LEGENDS OF AMERICA

A Travel Site for the Nostalgic & Historic Minded

 

  

  Search

 

Legends Home

Site Map

What's New!!

 

Recommend this site

 

 

 

American History

Ghost Towns

Ghostly Legends

Historic People

Native Americans

The Old West

Photo Galleries

Roadside Attractions

Rocky Mtn Store

Route 66

Travel Destinations

Treasure Tales

Legends Blog

 

Free E-Newsletter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Legends of America's Exclusive Custom Products

 

P.O. Box 19423

Lenexa, KS 66285

913-708-5119

 

 

Please report broken links, missing pictures, or other problems online by clicking HERE or send us an email.  Thanks!

    

 

 

                                                                                                             

Trailblazer and Cowboy List

More Lists: Explorers | Gunfighters | Lawmen | Native Americans | Others | Outlaws | Outlaw Gangs | Scoundrels | Soldiers | Trail Blazers & Cowboys | Vigilantes | Women

 

Buy Old West Postcards

 

<< Previous  1 2 3  Next >>

 

Nate Champion (1857-1892) - Born on September 29, 1857 near Round Rock, Texas, Nate grew up to be a top cowboy. Somewhere along the line he moved to Wyoming where he ran a small ranch in Johnson County. Though known for his honesty and forthrightness, Nate made the "list" of those whom the cattle barons wanted to get rid of, most likely because of his support of a rival stock association called the Northern Wyoming Farmers and Stock Growers Association. The cattle barons, on the other hand, ran the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, which was implementing a number of rules to make it difficult for the small rancher in Wyoming.

 

The wealthy ranchers soon labeled him a cattle rustler and when they brought in 50 henchmen and gunfighters, Nate's KC Ranch was the first to be targeted in what became known as the Johnson County War.

Nate Chamption, 1880s

From left to right, Nate Champion, unknown,

Dudley Champion, 1880's.

This image available for photographic prints and downloads HERE!

The men arrived on April 9, 1892 when there were four men at the ranch cabin, including Champion. Two of the men, trappers who had just been passing by, were captured by the cattle baron group and a cowboy named Rueben "Nick" Ray was shot and killed. Nate was besieged in his cabin as a hail of bullets came his direction. He was able to hold out for several hours, killing at least four of the gunmen and wounding several others. However, when they set his cabin o fire, he was forced to emerge and was shot down. One of the men who participated in the siege was famous gunman Frank M. Canton, who reportedly regretted the incident so much so, that he left the cattlemens' association shortly thereafter and moved to Oklahoma where he became a U.S. Deputy Marshal.

 

Jesse Chisholm (1805?- 1868) - Though Jesse Chisholm blazed the famous Chisholm Trail, he never herded cattle. Rather, he used the path to transport goods to and from his trading posts. More ...

 

John ChisumJohn Simpson Chisum (1824-1884) - John Chisum was a cattle baron who moved longhorn herds from Texas into New Mexico in the mid 1800’s, where he founded one of the largest cattle ranches in the American West. More ...

 

William "Buffalo Bill" Frederick Cody (1846-1917) - Buffalo Bill was a freighter, cattle driver, Pony Express rider, a Civil War soldier, a buffalo hunter and army scout before he began entertaining great numbers of people in his Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. More ...

 

Charles GoodnightCharles J. Goodnight (1836-1929) – Born in Illinois and raised in Texas , Charles Goodnight would grow up to become a cowboy, a Texas Ranger, blaze the Goodnight-Loving Trail, invent the chuckwagon, and become part owner in one of the largest ranches in the Texas panhandle. When the panhandle was overrun by cattle rustlers in the 1880's, Goodnight formed the Panhandle Stockman's Association, whose first task was to apply vigilante justice to the area's outlaws and cattle thieves. After living a long and prosperous life, Goodnight died on December 12, 1929 at the age of 93. More ...

  

 

 

 

 

The Hash-Knife Outfit (1884-1900) - The Aztec Land and Cattle Company of Boston, became the third largest cattle company in North America in the late 1800's. Headquartered in Holbrook, Arizona, they were referred to as the Hashknife Outfit because their brand resembled the old hash knives used by chuck wagon cooks. The ranch, that stretched for 650 miles from the New Mexico border to just south of Flagstaff, soon became a hotbed of cattle rustling, both from their own cowboys and from the small ranchers who had previously settled there.

 

Aztec Cowboys were called the Hashknife Outfit

Aztec cowboys in 1877.

This image available for photographic prints and downloads HERE!

 

The buckaroos of the outfit also gained the unsavory reputation of being the “thievinist, fightinest bunch of cowboys” in the United States.  The sudden presence of so many cowboys also gave rise to rustling, robbery and gunfights. In desperation, the Aztec Company hired Bert Mossman, who would later become the first captain of the Arizona Rangers, to manage the outfit in January, 1898.

 

Mossman immediately declared war on the cattle rustlers and by the end of the year, the Aztec Company was finally beginning to show a profit. However, it was not soon enough.  the next winter a severe blizzard hit northern Arizona, killing thousands of Hashknife cattle and in 1901 the Aztec Cattle Company declared bankruptcy.  More ... 

 

Ben HolladayBen Holladay (1819-1887) - Born in Kentucky on October 19, 1819 and raised in Weston, Missouri, Holladay would grown up to become known as the "Stagecoach King." Helping his father to lead wagon trains through the Cumberland Gap, Holladay learned the business at an early age. Beginning his career by furnishing supplies to General Stephen Kearny in the Mexican War, he was involved with a number of successful business ventures in Weston, Missouri before moving to California and starting the Overland Stage Route.

 

By the spring of 1864 his stage line dominated the passenger, mail, and freighting business between the Missouri River and Salt Lake City, controlling more than 2500 miles of stage lines and was among the largest individual employers in the United States.

Two year later he sold his routes to Wells Fargo Express in 1866 for $1.5 million and moved to Oregon. He then formed a steamboat business called the Northern Pacific Transportation Company that operated from Alaska to Mexico.  He also built the Oregon and California Railroad as far south as Roseburg before the Panic of 1873 financial crisis stopped the effort.

Having also dabbled in gold and silver mines, distilleries, slaughter houses, and a number of retail operations, the transportation millionaire, maintained several mansions in New York, Washington, D.C., and Oregon by the time he was 50. He spent the last years of his life involved in a number of law suits related to his complex financial holdings and died in Portland on July 8, 1887 at the age of 68.

Bose Ikard (1847-1929) - A former slave, Ikard honed his cowboy skills and rode with Charles Goodnight.

Gordon William "Pawnee Bill" Lillie - (1860-1942)  - A performer in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show, Pawnee Bill later formed his own act, becoming so popular that he was stiff competition for Buffalo Bill. More ...

Nat Love, aka: Deadwood Dick (1854-1921) - Nat Love, who was also known as "Deadwood" Dick was said to have been the greatest black cowboy in all of the Old West.

Oliver Loving (1812-1867) – A cattle rancher and pioneer of the cattle drive who, along with Charles J. Goodnight, developed the Goodnight-Loving Trail. He was killed by Indians while on a cattle drive. More ...

Annie Oakley, aka: Phoebe Anne Oakley Mozee (1860-1926) ­ An excellent markswoman, Oakley made her living demonstrating her amazing ability to hit her target. As star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, she traveled the world.  More ...

 

John Baker "Texas Jack" Omohundro (1846-1880) - Texas Jack was a frontier scout and cowboy who joined up with Buffalo Bill Cody to perform in his Wild West Show.

 

 

Continued Next Page

<< Previous  1 2 3  Next >>

 From the Rocky Mountain General Store

Legends Exclusive Custom Products - Legends of America and the Rocky Mountain General Store now provide a number of exclusive products that you won't find anywhere else! At our Exclusive Custom Products Store, you'll find lots of crazy bumper stickers;

Old West prints, postcards, t-shirts and more; and our line of exclusive Route 66 products provides images on a number of items that you've never seen before! Click HERE to see the entire line.

 

Old West and cowboy products Old West custom products Route 66 Custom Products Old west prints, cards and calendars
 

The cowboy goes to the school of nature.

 

 -- Will James

 

                                                              Copyright © 2003-2008, www.Legends of America.com