In the last years of his life, Wild Bill Hickok had eye problems. His eyesight was fading, he was sensitive to light, and there was irritation and...
The Blindness of Wild Bill
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Articles
Dead On Arrival
In the opening sequence of the classic Western One Upon A Time In The West there are three gunmen who show up at the train station. “Stony” (Woody...
What Books on Frontier Horses Would You Recommend?
What books on frontier horses would you recommend? Koen Kop Berlin, Germany I highly recommend books by Will James, including Smoky, Lone Cowboy,...
Ziegfield and Buffalo Bill
The other day a True West reader mentioned that he’d read a story concerning claiming Buffalo Bill, hired a young trick shooter named Flo Ziegfield,...
Reel or Real Frontier Fare
If you’re reading this then you’ve likely seen a Western. So, does the food on the big screen compare to the real West? Let’s digest some food...
The Real Buffalo Hump
Most are familiar with Buffalo Hump in Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove. He was a fictional character but there really was a Buffalo Hump. His name...
A Short and Not-So-Sweet Career
Oliver Yantis was not the most successful outlaw. He was one of the first members of the Bill Doolin Gang. Just a week after Doolin’s former...
Western Events for January 2019
Western roundup of events where you can experience the Old West this January. Art Shows Litchfield Park Native American Fine Arts Festival...
A Laughing Matter?
Being captured didn’t faze train robber Rube Burrow. On October 9, 1890 he was grabbed by two black men, Jesse Hildreth and Frank Marshall, when...
Six Guns Along the Mexican Border
Curly Bill Brocius figured prominently in the outlawry along the Mexican border in the early 1880s. He was personally responsible for rustling...
Best of the West 2019: Western Books
A I write this column from my desk in my office in Iowa City, Iowa, in October 2018, reflecting on the past, present and future state of Western...
What Can You Tell Me About Living with Consumption in the Old West Era?
What can you tell me about living with consumption in the Old West era? Paul Gortarez Phoenix, Arizona Consumption is an early term for...