Ormond Wright served the good people of Dodge City. In 1877, Rev. Ormond Wright served the Union Church in Dodge City, Kansas. (a replica of which...
A Frontier Pastor
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True West Blog
How Tombstone Got its Name
Prospector Ed Schieffelin was making a joke… September 21, 1877. Prospector Ed Schieffelin files a claim on a site in Southeast Arizona known as...
Ride Cowboy, Ride!
On September 26, 2024, True West’s 2022 True Westerner of the Year and beloved Firearms Editor Phil Spangenberger died suddenly during a heart...
Who Got Al?
The death of outlaw Spencer is a mystery. Al Spencer was an outlaw who bridged the Old West and the gangster era. He learned his craft from Henry...
What’s in a Name?
For gunfighters, it helped to have a catchy moniker. Having a catchy “gunfighter” name was almost a sure way to immortality. Henry McCarty might...
Sending for Help
Two scouts braved Indians and elements to get a relief force. On September 17th, 1868, Colonel Sandy Forsythe’s band of scouts found themselves...
A Tale of the Tucson Rangers
Fighting wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. The enthusiasm to be civilian Indian militia usually evaporated about the same time as the whiskey they...
The Big Haul
An outlaw gang strikes it rich…for the moment. September 18, 1877. Six members of the Joel Collins Gang board a Union Pacific train at a water stop...
A Self-Made Man
Frank Canton rode on both sides of the law. September 15, 1849. Josiah Horner is born near Richmond, Indiana. He heads to Texas when he's 15--and...
Breaking Away
An Old West outlaw changes his stripes. September 13, 1875. Four men escape from a jail in Jacksboro, TX. One of them, Joe Horner, has been awaiting...
What’s In a Name?
Paladin. Just Paladin. His name was Paladin, and the show was “Have Gun, Will Travel.” Just Paladin. The show’s creators preferred to have their...
War Horses
Equines suffered the consequences in battle. Sadly, horses suffered huge casualties during the 19th Century, whether it was the Civil War, the...