Many women came west in the 19th century to pan out some dream but none can match that of a pretty Irish immigrant named Nellie Cashman. A restless...
Angel of the Mining Camps
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Marshall Trimble
A picture hanging in a restaurant in Prescott, Arizona, is labeled, “Wyatt Earp.” Is this a photo of him?
Tom Isler Madera, California I have never seen this photo published in any of the Wyatt Earp biographies; somebody would have published it if the...
The Henry Rifle
The legendary Model 1873 Winchester, has been called the favorite "Fighting rifle of the Old Civilian West." The granddaddy of Model 1873 and all...
Did Bat Masterson carry a cane?
Bob Nellis Rochester, Minnesota No known photos of Bat Masterson show him with a cane, although he did receive a gold-headed cane in 1885 when he...
Breech-loading Rifles
Among the first breech-loading rifles was one invented by Major Patrick Ferguson, an officer in Washington's Revolutionary Army. It was one of the...
John King Fisher
John King Fisher is not as famous as some of his contemporaries but all agree he was a good man with a gun. He was arrested for stealing a horse at...
What is the origin of bib shirts?
Allen Fossenkemper Fountain Hills, Arizona Although bib shirts were not common apparel out West, they captured the flavor and romance of the...
Gun Smoke and Black Powder
Reading the pulp westerns one would conclude that the Colt revolver was the only pistol used in the Old West. Remington built a fine six-shooter and...
In the 1985 film Silverado, British-born John Cleese plays the sheriff. Did any Britons become frontier sheriffs in the USA?
Paul Piper Dorset, England Legendary gunfighter Ben Thompson comes to mind. At the age of seven, he immigrated to America from his birthplace of...
The Trapper’s Clothing
The trapper’s clothes were homemade and usually made from durable buckskin. During meals he rubbed his greasy hands over his leathers, something in...
John L. Sullivan Visits Tombstone
On Saturday, March 23, 1884 the undefeated Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World John L. Sullivan, traveling by rail on a coast to coast...
Roy Gardner, Last of the Lone Wolf Bandits
It’s been said the Lone Wolf Bandit stole more than $350,000 but perhaps he should be better-remembered as the “Houdini of Escape Artists.”...