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Epcc Libraries: Borderlands: Black Cowboys Rode the Trails, Too 21 (2002)

For Students 9th - 10th
Faculty-edited college student articles on the US-Mexico border giving insight to what life was like for black cowboys in the late 1800s. The article explains how many were ex-slaves that became cowboys after Emancipation, what their job...
Handout
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: Annie Oakley

For Students 9th - 10th
A biography of Annie Oakley which traces her childhood, her stardom in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show, her long marriage to Frank Butler, and her life after the show. Part of a larger PBS American Experience site about Annie Oakley.
Handout
Other

World Web: Calgary: The Wild West Becomes a Modern Metropolis

For Students 9th - 10th
Great reference article on Calgary in Alberta, Canada that once was called a 'cowtown' but is now a cosmopolitan city. Offers information on history, economy, climate, transportation, and special attractions.
Handout
PBS

The West: Sitting Bull Tatanka Iyotanka

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a biography of Lakota Indian Chief Sitting Bull who led his tribe in the Battle of the Little Bighorn against General George Custer.
Graphic
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: Art of the Stamp: Annie Oakley

For Students 9th - 10th
View the artwork for a U.S. postage stamp issued in 1994 of Annie Oakley, famous for her acts in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in the late 1800s. Includes a short passage on her life and contributions.
Website
PBS

Pbs the West: William F. Cody "Buffalo Bill"

For Students 9th - 10th
Buffalo Bill Cody, whose life lent itself to myth-making, helped define the American West. Read this biography about the man from PBS' series on The West.
Website
Other

Buffalo Bill History: Buffalo Bill's Life

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the legendary William F. Cody, more commonly known as Buffalo Bill, whose Wild West shows legitimized the cowboy life.
Primary
Calisphere: University of California Libraries

University of California: Calisphere: Gold Rush Era: Murder and Mayhem

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of primary source materials and informational text that looks at law and order in the "wild west" of California, identifying changing ethnicity in a growing population seeking gold and other resources.
Website
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Portraits of Texas Governors

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore the lives of Texas' governors. This site organizes the governors into six eras: Early Statehood (1846-1861); War, Ruin, and Reconstruction (1861-1874); The Wild West (1874-1887); Texas Rising (1887-1915); The Politics of...
Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: Us History: The American Cowboy

For Students 9th - 10th
Looks at the origins of American cowboy culture, at the lives of cowboys and at the responsibilities they had, such as herding cattle to market.
Handout
Utah Education Network

Uen: Utah History Encyclopedia: Outlaws in Utah

For Students 9th - 10th
This site discusses the cultural icon of the western "outlaw" in the context of the state of Utah.
Website
Better Planet Productions

Earth Care: Wild Waters Downtown

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Urban settings have many wild animals and they need water just as humans do. Students will investigate the animals around them and determine where they get clean water. This is followed by a discussion of how these animals might be...
Article
CNN

Cnn: Wolves Get Help to Make a Comeback in the West

For Students 9th - 10th
CNN news story about the efforts to reintroduce wolves into the wilds of America.
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Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Buffalo Bill Cody

For Students 3rd - 5th
America's Story gives a concise overview of Buffalo Bill Cody's (1846-1917 ) life. He helped to create the captivating picture of myth of America's West. Hyperlinks to additional stories about Buffalo Bill.
Handout
Other

Colorado Historical Society: Kit Carson: A Hero in Fact and Fiction [Pdf]

For Students 3rd - 8th
A short biography of the legend of the West, Kit Carson. PDF (requires Adobe Reader).
Handout
Utah Education Network

Uen: Utah History Encyclopedia: Butch Cassidy

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource features an article on the life and exploits of the outlaw Butch Cassidy.
Handout
PBS

Pbs American Masters: Will Rogers

For Students 9th - 10th
One of the most popular men in America during his time, Will Rogers was a film star, author, radio performer and vaudeville actor among other things. This PBS page offers a look at his life.
Lesson Plan
Other

Erwin E. Smith, Cowboy Photographer (Teaching Guide)

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
This guide provides a sampling of the vast number of photographs taken by Erwin E. Smith (1884?1947). It is designed for use with fourth through seventh grade students and places particular emphasis on social studies and Texas history....
Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Nebraska

For Students 3rd - 5th
Why is Nebraska named the "Cornhusker State?" Use this site to find out about Buffalo Bill Cody and explore the many sides to Nebraska culture.
Website
Oklahoma Historical Society

Oklahoma Historical Society Home

For Students 9th - 10th
Find facts about Oklahoma's rich history and famous people, and explore museums and historic sites. An interactive map of the state allows you to choose museums, military sites, historic homes, and other notable locations in Oklahoma,...
eBook
University of North Carolina

North American Slave Narratives: Life and Adventures of Nat Love

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides the text of the book, "The Life and Adventures of Nat Love," an autobiography written by Nat Love.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: 10 Things You May Not Know About Sitting Bull

For Students 9th - 10th
Get the facts about one of the most legendary Native Americans of the 19th century. Sitting Bull was born around 1831 into the Hunkpapa people, a Lakota Sioux tribe that roamed the Great Plains in what is now the Dakotas.
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: John F. Kennedy's Remarks, Berlin [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
"John F. Kennedy: Remarks in the Rudolph Wilde Platz, Berlin" is a one page persuasive speech delivered by JFK on June 26, 1963. In it he commended West Germany in its efforts to have a democratic government and berated the Communists...
Article
Other

Wild Things: Seven Swinging Sand Dollar Facts

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Written by a wildlife reporter for a newspaper, this blog entry about sand dollars briefly explains behavioral and feeding aspects of sand dollars on the west coast of the United States.

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