His name was O.C. “Harelip Charlie” Smith, and he may be the least known member of Wyatt Earp’s Vendetta Ride. But the Connecticut native—nicknamed...
The Forgotten Vendetta Rider
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Mark Boardman
A Rose by Any Other Name
Just what did folks call Wyatt Earp’s third wife, Sarah Josephine Marcus Earp? The movies suggest that everyone referred to her as Josie. But...
A Pall to Bear
So the question is: Did Wyatt Earp need pallbearers at his funeral in 1929? After all, his remains were cremated. It wouldn’t take six men to carry...
A Rash Decision
Matt Rash came to Colorado’s Brown’s Park in the 1890s to start his own ranch. It ended up costing him his life. Rash ran afoul of Ora Haley, a...
Washington Steps in–Almost
Things were way out of hand in Cochise County, Arizona Territory in early 1882. Morgan Earp was assassinated by unknown gunmen while playing pool...
A Drive for the Birds
Henry Hooker is best known as a major cattleman in Southeast Arizona during the Earp-Cow-boy times. But before that, he tried a different venture....
The Dodge City Lawdog
Charlie Bassett’s story has been eclipsed—by the legends of Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson. Yet for much of the 1870s, Bassett was the law in Dodge...
A Hero One Day, A Victim Another
Sgt. Emanuel Stance was a hero, the first Buffalo Soldier to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor. He led a patrol against a group of Apaches in...
Don’t Mess with the Lady
Gladys Johnson Sims and ex-husband Ed Sims (photo) were in the middle of a Texas-sized custody battle over their two daughters. They both came to...
A Running Fight
Jesse Evans and his gang acted like they were headed to Mexico in early July 1880. But it was a fake, trying to fool the law. The outlaws turn and...
Arizona Pioneers’ Home: A Place for the Old-Timers
The Arizona Pioneers’ Home was unique when it opened in 1911. It was intended to care for old-timers who had no other place to go. They had to...
SS California: Shipping for Gold
The SS California was launched in May 1848. It had been on the drawing boards for some time, and government subsidies helped make it possible. It...