“Who was California Joe?” asked J.W. Buel in his Heroes of the Plains published in 1882, for Joe’s origin was as much a mystery to his contemporaries as it was for many who came later. Some claimed his name was Joseph Milner (favored by Buffalo Bill Cody) or Joseph Hawkins, and others claimed that he was Truman Head, the famous “California Joe” of Col. Hiram Berdan’s Civil War Sharpshooters. Even Custer admitted that he did not know Joe’s real name, for “no other name seemed ever

True West January 2021
In This Issue:
Features
- The Best of the West: Art and Collectibles
- Sweetheart of Lonesome Dove
- The Best of the West: Western Movies
- The Best of the West: Western Books
- The Best of the West: Heritage Travel
- The Best of the West: Western Preservation
- Truth Be Known
- The Best of the West: Western Fare
- The Best of the West: Firearms
- The Best of the West: True Westerner of the Year
- The Best of the West: Western Wear
- California Joe: Great Scout and Plainsman
- Trapped! 31 Mexican Vaqueros VS Geronimo
- Red, White, and Black: The US Army in the West 1866-1891
- On the History Trail with the Old Bison: A Memoir
- Sitting Bull: The Sioux Leader’s Final Flight For Freedom
- Opening Shot – The Dead of Winter