Topics in Kansas History:
Old West

Possibly no time in American history and folklore has been portrayed as more adventurous and romantic than the Old West. In reality, life was hard in towns, on the trail, and at the ranch. People had little time or opportunity to live the glamorous, exciting life portrayed in western movies. read more

Find resources on the Old West:

• Brown, Henry
• Buffalo Soldiers
• Dodge City Cowboy Band
• Jones, Charles Jesse "Buffalo"

Letters, documents, objects, photographs, and sites

• Beecher Island & 7th Cavalry artifacts
• Bender murder weapon
• "Coronado" sword
• Custer's Last Rally painting by John Mulvany
• George Armstrong Custer's boots
• George Armstrong Custer's dumbbell
• Hyer cowboy boots
• Henry Brown's Winchester rifle
• Horn furniture
• Jail from Burlingame
• Saddle used by cowboy
• Stagecoach
• Stetson hat
• Tombstone from Oregon Trail
• Western movie posters
• Wild West Show saddle

• Fort Hays State Historic Site in Hays
• Hollenberg Station State Historic Site near Hanover
• Pawnee Rock State Historic Site in Pawnee Rock

Bibliographies, finding aids, and guides to the collections

• Kansas Forts Network

Museum Store

• Books on trails
• Kansas Forts Books
• Cowboys & soldiers
• Pony Express
• Women of the West

Kansas Heritage, our popular history magazine

• Winter 1996, "Guardians of the Plains: Military Forts in Kansas"
• Autumn 1997, "Knowing No Fear: Buffalo Soldiers of the American West"
• Summer 1999,"Give Me My Boots and Saddle: A Photo Essay"
• Winter 2000, "Atten-Hut!"
• Autumn 2002, "Comes A Horseman--The Soldiers--"

Kansas History, our scholarly journal

Kansas Kaleidoscope, our children's magazine

• March 1998, "The Cowboy Story: Trails to Rails"
• October 1998, " A Road Much Traveled: Santa Fe Trail"

• Custom Cowboy Boots: The Kansas Story

Teaching Materials

• Classroom Materials: Trails
• Field Trips: Trails