Charlie Bassett’s story has been eclipsed—by the legends of Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson. Yet for much of the 1870s, Bassett was the law in Dodge...
The Dodge City Lawdog
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Investigating History
A Treaty Goes Up in Smoke
For two long years, starting in 1866, the U.S. Army tried to build and maintain forts in the Powder River Country in present-day Wyoming. The plan:...
A Tol Tale of Texas
Lyne Taliaferro “Tol” Barret had a big idea—big even by Texas standards. Too bad he was ahead of his time. Barret was born in Virginia in 1832. His...
The Last Man Standing
At the end of the day—or at least when the shooting stopped—Ed Tewksbury was the man who survived Arizona Territory’s infamous Pleasant Valley War. ...
And the War Begins
Perhaps war between the U.S. and the Apaches was inevitable. They were once united by a hatred of Mexico, but the alliance began to change in the...
The Toughest News in the West
The Old West was filled with colorful names—none more so than The Tombstone Epitaph, the oldest continuous newspaper in Arizona. Former Apache agent...
North To Alaska!
As early as 1852, New York Sen. William Seward saw the possibilities of the frozen land far to the northwest of the United States. Well, maybe not...
The Wickedest Cattletown in Kansas
Somebody called Ellsworth the “Wickedest Cattletown in Kansas,” and the place had its moments. But its time was brief—and it almost didn’t get to...
Buffalo Bill Lies Here—Or Here
William F. Cody—Buffalo Bill—was arguably one of the great showmen of all times. He would probably enjoy the ongoing public spectacle about where...
The Last Stage Robbery?
The nation’s last stagecoach robbery took place on December 5, 1916, at Nevada’s Jarbidge Canyon. Calling it a “stagecoach” robbery is an...
The Coward of Little Big Horn
Marcus Reno’s historical reputation is: coward. He was a man who ran at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, leaving Lt. Col. George Custer and the...
Jesse James Tastes Blood
Jesse James had just turned 17 when the opportunity for violence first arose—up close and personal. He and his older brother, Frank, were riding...