West Texas Paradise
Pecos, Texas, wouldn’t exist if not for the shape of the Pecos River. Near where the town would come to be, the deep, twisting gorge narrowed to allow the crossing of horses, wagons and cattle being driven to market. Beginning about 1873, a crossroads settlement...
A Pistol For Dragoons
With the adoption of the U.S. Dragoons on March 5, 1833, the U.S. Army found itself woefully lacking in pistols for a mounted unit. Handguns at that time were close-range, single-shot affairs, and the U.S. Ordnance Department had a hodge-podge of old flintlock pistols...
A Colonel’s Secret Weapon
As the small train of wagons drew within sight of Fort Phil Kearny, the weary travelers rejoiced. “I could have clapped my hands for joy,” one wrote of the moment. On the wind-blown hill overlooking the fort, a picket guard waved a signal flag to announce their...
North to Montana
Ever wondered what kind of man would risk making a cattle drive from Texas to Montana and not even reach Virginia City until December? Turns out John B. Catlin answered that question back in 1912. “Even after three years on the skirmish line in the Civil War, I had...
True West March/April 2025
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Features
Western Books & Movies
