When the Spanish explored the West, they discovered numerous ruins clinging to cliff sides and mountain tops. Today, many of these ancient Puebloan...
Rough Drafts 6/14
For the second year, True West staff presence at the Tucson Festival of Books was a great success. Headquartered at the Arizona Inn, Executive...
Territorial Greed: Sins and Sinners of the Santa Fe Ring Revealed
Corruption, fraud, intimidation, murder and assassination, all weapons of power and greed the politicians of the Santa Fe Ring used during their...
16 Historical Destinations That Will Make You Weep
The American West, imagined and celebrated worldwide in art and literature, film and television, is equally a land of grace and grief. Since...
Gamblers, Gunfighters & Saloon Girls
For over half a century, author Larry McMurtry has brought the West alive to readers through his lean, lyrical prose. His personal experiences...
Rough Drafts 5/14
The sound and the fury: Quentin Tarantino threw a fit and filed suit when his script The Hateful Eight was leaked on the Internet. Too bad. He is...
Rough Drafts 4/14
In True West’s annual “Best of the West” January 2014 issue, I highlighted the best authors and books of 2013. A new category I’d like to introduce...
On the Trail of History
In the last decade, with the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery exploration of the West in 2004-2006, and the current...
On the California Trail: Salt Lake City to Sacramento
The California Trail conjures up images of emigrants and gold seekers, mountain men and Mormons, as well as the hopefulness of new lands that...
Rediscovering the Mandan’s Heart of the World
For decades, the Mandan people of the northern plains, whose vast and well-organized communities greeted French trappers and Lewis and Clark, were...
The Best Historical Roadside Markers You Have to See
Driving America’s byways and highways is a personal experience I’ve enjoyed since I first drove to Arizona with a buddy on a road trip in 1980. I...
An American Tale: Wild Mustangs and the Spirit of a Nation
Deep in the subconscious spirit of the people of the Americas is a love affair with the horse. While the modern horse did not come to the Western...