About the same time John Selman shot and killed Bass Outlaw John Wesley Hardin rode into El Paso and hung up his shingle as a lawyer. The...
John Selman Pt. III
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Marshall Trimble
John Selman Pt. II
In El Paso Selman spent most of his time in the city’s gambling dens and an occasional job as a constable. In August, 1893 the 54-year-old Selman...
John Selman Pt. I
The question came up the other day, was John Selman a lawman, bad guy or a back-shooter? The answer is: All of the above. John Henry Selman,...
How did Pioneers Preserve Corpses?
How did pioneers preserve corpses? George Townsend — Bella Vista, Arkansas. Pioneers preserved bodies in winter ice and snow, when available, or...
The Life of a Fur Trapper
There was no shortage of ways to go to the “go under” in the Far West during the heyday of the Mountain Men. In 1856 Antoine Robidoux could account...
The Rendezvous
Like gold dust in the mining camps, beaver fur was the medium of exchange in the mountains. In 1825 William Ashley came up with an idea unique to...
Jim Bridger’s Tall Tales
Once there was a mountain man who couldn't write his name, Yet he deserves the front row seat in History's Hall of Fame, He forgot more about the...
The Free Trappers
The Free Trapper was a uniquely American innovation in the fur trade and were known as the “Aristocrats” of the trade. They could go where they...
The Reckless Breed
Long before the “ordinary” white men braved the arduous task of crossing into the “Great American Desert” and beyond. Long before latter day...
Who is Frank “Pistol Pete” Eaton?
Who is Frank “Pistol Pete” Eaton? Duff Hale — Midlothian, Texas. The deputy U.S. marshal and cowboy told a tale of his life in his 1952...
Why Hasn’t Anyone Written a Book about the Lone Ranger being a Black Man?
Why hasn’t anyone written a book about the Lone Ranger being a black man? Stan Johnson — Riverside, California. At least one book claims that Deputy...
Bass Reeves: U.S. Marshall
When those old gunfighters are sittin’ around Valhalla discussin’,”Who was the greatest of em all,” the name Bass Reeves is sure to be mentioned....