FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Richard Fike

(970) 240-3400

“SIXTH ANNUAL TRIBUTE TO WESTERN MOVIES DAY”

The Museum of the Mountain West announced the Sixth Annual Tribute to Western Movies Day event for Saturday, June 13, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The theme of “Women of the Old West & in Western Film” will feature New York Times best selling author, scriptwriter and comedienne Chris Enss. Her passion for telling the stories of the men and women who shaped the history and mythology of the American West is sure to entertain and delight attendees of all ages.

Gunfights, souvenirs, strollers in period dress, food, a working blacksmith, numerous musical entertainers, and many more attractions too numerous to list, will be on hand to entertain, excite and educate. These are all in addition to the Museum’s regular displays of 25 original buildings, over 500,000 original relics, artifacts, and items of historical significance. Housed in the 10,000 square foot main building is an historic post office, doctor’s and dentist’s offices, drug store, saloon, dry goods store and many more fascinating displays from the past. From the 1913 German Lutheran Church to the 1890 school to the 1882 Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Section House, you will be captivated at life as it was over a century ago.

Come and spend a fun-filled leisurely day learning more about this wonderful area in beautiful southwestern Colorado. Admission is only $10 for the entire day for adults, $5 for school age children and $25 for an immediate family. Better than a television documentary, it is real live history in our own backyard.

Step back in time into the real history of the “Old West” and Western Colorado with a visit to the Museum of the Mountain West in Montrose, Colorado. Food and craft vendor applications available AND volunteers needed. Major sponsors include Montrose County, City of Montrose Office of Business and Tourism, and Alpine Bank.

For additional details, visit www.museumofthemountainwest.org or call 970-240-3400.

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Midwest Book Review by D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer

Wicked Women: Notorious, Mischievous, and Wayward Ladies from the Old West isn’t about your usual Western woman’s pilgrimage across the plains: it’s a randy, rowdy survey of less-well-behaved female outlaws, gamblers, and other wicked women, and it provides a lively alternative to the usual focus on pioneer homemakers.

During the late nineteenth century, while men were settling the frontier, such women led ‘wicked’ lives when they followed fortune seekers. Their stories have been widely scattered under various headings, so it’s refreshing to find a collection of short, action-packed stories of the Old West here, offering biographical sketches paired with Western history and spiced with insights on purposes and people.

Speaking of ‘spice’, fun black and white vintage photos and illustrations from the author’s own historic collection of images and historical libraries enhances the value and appeal of her coverage, making it a recommendation for collections ranging from women’s history and issues to Western frontier sagas.

Enter to win a copy of

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon: Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

A cold sunrise greeted the soldiers stationed at Fort Cummings, New Mexico, on the first day of 1868. An eager bugler sounded a call to arms, and members of the Thirty-eighth Infantry hurried out of their barracks to line up in formation, their rifles perched over their shoulders. The enlisted African-American men who made up the regiment pulled their army-issued jackets tight around their necks in an effort to protect themselves from a bitter winter wind. Among the troops falling into place was Pvt. William Cathay. Cathay proudly stood at attention, willing and ready to do battle with the Apache who were raiding villages and wagon trains heading west. The determined expression the private wore was not unlike the look the other members of the outfit possessed.

The Thirty-eighth Infantry was just one of many black units known as the Buffalo Soldiers, a dedicated division of the U.S. Army that seemed to consistently wear a determined expression. Cathay was not unique in that manner. By all appearances Private Cathay was like the other 134 men who made up Company A. What set this soldier apart from the others, however, was her gender. Cathay was a woman disguised as a man-anxious to follow orders to overtake the Chiricahua Apache warriors.

To learn more about William Cathay and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

Enter to win! Enter to win a copy of

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon:

Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

Miles and miles of cactus and sand stretched out before a small caravan making its way across the Arizona Territory to an army post in Prescott. Frances Ann Boyd, a petite woman barely past twenty, cast a worried glance at her husband, Orsemus, driving their wagon. The young lieutenant kept his eyes fixed on the rugged trail. Three mounted soldier escorts led the train along the dangerous path toward a canyon in the near distance. It was six o’clock in the evening and, apart from the sound of the wagon wheels bumping along the rugged terrain and the horses’ hooves clopping over rocks, all was quiet.

Frances eyed the horizon before them then disappeared into the wagon. She picked up two sabers lying next to a trunk, unsheathed them, and thrust them out either side of the back of the wagon. From a distance she hoped it would look like they were armed with more travelers who were ready to do battle with the Apache. “Unless they come very close,” she thought, “the dim light would favor our deception.”

To learn more about Frances Boyd and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

Time to win! This month enter to win a copy of

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon:

Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

The distant cadence of drums from the nearly deserted town of San Antonio de Bexar sent a shiver of fear through Juana Navarro Alsbury. She clutched her baby son closer and strained to hear. Mexican president and general Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, enemy of her uncle and her husband, had come when least expected, bringing thousands of men, artillery, and a thirst for vengeance. The baby wailed at the nearby roar of the exploding powder from the cannon mounted at one corner of the Alamo.

That shot signaled defiance by the Texians and Tejonas holed up in the old mission. Juana soothed the baby and waited, holding her breath, for Santa Anna’s response.

It was said he had 1,000 troops, cavalry, and cannon at his command. Inside the crumbling fortress were several dozen women and children protected by fewer than 200 defenders. Juana’s new husband, Dr. Horatio A. Alsbury, had galloped off to find volunteers to join the fight, leaving Juana and the baby behind.

To learn more about Juana Navarro Alsbury and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

Enter to win. This month enter to win a copy of

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon:

Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

“Lozen is my right hand…strong as a man, braver than most, and cunning in strategy. Lozen is a shield to her people.” Apache War Chief Victorio, June 1880

Lozen was a born a member of the Mimbres tribe of Apache in 1827. Her family lived near Ojo Caliente in New Mexico. Her father was a leading member of his band, and her mother was a well-respected woman. Not unlike most Indian children at that time, Lozen learned to ride a horse when she was very young. By the age of eight, she was considered an expert rider. From early on it was clear to her parents that she would not assume the traditional female role. She loved hunting and playing rough games with her brother Victorio, and the other boys in the tribe. Her skills with a bow and arrow and a sling were exceptional. Like her father and his father before him she was a born warrior.

To learn more about Lozen and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.