So here I sit, hawking my novels at a book signing, and this old gentleman's stopping by to tell me this story. I know immediately he's not...
Why Does Everyone Love Louis…
read more
Art, Guns and Culture
Trains, Mules and Horses
Chester A. Arthur is the only U.S. president to make an extensive overland march, mostly on horseback, and the first to visit Yellowstone National...
Low Slung Guns
A popular misconception among some Old West re-enactors and wardrobe experts is that everyone wore their gun-belts high on their waists and that the...
Saving Grandma’s Cabin
Anybody looking at the rotten foundation logs, the caved in roof, the shoved in southeast corner of the cabin would mark it for demolition. Unless,...
Preservation: The Little Railroad that Might
Things seem to be looking up for the Mount Hood Railroad, located in the Hood River Valley, some 60 miles east of Portland, Oregon. Permian Basin...
What Have You Heard, Shane?
Jack Palance played a number of roles during his long career, but the characters of Jack Wilson, the sinister gunfighter in Shane (1953), and the...
The First Western Holster
Sleek scabbards housed frontiersmen’s six-guns from the days of the California Gold Rush through the closing of the frontier. For centuries, pistol...
Preservation: History Up in Smoke
History Up in Smoke Folks in southern California are still assessing all the damage caused by wildfires last fall. Fires destroyed about 2,200...
Top 10 Things to Do in El Paso
The editors thought I was joking when I pitched this idea. “Ten things to do in El Paso? What’s No. 1? Leave?” Actually, that’s No. 5, but I’m...
True West’s Best of the West 2008 Winners
Here are the winners of our "2008 Best of the West." Sit back and see if your pick made the list. Best Living Bootmaker Dave Little Ask today’s top...
Can’t Kick the Boot Addiction
Hello, my name’s Johnny (yes, Johnny; it’s on my birth certificate), and I’m an addict. Not booze, gambling or anything illegal. But it is a serious...
Preservation: Remember the Alamo!
The Alamo is the most famous building in Texas. The sacrifice of about 200 defenders in March 1836 marks the place as a monument to freedom and...