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Matthew Kerns — Author
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Sgt. George Jordan ~ Buffalo Soldier
I’m working on a couple of podcast episodes about the Buffalo Soldiers, the Black cavalrymen who rode for the U.S. Army after the Civil...

Matthew Kerns
Aug 17, 20252 min read


Of Cowboys & Bicycles
In the decades after Texas Jack Omohundro helped define the image of the cowboy for audiences across America, his namesake and...

Matthew Kerns
Jul 23, 20253 min read


Author James B. Mills Talks With "Chasing Billy"
If you’re a fan of Wild West history—and especially of the Lincoln County War and the legend of Billy the Kid—do yourself a favor and...

Matthew Kerns
Jul 23, 20251 min read


Book Review: In the Days of Billy the Kid by James B. Mills
Review: In the Days of Billy the Kid by James B. Mills A deeper, richer American West—told through the lens of Hispano resistance and...

Matthew Kerns
Jul 14, 20252 min read


Part 6-Transcontinental Railroad-Last Mountain, Last Battle: Legends of the Old West
Episode 6 of 6 in a series on The Transcontinental Railroad I wrote for Legends of the Old West. The dream of uniting a nation by rail...

Matthew Kerns
Jul 8, 20252 min read


Part 5-Transcontinental Railroad-Last Mountain, Last Battle: Legends of the Old West
Episode 5 of 6 in a series on The Transcontinental Railroad I wrote for Legends of the Old West. Episode 5, “ Last Mountain, Last Battle...

Matthew Kerns
Jun 18, 20252 min read


Part 4-Transcontinental Railroad-Across the Desert: Legends of the Old West
Episode 4 of 6 in a series on The Transcontinental Railroad I wrote for Legends of the Old West. In episode 4, “ Across the Desert ” ...

Matthew Kerns
Jun 11, 20252 min read


Part 3-Transcontinental Railroad-Desperadoes of Every Grade: Legends of the Old West
Episode 3 of 6 in a series on The Transcontinental Railroad I wrote for Legends of the Old West. In episode 3, “Desperadoes of Every...

Matthew Kerns
Jun 5, 20252 min read


The Night The Curtain Fell For the Final Time
June 3rd, 1876 – Wilmington, Delaware The lights dimmed. The curtain fell. And just like that, one of the most legendary partnerships in...

Matthew Kerns
Jun 4, 20252 min read


I'm Your Huckleberry
“I’m Your Huckleberry”—The Truth Behind Doc Holliday’s Famous Line A popular internet myth insists that when Val Kilmer, as Doc Holliday...

Matthew Kerns
May 31, 20253 min read


Blasting Through The Summit At Donner Pass
At an elevation of 7,042 feet, just three miles west of Donner Lake, the Central Pacific Railroad faced its most formidable challenge:...

Matthew Kerns
May 30, 20252 min read


From Coal Cellar to Center Stage: How Giuseppina Morlacchi Inspired Julia Marlowe
Readers of my work will already be familiar with legendary cowboy Texas Jack Omohundro and his wife, the renowned ballerina Giuseppina...

Matthew Kerns
May 29, 20254 min read


Texas Jack's Barbecue
Today, May 28, is National Brisket Day—what better reason to celebrate at Texas Jack's Barbecue in Arlington, Virginia? When you're...

Matthew Kerns
May 28, 20252 min read


Part 2-Transcontinental Railroad-Mountains To Conquer: Legends of the Old West
Episode 2 of 6 in a series on The Transcontinental Railroad I wrote for Legends of the Old West. In Episode 2, "Mountains to Conquer,"...

Matthew Kerns
May 28, 20252 min read


The Man Who Put The "Wild" In The West
James Butler Hickok was born 188 years ago today, May 27, 1837. Most folks don’t remember him by that name. They know him as Wild...

Matthew Kerns
May 26, 20252 min read


When Going Viral Means Getting Robbed
Why So Many Facebook Pages Are Copying My Work Without Credit On the morning of May 15, I published a post about Daniel Webster "80 John"...

Matthew Kerns
May 24, 20254 min read


Part 1-Transcontinental Railroad-The Great Race: Legends of the Old West
LEGENDS OF THE OLD WEST | Hell on Wheels Ep1 — “The Great Race” Episode 1 of 6 in a series on the construction of the Transcontinental...

Matthew Kerns
May 22, 20252 min read


For The Old Man
I was fifteen years old on Christmas morning, 1994. That year, my dad was forty-four. Among the gifts he gave me were two books:...

Matthew Kerns
May 20, 20252 min read


A Drive With Buffalo Bill & Texas Jack
On August 11, 1873, the Daily Local News of West Chester, Pennsylvania published a glowing feature titled "A Drive with Buffalo Bill and...

Matthew Kerns
May 19, 202511 min read


"80 John" Wallace - Born into Slavery - Died A Cowboy Millionaire
Born into slavery, by the time of his death on March 28, 1939, Daniel "80 John" Wallace had amassed a net worth of over one million dollars, a staggering achievement for a man who began life as property.

Matthew Kerns
May 16, 20253 min read
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