One of the West's most unusual gunfighter wannabe’s was Bill Tettenborn, better-known as Russian Bill. There are a number of tales about his origins. Some say he was a young lieutenant serving in the Russian Army before deserting to come to the Wild West because he wanted to become an outlaw.
Bill was described as a tall, “gangling man of blonde complexion.” According to one source, he had a “fierce blond mustache and blond hair which hung to his shoulders; he carried a six-gun on e

True West May/June 2025
In This Issue:
Features
- Historic Hotels of the American West
- A Journey Through Wyoming’s Outlaw History
- A Journey Through Washington’s Wild Frontier
- Blazing The Oregon Trail
- Journey Through Time
- Did Brigham Young Order a Massacre?
- Mountain Meadows Scapegoat John D. Lee VS. A Firing Squad
- Mormons in the Movies
- An Indigenous Consultant Ensures Accuracy
- The Battle Axe And A Raw Deal
- Showdown: Bridger VS. Brigham
- The Mountain Man and the Mormon Moses
- The Ghosts of Mountain Meadows
- The War Before the War
- Mountain Meadows