Jail cells in Westerns always have a window to an alley where pals of the prisoner can toss notes or guns through. How accurate is that? Jim...
Did jail cells in Westerns always have a window to an alley?
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Inside History
Did Old West folks wear sunglasses?
Did Old West folks wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun? David Fuller Storrs, Connecticut Not usually, sunglasses weren’t readily...
Did 19th-century U.S. soldiers carry military ID cards?
Did 19th-century U.S. soldiers carry military ID cards, or their equivalent, as all military personnel do now? James Rowley Laingsburg, Michigan ID...
What are the odds that an Old West cowboy would get into a gunfight?
What are the odds that an Old West cowboy would get into a gunfight? Mike Franklin Poteet, Texas Not high. Cowboys mostly spent their time “keeping...
Uno, Dos, Tres!
October 28, 1884 While visiting Upper Frisco Plaza in western Socorro County, New Mexico, 19-year-old Elfego Baca is asked to arrest a drunken...
The Tunstalls Return
You could call the visit a “belated family reunion.” Five members of a proper English family gathered in a New Mexico canyon in July 2010 on an...
Too Much Sun
In mid-January, the high country was covered with snow, three feet in places. Frontier docs like Elijah Baines had seen similar cases, but not as...
What does “kack” refer to?
What does “kack” refer to? Stan Hutchison Sturgis, South Dakota Cowboy linguist Ramon Adams said it was slang for a saddle. It’s also spelled kak....
Who is the namesake of Allen Street in Tombstone, Arizona?
Who is the namesake of Allen Street in Tombstone, Arizona? Erica Moore Mesa, Arizona John B. Allen is considered one of the founders of Tombstone....
Did most Old West saloons have swinging doors?
Did most Old West saloons have swinging doors? Anthony Clum Quincy, Florida Many, perhaps most, Old West saloons did not have swinging doors....
Were the Yaqui Indians the most fearsome warrior tribe?
Were the Yaqui Indians the most fearsome warrior tribe? Ted Mulligan Massapequa, New York Maybe not the most fearsome, as the Comanche, Lakota,...
Were Hickok’s 1851 Navy Colts plated?
As the historical interpreter for the Buckhorn Saloon & Museum in San Antonio, I portray Wild Bill Hickok for the visitors. Were his 1851 Navy...