John Tunstall’s murderers staged the death scene for a laugh. February 18, 1878. Rancher John Tunstall (photo) is shot and killed by a posse in...
Killers and Practical Jokes
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True West Blog
Billy Dixon’s Shot of the Century
Who was Amous Chapman at the Adobe Wall Battle in 1874? On September 12th Army scout Amos Chapman arrived at Adobe Wall with a small party of 7th...
Hickok Saw it Coming…Sort Of
Jack McCall didn’t totally surprise Wild Bill. The legend says that Jack McCall came up from behind an unaware Wild Bill Hickok (photo) and shot him...
Adobe Wall
Did rotten walls and the collapse of a roof alert the hunters at Adobe Wall? In the spring of 1874 James Hanrahan and Charles Rath were among...
1883
I received a letter from a friend saying, “I’ve been watching the series ‘1883’ on TV. A friend of mine quit watching it because she said it wasn’t...
Brooks vs. Earp?
A case of a shootout that never happened. The legend says that Morgan Earp and Billy Brooks (photo) got into a shootout in Butte, Montana in 1873....
Leaving Town
The McLaury brothers planned to get out of Tombstone… One of the ironies of the OK Corral shootout—participants/Cow-boys Frank and Tom McLaury...
Calling Doctor Holliday
Morgan Earp brought him to Tombstone—just in time for the gunfight. On October 21, 1881, Wyatt Earp sends brother Morgan (photo) to Tucson to bring...
Ike and Bill Haslett
Who were the Haslett Brothers and how were they involved with the notorious Cochise County Cow-Boys? You’re referring to Ike and Bill Haslett? They...
Geronimo or Goyathlay
Did the Apache know their famous warrior as Geronimo or to them was he still Goyathlay? Geronimo, a prominent leader and shaman, was a Bedonkohe...
Drug Use on the Frontier
What was drug use like in the Old West? Was is socially acceptable or did people hide the fact? Drugs were pretty common and were legal. The Chinese...
An Accidental Shooting?
Barney Riggs’ first killing was unintentional…right? Barney Riggs was one of the most feared gunmen in the Old West. But his first shooting may—or...