Tom Starr led a criminal clan in Oklahoma. Tom Starr’s Cherokee father signed the treaty that forced the tribe to move to the Indian Territory. For...
Not-So Shining Store
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Mark Boardman
Belle Starr’s First Husband
Jim Reed blazed his own criminal trail. Jim Reed is best known as Belle Starr’s first husband. But he had his own claim to infamy. After the pair...
The Donner Business
Where did the wagon train party fall short? Back when I was in high school, a group of us loved to go winter camping out in the middle of nowhere....
Another Younger
Many questions about Uncle Bruce. Bruce Younger is a mystery man of the Old West. An uncle of the infamous Younger brothers, Bruce was apparently...
This is how They did it in Texas
The Reds, the Blues and some questionable votes. In 1873, Texas Democratic Party boss Stephen Powers formed the Blue Club, a social organization...
A Feud Over Love
Texas men fought and killed for the sanctity of their homes. In 1911, Lena Sneed of Texas and New Mexico ran off with an old boyfriend, Al Boyce,...
The Gun is Mightier than the Pen
A Texas newspaperman learned a hard truth… William Cowper Brann was a Texas newspaperman who went after his enemies, in print, with relish and tough...
What Goes Around, Comes Around
A Wichita hardcase learned the hard way about the danger of gunfights. Billy Anderson is best remembered for being permanently—and...
Shooting off his Mouth
Or—never threaten a man if you’re unarmed. Rowdy Joe Lowe was one of the best-known saloon owners in the West during the 1870s thru ‘90s. When...
Love Overcomes All
Rowdy Joe Lowe ended up with a woman hurt in his gunfight. Competing saloon owners Red Beard and Rowdy Joe Lowe (photo) took their enmity to a new...
The Dead Robber Reward
A legendary lawman took issue with a controversial bounty system. In the 1920s, Texas was beset by bank robberies. So in 1927, the Texas Bankers...
Ketchum and Hamer
Two legendary Old West names came together in 1900. In 1900, sixteen-year-old Frank Hamer—later a Texas Ranger legend--was severely wounded by Dan...