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...
The Picnic Disease
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Articles
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...
An Exercise in Monotony
An Exercise in Monotony. That's how food in Arizona Territory military camps is described in the “Arizona Territorial Cookbook, 1864-1912” by Daphne...
Lessons From The Stagecoach
One of the iconic symbols of the old west is the stagecoach, and here's betting there has never been a western movie without one making an...
A Biographer’s Take on Doc & Wyatt
Gary L. Roberts gave Western historians a monumental present with his excellent biography, Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend, published in 2006. His...
Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp
A question came up the other day, how does Bat Masterson match up with Wyatt Earp in the history of the Old West? Bat Masterson’s history in the Old...
When Doc Met Wyatt
John Henry “Doc” Holliday had a restless year in 1877. The dentist-turned-gambler had spent time in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and in Denver, Colorado....