Boone Helm was a bad man through and through. Born in Kentucky in 1828, he moved West for opportunity and mayhem. He reportedly murdered several men over the next 36 years—and, according to his own accounts, ate some of them to boot.
At various points, Helm was arrested; at one point, he was confined to a mental institution. But he always escaped or bought his way out, allowing him to continue his terrible ways.
Helm made it to Montana for the gold rush but was hanged by the vigilantes i

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