The mythic history of the American West is veiled in the mysterious mists of time like the fog-shrouded British legends of King Arthur, Beowulf and...
A Legendary Life
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Articles
Blurred Lines
The Lincoln County War in New Mexico was never as cut and dried as it might seem. Numerous men switched sides at various times. Billy the Kid was...
Mickey Free
We have brooded and argued and mulled over this fictional tale of Mickey Free for years now—sort of a personal Heart of Darkness. Our goal was a...
T.J. Stiles
Rural Minnesota native and Carleton College alumnus T.J. Stiles moved to New York City to attend graduate school at Columbia University in 1986. New...
Buckskin Frank Leslie – A Good Man with a Gun
Nashville “Buckskin” Frank Leslie joined the pariahs of Tombstone’s raucous society around 1880. Although he was only 5’ 7” and weighed 135 pounds...
Zanuck’s Disputed Ending
“My Darling Clementine” is considered by many as a classic Western. It’s also not what director John Ford planned. Producer/studio head Darryl F....
When Languages Collide: The Ten Gallon Hat
Many people incorrectly assume the term “ten gallon hat” refers to the amount of water that will fit in the crown of a big hat, but the term more...
The Trickster with the Sidewinder Gaze
Prologue PROVING GROUND The boy is emaciated. His mop of red hair hangs across his scarred face, obscuring a lost eye. He staggers and stumbles up...
Deforest Kelley
Actor DeForest Kelley is best known as Dr. “Bones” McCoy on Star Trek. But he also had a number of connections to Tombstone—at least on film. He...
Puffing, Chewing and Dippin’
American’s love for smoking began early in our history. Among the various types of tobacco were rope cable twist, Bull Durham in a sack, and plug...
Why would a pile of small seashells be in the Arizona desert?
Dee Anne Jackson Gilbert, Arizona Some 200 million years ago, the area was a vast sea, which is why you can find seashells all over the Sonoran...
William Becknell & The Opening of the Santa Fe Trail in 1822
The Mexican Revolution ended in 1821 and brought about many changes in foreign policy. Up to then Spain didn’t allow her colonies to trade with the...