They came West for myriad reasons, integrating on the High Plains and in the Rocky Mountains, blending cultures as they met American Indians. Fur...
Into the West
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Johnny D. Boggs
The Great Escape
No, Bob, Cole and Jim Younger did not own a condo here at Terra Springs. Oh, the boys lived here, all right—till Bob’s death in 1889 and Cole and...
Steinbeck’s Trail
At a book signing a while back, legendary Western writer Max Evans (The Rounders, The Hi Lo Country, Goin’ Crazy With Sam Peckinpah and All Our...
Lincoln’s Western Past
At first, I think I’ve made a wrong turn somewhere, because this doesn’t feel like the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. It’s more...
Wyatt Earp Reimagined
New lawman Wyatt Earp tries to figure out who killed a prostitute in John Shirley’s Wyatt in Wichita: A Historical Novel. “When I could,” Shirley...
The Valiant and Brave
Frankly, I don’t get re-enactors. Like that overweight, redneck Civil War buff I saw years back, firing his musket, then yelling at advancing Yankee...
The Toughest Man West of the Pecos
"Chisum! John Chisum! Weary. Saddle worn.” Sorry. Every time I think of John Simpson Chisum, I think of the 1970 John Wayne movie Chisum, and Andrew...
Fires Can’t Blacken Colorado Springs
The Colorado city of Colorado Springs hasn’t been lucky when it comes to forest fires. The Black Forest Fire of 2013 and the Waldo Canyon Fire of...
When Billy the Kid Was Billie the Kid
Casting a woman in a male role makes sense. After all, Linda Hunt won an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for her performance as an...
Arizona Historians Survive Cutback
After saving Arizona’s history since 1864, the Arizona Historical Society’s history almost ended, before cooler heads prevailed. Just past midnight...
Trail of Tragedy
I’ve waited until May to come back, figuring that a late fall or early winter trip would be too depressing. Besides, driving across rural...
Nevada’s Buckaroos, Bonanzas and Boomtowns
I’m standing in Mesquite, Nevada, with Max McCoy, historian, teacher, journalist, novelist, traveler and writer who knows how to turn a phrase....