Dan Tipton was a friend of Wyatt Earp and a member of the Vendetta Ride that went after the killers of Morgan Earp in 1882. In 1883, he likely was a...
From Vendetta Rider to Inmate
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True West Blog
The In-law was an Outlaw
Clint Barkley, alias Bill Bowen, was an in-law of Texas feudists the Horrells. He was arrested in Lampasas, TX in March 1873 for illegally carrying...
He Got Clipped
Ferd Patterson was a sporting man who plied his trade primarily in the Pacific Northwest in the years around the Civil War. He also cultivated a...
Prehistoric Americans and Science
Recently I was asked why prehistoric peoples, those who were here before the arrival of the Europeans, weren’t more accomplished in the field of...
Zwing Hunt
According to Cochise County Deputy Sheriff, Billy Breakenridge, Zwing Hunt was one of the worst outlaws in that hell-for-leather county. He came...
Greenbacks
The question came up a while back from a reader wanting to know when paper money started being used by the common man instead of gold and silver...
Discover Something New About the Old West in this summer’s Western fiction
As much as we all appreciate the educational value a meticulously researched, fact-filled history book, there’s much to be said for the pure...
Which Hanks Did They Kill?
Wild Bunch member O.C. “Camilla” Hanks was almost the victim of mistaken identity when he died. Hanks—also known as “Deaf Charley”—was on the run...
Hiding in the Privvy
It’s unclear what role Tom O’Day played with the Wild Bunch. Some say he was a scout, checking possible robbery sites. Others claim he was a drunken...
After the Battle for the Alamo, Did Any of the Wives or Children of Crockett, Bowie or Travis Visit the Site?
After the battle for the Alamo, did any of the wives or children of Crockett, Bowie or Travis visit the site? Dave Knapp Wilmington, North Carolina...
The Mysterious “Laughing Sam”
Not much is known about Wild Bunch rider “Laughing Sam Carey”—including how he got the nickname. Some accounts say he hung around the...
Bringing Law and Order
The other day a friend asked me if I thought the Earp’s were pivotal figures in settling the west or the towns they policed. My first response was,...