Soapy Smith and Sam Bass’ last holdup. Sam Bass and his gang were planning on robbing a bank in Round Rock, Texas on July 19, 1878. The attempt went...
Witness to History
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Mark Boardman
Accident with a Gun
Trapper Jim Baker was seriously hurt while practicing shooting. Jim Baker was one of the great pioneers, explorers, trappers and hunters of the...
A Pioneer Lost His Land
Charles Autobees’ homestead didn’t fit the rules. Charles Autobees was a mountain man and trapper, who plied that trade starting at age 16. He...
The Real Grizzly Adams
How a bear saved his life. Grizzly Adams was renowned for his hunting skills—including taking down bears. But he owed his life to one. In 1854, he...
Luke’s Last Fight
Short was badly wounded in the shootout. The long-simmering feud between Luke Short and Charles Wright finally reached the boiling point in Fort...
The Indians and the Jesuit
Father de Smet built the first permanent settlement in Montana. It took the Salish Indians of Montana nearly three decades to acquire a Catholic...
He Hated the Irish
Charlie Harrison’s bigotry had a high cost. It started as an argument over cards in a Cheyenne, WY, saloon. Gambler Charlie Harrison insulted Jim...
They Called Him Teddy Blue
Abbott wrote about the life of a cowboy. Edward Charles Abbott was born in England—but he became the prototypical American cowboy. His family moved...
A Quick Hand
A lawman used an unorthodox method to stop an outlaw. Fred Lambert was a tough New Mexico lawman at an early age. He was 15 when he became a member...
George Scarborough Cashes in His Chips
The legendary lawman tried to take on members of the Wild Bunch. George Scarborough was a noted lawman—including a stint as a deputy U.S. marshal....
A Deadly Ambush
Two young possemen had a deadly run-in with the Wild Bunch.Teenagers Frank Lesueur and Gus Gibbons didn’t stand a chance. They were part of a posse...
The Assassination of Allison
A lawman was too much of a terror to outlaws. Dave Allison was a top Texas lawman in the late 1800s and early 1900s. But his reputation may have...