Few would argue that names made a difference in the Old West. The easy-on-the-tongue alliteration of “Jesse James,” the rhythmic cadence of “Billy...
Last of the Fast Guns
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True West Feature
The True Blue Story Behind the West’s Toughest Trousers
Everyone knows his name, and everyone thinks they know his story. He’s Levi Strauss, the man who made the first blue jeans possible. But he’s also a...
Utah Bloodbath
One thing is certain: Porter Rockwell shot and killed Lot Huntington at Faust’s Station on January 16, 1862. All accounts agree on that—but not much...
Cavalry, Cowboys, and Indians
An aging stone monument stands on a lonely, windswept hilltop in Wyoming. The century-old war memorial is seemingly forgotten by the busy travelers...
Who Was the Best Huckleberry?
On a chilly October afternoon in 1881, a misdemeanor arrest in Tombstone, Arizona Territory, escalated out of control in a matter of moments. Thirty...
In Search of Doc Holliday
October 26, 1881, Tombstone, Arizona Territory, 2:48 p.m. The unforgettable smell of death and gunpowder hung in the air like eternity. The wails of...
Charge Into The Old West!
A century and a half ago, the nation was on the move. Just two years after the Civil War, millions of veterans and their families on both sides of...
Riders of the Purple Sage
Thank the Grand Canyon. Long before it was a national park—before it was even a game preserve, thanks to President Teddy Roosevelt—this steep-sided...
No Wounds In His Back
The Alamo’s anniversary, March 6, ignites lively debate every year among aficionados concerning the how, why and where of every aspect of that epic...
Custer’s Other Regiment
The 19th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry fought the harsh elements and rough terrain, but never the American Indians. The Sunflower State found a soldier...
The Chisholm Trail
150 Years of Trail History The Texas cattle-trailing industry lasted only fifty years. From Texas statehood in 1846 until 1897, Texas drovers...
Smile!
Most people who study photos from the 1800s, whether these are family photos or historical images of the American West, have wondered why the people...