October 14, 1882 John J. Cozad is negotiating a trade in the Bee Hive General Store, which is run by his mother-in-law, Julia A. Gatewood, who sits...
Son of a Gunfighter
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Bob Boze Bell
Opening Shot Dissected…
Regarding the July 2013 Opening Shot of Pat Garrett and crew sitting on the dock: This building is new, the corners of the adobe have not rounded...
The Final Camel Charge
April 7, 1859 After months on the trail from California’s Fort Tejon, Samuel Bishop and 23 volunteers mount 20 camels and a couple mules at one in...
Blazing Bastards
December 8, 1883 On a cold December night, five cowboys wearing heavy coats and masks ride up the gulch, past the Copper Queen smelter, and dismount...
Left for Dead
July 19, 1878 As a raging fire engulfs another room, Alexander McSween and his men move into the kitchen, the last standing room of his adobe home...
Doc Hits Bottom (But Not Much Else)
August 19, 1884 Broke, sick and usually drunk, Doc Holliday hits rock bottom in Leadville, Colorado. Today, a fellow gambler, Billy Allen, is...
Triangle Canyon Shoot-Out
April 3, 1900 Lawman George Scarborough and Triangle Ranch manager Walter Birchfield are trailing cow thieves in the San Simon, Arizona, area. As...
Billy’s Dirtiest Deed?
November 27, 1880 The cook at the Greathouse Ranch, Joe Steck, steps outside the main ranch house to harness a team of horses and encounters a...
Blast from the Past Road Trips
In the past 60 years, True West has consistently provoked one’s urge to hit the road and see where history happened. From Tombstone to Dodge City,...
The Death Tent
November 27, 1887 Working out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, Deputy U.S. Marshal Frank Dalton, is tracking a horse thief in the Cherokee Nation named Dave...
Tapped Out!
October 15, 1894 A political rally is being held in Tucker’s Saloon in Bruneau, Idaho. After the speeches have finished, words are exchanged between...
Trailing Billy
Last October I made my umpteenth trip to New Mexico from Arizona where I live. Like the preeminent Billy the Kid scholar Fred Nolan and master...