The Johnson County, Wyoming invaders were saved by political maneuvers that reached to the highest levels. The cattleman’s army had killed two...
The Johnson County Invaders
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Articles
A Tall Bucking, 1881 Style
San Simon cowboy Dick Lloyd was well known in southern Arizona for his “tall bucking” (cowboy slang for riding a bronc in high style)....
Poet, Professor, Historian—his West Begins in the East
In March, Mount St. Mary’s University Emeritus Professor William Heath received a great surprise from the Western Writers of America: his 2015...
The Bisbee Massacre
On the evening of December 8th, 1883 five heavily-armed men rode boldly into Bisbee, tied their horses near Main Street and walked up the street to...
Did Bat Masterson carry a cane?
Bob Nellis Rochester, Minnesota No known photos of Bat Masterson show him with a cane, although he did receive a gold-headed cane in 1885 when he...
Building the Central Pacific Railroad
A century and a half ago, steel rails began stretching across the landscape to link this nation. In an 1832 article published by the New York...
Judge Roy Bean
You know the story of Roy Bean—the man who came to prominence (of sorts) in his late 50s when he moved to an area west of the Pecos in Texas. He...
Apache History from the Ndee
The long title of Lori Davisson’s Dispatches from the Fort Apache Scout: White Mountain and Cibecue Apache History Through 1881 (University of...
Geronimo Prize Breaks Record
A Model 1886 Winchester rifle presented to the man who captured Apache leader Geronimo 130 years ago this August is now the most expensive single...
Pearl Hart, Highwaywoman
In 1898, Pearl Hart was either a cook or a soiled dove (depending on who you believe) in Mammoth Arizona. When the mine closed (or, she got word her...
Breech-loading Rifles
Among the first breech-loading rifles was one invented by Major Patrick Ferguson, an officer in Washington's Revolutionary Army. It was one of the...
Tombstone’s True Hero
In the spring of 1896, during the manhunt for the Apache Kid, Arizona’s most wanted, Tombstone surveyor H.G. Howe recommended to Sen. William M....