A Westerns staple is the saloon, where men went to meet, gamble, and drink. For the most part, the movie booze was fake—tea or colored water stood...
Are You for Beer?
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Articles
The Reckless Breed
Long before the “ordinary” white men braved the arduous task of crossing into the “Great American Desert” and beyond. Long before latter day...
The Soldiers’ West
Douglas C. McChristian’s Regular Army O!: Soldiering on the Western Frontier, 1865–1891 (University of Oklahoma Press, $40) has breadth and depth, a...
Sibley Supplies the Wrong Side
Henry Hopkins Sibley gained fame as a Confederate cavalry officer during the Civil War. But one of his inventions was widely used by the other side....
Who is Frank “Pistol Pete” Eaton?
Who is Frank “Pistol Pete” Eaton? Duff Hale — Midlothian, Texas. The deputy U.S. marshal and cowboy told a tale of his life in his 1952...
Million-Dollar Cowboys
Thomas Moran was alive today, he would be surprised to hear that his former pupil reached the million dollar auction mark through an unusual subject...
Johnny Lingo: Rot Gut, Sheep Wash, Chain Lightning
Belly up to the bar pards and bend an elbow. Any friendly barkeep at the local cantina or saloon, some of which became legendary like the Bird Cage...
Why Hasn’t Anyone Written a Book about the Lone Ranger being a Black Man?
Why hasn’t anyone written a book about the Lone Ranger being a black man? Stan Johnson — Riverside, California. At least one book claims that Deputy...
Locked And Loaded
Western history and fiction publishers have had an outstanding year across all genres and categories. With the growth in electronic and audio books,...
Wanted, Dead or Alive
It may have been the name of a TV Western, but few officials actually used “wanted, dead or alive” rewards to track down criminals. Money was...
Arizona’s Most Historic Place?
John Wayne had a favorite room. Margaret Mitchell and Zane Grey came to rejuvenate. President Lyndon Johnson loved the stables. The Marshall Plan...
Lawman Bill Cruger
Bill Cruger was a tough lawman in Shackleford County, Texas (which included Fort Griffin) in the 1870s. He was originally hired as a deputy by...