Visit Fort Concho in March and enjoy two special programs, either as a participant or just as an observer. The annual Frontier Ladies Living History...
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True West Blog
Ending a Feud
Mather vs. Nixon came to a sudden end. Dodge City stalwarts Tom Nixon (photo) and “Mysterious” Dave Mather had a beef with one another. It started...
Vengeance for a Marshal
Cowboys who killed a New Mexico lawman paid a price. On January 22, 1880, drunk cowboys were causing trouble in a Las Vegas, New Mexico saloon....
Wyatt Earp and The Gold Bricks
A myth made up by a hater. The story goes that Wyatt Earp and “Mysterious” Dave Mather were in Mobeetie, Texas in 1878. Reportedly, the pair ran a...
Posse Comitatus
The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 which limits the power of the federal government in the use of federal military personnel to enforce domestic...
The Mason-Richards Conversion Unit
Ironically, an employee of Colt, Rollin White, came up with the idea of boring through the cylinder to accept the new metallic cartridges but Sam...
Lieutenant J. C. Ives and his Grand Canyon Adventure
Little was known about the navigability of the Colorado River above Fort Yuma until 1858 when Captain George Johnson took his steamboat, a...
Nothing Out of the Ordinary
A lawman assesses an infamous execution. April 26, 1901. Train robber Tom “Black Jack” Ketchum is hanged in Clayton, New Mexico Territory. Officials...
Strange Connections
Frank Hamer’s ties to an outlaw family. Frank Hamer has gone down in history as one of the greatest lawmen of all time. But before he became a Texas...
The Legend Begins
The unofficial start to Frank Hamer’s career. Legendary Texas Ranger Frank Hamer got his law enforcement career started in something of an unusual...
James Stinson: The Man Who Started the Pleasant Valley War
In the fall of 1881, cattleman James Stinson brought some 600 head of cattle into Pleasant Valley and unwittingly branded them with a “T” which...
Denziens of the Wild
In the past, most western movies romanticize sleeping under the stars and the wide, open spaces. How much trouble did they have with all of the...