Out West, when the gold ran out, the people often did, too. See for yourself with a visit to Southwest Montana’s best-preserved ghost towns. Walk...
Between Yellowstone and Glacier, 3 Must-See Mining Ghost Towns
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Articles
Guns, Indians and the West
In his scholarly study, Thundersticks: Firearms and the Violent Transformation of Native America (The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press,...
Classic Gunfights: Doc Hits Bottom (but not much else)
August 19, 1884 Broke, sick and usually drunk, Doc Holliday hits rock bottom in Leadville, Colorado. Today, a fellow gambler, Billy Allen, is...
Love The Hair, Sweetie
Just like clothes, hairstyles have their day. Just look at any old picture—even one of yourself—and laugh at how your hair has changed over your...
Sink or Swim
Nobody could overstate the impact of 1939’s Stagecoach on film in general and on the Western in particular. It rescued the genre from the...
The Picnic Disease
As towns across the frontier West heated up during the spring and summer months, sweltering pioneers found ways to beat the heat at picnics. They...
True West Treasure Hunters
If you look back at old True West issues—back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, when Joe “Hosstail” Small was ramrodding the outfit—you’ll see a lot of familiar...
Why Do Western Actors Rarely Wear Spurs On Screen?
Why do Western actors rarely wear spurs on screen? Charles “Spade” Phillips Odessa, Texas Mostly because of animal welfare concerns. Audiences don’t...
“Big Boy” Guinn Williams
Actor Guinn Williams carried the nickname of “Big Boy” due to his 6’2” frame. The native Texan and experienced cowboy got his Hollywood start in...
Claw-fingered Kitty, a.k.a. Eva Dugan
A few months ago a friend up in Yukon Territory wrote asking for some information on a lady of the evening who resided in the red light district of...
Colorful Phrases of the West
Americans have lots of colorful phrases and sayings to specify a point—but often, although we know the point, we don't know beans about the origins...
Patrick Wayne
Patrick Wayne was only 11 when he got to visit his father on a movie set for the first time. The film was “Rio Grande,” directed by John Ford, set...