James Beckwourth is one of the most interesting of Old West characters. He was present during the Bear Flag Rebellion, the Seminole War, and the...
James Beckwourth
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True West Blog
Marshall “Wild Bill”
December 13, 1871. Abilene (KS) Town Council President J.A. Gauthie moves to dismiss Marshal J.B. “Wild Bill” Hickok after just eight months in the...
Stagecoach and Train Robbers
How common were train robberies & holding up passengers & stagecoach holdups? They were pretty common, especially in remote places. Between...
History of the Toothbrush
When was the toothbrush invented? Tools to clean teeth have been around since prehistoric times. Folks used twigs, bones, feathers and even...
Cowboy Superstitions
Did you know it is considered bad luck for a cowboy to wear yellow in the arena? It's because the color is associated with cowardice. Never, set a...
Sweet Revenge
Jack Slade got even with Jules Beni. Jules Beni was a frontiersman who founded Julesburg, Colorado in the 1850s. He was station manager for stages...
In His Brother’s Footsteps
Jim Burrow robbed Texas trains. Jim Burrow was an Alabama native who followed his brother Rube into the train robbery business. The outlaws pulled...
Robber of the Rails
Rube Burrow robbed Texas trains. Rube Burrow wanted to be like Texas outlaw Sam Bass. So he followed in his footsteps, robbing trains across the...
Saloon Number 10
I was in Deadwood in 2017 and while there I saw what they claim to be Wild Bill Hickoks death chair above the door of one of the saloons. I just...
Women Peace Officers in the West
Were there any women peace officers in the Old West? Holly Dew (Ahwatukee, AZ) I haven't run across any from the Old West and I believe if there was...
Jim Leavy
For several years I believed he spelled his last name, Levy. I knew he was born in Dublin, Ireland but that didn't mean he couldn't be Jewish. And,...
War with the Modocs
The U.S. tries to return the Indians to the reservation. In November 1872, U.S. soldiers try to push a group of Modoc Indians to the Klamath...