When did belt loops become common? Steve Prescott Watauga, Texas Not all historians agree on the timing. Bob Charnes, owner of Arizona...
Did cowboys really pull pack animals by holding a rope tied to their saddle horn?
I frequently see movie cowboys pulling another horse, mule or other pack animal by holding a rope tied to their saddle horn. Is that accurate? Jay...
What did a cowboy do with his rifle when it was illegal to carry them into towns?
In many Western towns, it was illegal to carry a handgun. But when a cowboy rode in, what did he do with his rifle? Paul Etzler Cedar City, Utah...
Are tumbleweeds not native to America?
I’ve heard that tumbleweeds are not native to this country. Is that correct? Richard Rodriguez Granton, Wisconsin You’re right on target. The...
Why does Virgil Earp get so little credit as an Old West lawman?
Why does Virgil Earp get so little credit as an Old West lawman, and his brother Wyatt get so much? Stuart Dukes Sittingbourne, Kent, UK Virgil was...
6 Guns
Two Westerns, both independents and both about bounty hunters, will be available on DVD within a couple of months of each other. The first one is 6...
A Dark Circus
Western these days don’t often open in the heart of the summer tentpole season; Appaloosa and 3:10 to Yuma, the two biggest Westerns of recent...
Stay on Target When Collecting Gun Shots
How many times have you looked at an antique photo and thought, “If this old photo could only talk?” Well, they do, in a way. As a collector of...
Dreams of Gold on the Starvation Trail
Gold seekers intent on finding the quickest ways to the Colorado gold fields forged the Smoky Hill Trail, but many of them paid a terrible price in...
Calgary’s “Exotic” Stampede
As I walked among the concession stands at Stampede Park, I was continually surprised by what I saw and smelled; fried Oreos, BBQ ribs, Tornado...
Joe McNeill
I first became interested in the history of Western film after moving to Sedona, Arizona, in 2001. My interest in Westerns jump-started when I could...
Bandera, Texas
When you ask Genie Strickland, a fifth-generation Banderan, how a town of 957 people can produce so much Western heritage entertainment, she breaks...