True West Blog
A Talk for the Ages

A Talk for the Ages

The interview that made Wild Bill famous. In September 1865, Col. George Ward Nichols was in Springfield, MO—it’s not clear why. But he took the...

read more
The Last Drink

The Last Drink

A corpse, a bottle of whiskey, and drunken cowboys. On Saturday, April 8th, 1905, two cowboys, John Shaw and Bill Smythe, walked into the Wigwam...

read more
Divine Intervention?

Divine Intervention?

A lightning bolt stopped a lynching. Near Canyon Diablo in Arizona, along the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad, an aspiring train robber hijacked the...

read more
A Man Called Pie

A Man Called Pie

John Allen made his mark in Arizona. John B. Allen came to Arizona during the 1858 gold rush at Gila City, a few miles east of Yuma. That same year...

read more
A Fight for Ages

A Fight for Ages

The Battle of New Orleans—good and bad. At New Orleans on January 8th, 1815, some 4700 Americans (led by General Andrew Jackson) took on more than...

read more
Death of a Lawman

Death of a Lawman

How Pat Garrett met his end. Feb. 29, 1908. Pat Garrett is gunned down on the road outside Las Cruces, NM. Wayne Brazel admits to the shooting but...

read more
Financing the Louisiana Purchase

Financing the Louisiana Purchase

A British bank took a chance on providing the money. In 1800, Napoleon pressured Spain to cede Louisiana back to France. Then in 1803, he sold it to...

read more