I fell in love with trains when my dad gave my brothers and me a Lionel train set when I was eight. My favorite train memory is seeing my first...
Al Harper
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Articles
How frequent was mail service in the Old West?
How frequent was mail service in the Old West? Stace Webb Wenatchee, Washington Mail service was infrequent and slow. From 1858 to 1861, the...
What is the Halderman case?
What is the Halderman case? Tom Todd Scottsdale, Arizona The Halderman brothers, Bill and Tom, were hanged for the killing of Constable Chester...
How did American Indians view Gen. George Crook, who fought so many of them during the Indian Wars?
How did American Indians view Gen. George Crook, who fought so many of them during the Indian Wars? Paul Gordon St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada General...
Did John Wayne’s brother, Robert, appear in any of his movies?
Did John Wayne’s brother, Robert, appear in any of his movies? Mike Mitchell Ute, Iowa John “Duke” Wayne’s younger brother, Robert Morrison, was a...
A constable testified that a man he killed on a railroad platform in Willcox, Arizona, in 1881 had been “skylarking.” What is that?
A constable testified that a man he killed on a railroad platform in Willcox, Arizona, in 1881 had been “skylarking.” What is that? Jack Allen...
The Oklahoma Kid
The mention of the amazing sight of James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart snarling at each other from under 10 gallon hats, holding six-shooters usually...
Finding Gold & Gunfights in Helena
A century and a half later, folks in Montana are still racing for gold. Or something. That idiot in the Taurus almost ran me over on East Broadway....
Gems Along the Continental Divide
The backbone of the continent—the Continental Divide—is rocky and rugged in places,...
A Hunter’s Classic Returns
To the hunter in the field, probably the only thing better than a powerful and accurate rifle is an improved version. In the latter part of 1935,...
The Killing of Bill Tilghman
A sterling reputation won’t block a lead bullet. Famed Old West lawman Bill Tilghman learned that lesson firsthand, in an ugly, smelly, Oklahoma oil...
Once Upon a Time in the West
There isn’t one Old West, there are many, as different as the Spanish–flavored architecture of San Antonio is to the Victorian facades of Deadwood...