The cross draw was popular among cowboys of the Old West so their pistols wouldn’t get in the way of their work around the ranch. It was also easier...
How Common was the Cross Draw?
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lawmen
Shot or Sprained?
What kind of injury did Bill Tilghman suffer during a famous raid? There are a lot of Old West stories that may or may not be true. One of...
The Power of the Pardon
A territorial governor let himself go scot-free. Isaac Stevens was a controversial governor of Washington Territory. In the 1850s, he enacted brutal...
Sheriff’s Duties: Other Than Keeping the Peace
As a rule peace officers in the Old West weren’t held to the high standards they are today. It wasn’t unusual to rough up a suspect in order to get...
Braves and Badges
Early American Indian Police played a strong role in the settlement of the West. Before recorded history, American Indians practiced some form of...
The Dead Robber Reward
A legendary lawman took issue with a controversial bounty system. In the 1920s, Texas was beset by bank robberies. So in 1927, the Texas Bankers...
The Myth of Frank Hamer
The legendary lawman’s first killing never happened. The story goes that legendary Texas Ranger Frank Hamer killed his first man when he was just...
Picking the Wrong Horse
Bill Tilghman lost the job of his dreams by backing the wrong candidate Bill Tilghman may have been a great lawman, but as a politician he left much...
Bounties
How was reward money collected in the Old West? Was it paid out by local law enforcement, banks, the court system, or did it come from some other...
Burt Mossman and the Arizona Rangers Part 2
Read Part 1 HERE During that year the Rangers put 125 outlaws behind bars, killing only one in the process. They also lost one Ranger, Carlos...
Burt Mossman’s Rangers Part 1
Burt Mossman was Governor Murphy's choice to be the first captain of the Arizona Rangers. The rawhide-tough cowman had made quite a reputation for...
Birth of the Arizona Rangers
Arizona greeted the 20th Century as a frontier Jekyll and Hyde. On one hand, communities like Phoenix, Prescott and Tucson were becoming modern...