Thomas William Ward was a remarkable figure in the Texas Revolution. Losing his right leg to cannon fire, he steadfastly remained in the military...
Peg Leg
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Western Books
The Book of Murdock
Loren D. Estleman, winner of five Spur awards, is known for his snappy writing and well-developed characters. In The Book of Murdock, Estleman...
Roy Bean’s Gold
W.R. Garwood writes a fictional, first-person account of Judge Roy Bean’s early days before he became known as the “Hanging Judge.” In Roy Bean’s...
Return to the Arrowhead
Having spent most of his life working on cattle operations in Colorado, Eugene C. Vories writes realistically from experience. In Return to the...
Colorado Mining History
Duane A. Smith, Colorado’s foremost historian, particularly in the mining history of the state, produces two great gems. In San Juan Legacy: Life in...
The Outlaw Billy Stiles
In The Outlaw Billy Stiles, John Koblas writes with a good handle on history as well as a sharp sense of humor. In this Western spoof, Koblas...
The Overland Diaries of Washington Peck
When my grandfather gave me Washington Peck’s 1858 wagon trail diary, I felt very honored, but then I realized that it came with a responsibility:...
Fort Laramie: Military Bastion of the High Plains
Douglas McChristian spent more than two decades as a National Park Service historian and administrator, and he has shared his knowledge in a number...
The American Military Frontiers: The United States Army in the West, 1783-1900
Noted researcher/writer Robert Wooster reaches some of those same conclusions in The American Military Frontiers: The United States Army in the...
Class and Race in the Frontier Army: Military Life in the West, 1870-1890
Kent State historian Kevin Adams’s Class and Race in the Frontier Army: Military Life in the West, 1870-1890 is somewhat mistitled. Almost all of...
A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn—the Last Great Battle of the American West
Speaking of standards, James Donovan’s 2008 effort on the most famous Indian fight in U.S. history is one. If you missed his A Terrible Glory:...
Custer Survivor
CUSTER SURVIVOR: Sergeant August Finckle, Company C, 7th Cavalry, died at the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876—or didn’t, if his real name was Frank...