Imagine setting out from El Paso on a month-long expedition with 25 covered wagons drawn by mules, living just like frontier explorers of the 1800s — and taking 100 sixth graders along for the ride. That’s exactly what RosieLeetta “Lee” Reed did during the Huff Wagon Train Project, which retraced the route of Gold Rush adventurer William P. Huff. “That was a rolling classroom, and it was living history,” says Reed, the president of Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association and a Texas Parks and Wildlife area chief.

She’s also the founder of Lakeside Riders, a local nonprofit that helps disadvantaged youths learn traditional outdoor skills like fishing, archery, and camping. “You teach them animal husbandry, and you teach them to love the land.” Reed is very hands-on with the group, showing kids how to bait a hook and ride a horse. They field trip down to Fort McKavett to camp like pioneers while she tells true tales of Texas history around the fire.

Reed learned many of these stories as a child on her family’s ranch; they have been passed down in her family for generations. Her great-great-grandfather and his two brothers were soldiers in the U.S. Army’s 9th Cavalry, a regiment of the famous Buffalo Soldiers that protected the Texas frontier after the Civil War. Reed also learned about tough-as-nails frontier women like Cathay Williams, Stagecoach Mary, and Johanna July — all of whom she portrays in theatrical presentations throughout the state. “In each one of those women is a part of me,” says Reed: Cathay’s cunning, Mary’s strength, and Johanna’s love and knowledge of horses. 

By teaching children about Western ways and sharing the stories of these legendary trailblazers, Reed herself has joined their ranks as an invaluable player in Texas history. Her contributions to Western heritage are an inspiration for African Americans, for women, and for anyone who feels the frontier spirit in their heart. FORT WORTH MAGAZINE