In John Wayne’s last film, The Shootist, he uses a pair of blued and fully engraved single-action revolvers fitted with ivory stocks. A beautiful...
Appearances Deceive
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Art, Guns and Culture
Tom Mix or Lonesome Gus?
The hat style called the Tom Mix goes in and out of fashion, but it has been guaranteed to raise a smile for most of the last century. The Tom Mix...
Anchored in the Land
Some may say it’s his voice, textured like barn wood: soft, weathered and grainy. Or the way he wears his hat—to one side, casting a shadow over...
Deseret Saddlery
With building plans on hand, student Roger Blomquist opened an 1800s-style saddle company, Deseret Saddlery, based in Provo, Utah. A former...
Bucking the Trends
To improve our reporting of the newest and most innovative Western garb, home decor, food and other items of interest, we are premiering True West...
Out-pumped
By the early 1880s, Colt was the undisputed leader in the handgun field. Wishing to capture some of the rifle market, however, Colt acquired the...
Mexican-American War Archive Tops Sale
A rare account of the Mexican-American War is found in an extensive archive of Raphael C. Smead, the captain of Company D of the Fourth Artillery....
Old West Signs
“Sign” language has communicated messages to the public for thousands of years. But for craftsmanship that will stand the test of time, Western...
Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers
Over a quarter of a century ago, Timothy Hughes had had it with coin collecting. He wanted a collectible that hadn’t been exploited yet, and one...
More Bucks and Other Changes
Peanut shells litter the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo’s “green room.” A minister prays with a young cowboy, preparing him for his bull...
Hollywood’s “5-in-1” Movie Blank
A “5-in-1” is a blank cartridge, originally designed in the early days of motion pictures, for use in a number of similar, but differently chambered...
More than Just a Muse
Jim Lauderdale is a critically acclaimed songwriter, yet his own music is not widely known by the public at large. Jim’s songs have been recorded by...