About the inspiration for the feature stamps :  in 1994, the PO release a 20-stamp sheet that was like no other sheet released by the PO up to that time. All 20 stamps . . . designed by artist, Mike Hess . . . casted the spotlight on the names and the settings that had the most profound influences on the development of the Old West. These 5 stamps come from that esteemed sheet.

About the specific stamps : before I go any further, I'd like to identify the specific stamps for you--- in Scott order 

1. Scott #  2869-A  :  The American Cowboy   
2. Scott #  2869-B  :  The iconic frontiersman, Buffalo Bill  
3. Scott #  2869-C  :  The frontier explorer, Jim Bridger   
4. Scott #  2869-D  :  The legendary sharpshooter, Annie Oakley
5. Scott #  2869-E  :  Native American Culture  

About the hand painted cachet : as you know, the cattle industry played a vital role in the development of our country, and therefore, cattle drives were very common, as cowboys would herd thousands of cattle hundreds of miles across our nation to deliver their stock to far eastern portions of America, where cattle could be used for food. But many of those cattle died along the way, and on this all-over cachet, Mr. Hamilton reminds us of a realistically grim site on the open plains of the Wild West . . . the remnants of a steer on the sandy grounds, under the dome of the 5 feature stamps.

About the second scanned image + the Scarcity Factor : at the very top of the Legends of the West sheet was the pleasantly colored imagery which you see that Mrs. Hamilton affixed to the reverse side of her cover, which makes this cover far scarcer that Mrs. Hamilton overall production number of 84. So the question remains . . . of the 84 Legends of the West covers she made, who know exactly how many of those remaining 83 covers were tagged with this picturesque selvage of a cowboy and a Native American? (I mean, I am 100% sure that Lois did not buy 84 separate sheets so that she could affix all 84 of her with this Cowboy/Indian selvage. Right?)   

About the special cancellation : and for this one, Mrs. Hamilton used dual cancels . . . an official Tucson, Arizona bar cancel, as well as an individually hand stamped cancel for the American Cowboy stamp.

All in all : a masterfully laid-out cover Legends of the West cover, crafted by a true Legends of Our Hobby cachet maker.

INTERESTING TIDBIT : in the January 2013 issue of First Days, the insightful publication put out by the AFDCS (the American First Day Cover Society), the informed Hobbyist, Alan Warren, wrote a full-page article honoring Lois Hamilton who, sadly, passed away in November 2012, at age 90. The article mentioned that her very first-hand painted cachet was for the 1974 Skylab stamp, Scott # 1529, but it wasn't until 3 years later, in 1977, when she produced her very first commercial cachet for the 1977 Butterfly stamps (Scott # 1712-15). I especially wanted to single out Lois in this paragraph because I was on her mailing list for so many years, and she had such a zestful enthusiasm for the Hobby which she passed on to those lucky enough to know her and work with her. She truly was a one-of-a-kind person.