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...
Judge Roy Bean
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Articles
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....
John King Fisher
John King Fisher is not as famous as some of his contemporaries but all agree he was a good man with a gun. He was arrested for stealing a horse at...
What is the origin of bib shirts?
Allen Fossenkemper Fountain Hills, Arizona Although bib shirts were not common apparel out West, they captured the flavor and romance of the...
“Uncle Jim” Roberts Had Sand
Arizona lawman “Uncle Jim” Roberts upheld the law around Jerome well into the 20th century. State historian Marshall Trimble shares one 1890s...
Crusade for a Chief
He resembled George Washington and helped save Gen. George Crook’s men at the Battle of the Rosebud during the Great Sioux War of 1876—this Shoshone...
Lyne “Tol” Barret
Lyne “Tol” Barret had a novel idea for getting rich. In late 1865, he and some friends formed the Melrose Petroleum Oil Company, the first such...
Gun Smoke and Black Powder
Reading the pulp westerns one would conclude that the Colt revolver was the only pistol used in the Old West. Remington built a fine six-shooter and...