True West Blog
Breaking Away

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...

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What’s In a Name?

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...

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War Horses

War Horses

Equines suffered the consequences in battle. Sadly, horses suffered huge casualties during the 19th Century, whether it was the Civil War, the...

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Old West Gunfights

Old West Gunfights

The movies got it wrong. Street fighting in the Old West was about as rare as horseflies in December. It’s more of a Hollywood creation. In towns...

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Father Unto Death

Father Unto Death

A fill-in cashier derails a James-Younger Gang robbery. Joseph Lee Heywood was treasurer at Carleton College in Northfield, MN—but on September 7,...

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The King of the Cowboys

The King of the Cowboys

Buck Taylor became a heroic figure—courtesy of Buffalo Bill. Buffalo Bill Cody decided to upgrade the image of the cowboy (the term was often used...

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A Poor Start

A Poor Start

The first holdup by the Sundance Kid didn’t go so well. Harry Longabaugh’s (the Sundance Kid) career as a train robber began less than gloriously....

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A Woman’s Work

A Woman’s Work

Life on the frontier was hard. Life on the frontier was especially hard on women. The men spent their days working in the fields or hunting and the...

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Death of a Legend

Death of a Legend

Crazy Horse’s tragic end. September 5, 1877. The noted Oglala warrior Crazy Horse is killed at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. Crazy Horse and his band are...

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Listen to Your Elders

Listen to Your Elders

A James-Younger Gang holdup has a weird ending. August 30, 1874. Frank and Jesse James and one of the Youngers rob a stage outside North Lexington,...

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