Traveling through American History and Destinations since 2003. Visit us at https://www.legendsofamerica.com/https://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlo6pjfpvs2yBorn on May 12, 1878, Ann Bassett was a prominent rancher in Brown's Hole, Colorado. Along with her sister, Josie, she was an alleged associate of outlaws, particularly Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch. More on Ann Bassett: legendsofamerica.com/anne-bassett/12 May 2026 16:15 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlo6pjfpvs2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlo62qphhs2yFirst called Florence, the town was renamed Kenton on May 12, 1891. History here includes nomadic tribes and outlaws. For a time, it was in a lawless area known as No Man's Land. Kenton, OK, grew to 350 residents. Today, only about 31 remain. More: www.legendsofamerica.com/ok-kenton/12 May 2026 16:03 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlo62qphhs2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mllu2rnw2k2aAfter gaining a post office in late 1885, Gem’s population was 200 by 1930, but by 1940 it had dropped to 125. At some point, the bank burned down; afterward, businesses closed, and the population declined. A handful of residents remain: More on Gem, KS: legendsofkansas.com/gem-kansas/11 May 2026 17:59 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mllu2rnw2k2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mllstgmu2k2aSettled in 1877, with the coming of the railroad, Havensville, Kansas, became one of the area's prominent shipping points. After peaking in 1910 with 439 residents, the town, like many others, has since dwindled. More on Havensville, Kansas: https://legendsofkansas.com/havensville-kansas/11 May 2026 17:37 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mllstgmu2k2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlls3sy4u22aMay 11, 1889, the Wham Paymaster Robbery near Pima, AZ, resulted in two Buffalo Soldiers receiving the Medal of Honor. However, the money they guarded, some $28,000.00 in gold and silver coins, has been missing for more than a century. More on the robbery: https://www.legendsofamerica.com/az-whamrobbery/11 May 2026 17:24 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlls3sy4u22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mllqx3rrjs2aDid you know steamships used to haul silver bullion across Owens Lake, CA? It lasted until the steamer Bessie Brady burned on May 11, 1882, spelling the end of the steamboat era on Owens Lake, which is now dry. Desert Steamers in Owens Valley, California https://www.legendsofamerica.com/desert-steamers/11 May 2026 17:03 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mllqx3rrjs2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlj7trcf5k2eThe Tlingit peoples once controlled all the land extending more than 500 miles from Yakutat Bay to the British Columbia border, south of present-day Ketchikan, Alaska. Their name for themselves is Lingít, meaning “people of the tides.” More on the Tlingit: www.legendsofamerica.com/tlingit-tribe/10 May 2026 16:52 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlj7trcf5k2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlj6qsvwok2eDyea, Alaska, was a boomtown during the Klondike Gold Rush. After peaking with some 3,500 residents in 1898, the post office closed in 1902, and by 1903, less than a half‑dozen people remained. More on Dyea, Alaska – Ghost Town of the Klondike Gold Rush www.legendsofamerica.com/dyea-alaska/10 May 2026 16:32 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlj6qsvwok2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlj62asrxs2eEstablished in 1871, there is some dispute as to where the name “Belvue” originated. It most likely came from the name “Belle,” French for “beautiful." Located on the Kansas Pacific Railway, Belvue, KS, was soon described as “a thriving young village”. legendsofkansas.com/belvue-kansas/10 May 2026 16:20 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlj62asrxs2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlj3ndkxjc27On May 10, 1869, the opposing track layers met at Promontory Point, fifty miles west of Ogden, Utah. Spikes of gold and silver were driven, and the through-line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean had been completed. Read "Linking the Oceans" https://www.legendsofamerica.com/rr-linkingoceans/10 May 2026 15:36 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlj3ndkxjc27https://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlj2riy6lc2eThe Camp Jackson Affair occurred on May 10, 1861, during the Civil War. It was the first instance of bloodshed in Missouri, as a volunteer Union Army regiment captured a unit of secessionists at Camp Jackson outside the city of St. Louis. Read more: https://www.legendsofamerica.com/camp-jackson-affair-missouri/10 May 2026 15:21 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlj2riy6lc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlgrjptiqs2uPioneers who lived in the West were bound by rules centered on hospitality, fair play, loyalty, and respect for the land. Though the Code of the West was always unwritten, we have a “loose” list of guidelines. Read about The Code of the West: www.legendsofamerica.com/we-codewest/09 May 2026 17:30 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlgrjptiqs2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mleig7uatk2rFort Leavenworth, Kansas, first known as Cantonment Leavenworth, was established by Henry Leavenworth on the Missouri River on May 8, 1827. It was the first settlement in Kansas territory and is the oldest active Army post west of the Mississippi River. 👇 https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-fortleavenworth/08 May 2026 19:42 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mleig7uatk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlehgjs3ks2rBorn on May 8, 1884, Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. He took America from its traditional isolationism into the age of international involvement. More about Missouri native President Harry S. Truman: https://legendsofamerica.com/president-harry-truman/08 May 2026 19:24 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlehgjs3ks2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlbl6alqus2wOn May 7, 1763, Ottawa leader Pontiac met with British officers at Fort Detroit, while secretly planning to seize the fort and push back against British rule. The uprising that followed captured or destroyed nearly every British fort west of the Appalachians. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-pontiacsrebellion/07 May 2026 15:53 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbl6alqus2whttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlbkcmfexc2wJohn Colter died on May 7, 1812. A hunter, scout, and survivor of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, he roamed alone through the Rockies, escaped a “human hunt” by the Blackfeet, and lived to tell the tale. More on John Colter – Fearless Mountain Man 👇 www.legendsofamerica.com/we-johncolter/07 May 2026 15:38 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbkcmfexc2whttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3ml7dbifzp222First settled in 1857, the community was once named Eldora, even though the post office that opened that year was named for a nearby group of Maple trees. In 1861, the town's name was officially changed to Mapleton, matching the post office's name. More: https://legendsofkansas.com/mapleton-kansas/06 May 2026 18:26 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7dbifzp222https://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3ml7c6muhgk2hSugarite Canyon State Park is located on the Colorado–New Mexico state line, and includes the ruins of the abandoned Sugarite coal mining camp. The camp once housed 500, but by the 1950s, it had been abandoned. More on Sugarite Canyon, New Mexico 👇 https://www.legendsofamerica.com/sugarite-canyon-new-mexico/06 May 2026 18:07 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7c6muhgk2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3ml7bg6yjqc2hBorn May 6, 1816, Richens Lacy “Uncle Dick” Wootton was an American frontiersman, mountain man, trapper, and guide who built a 27-mile toll road over Raton Pass in New Mexico, dramatically improving a tough stretch of the Santa Fe Trail. More on Wooton: https://legendsofamerica.com/we-richenswootton/06 May 2026 17:53 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7bg6yjqc2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3ml4vcy2k5c2pOn May 5, 1682, William Penn's newly approved Code of Laws, 40 principles that shaped justice, elections, taxes, and trial by jury, became the backbone of a colony built on tolerance and fairness. A moment that set Philadelphia's future in motion. 🔗 https://www.legendsofamerica.com/philadelphia-pennsylvania/05 May 2026 19:11 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4vcy2k5c2phttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3ml2fpt6q4c26In the old west, gamblers played with their backs to the wall and their guns at their sides, as dealers dealt games such as Chuck-A-Luck, Three Card Monte, High Dice, and Faro. Ante up for more on Gambling in the Old West. www.legendsofamerica.com/we-poker/04 May 2026 19:27 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2fpt6q4c26https://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mkxkbd27t223Before it was a quiet high‑desert town, Pioche was a silver‑rich powder keg where mine wars, million‑dollar debts, and gunmen shaped every street. This Nevada boomtown earned its reputation the hard way. Let's explore the Lincoln County Seat, Pioche, NV: www.legendsofamerica.com/pioche-nevada/03 May 2026 16:10 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkxkbd27t223https://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mkxjh3qenk23Fort Fred Steele was a bustling frontier post born in 1868 to protect the Union Pacific Railroad and was later surrounded by loggers, miners, merchants, and one of the largest sheep operations in Wyoming. Today, the fort and town are an historic site. 👇 https://www.legendsofamerica.com/wy-fortfredsteele/03 May 2026 15:56 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkxjh3qenk23https://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mkxihv72s223Tradition says that the Menominee were driven into Wisconsin by the Michilimackinac Indians around Mackinac Island in Michigan. Today, there are some 8,700 members of the Menominee Nation, many of whom live in or near the village of Keshena, Wisconsin. 👉 https://www.legendsofamerica.com/menominee-tribe/03 May 2026 15:38 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkxihv72s223https://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mkxhugrv6k23The Winfield, Kansas, Post Office was established on May 3, 1870, in the log cabin of postmaster Colonel E.C. Manning. By the end of the decade, its population would boom to 2,000. Today, this county seat sports over 11,000 residents. More on Winfield: https://legendsofkansas.com/winfield-kansas/03 May 2026 15:27 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkxhugrv6k23https://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mkux545fjs2oMay 2, 1972, John Edgar Hoover died in his sleep. He is credited with founding the FBI and was its first and longest director. He also harassed political dissenters, amassed secret files on politicians and Hollywood stars, and collected evidence illegally. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/j-edgar-hoover/02 May 2026 15:23 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkux545fjs2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mkq4w3vapk2kOn April 30, 1923, the world lost Emerson Hough, author of some 34 books and countless magazine articles that were factual accounts and historical novels of life in the American West. Saddle up for the story of Western Writer Emerson Hough: https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-emersonhough/30 Apr 2026 17:23 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkq4w3vapk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mkq4azezfk2kAn opera singer turned coal‑camp founder? That’s the story behind Rains, Utah, a mining town born in 1915, booming with 1,500 tons of coal a day, and gone by the 1950s. Today, only foundations remain. Let's explore the history of Rains, UT: www.legendsofamerica.com/rains-utah/30 Apr 2026 17:11 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkq4azezfk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mkq3q7yci22kOn April 30, 1871, Tucson citizens, Mexican Americans, and Tohono O’odham warriors launched a deadly attack on an Apache camp near Camp Grant. Known as the Camp Grant Massacre, it became one of the most consequential events in Arizona Territory history: https://www.legendsofamerica.com/camp-grant-massacre-arizona/30 Apr 2026 17:02 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkq3q7yci22khttps://bsky.app/profile/legendsofamerica.bsky.social/post/3mkq2x55srk2kFounded in 1869 as Osaga, KS, the town of Fulton, Kansas, once bustled with blacksmiths & hotels, and in 1910, it was the largest city in Bourbon County. The post office closed on April 30, 2005, and today, barely 100 people remain. More on Fulton, KS. 🔗 legendsofkansas.com/fulton-kansas/30 Apr 2026 16:48 +0000at://did:plc:m2oeym4ilu6pmswtjsatfgnx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkq2x55srk2k