Some outlaws had their lives glorified on the silver screen. Others are mere footnotes in history. A few years ago I wrote a story about an outlaw...
The Code of Honor
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Marshall Trimble
Did Stagecoach Travel Have Different Classes of Ticket?
Did stagecoach travel have different classes of ticket? Roger M. Dillingham Hackney, London, United Kingdom Some stagecoach companies had three...
The Canoa Land Grant Ranch
The San Ignacio de la Canoa land grant is one of the oldest and most interesting in Arizona. The Canoa, located south of Tucson in the fertile...
The Lost Dutchman Mine
Lost gold mines are among our greatest natural resources; they don’t pollute the sky with columns of acrid smoke, befoul streams, or scar delicate...
How Far Did A Telegraph Signal Carry?
How far did a telegraph signal carry? Rich Gorman Littleton, Colorado Wires allowed an electric current to flow as far as the wires stretched....
Frontier Odometers
In a diary from an emigrant crossing to the California gold fields in 1849. "Life on the Plains and at the Diggins," by Alonzo Delano. He is very...
Did Tom Horn Kill Willie Nickell?
Did Tom Horn kill Willie Nickell? Brian Madison Venice, Florida That’s one of the great mysteries. Tom Horn confessed to the 1901 ambush killing of...
The Jackass Mail
In 1849 it took 166 days to travel coast to coast. By the 1860’s you could do it in 60 days. A decade later a train could make the trip in 11 days....
How Prevalent Were Bounty Hunters?
How prevalent were bounty hunters? Tom Betts Anaheim, California In 1872, the Supreme Court ruled that bounty hunters were a part of law...
The Dodge City War
What became known as the “Dodge City War” began when Luke Short returned to Dodge in April, 1881 and went to work at the Long Branch Saloon. Two...
What is the 19th-Century Version of a Photographer’s Flash Powder?
What is the 19th-century version of a photographer’s flash powder? Mike Colaizzi, Gold Canyon, Arizona Early photography didn’t use flash...
How Bad Was Body Odor in the Old West?
How bad was body odor in the Old West? Michael C. Westlund Clarkdale, Arizona Body odor was pretty bad. Pioneers had no deodorant, shampoo or...