Powerful new technology rocked the Southwest 1,500 years ago

When bows and arrows arrived in the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains and desert Southwest, they soon supplanted older weapons. When they were combined with horses centuries later, they transformed many Native groups into fierce hunters and warriors. My history column from The Daily Sentinel is linked below.

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Powerful new technology rocked the Southwest 1,500 years ago

24 minutes ago1 min read

Indian ponies and irrigation ditches

The Kiefer family was one of the earliest pioneer families in Mesa County, and were especially important in the development of the Lower Valley. My column about the family is linked below.

Mar 191 min read

Replacing Indian School was major effort in early 20th century

Attempts to find a new use for the property that had housed the Grand Junction Indian School The abandoned Indian School circa 1916 required efforts locally, in Denver and Washington, D.C. My article from The Daily Sentinel is linked below.

Mar 71 min read

Grand Canyon railroad was a dubious dream

In 1889, a Denver businessman convinced investors he could build a railroad from Grand Junction, Colorado, through the Grand Canyon and on to southern California. Even after three men died, including the businessman, the dream continued. The drawing here was from a news article about the project in Denver in October, 1889. My history column about the project is linked below.

Feb 191 min read

Gilman is a unique ghost town

For more than a century, mining took place on Battle Mountain, Gilman sat near top of Battle Mountain, while rail line and Eagle River below. and the town of Gilman developed near the mine entrance. First silver, then zinc made the mines profitable as they were carved out of Battle Mountain. My history column from The Daily Sentinel is linked below.

Feb 61 min read

Mesa County pioneer was an enthusiastic promoter

A.A. Miller, who was among the first people elected to the Grand Junction City Council in 1882, A.A. Miller in a peach orchard. also served as Mesa County Treasurer, then Mesa County Commissioner. As the county Immigration Commissioner in 1899, he worked hard to convince outsiders to move to the county. My Daily Sentine column is linked below.

Jan 191 min read

I don't have a specific book about bows and arrows to recommend. I found most of my information from online articles.

However, for some of the best written accounts of Native Americans' skills with bows and arrows and horses, George Catlin's book, first published in 1841, is wonderful.

Catlin traveled across much of the American West in the 1830s, painting natives in their camps and in various activities. He was arguably the most important artist before the development of photography to record Native life.

When he wasn't painting, he was recording his observations in writing, and this book is an early compilation of those observations, written as letters to his readers. He actually produced two volumes about his travels. This is the first.

ABOUT ME

I retired as editorial page editor of The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction, Colorado in 2014. Since then, I've continued to write a twice-a-month history column for the Sentinel, while seizing every opportunity I can, with my wife Judy or my horses, to enjoy the beautiful outdoors of the Colorado Plateau.

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Powerful new technology rocked the Southwest 1,500 years ago

FEATURED POST

Never Miss a New Post.

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Powerful new technology rocked the Southwest 1,500 years ago

Indian ponies and irrigation ditches

Replacing Indian School was major effort in early 20th century

Grand Canyon railroad was a dubious dream

Gilman is a unique ghost town

Mesa County pioneer was an enthusiastic promoter

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ABOUT ME

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Powerful new technology rocked the Southwest 1,500 years ago

FEATURED POST

Never Miss a New Post.

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Powerful new technology rocked the Southwest 1,500 years ago

Indian ponies and irrigation ditches

Replacing Indian School was major effort in early 20th century

Grand Canyon railroad was a dubious dream

Gilman is a unique ghost town

Mesa County pioneer was an enthusiastic promoter

BOB's Book Picks

ABOUT ME

SUBSCRIBE

BOB's
Book
Picks