Screen icons John Wayne, Henry Fonda and James Stewart all appeared together in just one film: 1962’s How the West Was Won, although none of them...
Almost A Western: The Streets of Laredo
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Mark Boardman
The Colfax County War Catalyst
Ironically, the death of a man of peace led to violence in Colfax County, New Mexico. Methodist Pastor Franklin J. Tolby had taken sides in the...
Two Guns Ghost Town
They called the Arizona town Two Guns—supposedly after one of the early settlers, a crotchety old guy who called himself Two Gun Miller. There’d...
Clayton Moore
At one point in the classic movie Shane, the hero (played by Alan Ladd) wins a brutal fistfight with several of the bad guys. One of the baddies is...
Clint’s Career Cut Short?
Pale Rider was Clint Eastwood’s 1985 tribute/remake of the classic Western Shane. It made more money than any other Western produced and...
Bonanza’s Bing Russell
Character actor Bing Russell is best known for the recurring role as a deputy on the long-running TV series Bonanza. He appeared in a number of...
Some Bad Beef Between Robert Ford and Jefferson Davis Hardin?
There’s a story told that the killer of Jesse James and the brother of John Wesley Hardin once took up arms against one another. Robert Ford and...
Jack Elam Gets Cut
Veteran character actor Jack Elam was supposed to have a prominent role in the classic “High Noon.” He was a town drunk, guzzling booze in a bar...
A Show-Biz Career for Ken Curtis
Actor Ken Curtis is best known for portraying Festus Haggen on Gunsmoke from 1959 to 1975. He also made a mark as a member of director John Ford’s...
Buffalo Bill Lies Here—Or Here
William F. Cody—Buffalo Bill—was arguably one of the great showmen of all times. He would probably enjoy the ongoing public spectacle about where...
Denis Kearney
Denis Kearney was an Irish immigrant/naturalized citizen who became a political organizer in 1870s California. He was a founder of the Workingmen’s...
Arizona’s Contention City
Contention City was an Arizona boom town that soon went bust. Founded in 1879, about 10 miles outside Tombstone, the place had possibilities. It...