Bill Longley born into a strong Christian family, he turned bad during the post-Civil War Reconstruction period has been called one of the West’s...
Bad Bill Longley
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true west blog
Is Deadwood Dead?
Just over 10 years ago—August 2006—Deadwood ended its run; pretty abruptly. A promised wrap-up movie or two never materialized. But reports indicate...
Tom Fitzpatrick: Trapper, Scout and Indian Agent
One of America's most important frontiersman, scout and guide is also one of the least known. Stories abound about Joe Walker, Kit Carson, Jim...
Singing At The Big Corral
Romaine “Romy” Lowdermilk, the “Father of Dude Ranching in Arizona,” blossomed into one of the West’s greatest early balladeers. Born in Kansas in...
Bravery at Bloody Run
In May of 1889, outlaws attacked the army paymaster, Major Wham (rhymes with bomb) and a Buffalo Soldier escort between Fort Grant and Fort Thomas,...
Gregg Palmer
Gregg Palmer was a big actor, measuring out at 6’2” and well over 200 lbs. But he was big in other ways. Palmer was a member of John Wayne’s acting...
The Lasting Influence of Texas Ranger Joaquin Jackson
As much as any Texas Ranger who served in the last half century, Joaquin Jackson knew well what fellow Captain C.J. Havrda meant about being a part...
Charlie Russell, “Waiting for a Chinook”
Charlie Russell came to Montana in 1880 at the age of sixteen where he hired out on a sheep ranch. He later went to work for a former trapper Jake...
Amnesty for George Coe
George Coe fought as a Regulator during the Lincoln County War, and got something his pal Billy the Kid didn’t—amnesty for his actions. Coe was one...
The Good ‘Ol Cash Stash
Jesse West and Joe Allen are best known for hiring Jim Miller to kill Gus Bobbitt in Ada, OK in 1909. The three, along with B.B. Burrell, were...
Cowboy Lingo, Tall Tales and Bald-faced Lies
A few years ago I went with “Warrior Tours” sponsored by Wrangler Jeans to the Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan with a group of champion rodeo cowboys...
Them Ain’t Cowboys; Them’s Ostrichboys
One of the most unusual yet lucrative types of ranching came into fashion around 1900 in Arizona’s Salt River Valley. With a head- ‘em-up, move...