Ferd Patterson was a gambler and shootist who plied his trade on the West Coast in the 1850s and ‘60s. In 1861, he and some friends were on a...
A Man Of Few Words Ferd Patterson briefly summed up a shooting.
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True West Blog
High Grading In mining lingo, high grading was simply pilfering ore from the mine one’s employer...
In mining lingo, high grading was simply pilfering ore from the mine one’s employer. A miner might take a few choice pieces of ore home with him at...
A Bad Role Model Wes Hardin shouldn’t have looked up to Alec Barekman
Alec Barekman was kin by marriage to John Wesley Hardin. And when Wes went on the run after his first killings as a teenager, he hid out with the...
Infamous Buried Treasure Claimed to Have Been Found An anonymous treasure hunter has discovered Forrest Fenn's $2 million treasure trove in the Rocky Mountains.
Ten years after renowned 89-year-old Santa Fe art dealer and True Westerner award-winner Forrest Fenn secretly hid a treasure of gold, gems and rare...
Ash Fork Cattle Company During the middle of the twentieth century the Ash Fork Livestock Company, run by Frank and Gene Campbell, was one of the biggest outfits in northern Arizona...
During the middle of the twentieth century the Ash Fork Livestock Company, run by Frank and Gene Campbell, was one of the biggest outfits in...
Tall Tale Another Old West legend gets knocked down.
Sometimes the stories just aren’t true—and our friends point that out. Recently, we printed a blog entry about a massacre in Sailor’s Diggins,...
Disease In The Frontier Army Far more soldiers died from or were treated for Cholera, dysentery, malaria, fevers and other afflictions than from combat wounds...
General William Tecumseh Sherman reported in 1869: The efficiency of the frontier army which averaged about 20,000 men in the period 1855-1875...
Billy the Kid: Good Guy or Bad Was Billy the Kid a good guy or bad? You decide!
Here’s a quick summary. Billy was a likable young man. He was very popular with the Latino population in New Mexico. He spoke Spanish...
Was He…or Wasn’t He? Popular culture’s portrayal of Breakenridge is likely unfair.
History is not always kind to people. Take Billy Breakenridge, a Cochise County deputy under John Behan during Tombstone’s troubled times. Movies...
Not A Big Name But John Rockfellow had a big impact on Southeast Arizona.
John Rockfellow was a big figure in Tombstone’s history, even if his name isn’t well known. He moved to the area in 1881 at age 23 and established...
Tom Fitzpatrick: Trapper, Scout and Indian Agent One of America's most important frontiersman, scout and guide is also one of the least known.
One of America's most important frontiersman, scout and guide is also one of the least known. Stories abound about Joe Walker, Kit Carson, Jim...
A Massacre—and Missing Gold The killers didn’t get away, but what happened to the treasure?
The Triskett Gang left a mark on the mining town of Sailors Diggins, Oregon. On August 3, 1852, the boys were all drunk and went on a...