One day during Tombstone’s boom times, a Gypsy came strolling into town with a bear on a leash. He announced to the gathering crowd that for...
The Gypsy and the Bear
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True West Blog
A Gunfight?
A Doc Holliday shootout was just a lot of smoke. Most Old West gunfights were casual, almost comical affairs. Case in point: a saloon in Dallas on...
Switching Sides
Zeke Proctor—outlaw turned lawman. Zeke Proctor was a hard man, living in the Cherokee Nation in the 1870s. He was responsible for several killings....
Flakes that Changed the World
And you can see the gold that started the rush. On January 24, 1848, James Marshall discovered gold flakes while constructing Sutter’s Mill near...
Apache May Slaughter
True West reader Shawn Cote writes, “Has it ever been confirmed that Apache May Slaughter's biological father really was the Apache Kid, as...
How did Bob Ford, the killer of Jesse James die?
Soon after Bob Ford shot Jesse James at Jesse’s home In St. Joseph, Missouri public opinion turned against Bob and Charlie Ford. Bob was seen as a...
How Common was the Cross Draw?
The cross draw was popular among cowboys of the Old West so their pistols wouldn’t get in the way of their work around the ranch. It was also easier...
A Bitter Brew
An outlaw got more than he bargained for… Caleb Hall got around. He was with the John Kinney Gang, fought in Texas’ Mason County War, and got...
Doc’s Happy New Year
Holliday celebrated the incoming 1875 with a bit of dueling. Doc Holliday got into a fair amount of gun play during his time—but very few of the...
Shot or Sprained?
What kind of injury did Bill Tilghman suffer during a famous raid? There are a lot of Old West stories that may or may not be true. One of...
An In-Depth Look at the Telegraph System in the Old West
A True West Reader asks, “How did the telegraph system work in the Old West? I read things such as Wyatt Earp in Tombstone sending a telegraph to...
The Colt Single Action Revolver
Although many other makes used, the Colt single-action six-shooter was the weapon of choice for most gunfighters. In his hands it was both a tool of...