Where did the idea for a star-shaped lawman’s badge originate?
Lavonn Jensen
Pine City, Minnesota
Primitive societies believed the star possessed magical powers, guarding against danger and controlling evil forces. Down through the ages, the star maintained that symbol of guardianship and was adopted by peace officers as a badge for that reason.
Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian. His latest book is Wyatt Earp: Showdown at Tombstone. If you have a question, write: Ask th

May 2012
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- Thom Ross
- Sizing Up
- Jerks in Arizona History
- Romance Maker
- Bonanzas & Borrascas
- Wild Bill Hickok and the Wrath of the Dead Rabbits
- 10 for 10: Leadville, Colorado
- The “Crazy” Dose
- Walking Little Big Horn
- Black Bart’s Bad Day
- Roger Archibald
- Keepers of the Seed
- Silver City’s Treasure
- Sauerkraut Scout
- Salty Thieves
- From Vaqueros to Buckaroos
- Land-Hungry Pioneers
- Song of My Heart
- Blood Storm
- The Loner: Inferno
- Bicycling the Oregon Trail
- New Mexico’s Top 10 Paintings
- Howard Bryan (1920-2011)
- Statehood of Affairs
- How Did Indians Bring Down Buffalo With Primitive Weapons?
- A Wild Time at Wildy Well
- Zebulon Pike, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West
- Six Forgotten Film Classics
- Where did the idea for a star-shaped lawman’s badge originate?
- Who is California Joe?
- I watched a Western showing entire wagons sunk in quicksand. Did that really happen in the Old West?
- What is the Bisbee Massacre?
- What is the purpose of a saddle ring?
- The May 1975 Real West magazine published a photo, submitted by George Hart, featuring numerous Old West icons. Is it authentic?
- 10 for 10: St. Louis, Missouri
- Got a Spare?
- Baseball’s Gateway to the West