In June, I attended the Western Writers of America annual conference in Lubbock, Texas. The thriving city of the Southern Plains not only lives up...
Rough Drafts 9/15
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Articles
What was life like for people living in “soddies?”
What was life like for people living in “soddies?” Stace Webb Wenatchee, Washington West of the 100th Meridian, the annual rainfall was half of the...
What’s the story behind the phrase “There’s gold in them thar hills?”
What’s the story behind the phrase “There’s gold in them thar hills?” Jim Medland Phoenix, Arizona That comes from Mark Twain’s 1892 novel The...
What kind of rifle was Bull Harris using in 1966’s El Dorado?
What kind of rifle was Bull Harris using in 1966’s El Dorado? Robert C. Tignor Independence, Missouri Bull Harris (played by Arthur Hunnicutt)...
“The Severed Heads Campaign” (March 2015) was a most interesting story. Did some frontier bounty hunters also collect heads?
“The Severed Heads Campaign” (March 2015) was a most interesting story. Did some frontier bounty hunters also collect heads? Paul Gordon St. Thomas,...
What became of Hickok’s weapons?
What became of Hickok’s weapons? Rick Seward Ord, Nebraska James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok was allegedly carrying a .32 caliber Smith and Wesson No....
Rick Wallner
The best book on Bent’s Fort is David Lavender’s Bent’s Fort, although Mark Lee Gardner wrote a great Historic Resource Study for the park about 10...
Museums We Love
Scottsdale’s Museum of the West has been a long time coming. Our friend Abe Hays has been championing the idea of a Western museum in the Arizona...
Bronco: Final Season
Says the theme, “Once any girl has kissed him twice she’s dreaming of shoes and rice.” In the fourth and final season of Bronco, Ty Hardin’s Bronco...
Western Events for September 2015
Western roundup of events where you can experience the Old West! ART FESTIVALS Buffalo Roundup and Arts Festival Custer State Park, SD, September...
Boomtown Goddesses
Female performers who played in the rough-hewn mining camp theaters had an edge on their male counterparts simply because they were women. That...
Why Did Hollywood Take So Long to Discover Wyatt Earp?
From our perspective today it's hard to believe that Hollywood did not film the Wyatt Earp in Tombstone story until the 1930s! There had been movies...