If I had to choose a favorite outlaw, without hesitation I’d say, “Cole Younger.” A few years ago the late author Jack Koblas told me a poignant...
I Will Always Be Your Friend
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Articles
Viva L’ouest!
The American West has intrigued international audiences since the first European explorers brought back stories, treasures, artifacts and, most...
A Hero on his Last Run
John Braden was a stagecoach driver for decades—and a hero in the last act of his life. Braden was living in Albuquerque in 1896. He was driving a...
A Dandy of a Man
Colorado Charlie Utter (right in above photo) is best known as Wild Bill Hickok’s friend, the man who made sure he was buried proper in Deadwood,...
John Slaughter and the San Bernardino Ranch
After the death of his beloved wife Eliza from small pox, John Slaughter ex-Confederate soldier and ex-Texas Ranger, now ranching in Cochise County,...
New “Old” Photo of 1896 Fight
Over 65 years of publication, True West has developed a loyal following of readers who send us historical Old West photographs to preserve in our...
History in Ink
What a difference an autograph makes. Last September, a collector successfully bid $6,500 at Cowan’s Auctions for a photograph from the Eric C....
Why did Cavalrymen Wear their Pistols with the butts Forward?
Why did cavalrymen wear their pistols with the butts forward? Christopher Zimmerman Huachuca City, Arizona When a cavalryman sat in the saddle (or...
A Graphic Novel Breaks Ground
I grew up reading the Classics Illustrated comic book series, especially those about Daniel Boone and other frontiersmen. I got a lot of these...
A Poignant Portrait of Calamity Jane
Michelle Rene’s novel, Hour Glass, is a moving, revealing picture of the legendary Calamity Jane. The author tells her compassionate story through...
The Mother Lode Spirit
Ed Arata’s history with Sutter Creek, California, goes back to the Mother Lode days when gold was plentiful and his grandfather worked at the Knight...
Beyond Awesome
Grandeur is often associated with the paintings of early artists of the American West: George Caleb Bingham, Karl Bodmer, William Jacob Hays, Thomas...