Dave Cook was one of the top lawmen in the Rocky Mountains, breaking up several
outlaw gangs from his Denver base during the 1870s and 1880s. But he got his law
enforcement start on a very personal case.
He and his brother were gold prospecting at Missouri Flat around 1860. Someone stole
their stash of gold, and Cook went after him. After several days, he tracked down the
thief and recovered the gold.

True West May/June 2025
In This Issue:
Features
- Historic Hotels of the American West
- A Journey Through Wyoming’s Outlaw History
- A Journey Through Washington’s Wild Frontier
- Blazing The Oregon Trail
- Journey Through Time
- Did Brigham Young Order a Massacre?
- Mountain Meadows Scapegoat John D. Lee VS. A Firing Squad
- Mormons in the Movies
- An Indigenous Consultant Ensures Accuracy
- The Battle Axe And A Raw Deal
- Showdown: Bridger VS. Brigham
- The Mountain Man and the Mormon Moses
- The Ghosts of Mountain Meadows
- The War Before the War
- Mountain Meadows