America’s icon still rides tall in the saddle. They call him cowboy, vaquero, buckaroo, waddy, paniolo, saddletramp, wrangler and drover. He...
The Cowboy
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Features & Gunfights
Into the Heart of the West
Make your plans, pack your bags and head out for a Western adventure of a lifetime! Whether you live in rural North Dakota or urban Texas, an annual...
Pioneer Pets
Dogs and cats are as Western as six-guns and Stetsons—and a lot more lovable. In the Old West, dogs were common—and necessary. Cats, not at first,...
John “Liver-Eating” Johnson
How did he earn his terrifying nickname? The sun lay low on the horizon over Battle Mountain in northwestern Colorado. The big man on the imposing...
A Bullet for Your Troubles
Maps & Graphics by Gus Walker Based on the research of John Langellier, Jack McPhee, Larry Ball, Chip Carlson, Grace McClure, Diana Allen Kouris...
Grizzlies of the Far West
Before the legendary bear was nearly driven to extinction, Ursus horribilis ruled the forests and plains of the Pacific Coast. The American Indians...
The Highest Peak
Best of the Mountain Man Movies On the eve of the release of The Revenant, inspired by the true story of Hugh Glass’s fight for life, the film...
Mountain Men, Grizzlies and Christmas
For 70 years, stories about legendary fur trappers have been editorial mainstays, but on the cover, they’re a rare gift to readers. Since 1953, True...
Guns of the Young Wild West
Here’s a rundown of some of the more famous guns—and their modern replicas—from before 1873, when the Old West was young. The year...
The Reign of Terror
How the Osage murders in Oklahoma in the 1920s led to the rise of the FBI At three in the morning an explosion rocked the small Oklahoma town of...
Justice Served
Ten U.S. Marshals and Deputy U.S. Marshals who defined the legendary West All Illustrations by Bob Boze Bell and All Images Courtesy True West...
Hays in an Uproar
Wild Bill Hickok vs. The 7th Cavalry Hickok Almost Gets an Earful July 17, 1870 Deputy U.S. Marshal James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok...