On May 5, 1871, Sgt. John Mott and three others followed Apache footprints, tracking what they thought were the incautious wanderings of an...
Manipulated into His Own Death
read more
Articles
Dear Lew
Writing in red ink on ruled paper, Billy the Kid writes a letter to Lew Wallace, the governor of New Mexico.Written from Fort Sumner, on December...
Old Mug Shots Get New Lives in Captured and Exposed
Even for the wealthy, having a portrait made in the 1840s was a rare, costly event that called for perfect dress and impeccable grooming. But as...
Tombstone 25—A Western Classic’s Reunion
It’s not often that a movie becomes a cult classic almost immediately after its release, but such was the case with the 1993 motion picture...
A Message from God
So what motivated Carrie Nation to attack saloons with an axe? A message from God, delivered on June 5, 1900, according to her autobiography. “The...
Underage Drinking in the Old West
What constituted a man being old enough to belly up to the bar? Usually it was up to the judgment of the proprietor or bartender. It looks like...
Cattle King of the West
State Historian of Texas Bill O’Neal’s latest book, John Chisum: Frontier Cattle King, explores the life and times of Chisum’s legendary role as a...
True West’s Ultimate Historic Travel Guide: The Pacific Coast
Travelers to the Pacific Coast will quickly discover the beauty of its mountain ranges, coastal lands, vast deserts and expansive valleys. The...
Were Stagecoach Holdups Common?
Were stagecoach holdups common? Michael C. Westlund Clarkdale, Arizona Stagecoach robberies were frequent occurrences, especially during the...
Trials Following the Gunfight near the OK Corral
The movies about Tombstone’s Gunfight Behind the OK Corral often end with the “street fight,” and most folks believe the feud, like the film, was...
The Heyday of Train Robberies
The 1890s saw an epidemic of train robberies with 261 in that decade alone. Eighty-eight people were killed and eighty-six wounded. According...
Norman Rockwell’s Duke
In 1973, John Wayne sat inside Norman Rockwell’s studio in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, so the artist could paint a portrait of the actor. The...