Shooting Back

Jana Bommersbach Has Passed

While we were finishing this issue we got word that our beloved columnist, author and friend, Jana Bommersbach passed away on July 17, 2024, at Sanford Hospice House, in Fargo, North Dakota. According to her sister, Judy, Jana had been in failing health after a fall in her Phoenix house several months prior and didn’t recover. She was one of my first hires when we bought True West magazine 25 years ago, and she was our anchor when it came to discussing, debating and celebrating “Old West Saviors,” the column which credited the people who keep interest in our history alive.

 

Jana and I cowrote the 2023 book Hellraisers & Trailblazers: The Real Women of The Wild West, and although it was a bumpy ride, our friendship survived. I remember that at one of our first book-signings an audience member asked if we were going to write other books together, and she replied, “I will never write another book with Bob again.” It got a huge laugh—even from me!—and that typical comment is one of the reasons we all loved her so much. She told the truth, as she saw it, loud and clear.

We have a dozen Hellraisers books that she and I signed together, and they will be offered at a premium with all proceeds going to her favorite charity, The Friends of The Phoenix Library. Go to truewestmagazine.com for more details.

In the next issue we will celebrate her life and career with an expanded feature to send her off with the love and admiration she deserves.

—Bob Boze Bell, August 1, 2024

 

Before he Went to Speculating

In the July/August 2024 issue of True West is an article, “Doc Holliday Before He Went to Tombstone.” I lost interest in the article. This after reading these words, “It’s possible.” [Second paragraph after the heading, TOMBSTONE V. PRESCOTT] Alone, I’d probably note the two words and keep reading. However, in the previous two paragraphs were, “Doc might have been doubtful”, “…surely Doc sensed…”, “Or it might have been…”, “Perhaps she was…”, and “Another possibility…”. Far too much speculation for me to take this article seriously.

True West magazine has “History of the American Frontier” as its subtitle. I take HISTORY to mean fact. So I trust TW is telling me, “It happened or most likely did.” For me, this article needed more verification.

—David Fuller Lisbon, Connecticut

Brad Courtney replies: 

David, thank you for your complaint, as it has definite merit in the sense that much of the article is indeed speculation. Many history buffs, however, enjoy speculation (and have told me so). But I realize some do not; there are “facts only” people in the crowd. Please know that for the sake of my integrity and reputation as a serious historian, the speculative approach was often the only one to take for the sake of honest and academic integrity. I would rather have your type of criticism than the “You are full of s..t” type.

I will respectfully disagree with you that the only purpose for writing history is to present facts. The truth is, many enjoy speculative articles about history. While presenting facts is absolutely key, speculation is also a major part—sometimes “the” major part, partly how we learn from it—in writing history. Words such as “probably” and “most likely” are therefore necessary. Indeed, speculation is the primary reason we write master’s theses and doctoral dissertations and such, based on the available evidence, etc. The TW article on Doc in Prescott might be called a “tiny thesis.” It was designed to be thought-provoking, not mere fact-giving. When the facts were available (which you may have not gotten to if you, as you say, did not finish the article), such as the address where Doc lived (a new discovery that required heavy-duty research—but I can’t say that is very interesting, although now fact), who he lived with, the gambling laws in Prescott, etc., they were presented as fact. But those facts are not necessarily thought-provoking. They just are.

I certainly hope you finish the article with this in mind. If it is not your kind of historical writing, that is fine. Totally understand.