Category: Old West
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By Kent Brooks Before the telephone reached most towns in the American West, one of the largest ranching companies in the world had already built its own private communications network stretching across what is now southeastern Colorado and northeastern New Mexico. Most histories of rural telephones focus on the famous barbed-wire fence telephone systems that…
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“Low characters naturally gravitated in this direction where they would be in less danger of the law. Peaceable men were sometimes forced to become murderers through association with the lawless element who were thrown in their midst. Questions were not asked of their past.” -J.R. Austin, 1936, An Early History of Baca County In the…
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History often hides in plain sight. We have often written of the Jennings clan’s time in Southeast Colorado. Much of that is in my book “Old Boston: As Wild As They Come,” We recently stumbled upon a remarkable photograph of a routine day in Woodward, Oklahoma, dated 1901, showing broomcorn being delivered. But behind the…
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In the late 19th century, a feverish wave of migration swept toward the Western frontier. While the transcontinental railroad brought settlers to the edge of the plains, the tracks only went so far. To bridge the gap between the railheads and the remote “boom towns” of Southeast Colorado, a vital network of stagecoach lines emerged.…
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Konkel’s Journalism Style and Linguistic Quirks Sam Konkel was not just a newspaper editor—he was a storyteller, historian, and chronicler of his time. As editor of The Boston World and later The Springfield Herald, he provided more than just news; he delivered a rich narrative of frontier life, regional politics, and the evolving American landscape.…
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Introducing Sam Konkel – Pioneer Journalist of the High Plains A Life in Print: Who Was Sam Konkel? Few figures have captured the early history of southeastern Colorado with the depth, wit, and detail of Sam Konkel. A newspaper editor, historian, and passionate advocate for the settlement of Baca County, Konkel’s writings provide a rare…
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I just realized today that I have been working on this project for 7 years. However, I think I can finally see the end of this project. Here is the newest update on The Man with Two Reputations: In the annals of the American West, some stories endure, captivating new audiences with every retelling. Such…
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The story of Old Boston, Colorado, is one of ambition, boom, and eventual bust, encapsulated in one of the few surviving photographs of the town. This image, showcasing the main street in its heyday, serves as a testament to a once-thriving settlement that briefly became a beacon of hope during the late 19th-century land rush.…
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I probably did a better job of keeping everyone up to date on the progress of the Old Boston book in 2018 and I thought the Big Bill Thompson book would come together sooner, but I will say it is close. We have merged the Plainsman Herald website and the Baca County History web sites.…
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Many have asked, so here is the background on how the Old Boston story came about in book form. It is a bit lengthy, but again I get asked this a lot so I wrote this down and it will probably become a blog post. My cousin farms and ranches in the area near where…
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