“I, ……, do hereby swear, before the Great and Living God, that during my engagement, and while I am an employee of Russell, Majors and Waddell, I will, under no circumstances, use profane language, that I will drink no intoxicating liquors, that I will not quarrel or fight with any other employee of the firm, [...]

“The good people in this world are very far from being satisfied with each other and my arms are the best peacemaker.” ~ Samuel Colt (1852) It would be impossible to talk about the shaping of the West and the Southwest without mentioning guns. Guns were a daily necessity, not just against people as Samuel [...]

Around 5,000 years ago, a volcano known today as Little Black Peak, erupted filling the Tularosa Basin with molten rock. The resulting lava flow was 44 miles long and 6 miles wide and, in many places, 160 feet thick. Only a ridge of Dakota sandstone overlooks the lava, extending to low hills over 10 miles [...]

In the mild climate of Southern Arizona, Colossal Cave Mountain Park is a great place to visit during the winter months. The cave formed 10-15 million years ago, when hot water containing sulfuric acid welled up from below and ate away the rock of the cave passages. Eventually, the water was cut off and the [...]

The most productive gold mine in the state of Arizona was the Vulture Mine. Its success lured many criminals to try their hand at robbery, but none as famous as Francisco Vega. Vega preyed on miners – he loved the gold the carried as they made their way to an assay office or into town [...]

For a land-locked state, it is rather odd that the Utah State Bird is the California Gull (or common sea gull), but there’s a very good reason for it. In the summer of 1848, swarms of crickets attacked the pioneers fields and food supplies. Attempts to drown, burn, bury and club the infestation were unsuccessful, [...]

Did you know that the Denver Mint produces more than a two trillion pennies, 473 million nickels, 659 million dimes and 168 million quarters? The United States Mints that produce coins (located in Denver and Philadelphia) produce between 14 and 28 billion circulating coins each year — that’s 65 to 80 million coins every day. [...]

Sometimes called “The Land of Fire and Ice,” Bandera Volcano and Ice Cave is a unique location in New Mexico. 10,000 years ago, Bandera Volcano erupted in a violent explosion. It poured out about 20 miles of lava flow through a lava tube system over 17 miles long. One of the finest examples of a [...]