Virginia City became the capital of Montana Territory in 1865 after the gold strike at nearby Alder Gulch. The boomtown almost died out, until...
Virginia City, Montana
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Articles
Raven Springs
When a Mexican compadre sets out for a Wyoming sheep camp yet never arrives, Jimmy Clevis agrees to find his friend. During his travels, he meets...
Passion and Principle
Authors have written excellent books on John C. Fremont (Allan Nevins, Ferol Egan) and even one (Pamela Herr) on his wife. Because of their devotion...
Alex Swan and the Swan Companies
Oh, where to start? I found this book boring and tedious, probably akin to reading the stock market report. In the 1870s, Alexander Swan ultimately...
The Rise of the Centennial State: Colorado Territory, 1861-76
This volume on early Colorado history is concise, yet it offers nothing new, and the writing is very dry. I did enjoy the thumbnail sketches of the...
Fort Stanton’s Angel
The “Savior of Fort Stanton” is too modest to claim that title for herself, but anyone who has watched the reversal of fortune at one of the West’s...
Music That Ain’t Country (Let Alone Western)
You’re more likely to find me listening to an audiobook or tuning in to National Public Radio than dialing in a Country-Western station, but not too...
Not So Lonesome
Successful literary collaborations are rare. A few exceptions can be found, such as Mark Twain & Charles Dudley Warner (The Gilded Age), Charles...
Most Hollywood movies end with the good guys winning and the bad guys in jail or dead. How true is that to the Old West?
Most Hollywood movies end with the good guys winning and the bad guys in jail or dead. How true is that to the Old West? Willie Slappy Jonesboro,...
True West calls the Tombstone battle the “Gunfight Behind the O.K. Corral,” while Earp historian Allen Barra calls it the “Street Fight in Tombstone.” How did people in the 19th century refer to it?
True West calls the Tombstone battle the “Gunfight Behind the O.K. Corral,” while Earp historian Allen Barra calls it the “Street Fight in...
My SASS friends and I disagree. I say chinks were not worn by working cowboys in the 1890s. I believe they were show wear for riders during the late 1940s. Can you settle this?
My SASS friends and I disagree. I say chinks were not worn by working cowboys in the 1890s. I believe they were show wear for riders during the late...
I can’t locate a copy of Richard O’Connor’s Bat Masterson book, listed in the credits of the TV series starring Gene Barry. Is there another biography I can buy?
I can’t locate a copy of Richard O’Connor’s Bat Masterson book, listed in the credits of the TV series starring Gene Barry. Is there another...