Historic How To's | Frontier American Illustrated News

Historic Items & How Things Worked

Ever go through an antique store and ask yourself "What on earth is that?" This is for those interested in the historic gear of America's frontier past. We will explore items and methods both famous and not-so-famous to learn what they are and how they work.

HAWKEN - SHARPS - WINCHESTER, Three Iconic Rifles of the American Plains

Dave Rodgers

Apr 17, 2022
4 min

HAWKEN - SHARPS - WINCHESTER, Three Iconic Rifles of the American Plains

By Dave Rodgers Deep in the Heart of the Superstition Wilderness, Three Pards Came Together and Put Some of the Old West's Most Famous...

2,458 views1 comment

The ‘Bedroll’ or ‘Blanket-Roll’ from the Frontier to the Civil War

Dave Rodgers

Jan 30, 2021
18 min

The ‘Bedroll’ or ‘Blanket-Roll’ from the Frontier to the Civil War

Knowing the old ways of the blanket-pack is important for bushcrafters and historians alike. Here is more about the lightweight knapsack...

19,744 views5 comments

The “Hunting Bag” of the 18th-19th Century American Frontier

Dave Rodgers

Jan 17, 2021
9 min

The “Hunting Bag” of the 18th-19th Century American Frontier

What were the Basic survival Essentials Carried in the Frontiersman’s Hunting Bag? Our ancestors more commonly called it a ‘Bullet Pouch’...

11,788 views4 comments

The Gun-Flint & Flint-Lock, Learn About a Vanishing Weapon of America’s Frontier Past

Dave Rodgers

Jan 14, 2021
10 min

The Gun-Flint & Flint-Lock, Learn About a Vanishing Weapon of America’s Frontier Past

The ‘pan-and-flint’ arms of the American Revolution and its following decades should be remembered as the signature weapon of the west...

2,614 views6 comments