For a brief time in early 1862 Confederate troops occupied what would soon become the Territory of Arizona. This was part of a grand Confederate...
Jack Swilling’s Arizona Adventures: Part II
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Articles
Gambling, Gold and Women
Deadwood has always attracted big names. In 1874, even before the town’s creation, George Armstrong Custer and his command scouted the Black Hills...
Jack Swilling’s Arizona Adventures: Part I
Jack Swilling is a name that goes almost unrecognized by Arizonans today. Much of what is known about him comes from tall tales, lies and...
A Cochise-led Apache Ambush
It was July 15, 1862, and Union Captain Thomas Roberts led a column of volunteers into Apache Pass in southeast Arizona. They were headed to New...
Marshal Tom “Bear River” Preferred Fists to Guns
Abilene, Kansas Marshal Tom “Bear River” Smith gained a reputation for using fists instead of guns. According to one story, he earned that rep....
Building Your Western Library with William Groneman III
William Groneman III, born and raised in New York City as a member of the Baby Boomer generation, grew up on a steady diet of Western television...
Did Old West Gunmen Wear Armor?
Did Old West gunmen wear armor? Jeff Mock — Sandy, Utah. Two men come to mind. “Killin’” Jim Miller wore an iron plate sewn inside his black frock...
The Serendipitous Birth of Blue Jeans
Just after the Civil War, merchant Levi Strauss had an overstock of canvas and didn’t know exactly what to do with the material. He hit upon the...
The Old West in the Ozarks
A book told in first person often allows for the most colorful vehicle in storytelling. Picketwire Vaquero by James D. Crownover (Five Star, $25.95)...
From Blood Brother to Broken Arrow
Tom Jeffords leans on the bar of a saloon in Mesilla, New Mexico Territory, whiskey in one hand and a woman on the other. Will Harden (modeled after...
The True Roots History of the Kansas Jayhawks
In 1859 the Jayhawks stood for the fighting spirit associated with efforts to keep Kansas a free state. Today they stand tall on the basketball...
Restaurateur Ike Clanton
Some people may be shocked to learn that Joseph Isaac “Ike” Clanton, who earned notoriety as an anti-Earp man in the 1881 O.K. Corral gunfight,...