So what motivated Carrie Nation to attack saloons with an axe? A message from God, delivered on June 5, 1900, according to her autobiography. “The...
Underage Drinking in the Old West
What constituted a man being old enough to belly up to the bar? Usually it was up to the judgment of the proprietor or bartender. It looks like...
Were Stagecoach Holdups Common?
Were stagecoach holdups common? Michael C. Westlund Clarkdale, Arizona Stagecoach robberies were frequent occurrences, especially during the...
Trials Following the Gunfight near the OK Corral
The movies about Tombstone’s Gunfight Behind the OK Corral often end with the “street fight,” and most folks believe the feud, like the film, was...
The Heyday of Train Robberies
The 1890s saw an epidemic of train robberies with 261 in that decade alone. Eighty-eight people were killed and eighty-six wounded. According...
That’s Mr. Librarian to You!
Granville Stuart is known as “The Father of Montana.” And during his years there, he was a miner, built (and lost) a huge cattle operation, led...
A Fitting End for a Killer
Ed O’Kelley is known as the man who killed Robert Ford, who killed Jesse James in 1882. O’Kelley did nine years in the Colorado pen for that. But he...
How did Old West Pioneers Acquire Honorific Titles?
How did Old West pioneers acquire honorific titles? Daniel Scuiry Berkeley, California An honorific is defined as a title that conveys esteem or...
“Died a Natural Death”
Miles Kellogg was a saloon owner and professional violinist in Tombstone in the early 1880s. The legends say that he was a passenger on the Bisbee...
A Thirst for Destruction
Carrie Amelia Moore, born in Kentucky on November 25, 1846, grew into a crusader who chopped her way to legend as Carrie Nation. In 1867, Carrie...
A Forgotten Tombstone Pioneer
Samantha Fallon is one of those Tombstone characters who hasn’t gotten much attention. She arrived in town in 1879. She owned The San Jose House,...
Aftermath of the Tombstone Gunfight
It was just three days after three men died in Tombstone’s street fight behind the OK Corral. Ike Clanton—who had run from the battle—decided to...