Charlie Bassett’s story has been eclipsed—by the legends of Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson. Yet for much of the 1870s, Bassett was the law in Dodge...
The Dodge City Lawdog
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Investigating History
The Black Man at Little Big Horn
Isaiah Dorman’s claim to fame? He was the only black man killed at the Little Big Horn battle. While not much is known about his early life, Dorman...
A Treaty Goes Up in Smoke
For two long years, starting in 1866, the U.S. Army tried to build and maintain forts in the Powder River Country in present-day Wyoming. The plan:...
The Suspect Savannah Strike
In March 2, 1867, a group of six riders came into the quiet town of Savannah, Missouri, about 15 miles north of St. Joseph. They tied up their...
Gunfight in the Galiuros
At of Old West gunfights were quick, bloody affairs that left more questions than answers as each side had its own version of events. The Powers...
The Size of an Assignment
In this 65th anniversary year for True West, on assignment to report my favorite Investigating History columns, I wrack my brain and only two come...
A Tol Tale of Texas
Lyne Taliaferro “Tol” Barret had a big idea—big even by Texas standards. Too bad he was ahead of his time. Barret was born in Virginia in 1832. His...
The Last Man Standing
At the end of the day—or at least when the shooting stopped—Ed Tewksbury was the man who survived Arizona Territory’s infamous Pleasant Valley War. ...
And the War Begins
Perhaps war between the U.S. and the Apaches was inevitable. They were once united by a hatred of Mexico, but the alliance began to change in the...
The Toughest News in the West
The Old West was filled with colorful names—none more so than The Tombstone Epitaph, the oldest continuous newspaper in Arizona. Former Apache agent...
North To Alaska!
As early as 1852, New York Sen. William Seward saw the possibilities of the frozen land far to the northwest of the United States. Well, maybe not...
The Wickedest Cattletown in Kansas
Somebody called Ellsworth the “Wickedest Cattletown in Kansas,” and the place had its moments. But its time was brief—and it almost didn’t get to...