Howdy pard,

Boy oh boy, have we got a a lot to catch up on. Dust yourself off and grab a drink of your choosing – it’s on me.

Today I’ve found some great free novels (including westerns) with stories that are set in the past, and some other stories that don’t mind moseying back into history (and won’t charge you for the pleasure)!

I’ve also found a spellbinding eyewitness account (told in his own voice) of a Calvary trooper who survived an 1870’s attack by a Kiowa warband, and I’ve got all the secrets about how to cook for a passel of hungry cowboys when out camping and looking for strays.

Sit down, settle in and grab your breath. There’s a lot to talk about!

Straight into history

Hear ye hear ye!! I’ve found a stack of free (and excellent) novels for you to try, all set in the past, and all ready to download right now. With nearly 60 different books on offer, there’s something for everyone, including historical fantasy, wild west adventures, romantic journeys of discovery, to historical conundrums, medieval mysteries, and even medieval Japan! These books won’t disappoint.

They all have something in common – they are waiting for you right now and they won’t cost you a cent. Pick one, pick ten, pick them all – it’s up to you.

Here’s a couple of titles to whet your interest:

• Samurai’s Honor, by Walt Mussell
• The Invisible Cipher, by Ida Smith
• His Silver City Gold, by Emilee Harris
• Sailing to Philadelphia, by Carol Amoros

Don’t miss out, folks! Click here to get your free books:

https://books.bookfunnel.com/freehistoricalfiction/mmfz1xtgfg

Bacon, beans and branding

Here’s a real treat. When it comes to ranching, breakfast is everything. Why breakfast, you ask? During the Old West getting your brand onto your calves and yearlings was essential and time was of the essence. Ranch hands rose from first light and worked until dark bringing in those longhorns for branding.

It was the camp cook’s job to get coffee, beans and bacon ready for those hungry cowboys so they could head out without delay. It was the most important meal of the day – and the cook couldn’t afford to fail.

How did they do it day after day? Genuine cowboy cooking legend Kent Rollins knows the secrets, and he is ready to reveal all.

Watch Kent give you a little glimpse into the world of cowboy camp cooking in this excellent video he has published on that youtube whats-a-ma-thingee:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK7OJPGDO34

Out of the past and onto the page

Here’s a link you can’t go past… ‘past’, get it?

OK, I’ll stop. But don’t let my bad joke stop you from checking out this sweet

collection of 15 free novels and short stories with a historical flavor. With this ‘unlimited reading’ offer there’s something here for everyone – science fiction, westerns, romance,  even some great suspense and mystery.

They all have something in common – a great story that won’t cost you a cent. Pick one, pick ten, pick them all – it’s up to you.

Here’s a couple of titles to whet your interest:

• Dust and Shadow, by Lindsay Pogue
• The Gaslight Gunslinger, by Sugar Lee Ryder
• The Nightingale in Europe, by Faith Isabel Bloom
• Himiko, the Warrior Queen, by Kuzuko Nishimura

Don’t miss out, folks! Click here to get your free books:

https://storyoriginapp.com/to/o7MTNU5

Did you know?

Despite what Hollywood might want you to believe, in the 1870s and 1880s, as many as 25 percent of the 35,000 cowboys across the Old West were black. Black farmers and cowboys such as Bass Reeves were famous for their skills riding horses, managing herds and enforcing the law. In 1875, Bass Reeves became a U.S. Marshal overseeing the vast expanse of the Oklahoma Territory before it became a state. He served for 27 years and tracked down as many as 3,000 criminals during his career. It’s believed that Reeves is the basis for The Lone Ranger stories.

Leaving your mark

We’ve learned a little about the camp cook’s role in making sure the longhorns are branded on time, but what do you know about cattle branding itself? When did it start? Does it hurt the cattle? And just how many different cattle brand designs are there?

I don’t have all the answers, but I do have a great video to share which delves into the history of branding – the who, what, when, where and why of leaving your mark on your longhorns.

Enjoy!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0goH5DGbt8

I survived an attack by a Kiowa warband

It’s September 1868. US Cavalry Corporal Leander Herron, riding from Fort Dodge, Kansas, comes under attack from 50 Kiowa warriors. Just another dry and dusty tale? No, hear the story from the mouth of Corporal Herron himself!

The Wild West was one of the first eras of history to be widely documented in word and by photograph. We know the frontier was full of swaggering cowboys, sly outlaws, ruthless cattle barons and determined settlers because we can see the black and white photographs for ourselves.

All those people are long gone, but amazingly, their actual words and memories live on. In this interview, recorded in 1930,  Corporal Jackson tells the story of surviving a battle with Kiowas about 11 miles outside of Fort Dodge, Kansas. He received a medal of honor for his actions that night.   

It’s an amazing series of Wild West memories - enjoy!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAwLLF8n7UE

Sixgun Drifter Sol Redding

Get your exclusive subscriber-only copy of my first western Redding’s Maverick here: https://BookHip.com/NGKAHW

Did this email drop into your spam or promotions folder? Fix it here: https://nickbrumbywesterns.com/whitelist.html

Happy trails,

Nick