August 5, 1892 It’s a hot day in the central California town of Visalia. In spite of that, two lawmen are wearing heavy dusters as they undertake...
House Party Shoot-Out
read more
Articles
Top 10 Western Museums of 2009
Our third annual awards honoring this year's top museums based on their grand showcases of the American West in the previous year. 1- Great Platte...
Western novels often use the term “drifter,” but did cowboys use it?
Western novels often use the term “drifter,” but did cowboys use it? O. J. Hurst Otis Orchards, Washington The term was quite common among cowhands,...
What can you tell me about China Mary of Tombstone fame?
What can you tell me about China Mary of Tombstone fame? Bill Wilson Glade Spring, Virginia The first Chinese arrived in Arizona in the mid-1870s...
Back Trail to the Reel West
My wife Dana and I rode into the heart of the Alabama Hills, a place I had been to thousands of times in my 50-plus years, even though I’d never set...
Herding Belligerent Bison
If you get up close, especially when one decides to charge you on horseback, bison can be pretty scary beasts. They look prehistoric, with their...
Nate Funmaker
When people come into my store, many are surprised to meet me. One customer said to me, “I’m thinkin I’m going to see a 60-year-old Jewish guy...
The Adventures of a Wagon Train
Robert Fuller was the perfect TV cowboy. He loved to ride, loved acting, he had the looks and, as the child of professional dancers, he had the...
San Antonio, Texas
"Bring in your deer antlers and you can trade them for a shot of whiskey or beer." When you enter the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum in San Antonio,...
Cow Camp Style
It took a decade to find the property that Mike and Amy Bennett envisioned: a classic little log building not unlike the trailside museum at the...
Ups & Downs of Ranching Dream
Who hasn’t fantasized about riding off into the sunset on your own horse through beautiful Western terrain that is all yours for as far as the eye...
The Most Famous Rifle of the Old West
Thanks largely to its use on the American frontier, the slab-sided 1873 Winchester lever-action rifle has become an icon of the Wild West. The 1873...