In the early 1920s a group of Charles M. Russell’s closest friends in Great Falls, Montana, were partners in the Montana Newspaper Association, a venture that published advertising supplements in the state’s daily newspapers. They hit upon the idea to publish a series of entertaining stories chronicling the history of the Old West, and they prevailed on Russell to provide pen-and-ink illustrations for each one. These stories appeared nearly every Sunday for a year, from March 5, 1922, through February 18, 1923. Nearly all of Montana’s 170 newspapers carried this popular series. For his part, Russell was glad to participate; he loved the history of the American West, avidly reading many books on the subject. Today these wonderfully narrative drawings stand apart from the articles they once accompanied. The original ink drawing pictured here was originally in the estate of the artist’s widow, Nancy C. Russell. It is part of a group that constitutes the largest selection of them to be found anywhere—almost half the number that the artist eventually produced for the series. In each of them, Russell’s fluid and dextrous lines create a vivid picture of truly historic events—elevating them to the power of epic and myth. Prior to the epic journeys along the Oregon Trail, the Old Santa Fe Trail from Missouri to New Mexico was the only regularly traveled overland commercial route. In 1824 a company of eighty traders with twenty-five wheeled vehicles became the first wagon train to successfully cross the southern plains. Although attacks from Indians did occur along the Trail, Russell’s drawing actually depicts northern plains warriors, not their southern counterparts. Russell was very fond of depicting “first encounters” between Native Americans and the white man. The Indian to the left with the feather-adorned lance wears a wolf’s head “scout” headdress, and his northern plains garb is very accurately rendered. He is shown here giving the sign for “wait” to his fellow warriors. The Blackfeet regarded the wolf as one of the smartest and most cunning of all the animals. Russell, who could communicate in sign language, once noted that in the Blackfoot language the words for “wolf” and “wise” were the same. Those who were permitted to wear the wolf’s head were very highly regarded by their peers.