From the Grand Canyon to the Texas Gulf Coast, from the Rio Grande River Valley to Oklahoma’s endless grasslands, the Desert Southwest Region is a...
True West’s Ultimate Historic Travel Guide: The Desert Southwest
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Articles
The Other Bowie’s Epic Battle
December 1831, central Texas saw an epic gunfight—with more than 170 combatants! “Epic” and “Bowie” usually come together when describing the 13-day...
Wyatt Earp Really Did Drag Johnny Tyler Out of the Oriental Saloon
Remember a scene in Tombstone where Wyatt Earp leads gambler Johnny Tyler out of the Oriental and into the street? Something like that really...
A Tol Tale of Texas
Lyne Taliaferro “Tol” Barret had a big idea—big even by Texas standards. Too bad he was ahead of his time. Barret was born in Virginia in 1832. His...
Hangtown Residents Demand a More Civilized Name
The town, about 45 miles northwest of Sacramento, CA, was originally called Dry Diggins when it was started in 1848—because there was no gold to be...
The Youngest Younger Kills a Dallas Lawman
Deputy Sheriff Charles Nichols has a dubious distinction—the first Dallas County (TX) lawman to die in the line of duty, back in January 1871. The...
The Belles of San Francisco
During the early days California’s gold rush, women were a distinct minority, outnumbered about twenty to one. In San Francisco in 1849 it was...
True West’s Ultimate Historic Travel Guide: The Pacific Coast
“Ocian in view! Oh! The Joy!” William Clark wrote in his journal on November 7, 1805, viewing what he believed was the Pacific Ocean as the Corps of...
The Earps Raise a Behan
Wyatt and Josie Earp had no children of their own. But they did have someone they considered to be like a son—and ironically, he was the real son...
Johnny Lingo: Tis the Season
Celebrating Christmas in today’s American West essentially follows similar trends found around the country. One notable exception is Las Posadas: a...
The Other Woman
Contemporaneous newspaper accounts of “Wild Bill” Hickok’s marriage to Agnes Lake in 1876 reported a favorable view of their relationship. Accounts...
A Bond Sealed with a Shot in the Behind
Actors John Wayne and Ward Bond were compatriots for more than 30 years. Both played football at the University of Southern California. Both got...