Articles Archive

Billy the Kid and the Apaches

by James B. Mills | Jun 11, 2021

The audacious outlaw fought and raided his rival renegades without retribution. All images courtesy True West Archives unless otherwise noted ...

Young Guns

by TW Editors | Jun 11, 2021

Armed and Dangerous on the American Frontier One-hundred and forty years ago, on July 14, 1881, Pat Garrett shot and killed Billy the Kid in...

The 1841 “Mississippi” Rifle

by Phil Spangenberger | Jun 10, 2021

This handsomely rugged 1840s muzzleloader was prized by frontiersmen and military riflemen alike and helped phase out the smoothbore musket. ...

The West’s First Preservationist Will Surprise You

by Jana Bommersbach | Jun 10, 2021

In Lincoln County, New Mexico, the name John Tunstall is as famous as his hired gun, Billy the Kid. His ambition, his capitalistic competition, his...

Great Danger Rests on the Town! God Save Us!

by Mark Boardman | Jun 10, 2021

A doctor and pastor found little healing during the Lincoln County War. It must have seemed like a simple assignment—providing medical care...

Shooting Back

by True West | Jun 10, 2021

Our readers remind us of the variables and vagaries of historic truths, “well-established” facts, headlines and historical photographs. Who was...

Here’s Looking at You, Kid

by Bob Boze Bell | Jun 10, 2021

The Class of 2021 has turned in their research and—boy, howdy—there are some eyebrow-raisers here. When I was first diving deep into all the Billy...

Truth Be Known

by TW Editors | Jun 10, 2021

Old Vaquero Saying “The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest.” Quotes “Have...

Young Guns South of the Border

by True West | Jun 10, 2021

Six decades after the California Gold Rush, adventurous young men from around the world were still flooding the West seeking fame, fortune and, for...