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

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon:

Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

Susan Shelby Magoffin gazed around the small, white-plastered room in Santa Fe and wondered if she might die there. No one seemed sure where the Mexican army was, or how soon a battle might commence. But there was no doubt about the danger to herself and her husband now that her brother-in-law had been taken by the Mexicans as a spy. As she had since the start of her honeymoon journey, Susan recorded the day’s events in her journal.

December 1846, Tuesday 1^st. News comes in very ugly today. An Englishman from Chihuahua, direct, says that the three traders, Dr. Conley, Mr. McMannus and brother James, who went on ahead to Chihuahua have been taken prisoners, the two former lodged in the calboza [jail] while Brother James is on trial for his life.

The messenger who brought the ominous news had gone, but the impact of the latest information from Chihuahua still reverberated like an alarm bell. The fate of everyone associated with James Magoffin was in the balance. What if her own dear, husband, Samuel, left her behind to ride to his brother’s aid? They had been married less than a year, and despite their strange honeymoon, she could not bear to be parted from the man she called mi alma, my soul.

She would insist on going, too, she thought. After traveling thousands of miles across wild and dangerous terrain and through the lands of unfriendly Native Americans on her prairie honeymoon, she had proved her courage to herself and her husband. She had survived the hazardous 2,000-mile-journey despite raging storms, wild beasts, hostile tribes, outlaws, and the awful, waterless desert they had traversed a few weeks before.

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

I had the pleasure of being part of the upcoming program Legend and Lies: Into the West which debuts Sunday, April 12. I’m anxious to see how it all turned out and excited about being a part of the next series Fox will be doing entitled Hollywood Shootouts. Hope you’ll tune in.

Fox News Channel Press

Press Releases from Fox News Channel

FOX NEWS CHANNEL TO DEBUT 10-WEEK RUN OF HISTORICAL EPISODIC SPECIALS LEGENDS & LIES ON SUNDAY, APRIL 12th

Executive Produced by FNC’s Bill O’Reilly

FOX News Channel (FNC) will present a 10-week run of historical episodic specials entitled, Legends & Lies: Into the West, with the first installment debuting on Sunday, April 12^th from 8-9PM/ET, announced Bill Shine, Senior Executive Vice President, FOX News. Executive produced by FNC’s Bill O’Reilly, the hour-long episodes will recount the tales of the greatest characters of America’s Wild West, including Jesse James, David Crockett, Doc Holliday and Billy the Kid.

In making the announcement, Shine said, “We are thrilled to present our viewers with insight that defined the West’s past and pay tribute to some of the most notorious American trailblazers.”

Each week, Legends & Lies will feature a portrayal of the critical moment that made each American hero renowned, along with first-hand accounts from direct descendants and historians. Coupling that with the support of archival photographs and special effects, viewers will see the forensic science and hear the analysis, giving them a chance to decipher the true story behind each hero and separate the legend from the lie.

Two original episodes will run back-to-back for the premiere week with brand new episodes debuting every following Sunday. Legends & Lies will also be presented during additional weekend programming including, Saturdays at 8PM/ET and on Sundays at 9PM/ET. The docu-style series is produced by Warm Springs Production, which is known for such programs as The History Channel’s Mountain Men, Animal Planet’s American River Renegades and HGTV’s Log Cabin Living.

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

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon:

Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

It was almost two in the morning and Elizabeth Custer, the young wife of the famed “boy general” George, couldn’t sleep. The heat kept her awake-a sweltering intense heat that had overtaken fort Lincoln in the Dakota Territory earlier that day. Even if the conditions had been more congenial, however, sleep would have eluded Elizabeth. The rumor that had swept through the army post around lunchtime disturbed her greatly, and until this rumor was confirmed she doubted that she’d be able to get a moment’s rest.

Elizabeth, or Libbie, as her husband and friends called her, carried her petite, slender frame over to the window and gazed out at the night sky. It had been more than two weeks since she had said good-bye to her husband. She left him and his battalion a few miles outside the fort. George had orders from his superior officers in Washington, D.C., to “round up the hostile Indians in the territory and bring about stability in the hills of Montana.”

George and Elizabeth made their good-byes and she headed back to the fort. As she rode away, she turned around for one last glance at General Custer’s column departing in the opposite direction. It was a splendid picture. The flags and pennons were flying, the men were waving, and even the horses seemed to be arching themselves to show how fine and fit they were. George rode to the top of the promontory and turned around, stood up in his stirrups, and waved his hat. They all started forward again and in a few seconds disappeared; horses, flags, men, and ammunition-all on their way to the Little Bighorn River. The was the last time Elizabeth saw her husband alive.

To learn more about Elizabeth Custer 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.

A lone Native American woman cautiously led her chestnut mare through the bluffs around Klamath Lake, an inland sea 20 miles north of the line dividing California and Oregon. The rider was Mrs. Frank “Tobey” Riddle. She belonged to the Modoc tribe that settled in the area; they called her Winema. She was known among her family and friends as one who possessed great courage and could not be intimidated by danger. She pressed on past the jagged rocks lining the transparent water, praying to the great god Ka-moo-kum-chux to give her abundant courage in the face of the certain danger that she was about to encounter.

Winema was a mediator between the Modoc people, other Indian tribes in the area, and the U. S. Army. With her skills she was able to negotiate treaties that kept the land of her ancestors in peace. Whenever that peace was threatened, her job was to set things straight. She was on her way to do just that-riding into hostile Modoc territory to persuade the chief to surrender to the cavalry.

To learn more about Winema and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read

She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

“A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it,” says Alan Ladd as the mysterious buckskin-clad stranger in Shane. “There’s some things a man just can’t run away from,” drawls a young John Wayne to his terrified fellow passengers in John Ford’s Stagecoach. “Draw fast and aim slow,” quips Richard Dix as Wyatt Earp in Tombstone.

The West and the western are the stuff of legend-and American movies. Since the birth of motion pictures more than 8,000 western films have been made. That’s a lot of cowboys, cattle, wagon trains, and shoot-outs. With the exception of Key Largo, most of my favorite films are westerns. Westerns have not only influenced the way people think, they have also influenced the way we dress and the way we talk. The following are a few of the frank, funny, poignant lines from some of those films that remind us of that independent western spirit.

From the movie The Alamo-1960

“You never pray, do you, Davy?”

“I never found the time.” Parson (Hank Worden) and Davy Crockett (John Wayne)

“I’m a stranger ‘round these here parts. What do you Texans use for drinking whiskey?”

“Drinking whiskey.”

Captain Almeron Dickson (Ken Curtis) and Beekeeper (Chill Wills)

From the movie Bad Day at Black Rock-1955

“I’ll only be here twenty-four hours.”

“In a place like this, that could be a lifetime.”

Passenger John J. McReedy (Spencer Tracy) and train conductor (bit player)

From the movie Destry Rides Again-1939

“You’d better mind your own business or you’re heading for trouble.”

“Trouble is my business.”

Saloon singer Frenchie (Marlene Dietrich) and Sheriff Tom Destry (James Stewart)

“Wait a minute, lady!”

“Who you calling a lady?!”

Sheriff Tom Destry (James Stewart) and saloon singer Frenchie (Marlene Dietrich)

Long live the western.

Congratulations to Debbie Clark! Debbie won a copy of

Buffalo Gals: Women of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

There will be another opportunity to win a book about

women of the Old West next week.

One final note about Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

William Cody first brought the action and adventure of the untamed frontier to United States audiences in 1872. Wearing his trademark massive sombrero and fringed hunting suit of buckskin, Cody introduced the world to a cast of legendary western heroes. Among the talent that graced the program’s bill were Wild Bill Hickok, Pawnee Bill, and Sitting Bull. From the start the Wild West Show was a huge success. Thirty-nine years after Cody decided to embark on the risky business venture, he had amassed a fortune worth more than $3 million.

A big part of the show’s success was the showcasing of female performers. Women riders and shooters were included not just for the crowd’s amusement but also because Buffalo Bill believed women shouldn’t be left out.

To learn more about Buffalo Bill Cody and the women who performed with him read Buffalo Gals: Women of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.