Did Old West-style gunfights take place after 1910?

Did Old West-style gunfights take place after 1910?

Kerry Creech
Lake City, Florida

The West was still pretty wild, especially in remote areas like the Galiuro Mountains of Arizona. On February 10, 1918, a posse rode there to arrest Tom and John Power for draft evasion. Without warning, the posse opened fire with a shot that mortally wounded the boys’ father, Jeff, as he stood in the doorway of the family’s cabin. A gunfight ensued. When the smoke cleared, three of the four-man posse were dead. Another posse pursued the Power boys (and their pal Tom Sisson) in what was then the largest manhunt in Arizona history since the hunt for Geronimo. The criminals were captured and sent to prison.

That’s just one example. A fair number of Old West-style shoot-outs in the not-so-Old West occurred up until the 1930s.

If you have a question, write:  Ask the Marshall, P.O. Box 8008, Cave Creek, AZ 85327 or e-mail him at marshall.trimble@scottsdalecc.edu