In the streets of a Kansas prairie town on an evening in mid-1872, a familiar pattern unfolded-a crowd gathered, somebody fired a gun and somebody...
The Original Boot Hill
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Inside History
An Insane Treatment
A 1967 ABC episode of The Big Valley illustrated the institutional horrors faced by mentally ill persons and those “undesirables of troublemakers”...
How did people stay cool in the heat of the Old West?
How did people stay cool in the heat of the the Old West? Justin Loughman Rancho Santa Margarita, California Before air conditioning and backyard...
Were there Indian cowboys or gunmen in the Southwest?
Were there Indian cowboys or gunmen in the Southwest? Ron Thomas Phoenix, Arizona Yes, especially among the Apache. Their lands at San Carlos and...
How long did it take a letter to be delivered via Pony Express?
How long did it take a letter to be delivered via Pony Express? Stace Webb Wenatchee, Washington The Pony Express—which celebrates its 150th...
How did Indians and whites treat half-breeds on the frontier?
How did Indians and whites treat half-breeds on the frontier? Junior W. Mayberry Oklahoma City, Oklahoma By and large, half-breeds who were...
What’s the story behind Earp’s Buntline Special?
In True West, Rock Island Auction advertised a “Rare, Historical Presentation Colt Single Action Army Buntline Revolver with Factory Inscription to...
A Hair-Raising Tale
The origins of scalping during warfare seem to originate hundreds, if not thousands of years ago in Europe and may have been practiced on this...
Naco Debacle
April 3, 1908 Arizona Ranger Jeff Kidder rides into Naco, Arizona, to renew his commission. Upon finding out that Capt. Harry Wheeler is chasing...
An Awful Time for Children
“My poor boy....God has called him home....It is hard, hard to have him die!” President Abraham Lincoln spoke these words shortly after he lost his...
Slaughter
June 7, 1888 Daybreak finds Cochise County Sheriff Texas John Slaughter, his deputy Burt Alvord, Tesana Lucerio and an unnamed hispanic posse member...
Did ID cards exist in the Old West?
On the Westerns Channel, I saw Clint Walker’s Cheyenne Bodie arrested for not having proper identification. Did ID cards exist in the Old West?...