tidbits. Annie Oakley, all of 5 feet tall was nicknamed Little Sure Shot by the Souix medicine chief Sitting Bull, a fellow performer with Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show.

WOMENS' SUFFRAGE IN COLORADO

Here' another tidbit. Colorado extended the right of suffrage to women in 1894. It was only the second state in the Union to do so.

DEATH OF A GUNMAN

Here's another interesting History's Tidbit.On November 10th, 1887, the DENVER REPUBLICAN ran Dr. John H. (Doc) Holliday's obituary. The newspaper stated that the infamous gunfighter was, "...a very mild mannered man, was genial and companionable, and had many excellent qualities." Doc, unlike most notorious gunfighters, had managed to die with his boots off.

WYATT EARP WICHITA MARSHAL

TODAYS OLD WEST HISTORY'S TIDBIT -- Wyatt Earp, contrary to popular opinion, was never town marshal of Tombstone Arizona. He did, however, serve as marshal of Wichita Kansas.

HISTORY'S COMIN' DOWN THE PIKE

Hi. I'm Larry Elkins. This blog will feature feature articles and History's tidbits concerning the history of the Old West.