Oakley made a name as a sure shot. April 24, 1885. Annie Oakley (and her husband, Frank Butler) joins Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Already...
Annie Got Her Gun
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True West Blog
A Daring Escape
The Kid gets out of jail. April 28, 1881. Billy the Kid was being held in the Lincoln County Courthouse; he was sentenced to hang for the murder of...
The Arizona Rangers
A new attempt to fight crime. The dawning of the 20th century brought little improvement to the notorious reputation Arizona had earned during the...
Wanted: Dead
An Arizona policy paid less for captured outlaws. Stagecoach robbers became such a menace on Arizona’s Black Canyon Road (today’s Interstate 17)...
Billy Got His Gun
How did the Kid arm himself for his big escape? Some accounts claim that when Billy the Kid escaped from the Lincoln County Jail in 1881, he used a...
A Last Badge for Wild Bill
Hickok becomes an Abilene lawman. April 15, 1871. Wild Bill Hickok becomes marshal of Abilene, Kansas. His tenure is tumultuous. He befriends young...
Earp Loses His Badge
A political brawl leads to dismissal of Wyatt Earp. April 19, 1876. Wyatt Earp is fired as a Wichita, Kansas policeman. Earp's boss, Mike Meagher,...
The Texians’ Great Victory
Independence is near after San Jacinto. April 21, 1836. Sam Houston and a force of about 900 Texians surprised the Mexican army (around 1300 men)...
Some Heat from the Kitchen
Pete and Rosa knew how to keep Apache at bay. Pete Kitchen’s ranch near today's Nogales, Arizona in the 1860s became the only safe haven between...
Here Comes Calamity!
Jane built a wild reputation in the West. Martha Jane Canary's story has come down to us in a somewhat romantic Hollywood version. She was no Doris...
The Climax of a Court Case
Climax Jim took care of the evidence against him. Rufus Nephew, better-known as Climax Jim, was well known in Arizona of the 1890s. He was arrested...
The Wyoming Invasion
A battle of unfair odds. April 8, 1892. A small army of mercenaries, hired by the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, surrounds the cabin of Nate...