Wild West - Winter 2024 USA

THE AMERICAN FRONTIER
Deadw oo d s
’
OPEN SECRET
MANY WINKED AT ITS BORDELLOS, BUT FEW
BEMOANED THE SAD STATE OF ‘SOILED DOVES’
+ BILLY DIXON’S WIDOW ENSURED

THE SHARPSHOOTER’S LEGACY
+ IF GUNFIGHTER JOHNNY RINGO
WINTER 2024
DIDN’T KILL HIMSELF, WHO DID? HISTORYNET.COM
I ‘Bearly’ Made It Out Alive
A 12-inch stainless steel knife for only $79
®
tauer
S le Price
b
Impossi LY
ON
What Stauer Clients Are Saying

About Our Knives
$79
ÌÌÌÌÌ
“The feel of this knife is unbelievable... this is an
incredibly fine instrument.” — H., Arvada, CO
ÌÌÌÌÌ
“This knife is beautiful!” — J., La Crescent, MN
I t was a perfect late autumn day in the northern But we don’t stop there. While
EXCLUSIVE
FREE
Rockies. Not a cloud in the sky, and just enough supplies last, we’ll include a pair of
cool in the air to stir up nostalgic memories of my $99 8x21 power compact binoculars
trip into the backwoods. This year, though, was FREE when you purchase the Grizzly
Stauer 8x21
different. I was going it solo. My two buddies, Hunting Knife. Compact Binoculars
pleading work responsibilities, backed out at the Make sure to act quickly. The Grizzly
last minute. So, armed with my trusty knife, I set -a $99 value-
Hunting Knife has been such a hit with your purchase of the
out for adventure. that we’re having trouble keeping Grizzly Hunting Knife
Well, what I found was a whole lot of trouble. As in 8 feet and it in stock. Our first release of more
800-pounds of trouble in the form of a grizzly bear. Seems this than 1,200 SOLD OUT in TWO
grumpy fella was out looking for some adventure too. Mr. Grizzly DAYS! After months of waiting on
saw me, stood up to his entire 8 feet of ferocity and let out a roar that our artisans, we've finally gotten some
made my blood turn to ice and my hair stand up. Unsnapping my knives back in stock. Only 1,337 are
leather sheath, I felt for my hefty, trusty knife and felt emboldened. available at this price, and half of them
I then showed the massive grizzly over 6 inches of 420 surgical grade have already sold!
stainless steel, raised my hands and yelled, “Whoa bear! Whoa bear!” Knife Specifications:
I must have made my point, as he gave me an almost admiring grunt • Stick tang 420 surgical stainless steel blade;
before turning tail and heading back into the woods.
7 ¼"blade; 12" overall
Join more than 322,000 sharp • Hand carved natural brown and yellow bone handle
• Brass hand guard, spacers and end cap
people who collect stauer knives • FREE genuine tooled leather sheath included
I was pretty shaken, but otherwise fine. Once the adrenaline high (a $49 value!)
subsided, I decided I had some work to do back home too. That was
more than enough adventure for one day. Save $170
Our Grizzly Hunting Knife pays tribute to the call of the wild. California residents please call 1-800-333-2045
Featuring stick-tang construction, you can feel confident in the regarding Proposition 65 regulations before
strength and durability of this knife. And the hand carved, natural purchasing this product.
bone handle ensures you won’t lose your grip even in the most dire
*Special price only for customers using the offer code.
of circumstances. I also made certain to give it a great price. After
all, you should be able to get your point across without getting stuck
with a high price.
1-800-333-2045
Your Insider Offer Code: GHK-02
Stauer, 14101 Southcross Drive W., Ste 155, Dept. GHK(-(-02, Burnsville, MN 55337 www.stauer.com
Stauer® | AFFORD THE EXTRAORDINARY

®
The Wyoming Pioneer Call 307-358-9288,
Museum is a must see for visit us online at
western history enthusiasts! wyoparks.wyo.gov,
č}Ì iViVÌÃÞÕ½w`ÃÌÀiÃv>Ài> RUƓQGRXU)DFHERRN
VÜLÞ7`ÀÃi,LLÃ>` Ã>`ÛiÌÕÀiÃ page for hours.
}>Ì iÀ}Ü`ÕÃÌ>}Ã>`>ÕÌÃÌ>`}
ViVÌvčiÀV>`>>ÀÌv>VÌÃ°,ì
VÌÀ>VÌÀ >ÀiÀÜ½Ã>À}iÀÌ >viLL
ÛiÀ>Ã>Ài>Ü>ÞÃ>v>ÛÀÌi>}V `Ài
ÛÃÌ}Ì iÕÃiÕ]>ÃÃÌ iÌi«iiÕÃi`Ì i
w >ViÃ7Ì 7ÛiÃ°
GLENROCK
Deer Creek Douglas Railroad Museum
Museum & VISITOR CENTER
/ i Õ}>Ã,>À>`ÕÃiÕE6ÃÌÀ 'LVFRYHU
iÌiÀÃ ÕÃi`Ì i ÃÌÀV E6 how the
,>À>`*>ÃÃi}iÀ i«Ì°/ iLÕ`}Ã West was
Historic F ort F etterman

ÃÌi`Ì i >Ì>ÃÌÀV,i}ÃÌiÀ>` WUXO\ZRQ
ÃÃÕÀÀÕì`LÞÃiÛi ÃÌÀVÀ>V>ÀÃ]
VÕ`}Ì i V>} ÕÀ}Ì
Venture north from Douglas, Wyo., on Highway >`+ÕVÞ,>À>`{n{
,PSRUWDQWFKDSWHUVLQ$PHULFDQKLVWRU\ WR)RUW)HWWHUPDQWROHDUQPRUHDERXWWKH -Ìi>VÌÛixÈÎÎ°
DUHWROGLQ*OHQURFNDQGDFURVVWKH SLRQHHULQJGD\VRIWKH%R]HPDQ7UDLO
VXUURXQGLQJFRXQWU\VLGH,WōVWKHHDUO\GD\
WDOHRIWKH:HVWZHNQRZWRGD\ 6ÃÌÀÃÌÀÌ
iÌÌiÀ>p
ÀÌ ii}À>ÌÌÀ>ÃÌÌ i*Þ only 11 miles
Ý«ÀiÃÃ>`Ì iÌii}À>« ]iÀV½Ã ÀÌ ÜiÃÌv
Õ}>Ãp>Ài
ÃÌÀÞÃ i>ÛÞÌiÀÌÜi`ÜÌ iVÕÀ>}i`
ÃivÌ iÃÌVÀvÕV >«ÌiÀÃ ÌÜ>Ì i
čiÀV> ÃÌÀÞ°/ >ÌÃÌÀÞÃÌ`>ÌÌ i }ÀÕ`ÃÜ iÀi
VÕÌÞ½Ã iiÀ ÀiiÕÃiÕ° ÌiÀ«ÀiÌÛi
signs tell the
ÃÌÀÞvÌ i
vÀÌÌ >ÌÜ>Ã
>L>ì`
£nnÓ°
6ÃÌÀÃÌÌ iÃÌiÜ>Ãw`ÕV
ÀiLiÞ`Ì ivÀÌÌÃivvÌiÀiÃÌ°
/ i>Ài>vi>ÌÕÀiÃ>Þ ÃÌÀV
>ÀiÀÃ>`Li>ÕÌvÕÛÃÌ>ÃÌ >Ì>``
ÌÌ iÀV iÃÃvÌ iÃÌÀÞvÀÌ
iÌÌiÀ>°
Scan with your smartphone to

discover more about Converse County
30 DEADWOOD’S
OPEN SECRET
By Linda Wommack
While prostitution was wide open in that
boomtown, its purveyors were pariahs
44
38
THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH
OF JOHNNY RINGO THE VIXEN & THE VIGILANTES
By Doug Hocking By John Boessenecker
The gunman’s body was found beneath San Francisco madam Belle Cora would
a tree, pistol in hand—but was it suicide? stop at nothing to save her rotten man
WINTER 2024
50 4 EDITOR’S LETTER
8 LETTERS
10 ROUNDUP
LADY BEHIND THE LEGEND 16 INTERVIEW
By Ron J. Jackson Jr. B Y C A N D Y M O U LT O N
Adobe Walls sharpshooter Billy Dixon South Dakotan wagonmaker Doug Hansen’s family business keeps rolling along
owes his fame to his devoted widow
18 WESTERNERS
Scout turned showman Dick Parr shared many harrowing exploits—some true
20 GUNFIGHTERS & LAWMEN

56 B Y C H U C K LY O N S
After the jilted and jealous Laura Fair shot her married lover, a jury cried foul
22 PIONEERS & SETTLERS

BY ALE JAN DRO H E R NÁN DE Z
Al Swearingen abused ‘soiled doves’ in Deadwood before karma came calling
24 ART OF THE WEST

BY R ICHAR D PROSCH
Todd Connor’s love of the Western outdoors resonates in his plein air paintings
26 INDIAN LIFE
BY TE D FR AN KLI N BE LU E
Ethnologist Frank Cushing embraced Zuni culture right down to his Indian name
HATS OFF! 70 GUNS OF THE WEST

BY G E O R G E L AY M A N
By Dave Lauterborn H&R put the hammerless pocket model ‘lemon squeezer’ on the Western map
Stetson invented the cowboy hat, but
Westerners have made it their own 72 GHOST TOWNS
BY E NGR I D BAR N E T T
The fortunes of St. Thomas, Nevada, turned on the ebb and flow of Lake Mead
74 REVIEWS
Arizona author Doug Hocking suggests books and films about Earp-era Tombstone.
Plus reviews of books about bordellos, bank robbers and the ‘Bloody Benders’
80 GO WEST
The Tombstone Epitaph has been in print since 1880, defying the turn to digital
64 ON THE COVER
Andy Thomas’ painting Dance Hall Girls captures the celebratory nature of
downstairs attractions at many a Western saloon or variety theater. But what
KICKING BIRD GOES TO WAR transpired upstairs in many such joints had a darker side, captured in Linda
By Allen Lee Hamilton and Wommack’s cover story ‘Deadwood’s Open Secret’ and in the 2023 book on
which her feature is based, Chris Enss’ An Open Secret. From its 1876 founding
Clinton Chase Hamilton straight through to 1980 Deadwood hosted bordellos in plain sight on Main Street.
In 1870 the peace-seeking Kiowa chief Wommack and Enss relate the hard lives of its ‘soiled doves,’ who suffered much
and often ended their lives in suicide. (Dance Hall Girls © by Andy Thomas)
was goaded into fighting the bluecoats
EDITOR’S LETTER
Behind the Curtain

O
ne aspect of Wild West your editor particularly appre-
ciates is its narrative scope. Despite the magazine’s
colorful title, we publish stories that encompass
every aspect of the American West, from wild to mild
to anywhere in between. And that means sometimes covering
the not-so-pleasant realities of life on the frontier. Among the
latter is the dehumanizing and sometimes violent underworld
of prostitution—the subject of our cover story.
While brothels in Western boomtowns were often, to cite
award-winning author and Wild West contributor Chris Enss,
“an open secret,” the women who quite literally sold them-
selves represented a disregarded class of society, largely unseen
outside the brothel walls. This spring TwoDot published Enss’
book An Open Secret, which relates the history of the bordellos
in Deadwood, from its 1876 founding in Dakota Territory to
1980, when state and federal law enforcement officers finally
shuttered the four remaining brothels. Longtime contributor Museums scattered across the West relate the colorful, melancholy
and sometimes violent history of prostitution in the region. Writers
Linda Wommack sources Enss’ book in her feature “Deadwood’s Chris Enss and Linda Wommack shine some light on that dark past.
Open Secret” (see P. 30).
Both writers acknowledge the help of the nonprofit Deadwood Enss is unflinching in her assessment of Deadwood’s bor-
History, which today operates Brothel Deadwood, a museum dellos. “Not only was the possibility of assault ever present for
in the space once occupied by the Shasta Rooms/Beige Door prostitutes,” she writes, “but unwanted pregnancies, general
bordello. “The Brothel Deadwood is not an attempt to glamor- diseases and even death often resulted by entertaining nu-
ize prostitution, nor is it meant to either celebrate or condemn merous men. Some prostitutes escaped the hell of the trade
its purveyors,” Wommack writes. “It simply relates an integral by committing suicide. Some drank themselves to death; others
part of Deadwood’s unique history.” Similar museums scattered overdosed on laudanum.” Wommack is equally candid, relat-
across the West offer a sobering glimpse into that trade. ing the abuse dealt out by such rough men as Al Swearingen,
On a recent trip to Alaska my father and I stopped by the (see P. 22) notorious proprietor of the saloon/theater/brothel
Red Onion saloon in Skagway, which amid the 1896–99 Klon- known as the Gem and a character portrayed with loathsome
dike Gold Rush operated a 10-crib bordello upstairs from delight by Ian McShane in the 2004–06 HBO television series
the bar. Today bawdily costumed interpreters calling them- Deadwood. “To be fair,” Wommack notes, “such scenes aren’t
selves “whorestorians” offer tours of the restored brothel, far from the truth.”
which functions as a museum of vice. While the “quickie” tours So, much as we might be inclined to look the other way (as
suffer at times from obvious jokes, double entendre and a many denizens of Deadwood did for 104 years), Wild West pre-
dose of fantastical ghost tales, the history itself is interesting, sents an unvarnished, nonjudgmental look at the tragedy behind
if predictably harsh. the truth, for we owe it to our predecessors to write about them,
At one point museumgoers file past a glass-enclosed show- as historian Frederick Jackson Turner once put it, with “sym-
case of period artifacts (brushes, hairpins, even a period elec- pathy that does not judge the past by the canons of the present.”
tric curling iron) that work crews making renovations found We invite you to write us at [email protected]
stashed beneath the original floorboards, presumably by the with your thoughts and sign up for our monthly email news-
resident prostitutes. While they had the floorboards up, the letter at HistoryNet.com/signmeup.
workers removed copper pipes that once ran from the upstairs
cribs to a safe deposit box behind the downstairs bar—chutes Wild West editor David Lauterborn
the women used to drop their wages safely into the hands of is a published writer, author and
their overseers. Business was brisk at the Red Onion, and even photographer with two books and
COURTESY LINDA WOMMACK
after the madam and bouncer took their large cuts, the average hundreds of magazine articles to
soiled dove could make in one night what a hardscrabble miner his credit. A hopelessly addicted
made in a week. While today’s tour guides try to look on the traveler to and onetime resident
bright side of that profitable equation, doubtless the costs— of the American West, he lives in
physical, emotional and spiritual—were dear. historic Harpers Ferry, W.Va.
4 WILD WEST WINTER 2024

and
Men’s White Bison Ring
Masterfully
Sculpted
Bison Head
Solid Stainless Steel
Accents Ion-Plated
in 24K Gold
capture a look that’s distinctively Your own

The awesome power and free spirit of the American white bison is realized in our “Strength and Courage” Men’s White Bison Ring.
Handcrafted in solid stainless steel, the top and sides of this exclusive ring are sculpted to depict the striking presence of the mighty bison.
And behind the fully sculpted head at the top is an inlay of genuine “White Buffalo” Howlite, a semi-precious gemstone chosen to bring
depth and character to this bold design. The stone’s pale hue signifies the uncommon and symbolic existence of the seldom-seen white
bison. Emitting a warm glow from within the sculpted side views are feathers ion-plated in 24K gold that highlight the importance of this
legendary animal in the Native American culture. Finely etched inside are the words “Strength. Courage. Freedom” that perfectly describe
what an animal of this magnitude represents. The detailed elements of this unique ring design respectfully convey the Native American
beliefs and legends surrounding the rare appearance of a most sacred creature.
A REMARKABLE VALUE... AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME
Your ring is made to order in men’s whole and half sizes from 8 to 15 and arrives in a deluxe gift box with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Available at just $129.99*, this exclusive ring is payable in 4 easy installments of $32.50. To reserve yours, backed by
our unconditional 120-day guarantee, contact us today!
Connect with us Order Today at bradfordexchange.com/32997 ©2023 The Bradford Exchange Printed in U.S.A. 01-32997-001-BI
The Bradford Exchange Celebrates 50 Years!

LIMITED-TIME OFFER Signature
The Bradford Exchange Reservations will be accepted
on a first-come, first-served
basis. Respond as soon as Mrs. Mr. Ms.
P.O. Box 806, Morton Grove, IL 60053-0806 possible to reserve your ring. Name (Please Print Clearly)
YES. Please reserve the “Strength and Courage” Ring Size______

Address
Men’s White Bison Ring for me as described in this To assure a proper fit, a ring sizer
announcement, in the size indicated. will be sent to you after your City State Zip
reservation has been accepted.
Shown here in silhouette to reveal the Email
impressive size and detail of the bison
*Plus $12.98 shipping and service. Reservation subject to product availability and order acceptance.
head and to highlight the sculpted feathers
accented with 24K ion-plated gold
Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery of your jewelry after we receive your initial deposit. 01-32997-001-E56301
VISIT HISTORYNET.COM
MICHAEL A. REINSTEIN CHAIRMAN & PUBLISHER
THE AMERICAN FRONTIER
WINTER 2024 / VOL. 36, NO. 3
DAVID LAUTERBORN EDITOR

JON GUTTMAN SENIOR EDITOR
GREGORY J. LALIRE EDITOR EMERITUS
JOHNNY D. BOGGS SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR
JOHN BOESSENECKER SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR
JOHN KOSTER SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR
TRENDING NOW BRIAN WALKER GROUP DESIGN DIRECTOR

ALEX GRIFFITH DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
The Guns That AUSTIN STAHL ASSOCIATE DESIGN DIRECTOR
Won the West DANA B. SHOAF EDITOR IN CHIEF

CLAIRE BARRETT NEWS AND SOCIAL EDITOR
A sesquicentennial look at the
Winchester Model 1873 rifle and the
CO R P O R AT E
Colt M1873 single action army revolver.
KELLY FACER SVP REVENUE OPERATIONS
By George Layman
MATT GROSS VP DIGITAL INITIATIVES
historynet.com/guns-that-won-west ROB WILKINS DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIP MARKETING
JAMIE ELLIOTT SENIOR DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION
PLUS!
A DV E R T I S I N G
Today in History MORTON GREENBERG SVP ADVERTISING SALES [email protected]

TERRY JENKINS REGIONAL SALES MANAGER [email protected]
What happened today, yesterday
or on any day you care to search. DIRECT RESPONSE ADVERTISING
Daily Quiz NANCY FORMAN / MEDIA PEOPLE

[email protected]
Test your historical acumen every day!
What If? © 2023 HISTORYNET, LLC
Consider the fallout of historical events SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: 800-435-0715 OR SHOP.HISTORYNET.COM

had they gone the ‘other’ way. WILD WEST (ISSN 1046-4638) is published quarterly by
HistoryNet, LLC, 901 North Glebe Road, 5th Floor, Arlington, VA 22203
Weapons & Gear Periodicals postage paid at Arlington, Va., and additional mailing offices.
Postmaster, send address changes to
The gadgetry of war—new and old, WILD WEST, P.O. Box 900, Lincolnshire, IL 60069-0900
effective and not so effective. List Rental Inquiries: Belkys Reyes, Lake Group Media, Inc.
914-925-2406; [email protected]
Canada Publications Mail Agreement No. 41342519
Canadian GST No. 821371408RT0001
CHUCK PARSONS COLLECTION
HISTORYNET
The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without the written consent of HistoryNet, LLC
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter, delivered
twice weekly, at historynet.com/newsletters PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA
History. Heritage. Craft CULTURE. The Great Outdoors.
Your Ticket to the Wild West.
The world comes out west expecting to see cowboys driving horses through the streets of downtown; pronghorn butting heads
RQZLQGVZHSWEOX֯VFORXGVHQFLUFOLQJWKHWRZHULQJSLQQDFOHVRIWKH&ORXG3HDN:LOGHUQHVVDQGHQGOHVVH[SDQVHVRIZLOG
RSHQFRXQWU\7KHVHDUHVRPHRIWKHְEHUVWKDWKDYHEHHQVWLWFKHGWRJHWKHURYHUWLPHWRFUHDWHWKHSDWFKZRUNTXLOWRI6KHULGDQ
&RXQW\҇VLGHQWLW\HDFKSDUWDQGSDUFHOWRWKH:\RPLQJH[SHULHQFH7RVVLQDKLVWRULFGRZQWRZQGLVWULFWZLWKZHVWHUQDOOXUH
hospitality and good graces to spare; a vibrant art scene; bombastic craft culture; a robust festival and events calendar; small
WRZQFKDUPIURPRQHKLVWRULFRXWSRVWWRWKHQH[WDQGOLYLQJKLVWRU\RQHYHU\FRUQHUDQG\RXKDYHDJROGHQWLFNHWWRWKH
adventure of a lifetime.
LETTERS
Dynamite Squared
As I flipped through my copy of the Pacific-based “Dynamite Johnny” O’Brien
poses aboard SS Buford with actor Buster
Summer 2023 Wild West, I was happy Keaton in 1924 while filming The Navigator.
to see a picture of “Dynamite Johnny”
O’Brien, the famed Cuba filibuster. How- cinematic take on The Three Musketeers
ever, when I saw the vignette on Johnny is a “remake” of any of the umpteen prior
was in an article on the Klondike, I feared versions. Kudos to Burton.
the worst. Author Mike Coppock has John Sanders
blended the stories of two different peo- Yucaipa, Calif.
ple. There were two Dynamite Johnnies
—one based out of New York and the Ca- STAR HOUSE
ribbean (died 1917), and another on the Let us hope the nonprofit Star House
Pacific Coast and Alaska (died 1930). The preservation effort [SaveStarHouse.com]
picture in the article is of the New York mentioned in a recent Roundup pays
Johnny, who was involved heavily in the off and enough money can be raised to re-
Cuban Revolution against Spain and later moved to an inde- store this once beautiful historic home of Comanche Chief
pendent Cuba to become a pilot in and around Havana. The Quanah Parker. I would think future generations who have a
Cuban people and government recognized his great contribu- love of history would enjoy seeing the Oklahoma house restored,
tion to their freedom. He was granted the honor of captaining and I certainly plan to make a monetary contribution.
the wreck of USS Maine out to her final resting place. David Vardeman
The Pacific-based Johnny [pictured above with actor Buster Waco, Texas
Keaton] also led a fairly adventurous life, but he was not re-
lated to the older Johnny of Cuba fame. The biography A Cap- BARBS & BEEVES
tain Unafraid relates the life story of the Dynamite Johnny Your readers might be interested in knowing that Joseph Glid-
born in New York. A more recent book [Tales of the Seven Seas, den, mentioned in the June 2021 Western Enterprise article
by Dennis M. Powers] profiles the other Johnny. “When the West Was Wired” [by Jim Winnerman] as one of the
Jarrett Robinson best designers of barbed wire, established a huge ranch in the
Spring Hill, Tenn. Texas Panhandle to prove the effectiveness of his design. Accord-
ing to some reports, he ran more than 10,000 cattle on his ranch.
Mike Coppock responds: Most of my material on Dynamite Roger Burkhart
Johnny O’Brien came from Powers’ Tales of the Seven Seas. Gaithersburg, Md.
As correspondent Robinson wrote, A Captain Unafraid focuses
on the other Johnny’s exploits during the Cuban Revolution. WHO’S THE KID?
It appears earlier sources did conflate the two, alleging New James B. Mills’ Billy the Kid articles are excellent. They contain
York–based O’Brien was in Alaska because the revolution had lots of little-known info on him that help round him out. The
ended, and he had to make a living. That “blended Johnny” Kid’s last words before being gunned down by Sheriff Pat Garrett
also appears in a book on notorious Skagway con man Soapy were, “Quién es?” (“Who is it?”). But who is, or was, Billy the Kid?
Smith. Robinson points to the photo above, of Keaton and the Billy the Kid was good, bad and ugly, all wrapped up in a 5-foot-9
Pacific-based Dynamite Johnny, as proof of their distinct identi- frame. He had a thin upper lip and buckteeth, which made for a
ties. It was taken in 1924, seven years after the New York–based toothy grin. He had a quick smile and a loud laugh. Billy loved to
Johnny’s death. Thank you for the correction. dance and is said to have had many lady friends. The Kid could be
COURTESY OF PUGET SOUND MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY
fearless, kind, gentle and generous. He was respectful and loyal to

TRUE GRIT his friends, many of whom were his Hispanic neighbors in Lincoln
Art T. Burton’s contributions are always excellent. In a past County, New Mexico Territory. It helped that Bilito was fluent in
review of movies about frontier Oklahoma he refers to the Spanish. But Billy could also be cruel and ruthless, dangerous
Coen brothers’ 2010 version of True Grit as an “adaptation of and deadly when wronged. The Kid didn’t hesitate to pull a gun
the novel.” For 10 years I’ve been irked by seeing/hearing it called on those he deemed deserving of death, such as Bob Olinger, the
a “remake” of the iconic 1969 Henry Hathaway lawman who taunted and bullied Billy on the way
version starring John Wayne. Die-hard Duke fans Send letters by email to to jail. Unlike the TV Westerns of old, colorful Billy
[email protected]
(of which I am one) have been particularly guilty. Please include your the Kid was not black-and-white, but quién es?
As both are based on the Charles Portis novel, name and hometown Paul Hoylen
the Coen film is no more a remake than the latest @WildWestMagazine Deming, N.M.

Send just $2.95 for shipping
and guaranteed delivery.
FREE
George A. Custer
U.S. Half Dollar
N ow you can own a FREE uncirculated
US half dollar enhanced with a vintage
photo of one of the most well-known legends
on approval. Strict limit of one FREE coin. Your
satisfaction is guaranteed.
Legends of the West Coin
of the West. Just send $2.95 for shipping and George A. Custer
guaranteed delivery. Yes! Send me the FREE George Custer coin. Enclosed is
R
$2.95 for shipping and guaranteed delivery. My satisfaction is
This Historic Coin is Available guaranteed. Strict limit of one.
Quick order at MysticAd.com/CZ132
Only from Mystic
Name ______________________________________________________________
The vintage Library of Congress portrait on this
Address _____________________________________________________________
vibrant coin shows Custer as a major general at the
City/State/Zip ________________________________________________________
end of the Civil War. The image is permanently *Add state sales tax to order total.
R Check or money order enclosed*
bonded to the coin to last for years. It’s a neat R VISA R MasterCard R American Express R Discover
Exp. Date: ____ / ____
keepsake of a turbulent period in US history.
Send today and you’ll also receive special
Please send to: Mystic, Dept. CZ132
collector’s information and other interesting coins 9700 Mill St., Camden, NY 13316-9111
Johnny
Wells Behan
Spicer
Charles
Shibell
Bob Paul
Ike
Clanton
ROUNDUP
Top Figures in Earp-era

Tombstone, Arizona
1 Pima County Ne’er-do-Wells In the lead-up to
the Nov. 2, 1880, Pima County election (when Tomb-
stone was still a part of that county) Recorder William Oury
and gave up accomplices Jim Crane, Harry Head and Bill
Leonard. Authorities spent months looking for the trio
before learning they’d died under various circumstances.
FROM TOP LEFT: WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY; ARIZONA STATE ARCHIVES (4)
handed out ballots far exceeding the number of voters
in Democrat-heavy districts, prompting members of the
Cowboy gang of outlaws, among others, to stuff the bal-
lot box and re-elect their man, Charles A. Shibell, as sher-
3 The Cattle Launderers “Old Man” Newman
Haynes Clanton, sons Ike, Billy and Phin, and brothers
Tom and Frank McLaury maintained numerous homestead
iff. The election outcome ultimately went to district court, claims that served as bases for the Cowboys’ sprawling cat-
which pronounced Republican Bob Paul the winner. Even tle rustling operation. Stolen steers brought to them were re-
then, Shibell refused to concede and had to be removed branded and—thus given a seemingly legitimate origin—sold
from office. to unscrupulous butchers seeking beef at cut-rate prices.
2 Bob Paul On March 15, 1881, gunmen fired on a

northbound stage driven by Wells Fargo shotgun
messenger Paul, killing miner Peter Rohrig and driver
4 Johnny Behan Behan was the somewhat cor-
rupt, mostly incompetent sheriff of Cochise County.
After Luther King, a suspect in the assassination attempt
Bud Philpot, the latter of whom had been feeling ill and on Bob Paul, mysteriously escaped the county jail, Tomb-
swapped seats with Paul, handing the latter the reins. stone Nugget editor Harry Wood—Behan’s undersheriff
The facts suggest an assassination attempt, as Paul and jailer—wrote, “The Earps helped him escape, because
was in the midst of contesting the 1880 election results. he was about to confess that Doc Holliday done it.” That
In the wake of the shooting the badge-wearing broth- begs the question, How would anyone know what another
ers Earp detained suspect Luther King, who confessed was about to confess? Behan apparently told that same

paper the Earp party had acted properly
at the gunfight near the O.K. Corral—that is,
Will Rogers Wins
until Wood “explained” to Behan he’d better for Wild West
change his tune.
Twenty years ago a group of creative Western
souls founded the Will Rogers Medallion Awards
5 Ike Clanton Ike was on the edge, not
in the middle, with convenient ranches
and bad friends. He seemed ready to sell out
to honor outstanding volumes of cowboy poetry.
A prolific writer himself, humorist Rogers would
stage robbery suspects Crane, Head and have approved its expansion since to recognize
Leonard to the Earps, until he came to fear creative works in 22 categories. In 2023 the
Holliday might find out. It was then he started WRMA added a Western short nonfiction cate-
threatening to kill the Earps, though he wasn’t gory, and Wild West contributors nabbed both
up for more than a backshooting. the gold and silver medallions at the October 21 WEST
awards ceremony at Cooper’s in the historic WORDS
6 Wells Spicer Spicer was more of
a jurist and lawyer than most Western
justices of the peace. He had clerked for re-
Fort Worth Stockyards. Melody Groves won
for her Autumn 2022 feature “The Kid’s Mom,” ‘If you’re riding
ahead of the
relating the life of Catherine McCarty Antrim,
nowned judge Samuel Augustus Bissell and mother of notorious outlaw Billy the Kid, while herd, take a look
conducted the trial for John D. Lee, the only
Preston Lewis took silver for his Winter 2023 back every now
man tried for his part in the 1857 Mountain and then’
feature “There’ll Be a Caterwauling in the Old
Meadows Massacre of emigrants by Mor- —So said vaudeville
Town Tonight,” a humorous take on the grim
mons. In his pretrial hearing of Wyatt, Virgil trick roper turned
and Morgan Earp and Doc Holliday, Spicer fate of cats on the Western frontier. Lewis also celebrated actor and
rebuked the defendants for bad judgment, earned gold in Western traditional fiction (Rio humorist Will Rogers
not criminality. He seems to have concluded Hondo) and Western Humor (Outlaw West of (1879–1935). In his
storied life “Oklahoma’s
they had walked down Fremont Street be-
Favorite Son” appeared
hind the corral simply to intimidate those
in more than 70 films,
who’d been threatening their lives. But the wrote some 4,000
foursome had miscalculated, as some of the nationally syndicated
men they faced were bolder than expected. newspaper columns
and circled the globe
7 “Curly Bill” Brocius Brocius was

de facto leader of the Cowboy gang of
outlaws, not that the latter were organized
three times before
tragically dying at age
55 in a plane crash with
in any true sense of the word, though they aviator Wiley Post.
did manage to send out teams of assassins
against Paul, John Clum, Vigil Earp and Mor-
gan Earp, killing the latter. When Wyatt Earp’s
“vendetta posse” shot down Frank Stillwell
at the Tucson train station on March 20, 1882,
Ike was with him, and Virgil thought he spotted
other Cowboys. Was Brocius among them? Four the Pecos). The WRMA singled
days later Wyatt killed Curly Bill at Iron Springs. out novelist/filmmaker L.J.
Though some biographers claim Brocius lived Martin and Longmire nov-
out his life as a Texas lawman, he was never elist Craig Johnson with its
again photographed this side of the grave. Golden Lariat and Lifetime
FROM TOP: HULTON ARCHIVE (GETTY IMAGES); DAVE LAUTERBORN (2)
Achievement Awards, respec-
8 Johnny Ringo Ringo was a man of fe-

rocious and drunken temperament, a rep-
utation that followed him from Texas. He doesn’t
tively. Gold medalists in other
categories included Wild West
contributors Bill Markley in West-
seem to have done much mischief in Arizona,
ern biographies (Wild Bill Hickok & Buffalo
though, nor does he stack up as any sort of
Bill Cody), James B. Mills and Linda Wommack
leader among the Cowboys. As Curly Bill’s
gunslinger, however, he represented a deadly in Western nonfiction (mutual awards for Billy
threat to anyone challenging the Cowboys. He the Kid and From Sand Creek to Summit Springs,
was also a known womanizer, who slept with respectively) and Candy Moulton (with Bob Noll)
Holliday’s longtime companion “Big Nose Kate” in Western film/documentary (The Battle of Red
Horony while Judge Spicer had Doc and Wyatt Buttes). Finalists included authors from 21 states
locked up. For more on Ringo’s fate, see P. 38. and four countries. For a full list of medalists visit
—Doug Hocking willrogersmedallionaward.net.
WILD WEST WINTER 2024 11

Indian schools that operated in both Canada
and the United States in the 19th and 20th centu-
ries have come under criticism in recent decades
for having subjected students to such standard
practices of the era as corporal punishment, as
well as such nonstandard practices as giving them
English names and forbidding certain cultural
practices. Critics have also chastised the Canadian
Texas Jack government for having made school attendance
on Horseback compulsory for Indian children in 1920, though by
then similar legislation applied to all Canadian
children. Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Com-
This has been a banner year for Matthew Kerns. Author of the well-received 2021
biography Texas Jack: America’s First Cowboy Star, Kerns earned both a 2023 mission continues to claim that thousands of
Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and a 2023 Indian children were “snatched” from their fam-
Spur Award from Western Writers of America for “Texas Jack Takes an Encore,” the
cover story of the April 2022 Wild West. Available on HistoryNet.com, it relates the ilies never to return, having died mainly from
story of John Baker “Texas Jack” Omohundro, a native Virginian who fought in the
Civil War, punched steers in Texas, scouted alongside Will Cody during the Indian
wars, toured onstage with “Buffalo Bill” and “Wild Bill” Hickok, married Italian prima
ballerina Giuseppina Morlacchi and died far too young, at age 33, in 1880. While
returning from the Spur Awards ceremony in Rapid City, S.D., Kerns stopped by
Cody’s old stamping grounds in North Platte, Neb. There, at the Lincoln County
Historical Museum he stumbled across the above image—the only known photo
of Texas Jack on horseback. Dating from 1872, it depicts the scout and sometime
guide at nearby Fort McPherson with (standing left to right) Dr. Charles Kingsley
and Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin, 4th Earl of Dunraven. “Jack is wearing the
same outfit he used onstage during the Scouts of the Prairie tour,” Kerns notes.
FAMOUS Unearthing the Truth

LAST Back in May 2021 the Tk’emlups te Secwépemc
WORDS First Nation, within the boundaries of British
Columbia, Canada, announced that a survey team
using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) had found
‘I am not “the remains of 215 children who were students
afraid to die of the Kamloops Indian Residential School.” Es- disease and been buried on school grounds. Left
tablished in 1890 and operated until 1969 by the out is the fact that such infectious diseases as
like a man, Catholic Church, the school aimed to educate tuberculosis were widespread across all popu-
FROM TOP: LINCOLN COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM; WILLIAM JAMES TOPLEY, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA, C-015037
fighting, and “civilize” its Indian students, with an em- lations in that era, and that federal policy kept
but I would phasis on moral and religious training. On news a strict accounting of such deaths. Moreover, the
not like to of the Kamloops discovery, tribal chief Rosanne
Casimir further claimed the deaths were “undoc-
deterioration of wooden crosses used in the period
means there are countless “unmarked graves,”
be killed umented.” Within days Prime Minister Justin again across all populations.
like a dog, Trudeau ordered Canadian flags on all federal No doubt there were abuses at such schools then
unarmed’ facilities lowered to half-staff in recognition of the and into the recent past. But only through a sober
“215 children whose lives were taken at the Kam- reckoning, backed up by hard evidence and absent
—Before being gunned
down in the dark in loops residential school.” Other First Nations or- inflammatory rhetoric, will the truth emerge.
Fort Sumner, New dered similar GPR scans of school grounds in their
Mexico Territory, on boundaries and announced the discovery of up- Old West, New Tech
July 14, 1881, Billy the ward of 1,000 graves, igniting a political firestorm Archaeologists out West are increasingly trad-
Kid only had time across Canada that led to “reprisal” acts of vandal- ing in spade and shovel for eyes in the sky. Re-
to say, “Quién es?”
ism at nearly 70 mainly Catholic churches. searchers at the University of Missouri recently
(“Who is it?”). The
answer was Lincoln Problem is, no remains have been unearthed put drones to work searching for ancient pueblos
County Sheriff Pat at any of the alleged graves. Most recently, a dig with lidar (light detection and ranging), a scan-
Garrett. But above at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Church in Camp- ning technology that uses laser pulses to map
are some of the Kid’s erville, Manitoba, site of the former Pine Creek the landscape. By pinpointing such settlements
last written words,
Residential School, came up empty on ground in the Lion Mountain region of western New
excerpted from a
note to territorial
that Minegoziibe Anishinabe First Nation offi- Mexico, the team hopes to better understand
Governor Lew Wallace cials claimed held more than a dozen potential patterns of migration and social interaction
weeks earlier. unmarked graves. among ancient Pueblo tribes.

OW N A PIECE OF THE WILD WE ST...
REPLICA LEATHER VEST

Inspired by the Leather Vest
John Wayne Wore in Many
of His Classic Western Films!
Genuine Leather
and Suede
4 Front Welt Pockets
A Quality Apparel Design Available Only from The Bradford Exchange

America’s classic cowboy, legendary actor John Wayne made a name An Outstanding Value
for himself as a western movie star hero and a no-nonsense, ruggedly
handsome star of the silver screen. This John Wayne Replica Leather Not Available in Stores
Vest features hand-crafted genuine leather and suede just like the vest This leather vest is a remarkable value at $199.95*, payable in 4
he wore in some of his most famous movies. Masterfully crafted interest-free installments of $49.99. It is available in men’s sizes
with a genuine leather front and a real suede back, this vest includes M-XXXL (for sizes XXL and XXXL, add $10), and is backed by
a notched lapel, leather tie front, four welt pockets, and a rough striped our unconditional 30-day guarantee. This vest is only available
cotton blend interior lining just like the vest he wore in True Grit, from The Bradford Exchange, so don’t miss out. To order, send no
Big Jake, El Dorado and many more! This comfortable vest is designed money now… just fill out and mail in your Priority Reservation today!
for rugged good looks and classic western style.
SEE YOU LATER...
DEAN SMITH
Olympic gold medalist, rodeo cowboy
and stuntman Finis Dean Smith, 91, died
at his ranch in Ivan, Texas, on June 24,
2023. After medaling as the leadoff
American runner in the 4x100 m relay
at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki,
Finland, Texas native Smith set more
sprinting records and flirted with playing
pro football before heading to Hollywood.
He appeared as a stuntman in dozens
of big- and small-screen Westerns, including The Alamo, The Co-
mancheros and McLintock! On TV he stunted for Tales of Wells
Fargo and Gunsmoke, among other series. Courting further danger, A Brothel Comes to Town
Smith also competed in amateur rodeo. Occupying the very spot where in 1895 showman
extraordinaire Buffalo Bill Cody and partners platted
MARC SIMMONS the original townsite of Cody, Wyo., Old Trail Town is a
Marc Simmons, 86, the “dean of New
Mexico historians” and a certified member 6-acre attraction encompassing 26 historic buildings,
of the Spanish nobility, died on Sept. 14, a museum of frontier artifacts, more than 100 horse-
2023, in Albuquerque. The author of more drawn vehicles and even a few notable gravesites (see
than 40 books on New Mexico and the
Southwest, he served as founding presi-
“A Town Within Famed Cody,” by Linda Wommack, in
dent of the Santa Fe Trail Association the August 2021 Wild West). Since opening nearly six
(SFTA) from 1986 to ’89. In his honor the decades ago all Old Trail Town has lacked is a church
SFTA created the Marc Simmons Writing and a brothel. Perhaps in keeping with frontier town
Award, presented each year to the au-
priorities, it’s about to open the latter. In 2019 work
thor of the best article published in the association journal Wagon
LEFT, FROM TOP: LARRY D. MOORE, CC BY 4.0; MARK LEE GARDNER; DAIL ELLIS LINDSEY ESTATE; TOP RIGHT: DAVE G. HOUSER (ALAMY STOCK PHOTO); BOTTOM: MORPHY AUCTIONS
Tracks. In 1993 King Juan Carlos of Spain admitted Simmons to crews relocated a cabin that once housed infamous
the knightly Orden de Isabel la Católica for his contributions to madam Rose Williams’ brothel to the townsite. After
Spanish colonial history. several years of restoration, it is slated to reopen
for business (albeit of a more benign touristy nature)
ELLIS LINDSEY in summer 2024.
Author Dail Ellis Lindsey, 84, died at home
in Waco, Texas, on Aug. 13, 2023. A dedi-
cated researcher with a special interest Pistols With Provenance
in gunfighters from his native Texas, Lind-
sey wrote the feature “The Lynching of
Assassin Jim Miller” for the October 2012
Wild West. In that article he dispelled
several myths about Miller, noting that Longtime Wild West readers by
such nicknames as “Killin’ Jim,” “Killer now understand the importance of
Miller” and “Deacon Jim” were modern provenance, defined by Webster’s as “the
inventions. According to Lindsey, the infamous hired gun was
known as “Kid Miller” back in Fort Worth, where he joined a church history of ownership of a valued object.” A pistol
to “gain sympathy and establish alibis.” In 2002 Lindsey authored recently sold by Morphy Auctions, of Denver,
a book about Texas gunman Barney Riggs, who once thwarted Pa., offers a perfect object lesson.
Miller by killing two of the latter’s hired henchmen sent to kill Riggs. Exhibit A is a Colt No. 5 “Texas Model” Paterson
revolver, a version of the world’s first commercially
successful revolver, patented by Samuel Colt on
New Wild West Editor Feb. 25, 1836, and named for the Paterson, N.J., plant
The Wild West History Association (WWHA) has hired Wild West in which Colt first manufactured his namesake guns.
contributor Matt Bernstein as the editor of its membership Between 1838 and ’40 Colt produced 1,000 five-shot,
Journal. A former writing teacher at the undergraduate and .36-caliber No. 5 Patersons for use by Rangers and
high school levels, Bernstein is the author of George Hearst: Silver sailors in the nascent Republic of Texas. The one
King of the Gilded Age (2021), Hanging Charley Flinn: The Short sold by Morphy (above) bears Serial No. 996.
and Violent Life of the Boldest Criminal in Frontier California (2023) In 2011 a No. 5 “Texas Model” Paterson with prove-
and a forthcoming book on the Spanish-American War. His latest nance fetched nearly $1 million at auction. Granted,
feature article for Wild West, in the Summer 2023 issue, related the that one was in near perfect condition. Though the
deadly 1869 fire at the Yellow Jacket mine in the Nevada boomtown one offered by Morphy lacked one original part and
of Gold Hill (see “Who Started the Infamous 1869 Yellow Jacket had minor pitting, chipping and evidence of a repair,
Mine Fire,” online at HistoryNet.com). Bernstein replaces retiring it was accompanied by critical paperwork document-
longtime editor Roy B. Young, who has edited the Journal since the ing its provenance, thus it still managed to fetch a
formation of WWHA in 2008. Wild West wishes both editors well. respectable $57,600, sure as shooting.

We’re Bringing Flexy Back
The Stauer Flex gives you vintage style with a throwback price of only $79.
J ust like a good wristwatch movement,
fashion is cyclical. And there’s a certain
wristwatch trend that was huge in the 1960s The Looks of a Classic
and then again in the 1980s, and is ready for
its third time in the spotlight. We’re talking, of Flex Band Watch for
course, about the flexible stretch watch band.
To purchase a vintage 60s or 80s classic flex only $79!
watch would stretch anyone’s budget, but you
can get ahead of the crowd and secure a brand
new version for a much lower price.
We’re rolling back the years AND the numbers
by pricing the Stauer Flex like this, so you can
put some bend in your band without making a
dent in your wallet.
The Stauer Flex combines 1960s vintage cool
with 1980s boardroom style. The stainless steel
flex band ensures minimal fuss and the sleek
midnight blue face keeps you on track with
date and day subdials.
Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed.
Experience the Stauer Flex for 30 days. If
you’re not convinced you got excellence for
less, send it back for a refund of the item
price. Your satisfaction is our top priority.
Time is running out. As our top selling watch,
we can’t guarantee the Flex will stick around
long. Don’t
overpay to be ÌÌÌÌÌ
underwhelmed. “The quality of their watches
Flex your is equal to many that can go
right to put for ten times the price or more.”
a precision
timepiece on — Jeff from McKinney, TX
your wrist for
just $79. Call today!
TAKE 74% OFF INSTANTLY!
When you use your OFFER CODE
1-800-333-2045 Flexible Stretch Watch Bracelets in the News:

Your Offer Code: FMW͖͕͔-01 “The bracelets are comfortable, they last forever,
Please use this code when you order to
receive your discount.
and they exhibit just the right balance of simplicity
14101 Southcross Drive W., and over-engineering”
Stauer ® Ste 155, Dept. FMW͖͕͔-01

Burnsville, Minnesota 55337
www.stauer.com
– Bloomberg.com, 2017
† Special price only for customers using the offer code

versus the price on Stauer.com without your offer code. Rating of A+
• Precision movement • Stainless steel crown, caseback & bracelet

• Date window at 6 o’clock; day window at 10 o’clock • Water resistant to 3 ATM • Stretches to fit wrists up to 8 ½"
Stauer… Afford the Extraordinary.®
INTERVIEW
Wagon Master
DOUG HANSEN SEEKS TO PRESERVE THE CRAFT OF
WESTERN WAGONMAKING ONE WHEEL AT A TIME
B Y C A N DY M O U LT O N
W
ho says living in the past Building a replica is a lot like being a
doesn’t pay? Doug Hansen sculptor. You have to rely on your eye and
has turned a youthful pas- your hand to recreate that. You are sculpt-
sion for old-world crafts- ing a horse-drawn vehicle, be it a buck-
manship into an internationally renowned board or a stagecoach. You are sculpting
business still rooted on family land in thousands of components. That historical
Letcher, S.D. Hansen Wheel & Wagon Shop accuracy of the horse-drawn era is form
[hansenwheel.com] has restored and built over function. They have to look good.
wagons and stagecoaches for museums, They have to work.
theme parks, film and TV productions,
collectors, reenactors and people who just What type of vehicle do you
plain like to travel by wagon. Working in most like to restore?
new and old buildings—the shop’s finish- The stagecoach is my passion. It is the
ing area is in a former railroad depot— most complex. The leather thorough-
the Hansen team has built wagons and braces, the pumpkin-shaped vehicle—it is
camp gear for such popular productions a complex vehicle of industry and artistry.
as Dances With Wolves and 1883, as well My aptitude is the mechanical, the engi-
as the forthcoming Kevin Costner film neering, and then the artsy side of it. I can
Horizons. Hansen has also worked on easily comprehend the engineering, and
stagecoaches and wagons for Wells Fargo, Disney, Knotts Berry I appreciate the design. Like any historical trade, it takes a cer-
Farm and Budweiser’s signature Clydesdales. Word has certain amount of time to understand. You have to get it right
tainly gotten out, as the shop’s history-minded customers include historically. It’s not your design; you are replicating a period.
clients in France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Japan and Taiwan—
anywhere people celebrate the heritage of fine craftsmanship. What historical insights have you gleaned?
There’s a difference between a historian who lives it and one
What inspired you to work on wagons? who writes it. I can read about a vehicle, I can look at it, but
My family gets a lot of credit, because my dad had a nice shop, I don’t understand it as much as when I build it and drive it.
my mom had a leather shop, and we had horses. My mother is a
saddlemaker. My grandfather was a teamster and had worked How do you differ from period Old West craftsmen?
in his uncle’s blacksmith shop. I was intrigued with old-world They were forward engineering to meet a need. We are reverse
craftsmanship as a kid. A wheel needed restoration, so I under- engineering. What we do is a little bit like archaeology. We need
took that. Pretty soon my mother was buying buggies at antique to uncover tidbits of information as well as the obstacles.
auctions, and I restored them. All of a sudden my hobby got America was built by the teamsters who had the fortitude,
out of control, and I made it a business. We are building those ingenuity and desire to get past obstacles.
vehicles I’m passionate about.
Do any projects stand out?
Would you rather restore/rebuild or start from scratch? We’ve learned so much from vehicles with historical content.
When doing restoration, you’re usually just cleaning up, pro- Now we understand the design, textiles, leathers, pigments
filing. But in a replication, you have to build everything, and there and the engineering specifics of the wood species. It’s like
are specific hardwoods for different components. A spoke is hick- opening a volume of encyclopedias.
ory. A felloe [rim] is white oak. The hub is elm. A reach [bearing The best museum projects would have to be the Oregon Trail
HANSEN WHEEL & WAGON SHOP
shaft] is hickory. All your panel wood is yellow poplar. One of replicas we’ve built. Other vehicles that come to mind are
the challenges is finding the stock. In today’s hardwood industry the stagecoaches. We’ve restored Wells Fargo coaches that had
most stock is used for kitchen cabinets and furniture. It’s thinner original content in them—signatures, dates. We even found
stock. The wagon industry no longer exists, so the heavy stock an upholsterer’s tool. They’re all fascinating.
and specific species are harder to find. We often find we have to
custom saw and custom dry, and it’s a long-drawn-out process. Visit historynet.com/doug-hansen-interview to read more.

First-Year 1878
Morgan Silver Dollar!
From a Just Discovered

Collector’s Hoard!
Your Choice of
Three Quality Grades!
GUARANTEED!
187YE8AR
FIRST
OF ISSUE
Get an 1878, First-Year Morgan Silver Dollar!

The Silver Dollar that Helped Build the Old West!
Maybe you knew that the Morgan Silver Dollar is the most A First Year Morgan Silver Dollar—Guaranteed!
widely collected and traded Silver Dollar ever minted by the You’re guaranteed to receive a first-year Morgan Silver Dollar
United States—in part because of its iconic design, and in from 1878. The coins here come from a recently discovered
part because it was the hard currency found in the saddle- hoard of around 500 1878
bags of cowboys and ranchers, and of course outlaws. It Morgans, just now available to COIN CONDITIONS
was the coin that helped build the Old West. the public. Depending on what Fine-Very Fine: Clear elements
you want to spend, you have your showing some to good detail,
Morgan Silver Dollars—All-American Coins with moderate, even wear. Sold
choice of three quality grades— elsewhere for $134
It’s also popular because it’s a 90% Silver Dollar with an Fine to Very Fine, About Uncircu- About Uncirculated: Sharp
American design that was first minted in 1878, from American lated and Brilliant Uncirculated elements and backgrounds with
silver that came from the Comstock Lode in Nevada. It was (see coin condition grid to the a trace of wear and some mint
last minted in 1921 for circulation—which is why 2021 right). But—immediately call the luster. Sold elsewhere for $176
marked the coin’s 100th anniversary. toll-free number below because Brilliant Uncirculated: Has
these first-year, 1878 Morgan never been circulated and still
Silver Dollars won’t last. retains its original mint luster.
It’s a Wonder Any Morgans Still Exist Today Sold elsewhere for $323
Coin experts estimate that fewer than 15% of all the Morgan 1878 Morgan Silver Dollars
Silver Dollars ever minted still exist today. At one point, the Fine-Very Fine $79.95 +s/h
Pittman Act authorized the melting of 259,121,554 Silver About Uncirculated $129 +s/h
Dollars to send to Great Britain to help that country during Brilliant Uncirculated $229 + FREE SHIPPING
World War I—nearly half of the entire mintage of Morgans FREE SHIPPING: Limited time only. Product total over $149 before taxes
up to that time! (if any). Standard domestic shipping only. Not valid on previous purchases.
SPECIAL CALL-IN ONLY OFFER 1-800-517-6468 Offer Code FMD161-01

Please mention this code when you call.
GovMint.com • 1300 Corporate Center Curve, Dept. FMD161-01, Eagan, MN 55121

GovMint.com®PZHYL[HPSKPZ[YPI\[VYVMJVPUHUKJ\YYLUJ`PZZ\LZHUKPZUV[HɉSPH[LK^P[O[OL<:NV]LYUTLU[;OLJVSSLJ[PISLJVPUTHYRL[PZ\UYLN\SH[LKOPNOS`ZWLJ\SH[P]LHUK
PU]VS]LZYPZR.V]4PU[JVTYLZLY]LZ[OLYPNO[[VKLJSPUL[VJVUZ\TTH[LHU`ZHSL^P[OPUP[ZKPZJYL[PVUPUJS\KPUNK\L[VWYPJPUNLYYVYZ7YPJLZMHJ[ZÄN\YLZHUKWVW\SH[PVUZKLLTLK
HJJ\YH[LHZVM[OLKH[LVMW\ISPJH[PVUI\[TH`JOHUNLZPNUPÄJHU[S`V]LY[PTL(SSW\YJOHZLZHYLL_WYLZZS`JVUKP[PVULK\WVU`V\YHJJLW[HUJLVM.V]4PU[JVT»Z;LYTZHUK*VUKP[PVUZ ®
^^^NV]TPU[JVT[LYTZJVUKP[PVUZVYJHSS"[VKLJSPULYL[\YU`V\YW\YJOHZLW\YZ\HU[[V.V]4PU[JVT»Z9L[\YU7VSPJ`.V]4PU[JVT(SSYPNO[ZYLZLY]LK
A+
WESTERNERS
The Scout
Who (Almost)
Never Was
C
ephas William “Dick” Parr (1843–1911)
never achieved the fame of fellow scout
turned showman William Frederick
“Buffalo Bill” Cody, though judging by
this 1890s publicity photo, Dick struck as dash-
ing a figure. His name is also linked to one of the
most storied fights of the Indian wars. In 1900
his third wife, Louise (née Lincoln) Parr, pub-
lished a fantastical biography that claims Dick
was raised by legendary Indian fighter William
Harney, captured at age 12 and adopted by the
Sioux, and bailed out James Butler Hickok in
1861 after “Wild Bill” killed his first man. At the
Sept. 17–19, 1868, Battle of Beecher Island, it
continues, Dick not only fought as one of Major
George Forsyth’s vaunted scouts, but also held
namesake Lieutenant Frederick Beecher as
the latter lay dying. Along the way he reportedly
served as chief scout for U.S. Army icons Alfred
Sully, Winfield Scott Hancock, George Armstrong
Custer and Philip Sheridan. Problem is, few of
the claims pass muster. “A thorough search of
the records,” reads the paperwork for a 1904
pension claim on Parr’s behalf, “fails to disclose
any record of the alleged service.” Yet, quixotically,
Congress approved the pension.
Turns out Parr did at very least serve as post
scout at Fort Hays under Sheridan and Custer
in 1868. In the leadup to Beecher Island he pin-
pointed several hostile Indian villages and advised
Forsyth on the selection of his scouts. Dick also
loaned the scouts six of his own horses, though
he didn’t join the campaign. Still, according to
the pension claim Parr suffered from arrow and
gunshot wounds received in action at Fort Hays.
For the next 20 years he knocked about the West
before heading east to settle in, of all places, Brook-
lyn, N.Y. Parr spent the balance of his life touring in
CORBIS (GETTY IMAGES)
Western garb with his own Rocky Mountain Dick

Amusement Company and regaling all who would
listen with his exploits, real and imagined.

Supports
Our Military
www.Fighting69thWhiskey.com Fighting69thWhiskey @Fight69Whiskey @Fighting69thWhiskey
$1.00 from each bottle goes to the Sixty-Ninth Regiment Historical Trust, Inc. a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3)
Laura Fair was dressed all in black and draped in a
mourning veil on the evening of Nov. 3, 1870, when
she boarded a San Francisco-bound ferry and then
confronted and shot married lover Alexander Critten-
den in front of his wife and three of his children. Fair
was sentenced to death by hanging at trial. But her
plea of “emotional insanity” swayed a jury at retrial.
“All her life in the West,” historian Dee Brown

wrote of Fair, “she had been idolized merely be-
cause she was one of the petticoated few, [and]
during the 1850s and 1860s females had shot males
down and escaped scot-free.” Rightly so, many
thought. There was an unwritten rule of the times
that warned seducers to beware. In her 2013 book
The Trials of Laura Fair Carole Haber, a professor
of history at Tulane University, quotes a period
lawyer saying in the purple prose of the day, “He
who invades the family circle to blight it with dis-
honor, he who robs the fireside of its chastity and
tears from the home of virtue wife or daughter
or sister, justly forfeits his life.”
Crittenden was obviously a seducer, but so was
Fair, and the West was changing.
Born Laura Ann Hunt in Holly Springs, Miss.,
in 1837, the future femme fatale married her first
husband, a man more than twice her age, at age
16 in 1853. He died a year later—“mysteriously,”
Brown notes. Soon remarried, she just as quickly
abandoned that husband. Moving to California
GUNFIGHTERS & LAWMEN
in 1856, she next took up with and married lawyer
William D. Fair, 15 years her senior. They, too, split,
and he killed himself. By 1863, with the Civil War
Femme Fatale raging in the East, Fair was running a boarding-

house in Virginia City, Nev., when a shopkeeper
there ran up a Union flag outside his store. A true
Laura Fair
Southerner, Fair took offense and cut down the flag.
In the process, she admitted, “I may have cut
his hand a little.”
She was arrested, and Crittenden was conspic-
AFTER SHOOTING DOWN HER MARRIED uous in the audience during her trail, an indicator
the affair had either started or was about to.
LOVER, THIS JILTED WOMAN CLAIMED Hailing from a prominent family in Lexington,
‘FEMALE HYSTERIA,’ AN ALIBI REJECTED Ky., Alexander Parker Crittenden was a West Point
BY BOTH SUFFRAGETTES AND A JURY graduate and a nephew of John J. Crittenden, who
had been governor of Kentucky and U.S. attor-
B Y C H U C K LY O N S ney general under President Millard Fillmore. In
keeping with the pattern, Alex was 21 years older
O
n the evening of Nov. 3, 1870, Laura Fair, whom one contemporary than Laura. Their May-December affair waxed
newspaper dubbed a “saucy wench,” dressed all in black with a and waned over the next seven years, Fair taking
black veil and followed her lover, Alexander Crittenden, onto a break in the midst of it to marry and divorce once
the San Francisco–bound ferry El Capitan. Aboard she found him again. Adding to the tensions, in 1864 Crittenden’s
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
sitting on a bench with his wife and three of his children. Approaching the wife, Clara, and family came to Nevada to be with
group, Fair shouted, “You have ruined me!” and abruptly shot Crittenden him. (In all the Crittendens had had 14 children,
with her Sharps pepperbox pistol. Within hours he was dead. only eight of whom survived to adulthood.)
Five months later, much to her surprise, a jury convicted her of the murder. Fair later followed the family when it relocated
She had expected an acquittal. to San Francisco.

There she got in another scrape when a trades- Above left: West Point graduate Crittenden came from a prominent family, thus
his killing and Fair’s trials for murder made headlines nationwide. Crittenden’s
man, this time a man to whom she owed money, 14-year-old son helped chase down Fair aboard the ferry El Capitan, above.
barged into her home demanding payment. Fair
slashed at him with a pair of scissors, cutting his divorce the loyal Clara and marry her. Finally, in November 1870 Fair learned
coat. Though arrested, she was found not guilty that Crittenden’s wife and three of her children were returning from a trip
at trial. According to Haber, the court ruled that to the East and went to observe the family reunion at the Oakland railroad
“the offending party…was the tradesman who station. She wondered how Crittenden would greet the woman he said
tried to force his way into the house of a poor, he no longer loved and was going to divorce.
defenseless woman.” Apparently, he greeted her much too warmly.
Crittenden continued to dally with Fair in San Riled, Fair followed the family onto El Capitan and shot Crittenden
Francisco and abide with her at times tempestu- point-blank in the chest. She then dropped the gun and walked away, pur-
ous moods—she was said to have fired at least one sued by Crittenden’s 14-year-old son and a local policeman who happened
shot at him during an argument—always reconcil- to be aboard. Cornered in the wheelhouse, Fair surrendered. The wounded
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA; SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS; HERITAGE AUCTIONS
ing with her and swearing his intention to divorce Crittenden was taken home, where he died two days later.
Clara and make Fair his legal wife. At one point Convened in March 1871, Fair’s trial garnered national news coverage,
he sent Fair to Indiana, where he said divorce laws and locals lined up for seats in the courtroom. Fair was confident her
were less rigid, and promised to meet her there. gender and the “unwritten laws” of the time, along with the defense ar-
He didn’t, and Fair grew suspicious he would never gument that she had acted in a moment of insanity, or “female hysteria,”
would spring her from the San Francisco County Jail. But public opinion
was against her. For one, Brown wrote, “She had been so unladylike as to
shoot her man while he was actually in the presence of his of his own legal
wife.” Meanwhile, suffragettes like Susan B. Anthony railed against the
idea of “female hysteria” as something used for centuries to keep women
subservient to men.
After deliberating a mere 40 minutes, the jury found her guilty, and Fair
Though Fair dressed for was sentenced to death by hanging.
the occasion, followed But that wasn’t the end of it.
Crittenden and family
from the Oakland, Calif., Fair appealed, wrangled a retrial in 1872 and was found not guilty on the
railroad station to the grounds of “emotional insanity,” which sounds a lot like “female hysteria.”
ferry and dropped a
Sharps pepperbox pistol Released, she continued to reside in San Francisco. “She lives in style,” wrote
(like that shown here) a visitor to that city in 1875. “Few ladies are so often named at dinner tables,
at the scene, the jury at
Fair’s retrial bought her and the public journals note her doings as the movements of a duchess
plea, in essence, that might be noted in Mayfair.”
the devil made her do it.
Fair, 82, died a free—and single—woman in San Francisco on Oct. 19, 1919.

The man posing in his buggy outside
the Gem saloon/theater/brothel in
Deadwood, Dakota Territory, in this
circa 1878 photo is believed to be its
ignominious owner, Al Swearingen.
PIONEERS & SETTLERS
The Reviled
Al Swearingen
THE NOTORIOUS ENTREPRENEUR WHO MADE HIS BLACK MARK
IN DEADWOOD, DAKOTA TERRITORY, DIED A VIOLENT DEATH
UNDER MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES IN DENVER
BY ALEJANDRO HE RNÁNDEZ
T
he historical record contains a wealth of primary quarters of Swearingen’s own corrupt fiefdom that for several
sources from the early days of Deadwood, Dakota years ruled over many aspects of underlife in the burgeoning
Territory. Images and paperwork of all stripes are community. In 1887 Nebraska’s Omaha Daily Bee reported that
extant both online and in physical archives. Lacking Swearingen had forcibly detained without pay at the Gem two
have been fuller profiles of the town’s various and sundry married stage performers from Omaha, prompting their hus-
characters, divorced from the legends that many worked to bands to petition Deadwood Mayor Sol Star for their release.
craft for themselves. One such character of note is Ellis Albert According to one of Al’s contemporaries, chronicler John S.
“Al” Swearingen, who is most closely associated with Deadwood McClintock, the profits the Gem brought effectively blinded
but met his demise in Denver on Nov. 15, 1904. Deadwood’s most prominent citizens to Swearingen’s bound-
Al and twin brother Lemuel Swearingen were born in Oska- less corruption. Death eventually tracked him down in Denver.
loosa, Iowa, on July 8, 1845. Their parents, Daniel and Keziah Newspaper accounts suggest he fell off a streetcar or train
DEADWOOD HISTORY, INC.
Swearingen, were farmers who would eventually establish a while trundling about the Colorado capital, though the weight
prosperous walnut grove near Yankton, S.D. By the spring of of evidence points to a darker demise.
1876 Al had moved to the gold boomtown of Deadwood, where Certainly, Swearingen was reviled by many who would have
he soon started the Gem saloon. Completed the following year, wanted him dead, not least the women who found themselves
the Gem served as a bar, variety theater, brothel and the head- in his orbit. Driven by a lust for power and wealth, he had no

compassion, even when it came to romantic part-
ners. In 1889, for example, a Deadwood judge issued
a warrant for Swearingen’s arrest after he’d bru-
tally beaten his second wife and threatened to cut
her throat with a straight razor. He avoided justice
that time by skipping town for Omaha. It wasn’t
an unprecedented assault. In 1879 Swearingen
had been arrested, fined $50 and put under a $500
bond after having badly beaten first wife Nettie,
the Black Hills Weekly Pioneer reporting that her
face had been “pounded almost to a jelly.” The
Oct. 25, 1884, edition of the Carbonate Chroni-
cle, in Leadville, Colo., recounted Nellie’s life of
abuse at her by then ex-husband’s hands. “He was
jealous of the girl’s pretty face,” the paper alleged,
“accused her of infidelity when there was no proof
of it and beat her without cause.”
While most women of the period had few op-
tions beyond motherhood and prostitution, Nettie
had found success in the early 1870s as a member English actor Ian McShane won the Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy
for his devilish portrayal of Swearingen in the critically acclaimed 2004–06 HBO
of a troupe of variety players. Unfortunately, in series Deadwood. McShane was not far off the mark in his portrayal of Swearingen,
1875 a gunman named Edward Frodsham shot who was known to have abused his wives and the women who worked in his brothel.
Nettie’s husband, Charles Peasley, to death in front
of her at a Wyoming Territory bar. Within months from past associates looking to do him harm. The month before Al’s death
she met and married Swearingen, then work- twin brother Lemuel, a successful butcher and former councilman back in
ing as a bartender at a joint in Laramie. After a hometown Oskaloosa, Iowa, was shot five times, it was thought in a case
stint operating a dance hall in Custer City, Dakota of mistaken identity. Lemuel survived, but Al ran out of luck.
Territory, he and Nettie ended up in the fron- According to the coroner’s inquest, the body was found at the Denver & Rio
tier morass known as Deadwood. Meanwhile, the Grande railroad crossing on Alameda Boulevard. His crushed legs, broken
beatings continued. ribs and fractured skull were consistent with a fall from a train, though the
In 1880 she escaped, far worse for the wear, injuries also seem consistent with having been beaten to death. At the time
and landed in Leadville, another boomtown with no one directly suggested foul play, but a Rocky Mountain News article from
a deficit of humanity. An article in the Carbonate October 17, a month before Swearingen’s death, reported he was to testify
Chronicle stated she became a “ward” of one Al- against former friend John Allison for having stolen $45 from Al after the
bert Marshman, though what that relationship pair worked the potato fields together in Eden, Colo.
entailed it didn’t specify. Another article in the The circumstances of Swearingen’s death may never come to light. What
same edition reported Nettie was afflicted by is certain, however, is that he did not die abed in Deadwood as the HBO
dropsy, a buildup of fluid in the body since as- series of that name portrayed. The day after his death the Denver Post had
sociated with ailments such as liver disease. By the last word in an article headlined Old Prospector Is Killed by a Train.
October 1884 Swearingen’s 30-year-old abused It painted a rather pathetic picture. Swearingen had recently been released
ex was dead by way of whiskey and morphine. from county jail for vagrancy. His meager belongings amounted to a cheap
Swearingen appears to have left Deadwood soon watch and, bizarrely, some dynamite and blasting caps. Also found on his
after the Gem burned down in 1899. According body was an unsent letter addressed to an R.T. Wilson, asking to be brought
to the Denver Post, he spent several years pros- tobacco in jail. Authorities turned over his loose
pecting around Leadville and taking odd agri- The profits items to Wilson, while his remains eventually
cultural jobs in the potato fields before pushing
on to Denver. Mortuary owner William P. Horan
the Gem found their way home to his family in Oska-
loosa for burial.
was the latter city’s official coroner from 1900 brought It’s hard to convey how close to the bone life
to ’18 and would have been on hand that fateful effectively was for Westerners who found themselves on
day in mid-November 1904 when Swearingen’s
blinded the wrong end of the booms and busts. Equally
CINEMATIC (ALAMY STOCK PHOTO)
body was brought in. Turn-of-the-century coro- difficult is separating legend from reality with
ner’s reports are awash in drug overdoses, liver prominent regard to the characters who made the West
disease, violence and suicide, and the last record citizens to wild. Characters like Swearingen and the women
of Swearingen was no less dark. who fell under his sway are a good reminder
Acquaintances in Denver had known him as
Swearingen’s that much of the savagery on the frontier was
“Albert Ellis,” an alias he likely adopted as cover corruption omitted from the first drafts of history.

The wary armed trapper in the
foreground of Todd Connor’s
Camp on the Upper Missouri
hints at unseen danger, a sense
perhaps familiar to the Navy
SEAL turned plein air artist.
ART OF THE WEST
Exploring New Depths

TODD CONNOR’S PLEIN AIR WORK DELVES DEEP TO RELATE
THE AURA AND HISTORY OF THE FRONTIER WEST
BY RICHARD PROSCH
T
he landscape is lush with color, a river- scuba diver at the age of 13 with my dad. We
side camp serene with its crackling had spent most of my childhood at the lakes
fire and abundant provisions. In the and around water. I think my fascination was
foreground before his fur-laden canoe being below the surface.” Both encounters
stands a trapper, rifle in hand, worry furrowing with nature helped shape the artist’s subse-
his brow as he looks downriver. The successful quent life and career.
hunters and their resting dogs seem ready to In 1987, at age 23, Connor signed up for a
settle into Camp on the Upper Missouri, but the tour with the U.S. Navy that lasted four years.
scene also hints at an unknown future—and “After high school I got the bug to join the
IMAGES COURTESY TODD CONNOR, TODDCONNORSTUDIO.COM (5)
Todd
hidden violence. Connor service, specifically the Special Forces,” he
The tension in artist Todd Connor’s work is says. “A coworker of my dad’s happened to
indicative of the precipitous nature of the fron- have been an ex–Vietnam UDT [Underwater
tier West, and the depth Connor brings to the canvas reflects Demolition Team] guy, who recommended SEALs, since
a lifetime spent looking below the surface. I loved the water so much.” After an honorable discharge
Connor [ToddConnorStudio.com] finished his first plein from the SEALs, Connor spent time visiting historical sites
air painting at age 12 while visiting an eastern Oklahoma and exploring natural landscapes that renewed his interest
lake named Tenkiller, a locale that fueled the Tulsa native’s in plein air painting.
enthusiasm for exploration. “Plein air helps me see value, “I’ve done hundreds of outdoor landscape paintings on-
color and atmosphere properly and adds authenticity to site and a few in the studio,” the artist says, “but I’ve always
my studio work,” he explains. A year later Connor’s passions wanted to tell the story of the American West. It’s my num-
took him to new depths, quite literally. “I got certified as a ber one passion.”

Connor’s work often features strong female fig- the [C.M.] Russell Museum auction. These small Clockwise from left: Connor
often portrays strong women
ures—mothers, daughters and sisters juxtaposed pieces give me perspective on deciding whether in his work, such as the young
against stark vistas of rugged beauty. “Strong a larger version would be interesting.” mother cradling her infant
women evoke the primal,” he explains. “A mother Ironically, Connor’s success leaves him little in one hand and a shotgun
in the other in The Gathering
protecting her nest applies to the survival of all time for his own works. “I am currently working on Storm; Far From Anywhere
life on the planet.” three commissions,” he says. I’m generally paint- transports the viewer to the
wide-open flatlands, where
His painting The Gathering Storm, for example, ing for show deadlines. I like to be ahead with lots a mother seated alongside
depicts a young mother standing sentinel outside of ideas and options to choose from for any given her daughters on the bench
of a covered wagon scans
her sod house, infant cradled in one hand, a shot- exhibit, but the reality of the business is sometimes the horizon; Ride ‘til Dusk
gun in the other. In Far From Anywhere a mother it’s pretty hard to keep up.” captures the sort of rugged
beauty that draws the artist.
sits with her two daughters on the bench seat of Success also has its rewards. During a recent
their covered wagon. Shielding her eyes from the tenure as an artist in residence at Craig Barrett’s
setting sun, the woman gazes over a vast open plain. Triple Creek Ranch in Darby, Mont., Connor shared
“The family has been the foundation of hu- his love of painting with guests and squeezed in
manity,” Connor says. “I show it in the context time for his own plein air work.
of settling the frontier.” “Painting on-site is a learning experience,” he
At his home studio in Fort Benton, Mont., Connor says, “an essential activity for every painter to do
paints every day and often into the night, refer- now and again in their career, in order to stay fresh
encing a sketchbook loaded with ideas. and growing in your craft.”
“I also do miniature paintings, which I sell from
my website or at shows where I have a booth, like For more visit historynet.com/Todd-Connor-Art.

By 1882 Frank Cushing had been living
with New Mexico’s Zunis for two years
and had embraced their culture. Below,
the ethnologist poses that year with his
touring quintet of Bow Society priests.
INDIAN LIFE
Medicine Flower
FASCINATED BY INDIAN LORE, ETHNOLOGIST FRANK HAMILTON CUSHING
ADOPTED ZUNI CULTURAL RITES, TRAPPINGS, LANGUAGE AND A MONIKER
BY TE D FR ANKLIN BE LUE
B
y the early 1880s encounters with eastbound American crowd in harangues of Zuni and English, was one of the odd-
Indian delegations arrayed in furs, buckskins and eagle- est figures the elites had ever seen—a pale, long-haired man of
feather warbonnets had become rather commonplace, delicate build dressed like the others but with the added flour-
their arrival in Washington, Chicago, Baltimore, Boston ishes of glittering conchos hammered from coins, resplendent
and other big cities provoking curious glances and photo ops. garters, beaded bracelets, hooped earrings and a scalping knife
Easterners might spot Sac and Foxes on museum visits, Osages in a flamboyant brass-buttoned sheath.
sharing lobster with congressmen or Sioux entering the White Aside from his mustache, he looked more Indian than his
House grounds to speak with the “great white sachem.” entourage. But Frank Hamilton Cushing had been born a quarter
NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
One cool night in March 1882 at Harvard’s Hemenway Gym- century earlier in Pennsylvania and raised in western New York.
nasium gathered New Englanders watched with rapt attention A sickly child who barely survived infancy, he’d grown to be a
as Zunis filed out from beneath the balcony to center stage. self-taught prodigy who, smitten by Indian lore, studied nature,
Turbaned heads held high, clad in moccasins, leggings and navy learned to replicate arrowheads and birchbark canoes, and, at
pullover shirts bound with red sashes and dripping with shell- age 17, published his first scientific paper. Dropping out of Cornell
and-turquoise necklaces, the stoic quintet was a revelation University, he hired on with the Smithsonian Institution to curate
to the Eastern audience members, whose idea of Indians was, exhibits under the tutelage of Western explorer and geologist
as journalist Charles F. Lummis put it, “a hazy cross between John Wesley Powell, founding director of the national museum’s
a cigar-store wooden eikon [sic] and dime-novel scalp taker.” Bureau of Ethnology. Powell dispatched “Cushy,” as colleagues
The Zunis were priests of the Bow Society, a secretive order knew him, to New Mexico to live among Pueblo dwellers, hunt
charged with the tribe’s welfare. Leading them, hushing the for relics and “lost civilizations,” and publish his findings.

This Is How You Walk the Walk
Comfort and class go hand in hand with our Walking Stick Collection. Yours for ONLY $59 each!
T hey call walking the “perfect exercise.” It gets

your heart pumping, clears your head and fills
your lungs with fresh air. Not bad, but we found
Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Experience the
comfort and class of our exquisite Walking Sticks for 30 days.
If you’re not feeling the power and prestige, simply send it
a way to make it even better. Before you take your next back within 30 days for a refund of the item price. At Stauer,
10,000 steps, add a little strut to your stroll. Take a Stauer we walk the talk.
Walking Stick anywhere and I promise that you’ll feel like Limited Edition. Only 500 each PRAISE FOR STAUER
a conquering hero. Heads will turn. Doors will open. Its available for this ad only! These WALKING STICKS
powers will astound you. handcrafted beauties take months to “An excellent walking
What’s the secret? Pure class. Our Stauer Walking Sticks craft and are running (not walking) stick. Solid and elegant.
are a tip of the top hat to turn-of-the-century tradition. out the door. So, take a step in the Perfect for a night out.
Today these tributes to a gentleman’s power, prestige, and right direction. Call today! Well crafted.”
posture are fetching as much as $200,000 at auction. But – J. from
only Stauer can deliver a modern version of these vintage
1-800-333-2045
Pacific Grove, CA
classics that looks and feels as good as the original for only
$59 each!
Your Insider Offer Code: WSC͖͕͜-01
You must use the insider offer code to get our special price.
Stauer ® 14101Southcross Drive W., Ste 155, Dept. WSC

Burnsville, Minnesota 55337 www.stauer.com
*Discount is only for customers who use the offer
code versus the listed original Stauer.com price.
Stauer… Afford the Extraordinary.®

• 36" long • Imported Eucalyptus wood
• Etched & sculpted solid brass handles with varying finishes
• Rubber tips • Supports up to 250 lbs. Rating of A+
• All models available in 40" height—call for details.
A.
D.
Exquisite B. C.
walking
sticks not
shown
actual size.
E.
flair, the white Zuni lapsed into bilingual fragments of indigenous poetry
that began “May-a-wee! May-a-wee!” (“Spirit of the Antelope. Spirit of
the Antelope!”)
“He sang in a sweet voice,” fellow ethnologist John Gregory Bourke re-
called of Cushing, “a little bit tremulous from nervousness.” There followed
more dances, drumming, creation tales and courtship chants, all translated
by Medicine Flower. The exotic presentation ended with a Zuni elder be-
seeching the Great Spirit for a bountiful harvest for their kind American
hosts. Bostonians leaving the Harvard campus that night gushed over the
spectacle they’d witnessed and opened their financial coffers to Cushing.
“It was,” Lummis wrote, “the ‘cleverest’ thing that has ever been devised
and carried out by a scientific student anywhere.” Cushing showed he could
“out-Zuni the Zunis,” wrote Baxter in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine.
As spring lapsed into summer, the entourage encored at Massachusetts’
Wellesley College and in churches, clubs and theaters in Salem and Phila-
delphia, feasting on “oysters and frozen pudding and cake”—a far cry from
such traditional dishes as fried maize tortillas stuffed with roasted locust.
In one reported side venture the Zunis waded into the Atlantic Ocean to
draw sacred seawater from the “Ocean of Sun Rise.”
On his return to Washington with the Zunis, Cushing was the talk
of the town. Artist Willard Metcalf “took notes on all that occurred” and
sketched Medicine Flower in full regalia. Portraitist Thomas Eakins
rendered him in oil among Zuni accoutrements. Cushing also sat for
a portrait by Powell’s staff photographer John Karl Hillers. By day the
Cushing’s Zuni-inspired road show under the auspices of celebrated ethnologist labored at his desk, polishing his field notes into
the Smithsonian Institution’s Bureau of Ethnology brought lyrical books on the Southwest, Zuni life and esoteric religious rites, their
him a raft of attention and exposed a brewing scheme to
grab Zuni lands. Here he poses in Zuni garb surrounded eventual publication opening a rift between him and his adoptive Zunis.
by tribal trappings in an 1895 canvas by Thomas Eakins. By night he and the priests performed. Few knew he was plagued with
tapeworm and diverticulitis, prompting hospital stays, stomach pumping
While carrying out Powell’s mandate, Cushing and fad diets that left him gaunt and debilitated.
unexpectedly “turned Zuni,” learning their com- Meanwhile, his effective advocacy on behalf of the Zuni thwarted a
plex tongue, absorbing their lifeways and record- brewing land-grab scheme by Senator John A. Logan of Illinois, eventually
ing their rituals. To gain entrance into the Bow resulting in Cushing’s permanent recall to the Smithsonian, where he
Society, he collected a Havasupai scalp—presum- transcribed Cheyenne sign language before venturing south to research
ably from a corpse. Philosophically tolerant, a extinct Calusa settlements along Florida’s southwest coast. Battling ill-
quick study in linguistics and proficient in herbal ness, mosquitoes and the sweltering heat, he managed to write a landmark
cures, he was soon adopted into the tribe, the Zuni journal and unearthed a cache of masks, figurines and pottery that remain
dubbing him Tenatsali, or Medicine Flower. on display in the Marco Island Historical Museum.
By the spring of 1882 he’d been living among Cushing’s work and life came to abrupt end in the spring of 1900 amid a
the Zunis two years. As promised, he would now research trip to Maine. One evening while dining, he swallowed a fish bone
share his world with his hosts. Coincidentally, that scored his throat. The resulting hemorrhaging claimed his life on
Tenatsali also needed cash to further his work April 10. He was only 42. Some Zunis deemed it retribution for his having
for the bureau. So, in a timely ploy arranged with broken tribal taboos by revealing their sacred rituals. Others wept.
Powell and journalist Sylvester Baxter of the Boston Contemporary Zunis reportedly remain wary of anthropologists. Artist
Herald, he would both raise funds and, hopefully, Phil Hughte’s cartoon collection A Zuni Artist Looks at Frank Hamilton
escape proffered Zuni matrimony by wedding Cushing gently parodies the tribe’s ambivalence regarding his subject’s
longtime fiancée Emily Magill come July. intrusion into Zuni culture—seen either as an act of betrayal or as a sincere
This night in March the crowd quieted, and attempt to understand it.
the lights dimmed. On a signal from Tenatsali his Though in retrospect his methods pose ethical dilemmas, Cushing—the
quintet launched into a heel-and-toe stomp dance, first known anthropologist to have interpreted tribal peoples cross-culturally
drums pounding to wails, chants, keening war cries as a “participant observer” and to have employed relativism to find value in
and the rise and fall of feathered prayer sticks. their world—is regarded by many as a brilliant researcher ahead of his time.
MUSEUM
At the final thud Cushing took the podium to He published more than a dozen books, and universities still teach his
explain to attendees—in English and Zuni—what immersive method as “reflexive anthropology.” Thus, from academe’s halls
XXXXXXXXXX
GILCREASE
they had seen, describing tribal land and the mode to the American West there remains a unique historical niche for Frank
and habits of the people. Then, with dramatic Hamilton “Medicine Flower” Cushing.

HOPE -- what military
families need today.
Restoring a foundation of
STABILITY | STRENGTH | COMMUNITY
for military families since 2006
A Gem in the Rough
Deadwood, Dakota Territory, was a rough
town populated mainly by working men who
gave prostitutes much business but scant
regard. Among the worst of the abusers was
Al Swearingen, captured below in a buggy
outside the Gem, his saloon/theater/brothel.

Deadwood’s
Open Secret
THOUGH PROSTITUTION WAS OVERTLY PRACTICED IN THE
BLACK HILLS GOLD RUSH BOOMTOWN, ITS DEGRADED,
DEPRESSED PURVEYORS WERE ALL BUT INVISIBLE
BY LINDA WOMMACK
M
ention Deadwood and what often pops to mind are sordid
scenes straight out of the namesake HBO television series—
and to be fair, such scenes aren’t far from the truth. In 1874,
on the mere rumor of gold in the Black Hills, prospectors came
to the region in droves. Then, in the fall of 1875, such seekers did turn up
an especially rich gold deposit in the northern Black Hills. That sparked
the stampede to what became known as Deadwood Gulch, as miners staked
claims and set up camp in a ravine choked with dead trees.
As happened in many mining camps, Deadwood soon had its share of
gambling halls and bordellos. When trail guides “Colorado Charlie” Utter
PREVIOUS SPREAD AND TOP: DEADWOOD HISTORY, INC. (2); BELOW: DE AGOSTINI (GETTY IMAGES)
and brother Steve arrived with the first wagonload of prostitutes on July 12,
1876, the sporting women soon had more customers than they could handle.
From then on a regular stream of wagons brought prostitutes to town.
Receiving scant regard or care from either their employers or clientele,
such women were often subject to abuse. On one headline-grabbing occa-
sion, when a customer started to beat her bloody, a Gem saloon prostitute
known as Tricksie (yes, Deadwood fans, there really was a working girl
named Tricksie) shot the man through the head. According to Deadwood
pioneer and memoirist John S. McClintock, the attending doctor threaded a
probe all the way through the shooting victim’s skull. McClintock dubiously
claimed to have run into the man on the street some weeks later, though
the memoirist didn’t share (or perhaps didn’t know) Trixie’s fate. Such was
the miserable welcome prostitutes could expect. Deadwood as Charlie Utter Knew It
On July 12, 1876, trail guide “Colorado Charlie”
Utter (above) and brother Steve brought the
Residents of early Deadwood desperately needed law and order. They first wagonload of prostitutes to the muddy
got the right man in the spring of 1877 when Dakota Territory Governor jumble of a boomtown (pictured at top a year
later). Aboard the same wagon train was Wild
John L. Pennington appointed hardware store owner and former Montana Bill Hickok, who was openly slain in Deadwood
lawman Seth Bullock sheriff of Lawrence County. No longer was violent weeks later, an indicator of how violent it was.

crime tolerated. However, prostitution contin-
ued to get a conspicuous pass. After all, it repre-
sented a thriving industry in a mining camp where
men dominated the population and nine out of 10
women were painted ladies. Thus the brothels of
Deadwood became an open secret. The swath of
dance halls, gambling dens, saloons and brothels
along both sides of lower Main Street, on the north
end of town, became known as the “Badlands.” In
the typical business arrangement, saloons and
variety theaters occupied the first floors, while
brothels operated upstairs. By the turn of the
century the Badlands occupied an entire block
of two-story buildings on the west side of Main.
The district’s prostitutes did not have an easy
go of it. Among the worst abusers was Al Swear-
ingen (see related story, P. 22), proprietor of the
Gem, who opened his saloon/theater/brothel
soon after arriving in the spring of 1876. The
women who worked for Swearingen were justly Calamity Jane & Madam Dora DuFran
Though dressed like a proper lady in the
afraid of him, as he was notoriously cruel and dom- portrait above, camp follower, laundress,
ineering. Lured to the Gem on the false promise cook and sometime prostitute Martha Jane
“Calamity Jane” Canary was better known
of respectable employment, unsuspecting women as a buckskin-clad frontierswoman and
found themselves stranded with no money. Those Hickok devotee. In more desperate times
with no other option were virtually sucked into Jane worked for Dora DuFran (above right),
who ran a string of regional brothels with
the life of prostitution. her gambler husband. DuFran eventually
In the face of violence and degradation, many had to bench Calamity as a prostitute after
clients complained about Jane’s hygienic
prostitutes turned to drugs and alcohol, which habits. Regardless, DuFran looked out for
only deepened their despair. To address their pain her friend unto death and in 1932 published
a 12-page biography about Jane (at right).
and control depression, doctors often prescribed
such habit-forming drugs as opium, laudanum and
morphine, unintentionally sending the women Rumor has it DuFran even coined the term “cathouse” for a brothel. Early
on a further downward spiral into addiction. In on she befriended Calamity Jane (Martha Jane Canary), and the pair grew
other instances employers drugged their working quite close. On occasion Jane worked for Dora, though the former’s refusal
women to better control them. Suicide attempts to bathe and habit of wearing men’s clothes served to limit her appeal to
became so commonplace among prostitutes in both customers and the madam herself, who insisted the girls who worked
the Badlands that Dr. Frank S. Howe, early Dead- for her practice good hygiene and dress. When a middle-aged Calamity
wood’s only physician, carried a stomach pump reconnected with DuFran in 1903, Dora hired Jane as a cook and laundress
with him on calls to the red-light district. for her Belle Fouche brothel, Diddlin’ Dora’s. By then Calamity was suffering
from the effects of alcoholism and a hard life, and Dora cared for Jane up
By the mid-1880s the boomtown counted till her death that summer. In 1932 DuFran, writing under the pseudonym
more than a hundred brothels. Among the most d’Dee, published a 12-page biography titled Low Down on Calamity Jane.
popular, aside from the Gem, were Fern’s Place, Of her late friend Dora wrote:
The Cozy Rooms, the 400, the Beige Door, the
Three Nickels and the Shasta Rooms. The mad- It’s easy for a woman to be good who has been brought up with every
ams of these notorious establishments included protection from the evils of the world and with good associates. Martha
such standouts as May Brown, Eleanora Dumont, wasn’t that lucky. She was a product of the wild and woolly west. She
Dora DuFran, Belle Haskell, Mollie Johnson and knew better than anyone where she made her mistakes, and she didn’t
“Poker Alice” Ivers. rate her virtues as highly as her friends did.
DuFran (born Amy Helen Dorothea Bolshaw
TOP: DEADWOOD HISTORY, INC. (2)
in England in 1868) was perhaps the best known Another madam with a reputation for charity was Mollie Johnson.
and certainly the most successful. Dora and her Scarcely 23 and already a widow when she arrived in Deadwood, Johnson
husband, a gambler she met on arrival, operated remarried poorly and was deserted by her second husband before setting up
a string of brothels across the region, from the a brothel on Sherman Street in 1878. While there were plenty of prostitutes
Dakota boomtowns of Deadwood, Rapid City in town from which to choose, Mollie was partial to hiring those with flaxen
and Lead to Belle Fourche and Miles City, Mont. hair and became known as the “Queen of the Blondes.” Her establishment

Downstairs, Upstairs soared in popularity, rivaled only by the low-down
Swearingen (third from right, Swearingen’s Gem.
above), tends bar at the Gem
in this undated photo. As the Like the Gem, Mollie’s joint also provided en-
1887 program at left suggests, tertainment. Unlike Swearingen, however, John-
the proprietor at least aspired
to respectability downstairs, son fancied her bordello as a high-end place and
with such theatrical offerings aspulled out all the stops. All her girls were talented
Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic opera
The Mikado. What transpired singers, dancers and balladists. Mollie herself also
upstairs was another matter. performed, as a shadow dancer. Wearing very
Promised stage gigs and then
stranded without pay, some little clothing, she would gyrate behind a screen
women turned to prostitution. on which her shadow was projected by a bright
light. By all accounts, she brought down the house.
Mollie’s place proved so popular that even respectable society took note. In an
1879 dispatch headlined Sweet Sounds From a Bitter Source, a reporter for
the local Black Hills Daily Times warned readers of its temptations:
At the dead of night, when all nature is hushed in sleep, this reporter is fre-
quently regaled, while on his way home, by the gentle cadence of sweet songs
DEADWOOD HISTORY, INC. (2)
which floats out upon the stillness of the gulch like the silvery horns of elfland
faintly blowing. Vocal music, wherever heard or by whatever thing or being
produced, is entrancing to this sinner; hence the aforesaid sounds are sure to
arrest his step at the corner and compel him to lend his ear to the mellifluent
melody which steals out from Molly Johnson’s harem. But he doesn’t draw any
nearer, for he knows that Where the Sirens
dwell you linger in ease / That their songs are
death, but makes destruction please; and he
travels on, disgusted with himself because
his virtuous life possesses such a skeleton
element of fun, yet wonders that such a vo-
luptuous harmony is tolerated by the divine
muse of song to issue from such a b-a-d place.
Reputation aside, its owner set out to prove that

good can take root even in such a bad place. The
proverbial “hooker with a heart of gold,” Johnson
cared for her girls as if they were family. A case
example dates from the summer of 1879 when one
of Mollie’s favorite girls, Jennie Phillips, fell desper-
ately ill. Author Chris Enss relates the story in her
2023 book An Open Secret (see P. 75). That July 6
Phillips and other girls from the bordello were on a
buggy ride in the country when they encountered
a tollgate whose owner had chained a feral cat to a
tree. When Jennie picked up and tried to soothe
the animal, it bit her on the lip, and within days
she was bedridden. Though Mollie tended her
daily, the young woman died some weeks later.
Beside herself in grief, Mollie had Jennie’s body
laid out in a coffin and placed in the parlor of the
brothel while she made funeral arrangements.
Then the unthinkable happened: A blaze swept
through town, quickly engulfing Mollie’s house
of ill repute. Yet the madam refused to evacuate
until Jennie’s coffin had been safely removed. The
next morning Mollie had Jennie interred in Dead-
wood’s Mount Moriah Cemetery. By Christmas
a new $7,000 brothel had risen from the ashes of
the old brothel, and Mollie had donated money
to churches to buy presents for needy children.
Most soiled doves dreamed of a better life.

Annie Hizer, one of Mollie’s girls, managed to re-
Appearances Can Be Deceiving
alize her dreams. Known to her clientele as “Little Posing in Victorian frills amid swanky surroundings inside their Deadwood brothel,
Buttercup,” Annie had a regular customer in Black these soiled doves could be mistaken for proper ladies of their era. Of course, that
was the dichotomy of prostitution then and today. Were it not for misfortune or the
Hills physician Dr. Charles W. Meyer, and before vicissitudes of life, such women might have escaped the prison of the sex trade. In
long the two fell in love and were married. Held Deadwood they faced far worse than scorn. Prostitutes were often the victims of
at the local opera house on March 7, 1880, their physical abuse and drowned their sorrows in drugs or alcohol. Suicide was common.
ceremony was a town affair, with city officials

and military personnel in attendance. Mollie and When fellow working girls found her unconscious, Belle summoned a
her girls served as maids of honor. doctor to the 400, but nothing could be done. Nellie was dead. Those who
But Little Buttercup’s happy ending was the knew her best were certain she’d committed suicide. Sadly, such was a
exception rather than the rule. Take, for example, common occurrence in brothels.
the sad fate of Nellie Stanley, a 23-year-old work- Like other houses of ill repute, Belle Haskell’s 400 was the genesis of
ing girl at Belle Haskell’s brothel, the 400. A polite other tragedies. When one 1893 love triangle ended in murder, however,
CHRIS ENSS COLLECTION
young Chicagoan with a typically hard backstory, even the seasoned madam was shocked. The trouble arose after one of
she was somewhat of a loner. On the evening of Belle’s girls, 16-year-old Austie Trevyr (born Mary Yusta to a wealthy family
March 19, 1894, complaining of a headache and in Lincoln, Neb.) took up with gambler Frank DeBelloy, the longtime lover
sore throat, Nellie retired to her room, where she of Gem saloon girl Maggie McDermott. For his part, DeBelloy was content
took an overdose of the painkiller Antikamnia. to play both hands.

Deadwood’s
Latest Draw
Deadwood’s newest attraction recounts the century-long history of Seth Bullock took a stick, quite literally drew a
prostitution in the storied boomtown. Operated by Deadwood History, line across the dirt street and said, “You guys
the Brothel Deadwood (610 Main St., 605-559-0231) is housed in the keep all this down here. You come on this side
former digs of the second-floor Shasta Rooms (aka Beige Door), an and we have a problem.”
infamous bordello at the heart of the former red-light district known Flash forward nine decades. Arriving in
as the Badlands. Such walk-up brothels operated out of buildings on town in the late 1960s, Pam Holliday scratched
lower Main Street from Deadwood’s early days until state and federal about for a way to make money to raise her
law enforcement officers shuttered the four remaining houses in 1980. two young children. Turning in desperation to
The Brothel Deadwood is not an attempt to glamorize prostitution, prostitution, the red-haired beauty adopted
nor is it meant to either celebrate or condemn its purveyors. It simply a Southern accent and immediately struck
TOP: COURTESY LINDA WOMMACK; LEFT: THEODORE ROOSEVELT BIRTHPLACE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
relates an integral part of Deadwood’s a chord with customers. Hiring on other girls,
unique history. she catered to a clientele ranging from busi-
It was July 12, 1876, when the first of nessmen to tourists, young and old alike. “It
the sporting ladies, including the no- was a lot of hard work to see that your girls
torious Madams Mustache and Dirty looked good, that they didn’t use bad words,”
Em, arrived in Deadwood aboard the Holliday later said. She also saw to it her girls
Utter brothers’ wagon train—the very underwent regular health checks. While their
wagons that brought Wild Bill Hickok madam donated to such local charities as
and Calamity Jane to town. The miners the Boy Scouts and various churches and
were so pleased to see the women that homeless shelters, her prostitutes purchased
they lined the street and cheered as their fancy clothing from the stores downtown,
the wagons passed. giving back to the community.
Seth Over the next a century the sex In 1979 undercover reporters from the
Bullock trade remained active in Deadwood. Argus Leader knocked on the door of Pam’s
Despite state laws outlawing prostitu- Purple Door, upstairs from the Beer Barrel
tion, town officials never passed such Bar, to find out what really went on there. In
an ordinance, thus for decades soiled doves conducted business with the upstairs parlor, decorated with imitation
little interference from the outside world and little concern by the local leather furniture, they found a woman in a
law enforcement. As the story goes, one day Lawrence County Sheriff one-piece bathing suit lolling about to music

That December 17 Austie scrawled out a
seemingly innocent invitation to Maggie to
join her and Frank for drinks at the local Mas-
cotte saloon. There, in a drunken fit of jealousy,
Austie shot and killed Maggie. She was imme-
diately arrested for premeditated murder. At
trial the following spring a jury convicted Austie
of manslaughter, the judge sentencing her to
three years and seven months in the state pen-
itentiary at Sioux Falls, S.D. In 1897 local news
reports had the recently sprung Austie first re-
turning to the 400 before leaving that summer
for a women’s seminary back East, seemingly
a reformed soiled dove.
By 1889 legislators and lawmen across

the Dakotas were targeting brothels and gam-
bling dens and the activities that supported
them. The South Dakota Legislature struck the
first blow that year by outlawing the sale of
alcohol, a move anticipating federal Prohi-
bition by three decades. In 1898 Governor Ar-
thur C. Mellette followed up with a provision
to the state constitution outlawing gambling
and prostitution, but purveyors of such vice
simply went underground. By the time Prohi-
bition took effect in 1920, Deadwood’s broth-
els had gone aboveground, quite literally, in
speakeasies up behind painted doorways over
respectable businesses on lower Main.
In 1951 law enforcement officials raided Dead-
wood’s brothels, but demand meant they were
Old as the Hills playing from loudspeakers. The report- soon back in business. In 1952 the state’s attor-
Bordellos operated in ers were offered $3 drinks, and it wasn’t ney for Lawrence County prosecuted the brothel
town from 1876 to 1980.
(Captured above in 1967 long before three women approached operators in the latest attempt to shut them
is Pam’s Purple Door, on with other offers. In the wake of that en- down. This time the madams hired attorney
the second floor of 614½
Main St.) Today tourists counter, federal investigators set up a Roswell Bottum, a former state representative,
strolling Main (top) can stakeout across the street that stretched who managed to get the women acquitted on a
visit Brothel Deadwood,
whose rooms (opposite several months. Finally, on May 21, 1980, technicality. Another raid and round of prose-
top) are open for tours. FBI agents and state law enforcement cutions in 1959 also failed to close the brothels.
officers raided the Purple Door. Holliday Not until the spring of 1980 did federal and
was ultimately convicted of tax evasion and sent to prison. The state authorities working in tandem manage
TOP: JOHN DAMBIK (ALAMY STOCK PHOTO); ABOVE: DEADWOOD HISTORY, INC.
raid marked the official end to prostitution in Deadwood. to shut down the last four remaining Deadwood
Today curators offer 45-minute guided tours of the Brothel brothels. A group of citizens paraded down Main
Deadwood, which comprises eight rooms decorated in an eclec- Street in support of the madams, much like lone-
tic mix of furnishings, clothing and personal care items spanning some miners did the day the Utter brothers’
the decades in which local brothels operated. From the parlor wagon train brought the first sporting girls
you’ll visit a series of four cribs highlighting working conditions in to town in 1876.
1876–1900, the 1920s, the ’40s and ’50s, and the ’60s and ’70s.
Curious visitors can peer across Main to where the FBI stake- Linda Wommack, from Littleton, Colo., is
out team was positioned. The tour also takes in a soiled dove’s the author of several books on Colorado his-
everyday bedroom, as well as the madam’s office and bedroom. tory. For further reading she recommends
Finally, in a viewing room off the parlor one can listen to interviews An Open Secret: The Story of Deadwood’s
with acquaintances, merchants and law enforcement officials Most Notorious Bordellos, by Chris Enss
who interacted with the madams and prostitutes, presenting the and Deadwood History Inc., and Pioneer
human side of the equation. —L.W. Days in the Black Hills, by John S. McClintock.

The Mysterious
Death of
Johnny Ringo
IN JULY 1882 A PASSERBY DISCOVERED THE GUNMAN’S
CORPSE BY AN ARIZONA TERRITORY ROADSIDE,
THE APPARENT VICTIM OF SUICIDE—OR WAS HE?
BY DOUG HOCKING
He [John Yost] found the lifeless body of John Ringo, with a hole large enough to admit two fingers
about halfway between the right eye and ear, and a hole correspondingly large on top of his head, doubtless
the outlet of the fatal bullet. The revolver was firmly clenched in his hand, which is almost conclusive
evidence that death was instantaneous. His rifle rested against a tree and one of his cartridge belts was
turned upside down. Yost immediately gave the alarm, and in about 15 minutes 11 men were on the spot.
—Death of Johnny Ringo, Weekly Epitaph, Tombstone, Arizona Territory, July 22, 1882
M
uch has been written about the July 13, 1882, to run. The rain cools the land, which at Turkey Creek is at
death of Arizona Territory gunfighter Johnny 5,400 feet elevation—a far cry from the blazing desert around
Ringo, most of it wrong. Writers have inserted Phoenix, at 1,100 feet.
their assumptions as facts. Thus, the story often As the Epitaph account reveals, Yost estimated that within
goes that Johnny found himself alone in a trackless waste a quarter hour 11 men were on the scene. They comprised a
on a hot day in mid-July without water. Despondent, his horse “coroner’s jury.” That term may mislead present-day readers.
BONHAMS; OPPOSITE: ARIZONA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
having run off, left without water, Ringo committed suicide. These were 11 everyday men who reported their findings to
In fact, Ringo died within 20 yards of a well-traveled road, the coroner in Tombstone by letter. They had no forensic train-
having just reached Turkey Creek, the first available water ing. They were in a hurry to be done with the affair and get
source within many miles. He was within a quarter mile of back to work, to bury a body already starting to stink. They
the ranch of B.F. Smith, in the western foothills of the Chir- did not wish to be called to Tombstone, miles distant, for
icahua Mountains, and those on the ranch heard the shot that lengthy court proceedings.
killed Johnny. Furthermore, July is a month of monsoon rains. Ringo was known to several of the men. The Epitaph pub-
In Arizona that means the wind comes from the southwest, lished their findings. Johnny was found in a seated posture
from the Pacific and Gulf of California, bringing almost daily leaning against a tree. His boots were missing. “He was dressed
thundershowers that fill ponds and cause washes and streams in [a] light hat, blue shirt, vest, pants and drawers. On his feet

Found With Gun in Hand
This undated portrait captures gunman
Johnny Ringo in life, when he associated
with the Cowboy gang of outlaws that
plagued Tombstone, Arizona Territory
and environs in the late 19th century.
In death he was found slumped against
a tree along Turkey Creek, the gun on the
opposite page in hand, suggesting suicide.
But evidence points to a darker scenario.
XXXXXXXXXX
The Road to Turkey Creek
Ringo had ridden across this scrubland to the
creek, taken off his boots and hung them from his
saddle when something spooked his horse. When
found, he was wearing torn strips of his undershirt
wrapped around his bootless feet, presumably to
protect them while he went looking for his horse.
were a pair of hose and an undershirt torn up so as to protect his feet.” He The Epitaph report surmised the circumstances:
wore two cartridge belts, one for pistol and one for rifle. The revolver belt
was upside down. There was no holster for a pistol, nor was it a Buscadero The general impression prevailing among
rig. His rifle propped against a nearby tree, his pistol clasped in his right people in the Chiricahuas is that his horse
hand. There was a bullet hole atop the left side of his skull. “A part of the wandered off somewhere, and he started
scalp [was] gone,” the paper noted, “and part off on foot to search for him; that his boots
of the hair. This looks as if cut out by a knife.” began to hurt him, and he pulled them off and
There was no mention of powder burns or stip- made moccasins of his undershirt. He could
pling on his head. not have been suffering for water, as he was
Black powder burns slowly and keeps burning within 200 feet of it, and not more than 700
as the bullet emerges from the barrel. In his 1966 feet from Smith’s house. Mrs. Morse and Mrs.
song “Mr. Shorty,” Marty Robbins sang, “The .44 Young passed by where he was lying Thurs-
spoke, and it sent lead and smoke, and 17 inches day afternoon, but supposed it was some man
of flame.” This isn’t far off the mark. A close-range asleep and took no further notice of him. The
pistol shot with muzzle held to temple likely would inmates of Smith’s house heard a shot about
have ignited Ringo’s hair and left an awful mess. 3 o’clock Thursday evening, and it is more
The coroner’s jury might have left such details out than likely that that is the time the rash deed
of their report to spare family members and the was done. He was on an extended jamboree
public, or perhaps because they simply didn’t think the last time he was in this city.
it important. After all, the effects of close-range pistol
shots was common knowledge in that era. The following Tuesday Ringo’s horse was found
TOP: A.O. TUCKER; LEFT: HERITAGE AUCTIONS
with one of his boots still hanging from the sad-

dle. The Chiricahua folks were mistaken. Johnny
If the Boot Doesn’t Fit
For years popular speculation held that hadn’t, while searching for his horse, taken off his
Ringo, having removed his riding boots boots because they hurt. He still had the horse
(like the battered example at left) and
wrapped his feet in his torn undershirt, when he took them off. The strips of undershirt
despaired of ever finding his wandering wrapped around his feet were clean, not dirtied
horse, sat down beneath the tree, pulled
his revolver and shot himself. Yet, he was by any walking about. He was close to water and
beside the creek and a well-traveled road. aid, not helpless and alone in a desert. The news-

paper also noted Ringo was subject to frequent
melancholy and had abnormal fear of being killed.
He was paranoid, but that doesn’t mean peo-
ple weren’t pursuing him with the intent to do
him harm.
The spot where Ringo was found, sitting be-

neath an oak tree on the banks of upper Turkey
Creek, is idyllic, shaded and alive with the sound
of trickling water. Though peaceful, it was not
at all secluded. It was on the road to Galeyville,
which passed a nearby pinery and sawmill. Several
passersby spotted Johnny’s body, each believing
he was only resting.
In his 1927 book Tombstone: An Iliad of the
Southwest author Walter Noble Burns added
several details. “[Ringo’s] six-shooter, held in
his right hand, had fallen into his lap
and caught in his watch chain,” Burns
wrote. “Five chambers of the cylinder Ringo Sleeps Here
were loaded; the hammer rested on the The blackjack oak beneath which his body
was discovered still stands, and Ringo was
single empty shell.” Of course, Burns buried at its base. The site on private land
was writing an adventure tale and not a is open to visitors via a gate along Turkey
Creek Road. For decades it was believed
history. Nonetheless, some four decades Ringo had committed suicide, but he had
after Johnny’s death he did conduct re- many enemies and may have been slain.
search in Tombstone and Cochise County,
speaking to people who had direct knowl- and the hot ground, make such bare-
edge of the events. foot forays ill-advised. Cowboys do not,
The spent cartridge may mean Ringo as some have written, hang their boots
had fired the fatal shot. However, it could from the saddle to keep out scorpions.
easily be symptomatic of resting the ham- On reaching a destination, they remove
mer on a spent cartridge for safety. As the saddle from the horse, placing it
a young Wyatt Earp once learned to his on the ground, and then wipe down the
chagrin, resting the hammer on a live car- horse with dry grass. Moreover, Johnny
tridge could lead to accidental discharge had re-dressed himself, buckling on his
of the weapon; in his case, as he leaned cartridge belts (one upside down) and
back in a chair, his revolver tumbled from the binding his feet as if preparing to pursue his horse.
holster and landed on the floor. That Johnny’s That leaves the question of why he took off his boots in the first place.
pistol was resting in his lap, tangled in his watch Let’s consider his situation. He’d been on an extended spree in Tombstone.
chain, is more intriguing. It’s hard to imagine the When friend Billy Breakenridge met Ringo at South Pass in the Dragoons,
pistol, had he shot himself, falling in that position Johnny had two bottles of whiskey and offered Billy a drink. By the time
instead of at his side. Forensic studies show that he was approaching Turkey Creek, Ringo had crossed many dry miles and
suicides often continue to grip the weapon, so that was either severely hungover or still drunk. He and his horse both needed a
by itself is not evidence of postmortem tampering drink of cool water. It seems likely Ringo took off his boots and hung them
by a third party. As Ringo lacked a holster for his from the saddle to keep them dry while he waded into the creek to cool
pistol, he must have worn it tucked beneath his his feet and splash water on his face. Likewise, the horse would have waded
cartridge belt. Thus, in a seated position, it might in for a drink.
well have become tangled as he tried to draw. What came next is an educated guess. The horse panicked and broke away
TOP: DOUG HOCKING; INSET: A.O. TUCKER
There is much peculiar in how Johnny was clad. at some sound in the dense brush. It might have been a bear or someone
He’d taken off his boots and hung them from the stalking Ringo. In any event, Johnny had to chase down his horse and didn’t
saddle of his horse, which wandered off. He’d also care to do that barefoot. He climbed the steep bank to the tree where he
taken the time to strip off cartridge belts, vest was found, undressed himself to remove his undershirt and then re-dressed,
and shirt, then removed and torn up his under- wrapping his feet in preparation for a long walk.
shirt to bind his feet. Walking barefoot in Ari- At that moment one of two things occurred. Suddenly despairing of catch-
zona is a painful experience at best. Stones, cacti ing his horse, Ringo resolved to kill himself. He must have been certain succor
and stiff grass, not to mention various critters would not have been available at Smith’s ranch or from the many passersby.

If Constable Fred Dodge, acting as their spy in
Tombstone, had telegraphed that Johnny was on
a binge and would soon return to Galeyville and
his San Simon ranch, there would have been time
for Earp and Holliday to travel over by train, espe-
cially given Johnny’s circuitous ride home. Even
taking an indirect route, the pair could have made
the trip by train. The mouth of Turkey Creek was
a choke point, by which Ringo would have passed
within a few hundred feet. However, a secret only
remains a secret if only one person knows it. Wyatt
and Doc surely would have been recognized as
they left the train. Many co-conspirators would
have to have been brought in on such a plan.
Could Doc and Wyatt Have Done the Dirty Deed?
Tombstone gambler Doc Holliday and his marshal friend Wyatt Earp rank high on the Most other candidates seem even less likely,
list of people who bore a grudge against Ringo. In the months leading up to Johnny’s due to implausible motives. Except for Buckskin
death his Cowboy cohorts had winged Doc, murdered Wyatt’s brother Morgan and
crippled brother Virgil. But could they have known when and where to waylay Ringo? Frank Leslie.
Leslie appears nowhere in the historical rec-
Alternatively, the noise from the brush that had startled his horse might ord before 1878. He arrived in Tombstone in
have been someone stalking him. That someone climbed the bank while 1880, a man in his late 30s who had adopted the
Ringo was distracted with his clothing. Hearing the approach of a stranger, persona of an Army scout, which he claimed to
Johnny reached for his pistol. The stranger, still only partway up the slope, have been for more than a decade. Yet, there is no
fired upward from a distance of 10 feet or more, striking Ringo in the temple, evidence he was a scout before moving to Tomb-
the bullet emerging from the top of his skull. The stranger then took out stone. Buckskin Frank was a congenial sort of
his knife and carved off part of Johnny’s scalp as a trophy. fellow around the campfire, which probably ac-
counts for his acceptance as a scout on later
The above proposed scenario for Ringo’s final hour accounts for expeditions. In 1885 he was hired to guide Captain
all the evidence, providing a logical explanation for much that was odd in Emmet Crawford’s command in pursuit of Geron-
how he was found. As to whether Johnny suddenly decided to kill himself imo but was, according to Los Angeles Times re-
after losing his horse or was killed by a third party, who can say? Murder porter Charles F. Lummis, “directly discharged
seems plausible, maybe likely. because of his inability to tell a trail from a box of
There are many candidates for Ringo’s murderer. Some think Wyatt Earp flea powder.” Leslie also served as a dispatch rider,
and Doc Holliday might have been responsible. They could have been there. bringing “wildcat dispatches” to Tombstone, his
Six-Gun Silhouette
dation with a pistol. May is said to have run
to neighbors, claiming abuse and begging
protection after Leslie had threatened her
So the story goes, one night in 1887 Buckskin Frank Leslie re- life. In her divorce petition May charged
LEFT: DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY; RIGHT: WILD WEST ARCHIVE; BOTTOM: HERITAGE AUCTIONS
turned home drunk to wife May. Fed up, she accused him of Frank with having choked and beaten her
being unfaithful, a charge most likely true. His manhood thus and with having had adulterous relations
challenged, Frank resolved to “prove” his dominance, as well as with passing singer Birdie Woods.
his skill as a marksman. Ordering May While Leslie loved to brag of his prow-
to strip and stand against the adobe ess with a pistol, little evidence has sur-
wall of their room, he pulled his pistol faced to bear out his claim. From Colt he
and fired around her, marking her sil- ordered a pearl-handled Colt .44 with
houette on the wall in bullet holes. The a 12-inch barrel, often referred to as a
story is almost certainly apocryphal. “Buntline Special,” though any connec-
Had he stopped to reload, or was he tion to namesake dime novelist Ned
carrying the notorious infinite repeater? Buntline is vague at best. Might Frank
The story first appeared in Walter have sent a few shots in May’s direction
Noble Burns’ Tombstone: An Iliad of to intimidate her? It would have been in
the Southwest, making its origin as sus- character, but we’ll never know for sure.
picious. But there were credible earlier And from a single acorn his legend
stories of abuse, some alluding to intimi- grew like a mighty oak. —D.H.

presumed skill scoffed at by Crawford’s superior,
Brig. Gen. George Crook.
Lummis, who met Frank in Tombstone, prob-
ably had the right of it in his 1886 Times article:
Leslie is a peculiar case—one of the types of

a class not infrequently met on the frontier.
A man apparently well educated, gentlemanly
and liked by all who know him; with as much
“sand” as the country he ranges—but a nov-
elist who can make a little truth go as far as
anyone in the territory.
In the spring of 1880, a few weeks after Cosmo-

politan Hotel chambermaid Mary Jane “May”
Evans married, she took up with Leslie—neither,
apparently, being respecters of the sanctity of
matrimony. That June 22 May’s husband, Mike
Killeen, was mortally wounded—probably by
Frank, though under confusing circumstances—
and scarcely a week later May was Mrs. Frank
Leslie. The marriage was not a happy one, as
Frank, a womanizer, strayed. Perhaps May had
seen through the false front and threatened his
he-man persona. That might explain the abuse
she suffered at his hands (see sidebar, opposite).
In 1881, while Earp and friend Holliday tempo-
rarily cooled their heels in jail after the gunfight Frankly, He Might Have Done It
near the O.K. Corral, Doc’s longtime companion Though outwardly friendly, Buckskin
Big Nose Kate twice gave Ringo a tumble. Johnny, Frank Leslie had a murky past and was
notoriously abusive to the women in his
too, was no respecter of other men’s territory, and life, having battered first wife May and
the following spring he and Frank were at logger- shot lover Mollie Williams (grave above)
to death in a jealous rage. He and Ringo
heads over a woman. had words on more than one occasion.
In July 1882, as Ringo returned from his ex-
tended spree in Tombstone, witnesses spotted feeling his age and believed she was
Leslie trailing him near Turkey Creek. That No- sweet on the boy. Though no respecter
vember 14 Johnny’s friend Billy Claiborne, who’d of other men’s prerogatives, Frank was
fled from the O.K. Corral fracas, picked a gunfight jealous of his own. Pleading guilty
with Leslie after Frank ejected him from a saloon to first-degree murder, he was trans-
for obnoxious drunkenness. Claiborne ended up ported to Yuma Territorial Prison in
dead in that fight. At the time some said Billy had January 1890. On Nov. 17, 1896, hav-
accused Frank of killing Ringo, while years later ing serving nearly seven years behind
multiple sources claimed Leslie boasted of having bars, Leslie was pardoned by Arizona
killed Ringo. Taking a scalp trophy would have Territory Governor Benjamin J. Franklin.
fit right in with his persona. In 1916, after two decades of further adventures and failed marriages,
Leslie’s life only took a downturn from there. Buckskin Frank Leslie was interviewed by a reporter from The Seattle Daily
By 1889 he and May had divorced, and Frank had Times. He stated his age as 74 and said he was planning a trip to Mexico.
TOP: DOUG HOCKING; INSET: LEGENDS OF AMERICA
absconded to his ranch in the Swisshelms with When and where he died is anyone’s guess, as he vanished from the record
former prostitute “Blonde Mollie” Edwards, a as suddenly as he’d appeared on it.
younger woman. That July 10, on returning home
after a spree, Frank entered the ranch house to Doug Hocking is a retired Army officer who has studied history, ethnography
find Mollie and a young ranch hand in discussion. and historical archaeology. He is the author of several award-winning histories
Drawing his gun, Frank killed Mollie and wounded of the Apache and most recently has written about Southwest train robberies.
the ranch hand. No motive was given, but Mollie For further reading Hocking recommends “Buckskin Frank” Leslie, by Don
had mentioned wanting to return to “city life” in Chaput; They Called Him Buckskin Frank, by Jack DeMattos and Chuck
Tombstone, and perhaps 40-something Frank was Parsons; and John Peters Ringo: Mythical Gunfighter, by Ben T. Traywick.

The Vixen &
the Vigilantes
TO SPARE HER WRETCH OF A HUSBAND, NOTORIOUS
SAN FRANCISCO MADAM BELLE CORA WOULD STOP AT NOTHING—
BUT NEITHER WOULD THE 1856 COMMITTEE OF VIGILANCE
BY JOHN BOESSE NECKE R
“
S
he was a voluptuous creature.” So said vet- Cora was a well-known figure in the card rooms
eran San Francisco police detective Ben of New Orleans. Born in Genoa, Italy, in 1817, he
Bohen in 1890 when recalling Belle Cora immigrated to America with his family as a boy.
(depicted at right), the most notorious One of his gambler friends, J.J. Bryant, later said
woman of Gold Rush–era California. The beau- Charles’ parents had abandoned him in the
tiful and cultured Cora ran San Francisco’s pre- wide-open town of Natchez, Miss. “He was an
eminent bordello. Among her clients and friends ignorant Italian boy,” Bryant said, “and had been
were influential politicians, businessmen, lawyers picked up and raised by a woman who was the
and judges. But when Belle’s lover shot and killed a keeper of a house of prostitution in Natchez.”
prominent U.S. marshal, she found herself in direct Before turning 30 Cora had plied the Mississippi
conflict with not only the city police and prosecutor but River as a successful and wealthy gambler. In 1846
also the feared 1856 Committee of Vigilance. Despite such formi- he drifted back downriver to settle in New Orleans, where
dable adversaries, in the end her true nemesis proved to be an- he became noted for his success at the faro tables.
other woman, a California pioneer of an entirely different cloth. Cora stood 5 feet 7 inches and was heavyset, with hunched
shoulders, dark hair and a drooping mustache that covered his
San Francisco’s Gold Rush vixen was born Arabella mouth. Like most gamblers, he dressed immaculately, acces-
“Belle” Ryan in Baltimore, Md., in 1828. Belle and sister Anas- sorizing with an embroidered vest and a top hat. He was also
tasia, two years her senior, were orphaned in childhood. The quarrelsome. In May 1847 Cora got into a brawl and assaulted
Ryan girls attended grammar school, but as teens they went a New Orleans police officer. Five months later he engaged in
to work in a dressmaking shop. Detective Bohen, a few years another fracas in a New Orleans dance hall and landed in jail.
Belle’s junior, also grew up in Baltimore and knew the Ryans. A year later Cora met Belle Ryan, and from then on the pair lived
JOHN BOESSENECKER COLLECTION; OPPOSITE: BANCROFT LIBRARY, UC BERKELEY
As he later explained, the sisters often delivered gowns from together as man and wife, though they never legally married.
the shop to the “hurdy gurdy” girls in a nearby bordello. “The At the time Charles and partner Sam Davis were running a
girls were compelled to go to and from this place frequently, faro bank on Carondolet Street, near the French Quarter. In
and in time developed a desire to lead the free and rollicking life the spring of 1849, in a precursor of later events in San Francisco,
of the women for whom the dresses were intended, and shortly Cora assaulted a man who’d insulted Belle. In revenge the man
afterward commenced a career of dissipation.” turned in Cora and Davis, who were arrested and charged with
In 1848 a restless Belle boarded a steamship bound for running an illegal gambling house. After a much-publicized hear-
Charleston, S.C., where she took up with a lover. Her choice of ing a judge released the pair after each paid a whopping $5,000
companions was poor, for he was soon killed. Belle then boarded bail bond, roughly equivalent to $200,000 in today’s dollars.
another ship, this one bound for New Orleans. There, as Bohen News of the huge gold strike in California was then sweeping
recalled, “She met Charles Cora. He was a prosperous gam- the globe. Resolving to join the Gold Rush, Charles and Belle
bler and was struck by her beauty.” Twenty-year-old Belle was boarded a gulf steamer, crossed the Isthmus of Panama, and
indeed attractive, with a round face, thick brown hair, hazel took another steamship north to California. Fellow passenger
eyes, a fair complexion and a plump, well-endowed figure. She E.L. Williams recalled that Cora and three companions started
in turn fell for the dashing gambler. trouble aboard ship until the captain finally clapped all three in

A Jailbreak Vigilante-Style
On May 18, 1856—after witness tampering
and bribery led to a hung jury in the San
Francisco murder trial of Charles Cora,
and politician James P. Casey murdered
crusading newspaper editor James King
of William for having exposed Casey as
an ex-convict—more than 1,500 vigilantes
surrounded the city jail, pointed a cannon
at the door and seized both men for trial.
irons. Rumor had it Cora and cohorts carried on them $40,000, with which A New World in Marysville
On reaching San Francisco in 1849, the Coras took
they planned to start a faro bank in San Francisco. In late December the a steamer up the Sacramento River to Marysville,
steamer sailed through the Golden Gate. gateway to the Sierra Nevada goldfields. There they
Belle and Charles surely found ramshackle San Francisco a far cry from opened the New World gambling hall and bordello.
Baltimore or New Orleans. The harbor of the roaring boomtown was crammed
with hundreds of abandoned vessels, their crews having jumped ship and modish madam also tapped her newfound wealth
left for the goldfields. Its 25,000 inhabitants were overwhelmingly young and to buy a fancy carriage, in which she enjoyed riding
90 percent male. Most lived in canvas tents and rough wood-frame houses. about town with her girls and to the theater with
A promising sight to the disembarking couple, however, were the dozens her husband—that is, when he was in town.
of saloons, gambling halls, fandango houses and bordellos. As he had on the Mississippi, Charles roamed
widely, following the gambling circuit to Marys-
In 1849 women were so scarce in San Francisco that when a member ville, Sacramento and around again. On Oct. 26,
of the fairer sex strolled down the board sidewalks, crowds of lonesome, 1852, he got into a quarrel with a dangerous gam-
homesick miners would flock out of the saloons and gambling tents, hats bler, Thomas Moore, at the El Dorado saloon in
in hand, just to catch a glimpse. Prostitutes accounted for much of the Sacramento. Both men jerked out Colt revolvers,
scant female population. one walking out into the street, while the other
Leaving San Francisco for richer grounds, Belle and Charles took a ship stood in the brick doorway. Customers scattered
bound up the Sacramento River to Marysville, gateway to the Sierra Nevada as the two opened fire. Fortunately for Cora, none
goldfields. There, in partnership with one James Y. McDuffie, they opened a of Moore’s shots found their mark. A police officer
gambling hall and bordello called the New World. “I remember seeing a bet soon arrived on the scene and arrested both men.
of $10,000 made at poker by Charles Cora,” recalled one Forty-Niner who Each was released after forking over a $1,000 bond,
patronized the New World. “He won his bet.” and neither faced prosecution.
In 1852, flush with cash, the couple returned to San Francisco, where Belle In the spring of 1855 Belle moved into a new,
took to using her paramour’s surname. There, at the corner of Dupont (present- two-story brick building at 27 Waverly Place. By
day Grant Avenue) and Washington streets, in then San Francisco had greatly modernized. Re-
what today is Chinatown, she opened a brothel placing the tents were multistory brick buildings
in one of the ubiquitous wood-frame houses. on streets paved with cobblestones and illumi-
TOP: YUBA COUNTY LIBRARY; BOTTOM: GRANGER
As women remained scarce, men flocked to nated by gas lamps. The improvements prompted
Belle Cora’s bagnio, which became the most suc- miners and merchants alike to send for their wives
cessful of the more than 100 brothels in town. and families, bringing more and more respect-
Though plain on the outside, its interior was re- able, middle-class women to town. The latter de-
plete with fancy furnishings and even fancier velopment brought Belle no end of trouble and
courtesans. Among the clientele were prominent scorn. At the same time Charles remained fiercely
merchants and political figures, including the protective of her.
mayor. As Belle prospered, she lavished money on On the night of Nov. 15, 1855, Belle and Charles
Charles, which he quickly lost in the faro dens. The Charles Cora attended a play at the American Theater, with seats

in the exclusive first balcony. In the row directly
in front of them was William H. Richardson,
34, the U.S. marshal for northern California, ac-
companied by his 22-year-old wife, Lavinia, and a
female friend. The Richardsons had been married
for two years, and Lavinia was six months preg-
nant. Richardson, like many San Francisco pio-
neers, was a former soldier, a heavy drinker and
quick to take up an insult or a quarrel. Neither he
nor his wife had any idea a notorious madam was
sitting directly behind them.
At intermission the lights went on, and Lavinia
and her friend noticed men in the pit below leering
at them and laughing. Lavinia complained to her
husband, and Richardson went down to confront
the offenders. The men explained they had not
been looking at Lavinia, but rather at Belle Cora,
just behind her. A furious Richardson stormed It Happened at the Theater One Night
back to the balcony and demanded Charles and On Nov. 15, 1855, as the Coras sat in the balcony of San Francisco’s American Theater,
men in the pit leered up at Belle. Initially thinking the men were leering at his wife, U.S.
Belle leave at once. When they refused, the mar- Marshal William H. Richardson learned Belle’s identity and demanded the Coras leave.
shal complained to the theater manager. The latter
declined to eject such wealthy patrons, so the Rich- Arrested almost immediately, Cora was scarcely in jail before outraged
ardsons left in a huff. citizens had gathered outside, calling for his lynching. Belle was overcome
The next evening William Richardson happened with anxiety, for she well knew that on the California frontier murderers
across Charles Cora in the Cosmopolitan saloon. were generally sentenced to death by hanging. She was determined to
Both had been drinking, and they exchanged angry save her man from the noose.
words. Cora then announced to onlookers, “This
man is going to slap my face!” At the coroner’s inquest two days later the first witness called was
Richardson replied with a grin, “I promised to 35-year-old Maria Travis Knight, who, like her husband, came from a respect-
slap this man’s face, and I had better do it!” able, well-to-do New England family. In testimony confirmed by other eyewit-
At that, their respective friends stepped in and nesses, Maria described the killing and swore Richardson had not been holding
separated the pair. a weapon when shot. Her testimony was critical, as she’d been passing down the
The next evening, November 17, Cora was drink- same sidewalk and was standing only steps away when the fatal shot was fired.
ing in the Blue Wing saloon on Montgomery Street. Belle grew frantic when Charles was indicted for murder, his trial set for
As was his custom, he carried a pair of single-shot Jan. 3, 1856. She sent a prominent attorney to the Knight home. Explaining
derringers in his pockets. When he heard that a that his client was overcome with grief, the lawyer beseeched Maria to meet
man outside was asking for him, Cora stepped with Belle. At first Knight refused, but when a family member appealed to
through the door and found Richardson waiting on her Christian sense of duty, Maria finally consented.
the sidewalk. The marshal was also armed, carry- The next evening, guided by a confidante of Belle’s, Knight climbed
ing a concealed derringer and a silver-sheathed a vacant lot to the rear of the notorious bordello. “A long path through a
bowie knife. beautiful flower garden led to a door of the house, which was opened from
In conversation, the two walked to the corner of within by two servants,” Maria recalled. “Behind the servants stood the
Clay and Leidesdorff streets, where Cora suddenly madam, who called herself Mrs. Cora. She was smiling and cordially invited
pushed Richardson into a doorway. us to enter.” Forty years later Knight recalled her hostess vividly. “She was
“What do you mean to do?” exclaimed Richard- superbly attired in black silk with costly laces,” Maria wrote. “Although she
son. “Do you mean to shoot me?” possessed the grace of a highly cultured woman, I shrank from her and
“No, but I want to talk to you,” declared Cora. wanted to run, but feared to make an attempt to escape.” After 10 minutes
The gambler instead seized the marshal’s collar of casual conversation, Belle poured her visibly anxious guest a glass of wine.
with his left hand, then yanked out a derringer “You seem nervous,” Belle said sweetly, “and the wine will help you.”
and thrust it into Richardson’s breast. But middle-class women did not socialize in brothels, and they did not
“Don’t shoot!” the marshal pleaded with his drink alcohol.
assailant. “I am unarmed!” “I have never tasted liquor of any kind,” Knight told Cora.
CHRISTINE KOHLER
Cora fired once, and the bullet tore into Rich- “[Belle] quietly put the glass on the tray and then sat down by me,” recalled
ardson’s chest, a mortal wound. Cora held the Maria. “She talked about the weather, her health and trivial things, and then
marshal upright for long moments, then abruptly most particularly inquired after my own health.” Belle then briefly left the par-
dropped his corpse and strode up the street. lor and returned with a cup of tea, saying, “I have brewed it expressly for you.”

Though it was clear there had been witnesses
tampering and bribery, the trial resulted in a hung
jury. San Franciscans were shocked. Knight had tes-
tified not only that Richardson hadn’t had a weapon
in hand, but also that Belle Cora had threatened her
life and tried to bribe her. Her account was plainly
true, for no respectable woman would ever admit
having set foot inside a brothel. Public shock turned
to outrage when evidence surfaced that Belle had
also offered a bribe to at least one of the jurors.
“Rejoice, ye gamblers and harlots,” wrote crusading
newspaper editor James King of William in ridicule
of the verdict. “Assemble in your dens of infamy
tonight and let the costly wine flow freely, and let
the welkin [heavens] ring with your shouts of joy!”
The editorial struck a chord, for the city had
Madam’s Cora’s House of Ill Repute been under the thumb of corrupt Tammany Hall
Within days of the murder of Richardson by Charles Cora, Belle invited prosecution politicians from back East. The latter’s enforc-
witness Maria Knight to her manse on Waverly Place. There the desperate madam
bribed and threatened the witness to change her testimony. Knight reported on her. ers, known as “shoulder strikers,” were ruffians
from the street gangs of New York. That May 14,
By then Knight was overcome with fear, suspecting both the wine and while Cora languished in jail awaiting a new trial,
the tea were poisoned. Again she refused. After more small talk, Belle a crooked politician named James P. Casey mor-
finally turned to the topic of Richardson’s death. Maria replied with the tally wounded King, who had exposed Casey as an
same account she’d given at the coroner’s inquest. Then Belle asked, “What ex-convict from New York. In short order upward
did Richardson have in his hand?” of 8,000 men, many of them veterans of the Mex-
“Nothing whatever,” Maria responded. “I distinctly saw that his fingers ican War, reorganized the city’s famed Committee
were extended and that it would be impossible to hold anything with his of Vigilance. Seizing weapons from state militia
hands wide open.” armories, they took control of San Francisco’s gov-
Belle cross-examined Knight, trying to get her to change her story, but ernment. Their headquarters, a two-story building
Maria wouldn’t budge. Seething with anger, Belle abruptly stood and loomed on Sacramento Street fortified by a sandbag breast-
over her guest. “Woman, if you expect to get out of this house alive, you must work, was known as “Fort Gunnybags.”
say that you saw Richardson with a pistol in his hand! That is the only ground On May 18 more than 1,500 vigilantes sur-
we have to save my husband’s life.” rounded the jail and, at the point of a heavy can-
Though terrified, Knight managed to reply in an even tone, “Madam, I did non, seized Charles Cora and James Casey. Two
not see a pistol in Richardson’s hand, and I cannot say that I did.” days later, within the confines of Fort Gunnybags,
An enraged Belle rushed to the parlor door and swung it open. Two men
burst through the doorway. Knight recognized one of them—Dan Aldrich,
a well-known gambler. He held a steel dagger in his hand. Maria later testi-
fied that Aldrich towered over her with the knife and growled threats. “My life
would be spared if I would accept $1,000 and leave the country,” she recalled
TOP: JOHN BOESSENECKER COLLECTION; BOTTOM: BANCROFT LIBRARY, UC BERKELEY

the trio telling her. “I must also promise never to return.”
Frantic to escape, Maria readily agreed. Belle told her they would later
reveal where the bribe money was buried. Knight then rushed from the
bordello and down the long hillside to her home. As soon as she’d recov-
ered her wits, she reported the whole affair to the prosecuting attorney.
Meanwhile, Belle set out to bribe other witnesses. She also hired three
of the most prominent lawyers in California, paying them $5,000 each
to defend Charles.
When the trial began a few weeks later, Knight was again a key prose- James
cution witness. Charles Cora’s lawyers produced a parade of witnesses for King of
William
the defense. Several of his gambler friends from New Orleans swore he had
a reputation there as a peaceable man, which was false. Few of the defense
witnesses had appeared at the coroner’s inquest, yet two men in turn took
the stand and claimed Richardson had had a knife in hand when shot. On
cross-examination both admitted they had visited Belle at her brothel
before the trial, though each insisted he’d not been bribed.

Vigilante Headquarters at ‘Fort Gunnybags’
Equipped with weapons and uniforms seized from state militia armories,
some 8,000 members of San Francisco’s 1856 Committee of Vigilance
(like those at right) set up operations in the fortified two-story building
on Sacramento Street depicted above. There they tried Charles Cora.
the prisoners were tried by the vigilantes and sentenced to death.

Belle’s money and influence were irrelevant. On the day of exe-
cution, May 22, Charles asked a Catholic priest to give him the last
rites. The father refused unless he first married Belle. She promptly
came to Fort Gunnybags, where the priest performed the wedding.
An hour later Cora and Casey, with nooses draped around their
necks, stepped onto gangplanks protruding from two second-story
windows. Within moments both plunged to their deaths. aground and sank off northern California, taking
with it DeWolf and most of his 244 crewmen and
Over the next two months the vigilantes hanged two more murderers passengers. A year later Maria stopped by the art
and rounded up some 40 shoulder strikers and other hard cases, placing studio of Gideon Jacques Denny, San Francisco’s
many aboard ships bound for Central America and Hawaii. Meanwhile, foremost marine painter, to buy an oil on canvas
Belle Cora returned heartbroken to her bagnio on Waverly Place. Perhaps of Brother Jonathan, when Denny’s ex-wife walked
to deal with her grief, Belle took opium. She soon became addicted to it and in and spotted the pair talking. Overcome with jeal-
later to chloroform. In myth and popular history the madam gave up her wild ousy, the woman pulled a pistol and fired as Maria
life and lived quietly in San Francisco. That was hardly true. She continued to fled for her life. The widow DeWolf outran the bul-
TOP: HUNTINGTON LIBRARY; RIGHT: JOHN BOESSENECKER COLLECTION
run her bordello another six years. In 1857, when a policeman tried to make let and lived to age 86, dying in 1906. In later years
an arrest in Belle’s place, one of her girls broke a bottle over the officer’s head. she often regaled listeners with the story of her
Two years later another of her courtesans was arrested after promenading run-in with Charles and Belle Cora. She was the last
downtown in a revealing “French square neck” dress. Several other distur- living eyewitness to the deadly quarrel that helped
bances and scandals took place at her brothel. Then, in 1862, Alexander Pur- ignite the nation’s largest vigilante movement.
ple, a thug whom the vigilantes had run out of town in 1856, cut his throat in
the basement of Belle’s brothel after she’d rejected his advances. He later died. San Francisco-based writer John Boessenecker is
Two weeks later, on Feb. 18, 1862, Belle herself died at the bordello from a special contributor to Wild West and the author
the effects of the habitual abuse of chloroform. California’s most notorious of 12 books about the American West. For further
woman was only 35 years old. reading see his book Against the Vigilantes: The
What became of Belle’s nemesis, Maria Knight? In 1859 she divorced her Recollections of Dutch Charley Duane, as well as
husband, months later marrying prominent sea captain Samuel J. DeWolf. The Madams of San Francisco, by Curt Gentry, and
Six years later, on July 30, 1865, DeWolf’s steamer, Brother Jonathan, ran History of California, by Theodore Henry Hittell.

Widow With a Cause
On the 1913 death of famed frontier scout
and buffalo hunter Billy Dixon, his widow,
Olive, spent the next 43 years bolstering
his storied reputation as the hero of two
noted Indian fights in Texas. She had him
reinterred at Adobe Walls, the scene of his
long shot of more than 1,500 yards that
knocked a Comanche from the saddle.
Lady Behind
the Legend
OLIVE DIXON, WIFE OF ADOBE WALLS SHARPSHOOTER
AND BUFFALO WALLOW HERO BILLY DIXON, DEVOTED HER
LONG WIDOWHOOD TO ENSURING HER LATE HUSBAND’S LEGACY
BY RON J. JACKSON JR .
I
n the end William “Billy” Dixon cared “There was never a more splendidly barbaric
far less about being a legend or hero than sight,” Dixon confessed. “In after years I was
he did about the vibrancy of life he had glad that I had seen it.”
experienced on the Great Plains. Death Dixon had witnessed one of the last great
had flirted with the famed frontier scout and thrusts by the Plains tribes in defense of their
buffalo hunter on more than one occasion, way of life—an ancient, nomadic existence
but it was in those harrowing moments he had tethered to the once mighty herds of buffa-
felt most alive. lo. By the time of the 1874 Second Battle of
A reflective Dixon recalled one of those Adobe Walls, however, the herds were van-
life-defining episodes in his autobiography, Billy
ishing at an alarming rate. Dixon, like the
dictated shortly before his death and pub- Dixon buffalo, miraculously survived. He emerged
lished in 1914. His mind drifted to his days as a from battle that day as the “hero of Adobe
young buffalo hunter at Adobe Walls, a remote Walls,” having dropped a warrior from his
outpost of hunters, skinners and tradesmen horse with a legendary rifle shot of more
in the Texas Panhandle. There, in the predawn than 1,500 yards. In the ensuing decades
hours of June 27, 1874, Dixon caught a glimpse Dixon became increasingly cognizant of
of a large body of shadowy objects near a tim- the unique history he had experienced on
berline beyond the settlement’s grazing horses. the Great Plains. Above all he came to appre-
They were moving toward the outpost. Dixon ciate the magnitude those events had had
strained his eyes but couldn’t define anything in on the development of the American West.
the murky light. Suddenly, the advancing body “I fear that the conquest of savagery in
“spread out like a fan” and unleashed a collec- the Southwest was due more often to love
tive, thunderous war whoop that “seemed to Quanah of adventure than to any wish that cities
Parker
shake the very air of the early morning.” should arise in the desert, or that the high-
Hundreds of mounted Comanche, Kiowa ways of civilization should take the place of
and Southern Cheyenne warriors then burst into view, charging the trails of the Indian and the buffalo,” Dixon said. “In fact,
OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY (3)
furiously in full regalia. The fearless Comanche Chief Quanah many of us believed and hoped that the wilderness would re-
Parker led the pack. Dixon described the scene with vivid, main forever. Life there was to our liking. Its freedom, its dan-
romantic prose—splashes of bright red, vermillion and ochre gers, its tax upon our strength and courage, gave zest to living.”
on the warriors and their horses…scalps dangling from bridles… Memories of that life flooded Dixon’s mind. Fortunately,
fluttering plumes of magnificent warbonnets…and the bronzed, Billy’s greatest champion—his wife, Olive—convinced him
half-naked bodies of the riders, glittering with silver and brass to preserve his remembrances for future generations in an
ornaments as they emerged from the fires of the rising sun. as-told-to autobiography. Starting in earnest in the fall of 1912,

Hero of Adobe Walls & Buffalo Wallow
Though better known as the sharpshooting defender
at the 1874 Second Battle of Adobe Walls, Dixon was
awarded a Medal of Honor for his actions later that
year at Buffalo Wallow. His vivid memories of both
fights appear in the autobiography (left) widow Olive
borrowed cash at interest to have published in 1914.
she faithfully recorded Billy’s running narrative on notebooks scattered entitled Life and Adventures of “Billy” Dixon.
throughout their homestead in Cimarron County, Okla. She even kept a She then borrowed $500 at 12 percent interest
notebook in the corral in case her taciturn husband became reflective about to pay for the printing—a mighty sacrifice for a
the past, ever mindful of his reluctance to fuss over his adventures. Sadly, widow of seven children. Twelve years would
Billy never read the final manuscript. He caught pneumonia during a winter pass before Olive finally paid off her banknote,
storm and died shortly afterward at home on March 9, 1913, at age 62. Fellow but any hardships proved worthwhile where her
members of his Masonic lodge buried Billy in the nearest cemetery on Texas husband’s legend was concerned.
soil, in the Panhandle town of Texline. Historians and old-timers alike declared the
“Little did we suspect that Death—the enemy from whom he had escaped book an instant frontier classic. University of
so many times in the old days—was at hand,” Olive wrote in the preface to Oklahoma history professor Joseph B. Thoburn,
his autobiography, “and that the arrow was set to the bow.” who became one of Olive’s closest friends and
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: HERITAGE AUCTIONS; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS; ROCK ISLAND AUCTION
Having inherited her husband’s hefty mantle, Olive faithfully labored confidants, viewed the timing of her work on the
over the next 43 years—until her own death—to preserve and promote his book as “almost Providential.” In one letter to
legacy. Her love and unwavering dedication to Billy, a man 22 years her Olive he declared, “Posterity will always owe
senior, is consistently evident in her private letters, published articles, you a debt of gratitude for your persistence in
lectures and memorial projects. In the immediate aftermath of his death persuading your husband to tell his life story for
she dedicated her efforts to publishing his life story. First, Olive enlisted publication. So much valuable historical material
the services of Frederick S. Barde, the “dean of Oklahoma journalism,” of this class had been lost in the West because the
to compile Billy’s remembrances into an orderly manuscript originally story of a man’s life was permitted to die with him.”
Sharps for a Sharpshooter

The Comanche attack at Adobe Walls caught its resident buffalo hunters literally
sleeping. Dixon had left the ammunition for his own rifle locked in the settlement
store. So, borrowing a Sharps .50-90 buffalo gun like that above from a bartender,
he aimed at a horseback warrior on a distant ridge, killing him on the third shot.

Thoburn spoke truth. If not for Olive’s perse-
verance, large swaths of Billy’s remarkable life
story would never have been recorded. The auto-
biography alone provided Dixon’s firsthand ac-
counts and context for two of the American West’s
most thrilling episodes—the June 27, 1874, Sec-
ond Battle of Adobe Walls, and the Sept. 12, 1874,
Buffalo Wallow Fight.
At Buffalo Wallow—a sideshow of the Sept. 9–14,

1874, Battle of the Upper Washita River—Dixon,
fellow civilian scout Amos Chapman and four en-
listed men of the 6th U.S. Cavalry defended a patch
of naked ground against a large band of Coman-
che and Kiowa warriors. For their actions Dixon
and the others received the Medal of Honor. Billy’s
blunt but gripping narration of the battle to Olive
provided the backstory behind the medals.
Dixon described how he and his companions
were carrying dispatches from McClellan Creek,
in the Panhandle, to Camp Supply in Indian Ter-
ritory (present-day Oklahoma), some 150 miles
to the northwest. They’d been sent by Colonel
Nelson A. Miles, then commanding the 5th U.S.
Infantry and the 6th Cavalry, whose rations were
running dangerously low amid the Red River War,
the ongoing campaign to subdue the southern
Plains tribes. At sunrise on September 12, their
second day out, the small party crested a knoll
within plain sight of the Comanches and Kiowas.
The warriors quickly encircled the men.
“We were in a trap,” Dixon recalled. “We knew
that the best thing to do was to make a stand and
fight for our lives.” As the men dismounted, Pri-
vate George W. Smith gathered the reins of their
horses, only to be shot a moment later. He fell
face down. At that the horses bolted. A fierce,
close-quarters firefight ensued, as Dixon, Chap-
man, Sergeant Zachariah T. Woodhall and Pri- Not One to Wallow
vates Peter Roth (or Rath) and John Harrington On Sept. 12, 1874, Dixon, fellow civilian scout Amos Chapman and four enlisted men
TOP: LOOK AND LEARN (BRIDGEMAN IMAGES); ABOVE: HERITAGE IMAGES (GETTY IMAGES)
of the 6th U.S. Cavalry were caught out on the Texas Panhandle prairie by a band of
fended off an estimated 125 warriors. some 125 Comanche and Kiowa warriors. The six sheltered in a buffalo wallow like that
Scanning the open plains for any shelter, Dixon depicted above, Dixon later retrieving the wounded Chapman (top) and another man.
spotted a depression some yards distant where
buffalo had pawed and wallowed. As the men cried out for Chapman to make a dash for the wallow, but the scout replied
sprinted for it under fire, one shot dropped Chap- that a bullet had shattered his left knee. Dixon refused to leave Chapman
man, who fell with a moan. Roth, Woodhall, Har- stranded. Despite intense volleys by the enemy, he finally reached his fellow
rington and Dixon kept running till they reached scout, hoisted Chapman on his back and bore the larger man to the safety
the wallow, then desperately stabbed and clawed of the wallow. Chapman later told a dramatically different version of who
at the earth with their knives and hands to throw saved whom that day, a claim the reserved Dixon never contested publicly
up a crude earthwork around its perimeter. “We while alive, much to Olive’s dismay (see sidebar, P. 54).
were keenly aware that the only thing to do was Around 3 p.m. merciful fate intervened, as sheets of cold rain provided
to sell our lives as dearly as possible,” Dixon said. the defenders with welcome water and pelted their assailants, prompting
“We fired deliberately, taking good aim, and were the Comanches and Kiowas to retreat for warmth and cover out of rifle
picking off an Indian at almost every round.” range. By dawn the next day the warriors had vanished. The break came
Chapman and Smith—the latter presumed dead too late for Smith, who’d been mortally wounded with a punctured lung.
—remained where they had fallen. One of the men In the dark of night Dixon and Roth had manhandled the private back to the

A Half Century After Adobe Walls
On June 27, 1924, at Olive Dixon’s direction,
more than 3,000 people converged on the
Adobe Walls battlefield to honor her Billy
and the others who’d held off warriors led
by Quanah Parker, last of the Comanche war
chiefs. Among the attendees was defender
Andy Johnson (at left, with holstered pistol).
often to correct details in published articles

about Billy’s life. In 1922 she became a char-
ter member of the Panhandle-Plains Histor-
ical Society and two years later spearheaded
the society’s efforts to mark the 50th anni-
versary of the Second Battle of Adobe Walls.
On June 27, 1924, more than 3,000 cel-
ebrants descended on the remote Adobe
Walls battlefield, by then part of the Turkey
Track Ranch in Hutchinson County, Texas.
They arrived in automobiles, wagons and on
horseback, all to pay homage to the memory
wallow, where he died without complaint. Decades later Billy spoke of the of a heroic and successful last stand by 28 men
cool courage displayed by every man that day and mournfully told his wife and one woman (Hannah Olds, the wife of cook
that Private Smith still lay buried out on the windswept plains. William Olds) against “the flower and perfection”
of the Plains tribal warriors.
The knowledge that Smith’s grave, as well as the battle site, remained Andy Johnson of Dodge City, Kan.—one of two
unmarked overwhelmed Olive with a sense of responsibility to honor the living defenders—attended the celebration with a
memory of Billy and his contemporaries. With that singular mission in mind pistol fastened to his waistband. He later regaled
she leapt from one project to the next. She wrote to magazines and newspapers, the crowd with a stirring account of the battle
Wallowing in
Smith tumbled to the ground. A volley of gunfire rang from the wallow,
and the Indians quickly retreated. The scout claimed he had again
shouldered Smith for a final dash to the wallow when “a little old scoun-
Controversy drel that I had fed 50 times rode almost onto me and fired.” Chapman
tumbled to the ground, presuming he had “stepped in a hole.” Again
Billy Dixon usually chose his words carefully— hoisting Smith, he finally made it to the wallow.
if he chose them at all, for he was as legendary “Amos,” Dixon said, “you are badly hurt.” Chapman looked at his
for his reluctance to crow as he was for his lethal leg and “sure enough, the leg was shot off just above the ankle joint,
rifle shot of some 1,500 yards at Adobe Walls on and I had been walking on the bone, dragging the foot behind me,
June 27, 1874. Thus, it’s no surprise Dixon declined and in the excitement I never knew it.” (A surgeon at Camp Supply did
TOP: PANHANDLE-PLAINS HISTORICAL MUSEUM; BOTTOM: OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

to publicly chastise fellow scout Amos Chapman later amputate Chapman’s left leg above his shattered knee.)
for his shockingly different version of events at In an 1883 letter fellow Buffalo Wallow defender Sergeant Zacha-
the Buffalo Wallow Fight that September 12–13. riah T. Woodhall told Dixon he “resented the inaccuracies” published
In Chapman’s account he—not Dixon and in Dodge’s book. To Billy’s credit, in Life and Adventures of “Billy”
Private Peter Roth—was the man who bravely Dixon—the autobiography posthumously published by widow Olive
bolted from the wallow to singlehandedly carry in 1914—he refrained from calling out Chapman by name, though he
the wounded Private George Smith did note, “It should be reasonably apparent that a man
to safety. He further claimed to have with a broken leg cannot carry another man on his back.”
done so in broad daylight under Olive privately expressed her own bitter feelings in a
heavy gunfire. Chapman’s version Sept. 24, 1925, letter to friend and University of Oklahoma
first appeared in Colonel Richard history professor Joseph B. Thoburn. “The more I hear of
Irving Dodge’s 1884 memoir Our Amos Chapman,” she wrote, “the more I am convinced the
Wild Indians. The scout told Dodge truth wasn’t in him. No wonder my husband always said it
how a band of mounted warriors would be a waste of time to try to correct anything he told.
charged him as he struggled to A man like that would tell a falsehood and turn around and
carry Smith’s dead weight on his Amos Chapman tell another one to get out of it....There surely was a vast
back. Chapman pulled his pistol. difference in the disposition of the two men.” —R.J.J.

as airplanes circled overhead. Naturally, John-
son’s story of Dixon’s legendary long shot received
prime treatment, though the claim later drew
skepticism in some quarters. Olive also made brief
remarks, crediting others for the historic occa-
sion. The crowd cheered lustily when a 10-foot-
tall monument of the finest Oklahoma red granite
was unveiled. Inscribed on it are the names of
each Adobe Walls defender.
The successful event only fueled Olive’s commit-
ment to her cause. She had already begun lobbying
the society to mark the site of the Buffalo Wallow
Fight while simultaneously searching for a pub-
lisher to reprint Billy’s book. Despite the book’s
critical acclaim a decade earlier, Olive’s hunt
for a publisher proved slow and unnerving.
In a Dec. 27, 1925, letter to Thoburn, she
went so far as to declare that if she couldn’t
The Selfless Bride & Widow
secure a publisher soon, she would be forced Olive Dixon worked tirelessly until her death at age
to “sell my land in Cimarron County.” 83 on March 17, 1956, to keep her husband’s memory
in the forefront of Texans’ minds. When approached
Two years passed before Olive celebrated by another author seeking to write the story of their
those two signature achievements—the re- shared life (left), she relented but remained humble.
lease of a revised edition of Billy’s autobiog-
raphy, by Dallas-based P.L. Turner Co., and slumped over on her daughter’s shoulder.
the placement of a monument at the Buffalo She never regained consciousness.
Wallow battleground, 22 miles south of As a child growing up in Virginia, Olive
Canadian, Texas. She even successfully had dreamed of a time when she could “min-
lobbied the U.S. War Department to provide gle with people who were really doing things
a grave marker for Private George Smith. in an unusual way.” Stories of the expansive
Still, Olive couldn’t rest. Two years later cattle ranches on the Great Plains fueled
she made the intensely personal decision her imagination, until in 1893, at age 20,
to have her husband’s remains reinterred to Adobe Walls. On June 27, 1929— she boldly joined brother Archie King in Texas
55 years to the day after the storied battle with allied warriors led by Quanah for the adventure of a lifetime. He worked as
Parker—a police escort led a funeral procession three hours from Texline to a cowhand for a Hutchinson County spread, liv-
the battleground. Reverent spectators lined the route, removing their hats ing with wife and child in a crude log-and-sod
as the caravan passed. A headline in the Amarillo Daily News proclaimed, structure dug out of a bank on Johns Creek some
Col. Billy Dixon Gets Last Wish: Buried at Site of Adobe Walls. Never 20 miles from the ranch headquarters. She also
mind that Dixon had no military rank; he didn’t need one to be remembered. visited brother Albert, who wrangled for a neigh-
boring spread.
The model of a devoted widow, Olive ensured her husband’s name would Olive instantly fell in love with the West, and
echo through time. She did so tirelessly, lovingly and with humility. Recog- soon after with one of its icons. Her childhood
nizing her immense contributions to the history of the Texas Panhandle, dream was realized. She’d sought adventure, em-
author John McCarty sought her permission to write a biography about braced the pioneer spirit and then married the
her life with Billy, and his vision culminated in the 1955 publication of Adobe love of her life. Olive, like her husband, had lived
Walls Bride: The Story of Billy and Olive Dixon. Initially, Olive had balked at a life worth remembering.
the idea. “Throughout the time when interviews and research were bringing
out the story of her life,” McCarty wrote, “Mrs. Dixon steadily maintained Ron J. Jackson Jr. is an award-winning author
that there was nothing distinctive about her or her experiences; she even from Rocky, Okla., and a regular contributor to
protested that there would be no interest in a story of her life, as she had Wild West. For further reading he recommends
TOP: OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
done nothing out of the ordinary. All her disclosures were slanted toward the autobiography Life and Adventures of “Billy”
one recurring theme: ‘My husband was a great man.’ But she took no credit Dixon, as well as Adobe Walls: The History and
for Dixon’s achievements.” Archeology of the 1874 Trading Post, by T. Lind-
Olive died in Amarillo a year later, on March 17, 1956—43 years and say Baker and Billy R. Harrison; Adobe Walls
eight days after her beloved Billy left this earth. Death stole her swiftly. Bride: The Story of Billy and Olive King Dixon,
That evening she had joined daughter Edna and son-in-law Walter Irwin by John L. McCarty; and Billy and Olive Dixon:
for dinner at a popular barbecue restaurant. On the drive home Olive quietly The Plainsman and His Lady, by Bill O’Neal.

STETSON MAY HAVE INVENTED THE COWBOY HAT,
BUT WESTERNERS SINCE HAVE MADE IT THEIR OWN
BY DAV E L AU T E R BO R N

Stetson’s ‘Boss of the Plains’
John B. Stetson’s original cowboy hat
had a 4-inch rounded crown and any
brim width up to 3 3/4 inches. It only
grew in size and popularity from there.
This example, sold by Charles Schreiner
& Co. of Kerrville, Texas, boasts a 6-inch
crown with a grosgrain ribbon and a
4-inch brim with ribbon edge binding.
T
here’s an element of truth to close up the family shop and venture
to the maxim “the hat makes West for the climate and to see its vaunted
the man.” In the 19th century beauty before dying. In 1861 news of the
West, for example, certain Pikes Peak Gold Rush drew him and fel-
headgear served to identify their wear- low hopefuls to the Colorado goldfields.
ers at a glance. Soldiers had the shako, Stetson arrived, so the story goes, amid
firefighters the leatherhead, Indians the heavy downpours and so crafted a beaver
warbonnet and vaqueros the sombrero. felt hat of his own design to keep dry. It
But perhaps no other topper in history John B. featured the trademark wide brim, high
has symbolized a people and their region Stetson crown and waterproof lining since asso-
in such a defining way as the cowboy hat. ciated with his name. The style proved so
See it stamped on a box, in neon outside popular among the Western outdoorsmen
a storefront or in a popular present-day Stetson encountered that the emboldened
email “emoji,” and one immediately entrepreneur returned East in 1865 to
thinks of the American West. resume hatmaking.
Yet, the cowboy hat wasn’t the most prolific lid of its time The first design off the line in his Philadelphia factory was
or place. In a 1957 editorial headlined The Hat That Won the “Boss of the Plains” (see opposite). It proved instantly
the West, in Salt Lake City’s Deseret News, writer-historian popular and dominated the market for the next couple of de-
Lucius Beebe disputed that the cowboy hat was ubiquitous cades. As Stetson owners took to adding personalized touches
out West, a notion he deemed an invention of artist Frederic —a dent here or a curved brim there—the company took note
Remington. “The authentic hat of the Old West,” Beebe wrote, and rolled out additional styles.
“was the cast-iron derby, the bowler of Old Bond Street and Stetson got a big boost in the 1880s with the advent of inter-
the chapeau melon of French usage.” He then pointed to such national celebrity in the person of William Frederick Cody.
derby wearers as lawman Bat Masterson, stagecoach robber Cody was already a fan of Stetsons, custom versions of which
Charles E. “Black Bart” Boles, Wells Fargo chief detective he wore onstage in the early 1870s in touring productions
James B. Hume and, tellingly, “Remington and his imitators” organized by dime novelist Ned Buntline. Within a few years
as proof of his assertion. of launching his own Wild West arena shows in 1883, Buffalo
OPPOSITE AND THIS PAGE: HERITAGE AUCTIONS (2)
Regardless, the cowboy hat remains the iconic symbol of Bill was plastering his Stetson-capped image on signboards
the West. And the name that has become synonymous with from San Francisco to Saxony. The hatmaker couldn’t buy
it is Stetson. Ironically, John B. Stetson was an Easterner, better advertising.
and the factory that initially steamed, shaped and shipped The birth of the silver screen and its Western stars further
tens of millions of hats bearing his name was in Philadelphia, amplified the popularity of the Stetson, one of which the com-
though the company that produces them under license today pany named for the actor who made it popular—the Tom Mix.
is, fittingly, in Texas. Today the cowboy hat endures, and scores of hatmakers
Stetson (1830–1906), the son of a New Jersey hatmaker, big and small continue to craft styles that symbolize the Old
was diagnosed with tuberculosis as a young man and resolved and New West. We trace its history on the following pages.

Hats Off!
A Every owner of a classic Stetson will immedi-

ately recognize The Last Drop From His Stetson,
by Lon Megargee. Born in Pennsylvania in 1883,
Megargee lost his father at age 13 and was raised
by an uncle on an Arizona ranch. By the early 20th
century he’d become an established painter of
Southwestern landscapes, cowboys and Indians.
He rendered The Last Drop in 1912. In 1923, after
Western Story Magazine ran Megargee’s work
on its cover, Stetson purchased the painting
and its rights. It became the company’s familiar
logo, appearing in ads, on hatboxes and, most
A famously, on the crown liner of every Stetson hat.
B As popular as the Stetson became, the best-
selling hat of the late 19th century, both east and
west of the Mississippi, remained the derby, pic-
tured below and on the head of one of its more
famous Western proponents, lawman and some-
time gambler turned journalist Bat Masterson.
Designed in 1849 by London hatmakers Thomas
and William Bowler (the other name by which
it is known), the derby became the ubiquitous
“city gent” (or “dude”) hat of its day, outselling
even the Stetson. The dude abides, indeed.
The derby became

the ubiquitous ‘city
gent’ (or ‘dude’) hat
of its day, outselling
even the Stetson. The
dude abides, indeed
A: STETSON; B, LEFT: KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY; RIGHT: J.R. BALE (ALAMY STOCK PHOTO)

C
C This circa-1910s postcard view shows the

inner workings of the John B. Stetson Co. main
hat factory in Philadelphia. Incorporated in
1891, the factory employed some 5,000 work-
ers at its zenith, offering them such incentives
as annual earnings bonuses and English classes
for immigrant workers. Each man and woman
C: LIBRARY COMPANY OF PHILADELPHIA; D: NATIONAL COWBOY & WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM
on the Stetson line was a specialist, honing

his or her skills at blocking, sanding, burning,
steaming, shaping and finishing. By the 1920s
they were turning out some 2 million hats a year.
D A pair of nattily dressed Westerners pose
proudly with their Stetsons in this circa 1870
tintype. The crude cloth backdrop and grassy
ground at their feet suggest their portrait
sitting was a spur-of-the-moment decision,
perhaps occasioned by the arrival of an itiner-
ant photographer. Though Stetson had been
in business only a handful of years by this time,
already in evidence is the tendency of owners
to shape their hats to their individual whims.
The cowboy at right, for example, has opted to
pinch his crown into what is known alternately
today as a peak, campaign or Russell crease. D

Hats Off!
Perhaps no other
figure on stage or
screen did more to
spread Stetson’s
fame than Wild
West showman
‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody
E Of all the performers to don a Stetson, Buffalo Bill
Cody remains the most celebrated. Here he poses G
in signature theatrical garb and an upswept Stetson
during the 1890s heyday of his internationally touring
Wild West arena show. Perhaps no other figure on
stage or screen did more to spread Stetson’s fame.
F Cowgirls also took to the Stetson, as evinced in this
autographed 1916 publicity photo of Miller Brothers’
101 Ranch Real Wild West performer “Buckskin Bessie”
Herberg. Bessie joined the Oklahoma-based show
at age 16 in 1911 and did tricks with her horse, Happy.
G Rivaling her sometime boss Buffalo Bill in popularity
and billing was “Little Sure Shot” Annie Oakley, posing
here circa 1890 in her own upswept Stetson affixed
with a metal star—perhaps one of the many shooting
competition awards Oakley garnered in her lifetime.
H Silent screen film star Tom Mix was so inseparable in
theatergoers’ minds from his trademark high-peaked,
wide-brimmed elegant white Stetson that the company
named that style hat (pictured at bottom) after him.
Hollywood’s first Western star wore it well in 291 films.
E: HULTON ARCHIVE (GETTY IMAGES); F: BUFFALO BILL CENTER OF THE WEST; G: UNDERWOOD ARCHIVES (GETTY); H, LEFT: HERITAGE AUCTIONS; RIGHT: PHOTO12 (ALAMY STOCK PHOTO)

Hats Off!
I Hollywood breathed new life into the cult
of cowboy hat aficionados, as Stetson
and other makers raced to outshine one
another. In this publicity still for the 1950
Western musical comedy Annie Get Your
Gun star Betty Hutton is slightly off target
in a rhinestoned getup and hat the more
modest Oakley would likely have eschewed.
J Renowned for his accurate portrayals
of Western characters was silent film star
William S. Hart, who was born in 1864 (the
year before Stetson opened for business)
and counted among his friends real-life
lawmen Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson.
Here he wears one of his trademark au-
thentic hats as gunman turned sheriff
Careless Carmody in Breed of Men (1919).
K Among the top box office draws for three
decades, Western movie icon John Wayne
was a man of many hats, often Stetsons.
Below is the distressed hat he wore in the
Westerns Hondo (1953), Rio Bravo (1959)
and The Train Robbers (1973). Wayne poses
in the hat in this publicity still for the latter
film. Many of his hats are on display at
I: METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER (GETTY IMAGES); J: JOHN SPRINGER COLLECTION (GETTY); K, ABOVE: SNAP/ENTERTAINMENT PICTURES (ALAMY STOCK PHOTO); BELOW: BONHAMS
the museum John Wayne: An American
Experience, in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

N
M L Not to be outdone in expressions of millinery

individualism were the artists of the American West.
Modernist painter Georgia O’Keeffe—posing here
for Bruce Weber in 1984, two years before her death
L: CHRISTIE’S (BRIDGEMAN IMAGES); M: ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION; N: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
—was especially fond of this black Stetson, which

she wore on many camping, rafting and, presumably,
painting excursions. It appears in many portraits of
the artist, some taken by husband Alfred Stieglitz.
M “Cowboy Artist” Charles Marion “Charlie” Russell
was more of a traditionalist with regard to the cut
of his Stetson, which takes center stage in many of
the drawings, paintings and sculptures he rendered
of himself. In this 1907 studio portrait he wears what
appears to be a Boss of the Plains canted back on
his head like a halo. Known for obsessively sketch-
ing Western scenes and figures on any available
surface, Russell often used his hats as canvases.
N Championing the centuries-old slouch hat in this
circa-1890s self-portrait is photographer Edward
S. Curtis, who was known for his signature sepia-
toned images of American Indians, often posing in
the even older warbonnet. Among Curtis’ subjects
was President Theodore Roosevelt, who on July 1,
1898, rode to victory and fame up Cuba’s San Juan
Heights wearing a slouch hat of the First U.S. Vol-
unteer Cavalry Regiment (aka “Rough Riders”). Had
the president inspired the artist or vice versa?

Careful What You Wish For
In early July 1870 a 57-man column
of 6th U.S. Cavalry troopers out of
Fort Richardson, along the Red River
in north-central Texas, rode in pursuit
of a band of 100 Kiowa raiders led
by war chief Kicking Bird. Within days
the pursuers became the pursued.

Kicking Bird
Goes to War
THE RESPECTED KIOWA WARRIOR HAD LONG TROD THE
ROAD OF PEACE, BUT IN 1870 HIS DETRACTORS NEEDLED HIM
INTO A FIGHT WITH BLUECOATS ON TEXAS’ LITTLE WICHITA RIVER
B Y A L L E N L E E H A M I LT O N A N D C L I N T O N C H A S E H A M I LT O N

T
he year 1870 was a time of war on the northwest Texas frontier. that same period Indian raiders killed or captured
Kiowa and Comanche raiders striking out of the vast southern more than 200 settlers and drove off thousands
Plains punished the line of Anglo settlement as it inexorably of head of livestock. The 6th seemed powerless to
pushed its way north and west. The Indians felt compelled to prevent such depredations. The carnage reached
lash out, given renewed postwar encroachment into their lands, unfair or a crescendo in June 1870 when raiders killed an-
broken treaty agreements, the impending specter of forced reservation life other 15 settlers. Letters, protests and petitions
and their own intertribal politics. The U.S. Army was likewise compelled flew from the pens of the settlers to both the offi-
to maintain peace and safety for its citizens on the Texas frontier. cers at Fort Richardson and the government in
For 15 years one of the hottest spots in this unrelenting contest was Washington, D.C. How could the vanquishers of
sparsely populated Jack County, up near the Red River in north-central the Confederacy be so ineffective against a few
Texas. Settlers there were usually the first to suffer with the coming of each hundred poorly armed Indians?
full moon, and their protests and cries for protection had resulted in 1868 Aggravating the situation was the fact that in
in the establishment of a military post, Fort Richardson, on the outskirts the wake of the Civil War, Washington had for-
of the county seat, Jacksboro. If the settlers thought their problems were bidden the re-formation of the Texas Rangers, the
solved, however, they were soon bitterly disappointed. one group that had had some success against the
Fort Richardson became the headquarters of the 6th U.S. Cavalry, a regi- southern Plains Indians. Stung by the continual
ment that boasted a far thicker record of desertions than of Indian fights. criticism and charges that soldiers trained only
Over its 39-month tenure at the fort the regiment sent out 26 full-scale for the parade ground were no match for veteran
scouting parties, but only five intercepted Indian raiders, resulting in the warriors adept at guerrilla warfare, the officers
deaths of three troopers and unknown casualties to the warriors. During of the 6th waited and watched for any opportunity
to restore their honor and morale in the ranks.
Whether they were ready or not, opportunity
came knocking.
In early July a party of more than 100 Kiowa

warriors crossed the Red River into Texas from
Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). It was
led by Kicking Bird (or Eagle Striking With Talons,
as his name has been translated more recently),
among the best-known war leaders on the south-
ern Plains. Long distinguished among the Kiowa
for his courage and military prowess, he was also
a signatory of both the 1865 Little Arkansas Treaty
PREVIOUS SPREAD: HERITAGE AUCTIONS; THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: CHRIS GROVER, JASON O. WATSON (ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, 2)
and the 1867 Medicine Lodge Treaty. He even had
admirers among the Anglos. “Though a wild, un-
tutored savage,” one Indian agent wrote of the
chief, “he was a man of fine native sense, and thor-
oughly educated in the habits of his people, and
determined to make a reputation for himself, not
in bad acts, but in elevating his people.” Kicking
Bird was perhaps second in influence only to the
acknowledged principal chief, Lone Wolf.
In more recent years, however, Kicking Bird
had spoken once too often of seeking peaceful
accord with the whites, prompting the more rad-
ical elements among the Kiowa to question his
abilities and fitness to lead. Some warriors went
so far as to claim that his consorting with white
men had made him a coward and a traitor. To
restore his honor, Kicking Bird agreed to lead a
major war party against the white soldiers, and
the men of Fort Richardson were selected as the
target, mainly because they were the only force in
Out on a Limb at Fort Richardson north Texas opposing the southern Plains Indians.
Established in 1868 at the limits of settlement in north-central Texas, the post was
home to the 6th Cavalry, tasked with thwarting Indian raiders. The serenity within the According to Indian participants interviewed in
enlisted men’s barracks at today’s historic site belies the desperate duty they faced. the 1920s at Fort Sill, Okla., by Colonel Wilbur Stur-

tevant Nye, no warrior was supposed to leave the Straddling War and Peace
A signatory of the 1867 Medicine Lodge
war party to steal. Yet, on July 5 a handful of Kiowas Treaty (depicted above), Kicking Bird
attacked a mail wagon at Rock Station, 16 miles west (right) had sought accord with whites
of Fort Richardson. A challenge to the Army thus until instigators among his own people
prodded him to resume the war path.
delivered, the 6th Cavalry quickly responded. At In early July 1870 he led a Kiowa band
the head of two officers, one surgeon and 53 enlisted across the Red, intending to bait troops
from Fort Richardson. An unplanned raid
men culled from six companies of the 6th, Captain on a nearby stage station did just that.
Curwen B. McLellan led out his men on July 6 with
orders to “pursue and severely chastise the Indians.” Army. It would seem fate had chosen
Born in Scotland, McLellan (no relation to Union a worthy opponent for Kicking Bird.
commander Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan) was a At Rock Creek Station scouts picked
veteran of the Civil War. Commended for his brav- up the trail of eight to 10 Kiowa war-
ery and tactical skill at Gettysburg, he’d received a riors. Slowed by heavy rains and rough terrain, the column followed the
brevet promotion to major, only to revert in rank to trail northwest, McLellan assuming the raiders intended to slip across the
captain amid the general postwar reduction of the Red River into Indian Territory, where, by federal edict, the troopers were
forbidden to follow. Only, this band of Indians had no intention of fleeing.
On the contrary, the captain and his men were being drawn into an ambush
on ground of Kicking Bird’s choosing.
McLellan’s error is understandable. Like most Civil War officers, he’d
been trained and disciplined to fight 19th century set-piece battles. But such
an approach could only end in frustration on the frontier, as Plains Indians
were seldom willing to engage in straight-up fights. Instead, they relied
FROM TOP: DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY; NATIONAL ARCHIVES; MISSOURI HISTORICAL SOCIETY
on their advantages of surprise and mobility, employing mostly hit-and-run

tactics before withdrawing to their Oklahoma reservations as an untouch-
able home base. Thus, many Army officers had come to regard patrols sent
in pursuit of Indian raiders as mere exercises in herding the hostiles back
across the Red River, dismissing warnings of the Indians’ skill in preparing
ambushes. McLellan would pay dearly for such a miscalculation.
On July 9 the captain resumed his march northwest to the headwaters of
the South Fork of the Little Wichita River, where his scouts found the mail
wagon driver’s whip and an indistinct trail leading west. Continuing north-
west past the headwaters of the Middle Fork, McLellan and his men soon
reached a bluff on the south bank of the North Fork. As the heavy rains had
obscured all signs of the raiders’ ponies and rendered the North Fork impass-
McLellan of a Different Stripe able, McLellan ordered his men into camp, where they remained until July 12.
Though no relation to the Union commander, Around 11 that morning, an hour after decamping, the advance guard
Captain Curwen B. McLellan had proven his
mettle at Gettysburg and was confident he encountered what appeared to be a Kiowa scouting party. Anticipating that
could solve the “Indian problem” on the Red. the main body of Indians was nearby, McLellan had his troopers form ranks,
unfurl their banners, unsling their weapons and advance at a quick trot,

Kicking Bird’s Recipe for Success
After the attack on the stage at Rock Creek Station,
within a day’s ride west of Fort Richardson, the Kiowa
chief left a conspicuous trail leading northwest, as if
fleeing back to Indian Territory. On July 12, however,
he sprang his trap at the Little Wichita, ambushing
McClellan’s column on three sides. Many warriors
were armed with Spencer repeaters like that above.
overrun. It must have dawned on the captain how

far he had ventured from any defensible position
or any possible help—in other words, how perfect
the battlefield was for Kicking Bird.
The pursuer had become the pursued. McLellan
realized that the only way to preserve his com-
mand from “total annihilation” was to retreat.
McLellan dismounted his men, every fourth

trooper holding the reins of the mounts while the
other three fired between the horses. They formed
soon outstripping the column’s packtrain, loaded with ammunition and a box around the packtrain, with roughly 10 men
supplies. After covering about a half mile, the troopers spotted a large band to a side and a 10-man reserve in the middle, and
of Kiowas some 1,000 yards distant. McLellan had found Kicking Bird—or, began to effect what McLellan described in re-
rather, Kicking Bird had allowed himself to be found. The captain had closed ports as “an orderly withdrawal,” but which in
within 500 yards of the Kiowas when two other bands, together equaling the truth was a desperate fight for survival. Many of
first in strength, popped up on his flanks, threatening to cut off his packtrain the Indians were armed with Spencer repeating
and rear guard, which had fallen some 400 yards behind. Realizing he could rifles, which complemented their mounted tac-
no longer safely move forward, McLellan ordered his troopers to open fire. tics perfectly. The men of the 6th were using the
At that point Kicking Bird ordered a full-scale charge on three sides. The single-shot breech-loading Springfield trapdoor
Kiowas attacked with a ferocity for which the troopers of the 6th were un- carbine, a weapon with a comparatively slow rate
prepared. Years later warriors who participated in the battle reported that of fire, though it could send a bullet up to 400 yards
TOP AND BOTTOM: HERITAGE AUCTIONS (2); CENTER: NOLA DAVIS/FORT RICHARDSON, TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT
Kicking Bird rode at the head of his men and counted first coup by impaling downrange with accuracy and power. As a result,
a soldier on his lance. Surely McLellan would have reported such a dramatic the Kiowas kept their distance, swarming first
action, yet there is no mention of it in his after-action report. Embarrassment around one flank and then another, several times
is one possible explanation. That an Indian could ride into the face of more forming up to block the troopers’ line of retreat.
than 50 professional soldiers, kill one with a lance and slip away unscathed McLellan frantically redeployed his men to meet
would be a distressing event. Whether it happened or not, the Kiowas clearly each threat that arose, but his casualties were
had the upper hand. For a half hour mounting and his ammunition waning.
Not a Banner Day for the 6th
the troopers endured what McLellan Fresh from set-piece Civil War battles For some four and a half hours under a hot
called “a galling fire from all sides,” back East, McClellan was ill-prepared July sun Kicking Bird mercilessly drove the 6th
at which point it became apparent for the hit-and-run tactics practiced by
Plains tribes. On the morning of battle Cavalry over the plains and back down across
the command was in danger of being the captain committed the further error the North and Middle forks of the Little Wichita,
of leaving his packtrain in the dust, thus
separating his men from ammunition
pouring a constant and devastating fire on the
and supplies. Finally, he closed with his bluecoats from all sides.
enemy without having surveilled them. Kicking Bird maintained a strong, steady pur-
suit by keeping three-fourths of his men engaged
while holding the others in reserve, then steadily
replacing tired warriors with fresh ones from the
reserve. The unrelenting stream of strikes by
seemingly tireless Indians surprised McLellan
and his officers, who found it all they could do
to hold their own while retreating.
Around 4 p.m. the captain and his exhausted
troopers forded the South Fork of the Little Wich-
ita, at which point Kicking Bird called for his

warriors to abandon the pursuit, confident his
honor had been restored. The Kiowas had killed
or wounded nearly a quarter of McLellan’s com-
mand and nearly half his horses.
Though no longer under fire, McLellan felt his
position remained untenable, so he ordered his
men to continue the southeasterly retreat toward
Fort Richardson. Ultimately, however, sheer men-
tal and physical fatigue forced the 6th Cavalry into
camp within sight of Flat Top Mountain.
Early the next morning, July 13, McLellan dis-
patched couriers to Fort Richardson, requesting
ambulances for the wounded. But his intention to
remain encamped until the ambulances arrived
was thwarted when a band of several dozen Ki-
owas attacked and drove in the pickets. Fearing
that Kicking Bird’s entire war party was close at
hand, the captain ordered all supplies burned and The Kiowas’ Final Ignominy
his weary men to saddle up the remaining horses Though Kicking Bird had run circles around his bluecoat adversary, his people’s
fate was already set in stone. With the Kiowas’ defeat in the 1874–75 Red River War,
and begin another forced retreat. After resting a all that was left to decide was which warriors would be sent into captivity in Florida
few hours at Rocky Station, the scene of the attack (depicted here in a period ledger drawing). The Army had Kicking Bird do the deed.
on the mail stage a week prior, the command con-
tinued southeast toward Fort Richardson. Meeting cunning than their stereotypical “savage” reputation implied. Kicking Bird’s
the ambulances en route, the battered column went systematic and precise formations were those only the most adept tacticians
into camp that night, arriving back at the garrison are able to pull off in the heat of battle. He executed his ambush and flank-
at noon on July 14. ing maneuvers with a striking ease that overwhelmed the rigid professional
tactics of the 6th Cavalry and did so with minimal loss. Kiowa participants
In his after-action report McLellan listed later insisted no warriors had been killed. That said, tribal society was highly
two men killed and 11 wounded, and eight horses stratified, and the loss of a low-ranking warrior might not have warranted
killed and 21 wounded. Though he had obviously mention in their oral history.
suffered a humiliating rout, the captain estimated Kicking Bird had set out to restore his honor in action against the blue-
far higher enemy losses, claimed the expedition coats, and he succeeded. Expressing regret that he’d resorted to violence,
had been a “perfect success” and insisted he had he never again rode into battle against the soldiers, instead preaching the
“taught them a lesson they will not soon forget.” road of peace. After the 1874–75 Red River War the Army gave him the oner-
A far less rosy assessment was reported by his ous task of selecting the requisite Kiowa warriors and chiefs who would be
troopers, however, many of whom were incensed sent to prison in Florida. Among the exiles was the powerful medicine man
that McLellan had abandoned the two slain en- Maman-ti, who threatened Kicking Bird. “You remain free, a big man with
listed men’s bodies during his retreat. the whites, but you will not live long,” he vowed. “I will see to that.” Kicking
In the aftermath Fort Richardson post surgeon Bird had told an Anglo friend his heart was as a stone, broken in two. “I am
Dr. Julius H. Patzki interviewed members of the grieved,” he said, “at the ruin of my people.” Two days later the chief died
command. One constant in his report was the em- at his camp under mysterious circumstances. While some Kiowas claimed
phatic bafflement of troopers to the overwhelming it was the curse of Maman-ti, Army doctors suspected poison.
demonstration of military skill by Kicking Bird McLellan never led another major expedition in Texas. Within nine
and his warriors. “The systematic strategy dis- months of its fiasco on the Little Wichita the 6th Cavalry was transferred
played by the savages, exhibiting an almost civi- to Kansas and replaced by a more vigorous unit, the 4th Cavalry, led by the
lized mode of skirmish fighting, struck the officers legendary hard-charging Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie. With its arrival the
and men engaged,” Patzki wrote. It was a com- people of north Texas would finally get their protection from the Indians.
pliment McLellan could never pay Kicking Bird.
The Army praised the captain for having kept Allen Lee Hamilton, a history professor at St. Philip’s College in San An-
his command from being wiped out, and 13 mem- tonio, is the author of six books, a novel and numerous magazine articles.
bers of the 6th Cavalry later received the Medal of His eldest son, Clinton Chase Hamilton, holds a master’s degree in history
Honor for “gallantry in action at the North Fork from Texas State University. For further reading they suggest Sentinel of
of the Little Wichita River.” Thus, McLellan, like the Southern Plains: Fort Richardson and the Northwest Texas Frontier,
Kicking Bird, managed to save face. 1866–1878, by Allen Lee Hamilton; Carbine and Lance: The Story of Old
GRANGER
The events along the Little Wichita served to Fort Sill, by Colonel W.S. Nye; and Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay:
demonstrate warriors were capable of far more The Enlisted Soldier Fighting the Indian Wars, by Don Rickey Jr.

This Harrington & Richardson five-shot
hammerless revolver (Serial No. 540)
probably dates from the 1910s, though
the patent was granted in 1895, and
it’s difficult to date H&R guns, as the
company used run-on serial numbers
and kept so-so records. This .32-caliber
example features a 3-inch barrel, hard
rubber grips and a nickel-plated finish.
GUNS OF THE WEST
A Lethal Little
‘Lemon Squeezer’
HARRINGTON & RICHARDSON’S HAMMERLESS, SMALL-FRAME
DOUBLE-ACTION REVOLVER WAS A HIT AMONG KLONDIKE
GOLD SEEKERS AND WELLS FARGO MESSENGERS
BY G E O R G E L AY M A N
O
ften overlooked in the history of firearms out West late 1870s the double-action revolver came into vogue. As a
was the H&R line of revolvers, innovative spur-trigger shooter no longer needed to cock the hammer before each shot,
models with origins back East. In 1871 Massachu- such revolvers were considered the “semiautomatics” of their
setts-based gunmakers Gilbert H. Harrington and day. H&R entered the scene with its five- or six-shot Model 1880
Frank Wesson (brother of Daniel B. Wesson of Smith & Wesson solid-frame double-action revolver in .32 and .38 S&W calibers.
fame) formed a short-lived partnership under the name Wesson By decade’s end the company’s top-break models had become
& Harrington. Four years later Wesson branched out on his the mainstays of its line.
own and sold his shares to Harrington. By 1876 Harrington and Among H&R’s leading competitors, Smith & Wesson had pio-
former Wesson employee William A. Richardson had forged neered the top-break action in the United States with its larger .44
the namesake partnership destined to become one of the S&W Russian and American and .45 S&W Schofield models, which
longest surviving firearms manufacturers in the region, though ejected empty cases out of the cylinder on opening to reload—a
not until 1888 did Harrington & Richardson Arms Co. formally welcome time (and, potentially, life) saver. Another of S&W’s
incorporate in Worcester, Mass. revolutionary double-action revolvers was its small-frame safety
Starting up production in 1877, H&R produced untold millions hammerless revolver. Introduced in 1887, the design caught on.
of revolvers, from early single-action models using rimfire Already at work on a similar design, H&R soon patented its
cartridges to later double-action models using .32 and .38 own hammerless revolver with enough internal differences to
Smith & Wesson centerfire cartridges. The H&R line expanded avoid any infringement on S&W’s model. The latter’s version
HERITAGE AUCTIONS
and improved over time, making both solid-frame and top- was nicknamed the “lemon squeezer,” a moniker eventually
break revolvers. applied to all hammerless double-action models.
Small-frame pocket “wheel guns” were popular in the Old As the Old West gave way to the turn of the century, such
West, most often as an extra measure of life insurance. By the small-frame double-action revolvers appealed to many a ranch

hand who, given weight considerations and tamer H&R’s small-frame double-
times, had grown weary of lugging around heavier action revolvers proved
especially popular with
hardware. In photographs of settlers bound for ranch hands and lawmen
the Cherokee Strip land run in 1893 one can spot, weary of lugging heavier
hardware. Among those
in addition to the standard Sharps or Spencer pocketing the hammerless
rifle, small-frame double-action revolvers in five-shooters was famed
Texas Ranger Frank Hamer,
many a holster. Messengers and detectives with photographed here during
Wells Fargo & Co. and other favorite targets of the 1934 hunt for Depres-
sion-era outlaws Bonnie
highwaymen were also fond of carrying a top- Parker and Clyde Barrow,
break small-frame double-action revolver or two. which ended with the duo’s
deaths that May 23rd.
A period of especially brisk sales for H&R accom-
panied the 1896–99 Klondike Gold Rush to the
District of Alaska and Yukon Territory. Presum-
ably for protection against such ne’er-do-wells
as notorious con man Soapy Smith and cohorts,
scores of gold seekers carried the low-cost H&R
hammerless double-action revolver. By then the
company had plenty of competition in the small-
frame revolver niche from such respected makers
as Hopkins & Allen, Forehand & Wadsworth, Iver
Johnson and Thames Arms. Among other noted
users, Frank Hamer—the famed Texas Ranger Frank Hamer,
who finally stopped Depression-era outlaw duo the Texas
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, killing them
from ambush near Gibsland, La., on May 23, 1934 double-barreled shotgun based on the British
Ranger who
—carried a small-frame, five-shot, .38-caliber Anson & Deeley action, as well as the single-shot stopped
double-action pocket revolver in addition to “Handy-Gun,” a short-barreled shotgun with a outlaw duo
full-size sidearms.
Though the patent for H&R’s hammerless safety
pistol grip that was dropped from production in
1934 following passage of the National Firearms
Bonnie and
revolver dates from 1895, it is difficult to date Act, which outlawed such “gangsterish” configura- Clyde cold,
individual guns, as the company used run-on tions. H&R was among the few American firearms carried a
serial numbers and didn’t keep meticulous rec- manufacturers with unprecedented longevity. It
ords. In addition to its popular revolvers, H&R continued to produce well-made, no-frills guns
five-shot
also produced single- and double-barrel shotguns, for the money until shuttering its doors in 1986 pocket H&R
including the first American-made hammerless after more than a century in business.
FROM TOP: COLEMAN PUBLIC LIBRARY; INTERNET ARCHIVE; READING ROOM 2020 (ALAMY STOCK PHOTO)
Side-by-side advertisements illustrate the progression of H&R’s

small-frame pocket revolvers from the 1870s new model above,
pitched in the pages of Harper’s Weekly, to the later hammerless
model praised at right in a 1908 brochure. Dubbed the “lemon
squeezer,” the latter proved a popular, lightweight pocket gun.

The foundation of a schoolhouse at
the former townsite of St. Thomas
stands high and dry in a valley that
for decades after the completion of
Hoover Dam in 1936 lay submerged
beneath the waters of Lake Mead.
GHOST TOWNS
St. Thomas, Nevada

ALTERNATELY REVEALED AND SUBMERGED BY THE EBB AND FLOW OF
LAKE MEAD, THIS GHOST STARTED LIFE AS A TREE-LINED MORMON VILLAGE
BY E NGRID BARNET T
I
s it hyperbolic to compare the ghost town of St. Thomas, first name to the location. “St. Thomas has been described as
Nev., to a phoenix rising from the ashes? Perhaps. But a beautiful village, its streets outlined by rows of tall cotton-
it’s also not too far off—if you can get past the elemen- woods,” wrote historian James H. McClintock in his record
tal differences. For unlike the gaudily plumed bird, this of the Latter-day Saints’ settlement of the region. “There were
once-submerged settlement has risen from water. It has on and 85 city lots of 1 acre each, about the same number of vineyard
off for decades, thanks to the fickle fluctuations of Lake Mead. lots, 2½ acres each, and of farm lots of 5 acres.” At the time of
Noteworthy appearances have included 1945, 1963 and 2012, his writing in 1921 McClintock noted the “tall cottonwoods”
and relentless aridity in recent years means lucky visitors can remained, but good luck finding more than stumps today.
scope it out today. Of course, getting there requires a little work. Seven years later President Calvin Coolidge signed the Boulder
In the northern reaches of Lake Mead National Recreation Canyon Project into law, effectively sealing the watery fate
Area, St. Thomas lies just west of the Muddy River, which feeds of St. Thomas and its lovely trees.
the Overton Arm of the lake. Best reached during the oven- When the town at the convergence of the Virgin and Muddy
baked summer months, the townsite is readily accessible via Rivers sprang up, it proved prized real estate. Rich soil and
MCNEW (GETTY IMAGES)
a high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicle. A jostling, jarring natural irrigation made it a dream for the pioneering Mormons,
ride along the bumpy 3-mile dirt access road off Highway 169 who’d mistakenly believed they’d reached Utah-Arizona territo-
ends at a wind-beaten parking lot, from which a loop trail lures ries. Their error would come back to haunt the original town, for
pedestrians into the eerie echo of a once thriving site. when state boundaries were set in stone, Thomasites learned
XXXXXXXXXX
St. Thomas was settled in early 1865 by Mormon emigrants they’d inadvertently ended up in southern Nevada. Accompa-
DAVID
led by one Thomas S. Smith, who rather immodestly lent his nying this stark reality were five years’ worth of back taxes and

fines. Residents instead voted to abandon the town
and their crops. Leaving in dramatic fashion, they
incinerated their homes before setting out for Salt
Lake City. Call these the first and second deaths of
St. Thomas—one by taxes, the other by fire.
Only one family, the Bonellis, remained at the
site, refusing to cede their little slice of southern
Nevada heaven. By the 1880s new settlers had
arrived, rebuilding the city, replanting crops and
bringing welcome prosperity to the region. At
its high point St. Thomas included a post office,
church, school, grocery stores, a soda fountain
and the well-appointed Gentry Hotel. Unbeknown
to them, these new Thomasites were continu-
ing a tradition of human settlement that stretches
back into time immemorial. Basketmakers, An-
cestral Puebloans and Paiutes had long called
the valley home. Evidence of their passage lies
scattered throughout the region, best exempli- But the Great Basin’s persistent record of merci- Top: This drought-revealed
crumbling structure once
fied by Pueblo Grande de Nevada (aka, the “Lost less droughts has an uncanny way of uncovering housed a soda fountain in
City”). Like St. Thomas, Pueblo Grande also faced long-forgotten secrets, whether mafia-connected the Mormon pioneer town.
Today the National Park
eventual submersion beneath 60 feet of water missing persons or waterlogged cities. Thus, the Service oversees the site,
behind Hoover Dam. But unlike the Mormon town, ghost of St. Thomas, a haphazard maze of cement which visitors can take in
the Lost City was reconstructed as a titular his- foundations and chimneys, continues to haunt on a marked 2.5-mile trail.
toric district in Overton. the landscape. It bears poignant physical witness

The construction of Hoover Dam and its after- to the second round of Thomasites, some of whom
math exemplified a seismic shift in priorities refused to leave even as Lake Mead’s waters licked
as the United States entered the 20th century. their residential thresholds. Resident Hugh Lord
By the 1930s, as construction workers labored stubbornly stuck it out till the bitter end, even-
over the unprecedented public works project, tually paddling away by boat in 1938.
hydroelectricity was an irrepressible innovation, Ultimately, St. Thomas survived this tragedy, too,
one that soon outstripped cravings for agricul- but only on a structural level. Today the biggest chal-
MILLER (GETTY IMAGES, 2)
tural terrain. The advancement would eventu- lenge facing its scattered foundations is obscurity.
ally transform Las Vegas, a then sleepy town of For now, at least, the National Park Service remains
5,000 residents on vast tracts of undeveloped dedicated to telling its story and preserving its re-
land, into Nevada’s largest city, a great, glitter- mains, while Jackson Ellis’ 2018 historical novel
XXXXXXXXXX
ing neon queen. In essence, one town’s fate was Lords of St. Thomas has immortalized the town’s
ETHAN
subsumed by another’s. last residents and Lord’s iconic final boat ride.

REVIEWS
of Earp’s life. It is a shame author Lee Silva did not
Must See, live to complete the work.
Murder in Tombstone: The Forgotten

Trial of Wyatt Earp (2004, by Steven Lubet)
Must Read
DOUG HOCKING’S TOP BOOKS & FILMS
The trial of the book’s title—examining the actions
of Wyatt Earp, brothers Virgil and Morgan Earp,
and Doc Holliday at the headline-grabbing gun-
fight near the O.K. Corral—was actually a pretrial
hearing under Justice Wells Spicer to determine
ABOUT EARLY TOMBSTONE, ARIZONA whether to present the case to a grand jury. Author
and attorney Steven Lubet goes through the hear-
ing in meticulous detail to explain why Spicer ruled
Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal as he did, in favor of the defendants.
(1931, by Stuart N. Lake)
Though ex-publicity agent Stuart Lake John Peters Ringo: Mythical
interviewed ex-lawman Wyatt Earp on Gunfighter (1987, by Ben T. Traywick)
several occasions, this ostensible bi- Tombstone town historian and author Ben Tray-
ography is laced with fabrications. One wick was certain of two things about Johnny Ringo:
shouldn’t blame Earp. Lake was out to cre- that the gunfighter’s reputation was based on very
ate a folk hero and sell books, and in that little, and that Wyatt Earp killed Ringo. While
he succeeded admirably. Frontier Mar- there’s little evidence to prove Wyatt was there
shal served as the origin story for several when Johnny’s number came up, Traywick’s insis-
Hollywood films, as well as the popular tence it wasn’t suicide holds up pretty well under
1955–61 TV series The Life and Legend scrutiny (see related story, P. 38).
of Wyatt Earp, starring Hugh O’Brian.
Movies
Doug Hocking wrote the
feature “The Mysterious
Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the Tombstone (1993, on DVD and Blu-ray)
Death of Johnny Ringo” Legend (1997, by Casey Tefertiller) This George P. Cosmatos film is arguably the great-
(P. 38), seeking to solve This is the most balanced extant account of est Western ever made. It’s not good history, but
a riddle from frontier-era
Tombstone, Arizona. Wyatt’s life and the one book a newcomer to it perhaps comes closer than any other version.
the topic should read before any other. More If you think Wyatt Earp (played by Kurt Russell)
seasoned readers don’t have to agree with every- and Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) were villains, you’ll
thing Tefertiller writes to appreciate his well- hate it. If you recognize them as flawed men who
researched narrative. stood up to a politically connected gang of rustlers
and assassins, you’ll love it.
A Wyatt Earp Anthology:
Long May His Story Be Told Wyatt Earp (1994, on DVD and Blu-ray)
(2019, edited by Roy B. Young, Gary Director Lawrence Kasdan’s vision of Wyatt Earp
L. Roberts and Casey Tefertiller) (Kevin Costner) and Doc Holliday (Dennis Quaid)
This collection of essays provides an overview of also sticks to the facts more closely than previ-
Earp’s life and corresponding history from diverse ous depictions. Unfortunately for viewers, Wyatt
viewpoints. Among those with dueling opinions comes across as uptight, and Doc as dark and dis-
about the famed lawman are two of the editors likable, though Quaid did turn in a brilliant per-
who compiled the anthology. Casey Tefertiller formance. While some historians support this take
Wyatt Earp: considers Earp a heroic figure, while Roy Young on the relationship between the real-life lawman
Frontier Marshal thinks him a liar. (Gary Roberts lands somewhere and gunman, it remains hard to believe they were
By Stuart N. Lake, 1931 in the middle.) It’s worth bearing in mind that close friends.
no matter how many people repeat a falsehood
attributed to Earp, it doesn’t mean the lie origi- My Darling Clementine
nated with him. (1946, on DVD and Blu-ray)
COURTESY DOUG HOCKING
This John Ford classic features winning perfor-

Wyatt Earp: A Biography of mances by Henry Fonda (Earp) and Victor Ma-
the Legend (2002–10, by Lee A. Silva) ture (Holliday), though it bears little semblance
This meticulously researched and documented to the historic events in Tombstone, particularly
multivolume work is the authoritative account the subplot about an imaginary “Clementine”

(Cathy Downs) whom the tubercular doctor (not With help from Historic Deadwood, author
dentist) abandons for her own good. Unfortu- Chris Enss has taken full advantage of the avail-
nately, this is the only account many contempo- able historical resources to relate the bawdy and
rary viewers learned. often melancholy story of the women involved
in wild and woolly Deadwood’s prostitution indus-
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral try (see related feature, P. 30). An Open Secret is
(1957, on DVD and Blu-ray) certainly an eye-opening read.
This John Sturges film also rates as great en- —Linda Wommack
tertainment with little historic value. Burt Lan-
caster (Earp) and Kirk Douglas (Holliday) turn The Gang’s All Here
in powerful performances, bound together less You can’t go wrong getting your true tales of the
as friends and more as men of honor—a plausible Old West from Tom Clavin, who has previously
An Open Secret:
way of viewing the pair. But Ike Clanton never written entertaining and often enlightening books
The Story of
led the Cowboys, and Tombstone didn’t ship cat- about perhaps the two most famous Wild West
Deadwood’s
tle, having lacked a rail line at the time. Sung by towns (Tombstone and Dodge City) and another
Most Notorious
Frankie Laine, the title ballad will ring in your ears book, Wild Bill, that includes a great deal about
Bordellos
for years to come. arguably the third most famous burg of the era,
By Chris Enss and
Deadwood (where title character Hickok was shot
Deadwood History
down). The bestselling author’s latest offering, Inc., TwoDot, Essex,
REVIEWS
The Last Outlaws, showcases another town of Conn., and Helena,
considerable note in 19th-century outlaw and Mont., 2023, $21.95
Bordello Patrol lawman history—Coffeyville.
Perhaps no other book about Old West bordellos It was in that small southeastern Kansas com-
is as well researched as An Open Secret. Author munity on Oct. 5, 1892, that the notorious Dal-
Chris Enss takes full probative value of the primary ton Gang robbed two banks simultaneously and
sources available through the archives of Dead- became engaged in an epic gun battle with Cof-
wood History. What emerges is a detailed history feyville citizens that resulted in the deaths of
of prostitution in that infamous Wild West town. eight men. Four of the five robbers bit the dust—
The discovery of gold in the southern Black Bob Dalton, the man who planned the fiasco (he
Hills in 1874 set off one of the great gold rushes was hoping to pull off the kind of audacious raid
in America. In 1876 the population of Deadwood that three of his Younger cousins and the two
gulch comprised mostly single male miners, who James brothers had failed to do in Northfield,
outnumbered women by a ratio of nearly 8-to-1. Minn., in 1876), brother Grat Dalton, Bill Power
Prostitutes and madams soon flocked to Dead- and Dick Broadwell. Although riddled with bul-
wood to capitalize on those numbers. Within a lets and not expected to survive, brother Emmett The Last Outlaws:
decade more than 100 brothels operated in the Dalton defied the odds and later wrote about the The Desperate
mining town. Among the most notorious was one Dalton exploits, including 1931’s When the Daltons Final Days of
owned and operated by Al Swearingen (see P. 22), Rode (a movie of the same name hit screens in the Dalton Gang
a man with a nasty reputation. Known as the Gem, 1940, three years after Emmett died at age 66 By Tom Clavin,
St Martin’s Press,
his brothel employed such notorious soiled doves in Los Angeles).
New York, 2023, $30
as Eleanora Dumont and Kitty LeRoy. While Coffeyville is the place most often asso-
Among the many madams in direct competi- ciated with the Dalton Gang, the various Dalton
tion with Swearingen were “Poker Alice” Tubbs, brothers had many exciting doings in Oklahoma
Maggie Johnson, Belle Haskell and Gertrude Bell. and California earlier, on both sides of the law
These women operated bordellos with such color- no less. Frank Dalton died heroically in 1887 while
ful names as the Shy-Ann Rooms, Fern’s Place, the serving as a deputy U.S. marshal, while Bob, Grat
Cozy Rooms, the Beige Door and the Shasta Rooms. and Emmett also had stints as lawmen before
In 1980, after more than a century of contin- going bad. Clavin tells the Dalton story in acts,
ual operation, the brothels in Deadwood were and the bloody shootout in Coffeyville doesn’t
forced to close following a raid by the FBI. The come until Act IV. That wasn’t the last act, either.
Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission, the Not all the gang members had participated in
Main Street Initiative Committee and Deadwood the disaster, and for another brother, Bill, the
History subsequently developed the idea of open- author writes, “Coffeyville was not the end of
ing the only brothel tour in the Black Hills, and the Dalton Gang but a fresh beginning.” Much of
in the summer of 2020 the Beige Door reopened Act V, titled “The Desperadoes,” covers the rise,
for business, albeit as an interpretive center. criminal successes and fall of the Doolin-Dalton

Gang, led by Bill Doolin and Bill Dalton. The au- to France and finally to the United States. One
thor also has a lot to say about the Three Guards- previously overlooked clue was a scrawled entry
men—Bill Tilghman, Heck Thomas and Chris in the Benders’ German Bible, left behind when
Madsen—who relentlessly pursued the Daltons, they fled Kansas. “Sixth of October our Henry
Doolin and other outlaws in Indian and Okla- was born in Havre,” it read. “He died 4th of De-
homa territories (which joined in November cember, 1860.” Readers will discover how that
1907 to become the state of Oklahoma). Clavin little kernel connected the dots and revealed the
acknowledges the indefatigable research done Benders’ origins.
on the Daltons by Nancy B. Samuelson, author In Chapter 9, “The Benders’ Motive,” Ralph
of The Dalton Gang Family: A Genealogical Study repeats the mistakes of prior writers by relying
of the Dalton Outlaws and Their Family Connec- on speculation and presumption with little proof
tions. For those who want more on the thrilling to back up his assertions. To be fair, he doesn’t
Hell Comes to Play:
events at Coffeyville, see Daltons! The Raid on promise to unravel the Benders’ fate, though he
The True Untold
Coffeyville, Kansas, by longtime Wild West con- offers some credible scenarios. But he has man-
Story of America’s
tributor Robert Barr Smith. aged to piece together an account of their lives
Mass Murdering
Yes, the title The Last Outlaws: The Desper- from birth to the time they left Kansas. Certainly,
Family, the
ate Final Days of the Dalton Gang is somewhat there is more to be discovered, and Ralph ex-
Bloody Benders
misleading, as Clavin himself points out. For one presses hope a reader will take up the torch and
By Lee Ralph, Furman
House Publishing, thing the Doolin-Dalton Gang superseded the add to his narrative of the “Bloody Benders.”
Tecumseh, Kan., Dalton Gang; for another the Wild Bunch was still —David McCormick
2023, $17.95 operating far to the north in 1900. In fact, in 2013
Thom Hatch came out with a book titled The Trailing Outlaws
Last Outlaws: The Lives and Legends of Butch Hiking, biking and, yes, paddling the outlaw by-
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. In the 1920s and ways of yore has just become easier with the ar-
’30s (think Prohibition and Depression) a new age rival of Mike Bezemek’s Discovering the Outlaw
of gangs emerged, but these gang members used Trail. A handsome book, with loads of maps and
cars and Thompson submachine guns and were notes on such related attractions as museums,
often thought of as “gangsters” and “mobsters” derelict ghost towns and, naturally, brewpubs,
rather than good old-fashioned “outlaws” like the guide will keep Wild Bunch buffs busy and
the Daltons and associates. The subtitle doesn’t on their toes for years to come.
hit the mark either, as Clavin—and readers can The trail itineraries total a whopping 93, from
be glad about this—covers the full Dalton story No. 1 (Telluride, in the San Juan Mountains of
in fine fashion, from long before the Coffeyville southwestern Colorado, out of which Butch Cas-
Raid until Emmett was laid to rest in Kingfisher, sidy and compadres disappeared after his maiden
Discovering the Okla., in 1937. 1889 bank robbery) to No. 93 (the U.S. marshal
Outlaw Trail: —Gregory Lalire mecca of Fort Smith, Ark.). No one is certain which
Routes, Hideouts direction Cassidy went after fleeing Telluride and
& Stories From ‘Bloody Benders’ making his way to Utah and on up to Wyoming,
the Wild West The story of the Bender family of Labette County, which means modern fanboy posses can wander
By Mike Bezemek, Kan., has been told and retold several times, in- around enjoying the scenery without losing the
Mountaineers Books, cluding a feature in Wild West (see “‘The Bloody precise trail.
Seattle, 2023, $26.95
Benders’: America’s First Serial-Killer Family,” The history sections of the book are anecdote
online at HistoryNet.com). But the various tales heavy, relying too much on fanciful accounts, such
about the Benders have one thing in common— as those from Cassidy’s sister Lula Parker Beten-
misinformation. While most cover the facts of the son, and invented dialogue. The tales of “Cassidy’s
murders as reported in newspapers of the time, return” are a bewildering mélange of meetings
what the Benders did before or after coming and sightings, yet there is no good evidence he
to Kansas was pure speculation, based on oft- or Harry Longabaugh (aka the “Sundance Kid”)
repeated rumors. That is, till now, as author Lee ever survived Bolivia.
Ralph shares fresh revelations about the family Bezemek repeats several hoary Wild Bunch
in his new book Hell Comes to Play. canards—for example, that the “Fort Worth Five”
Having completed extensive and dogged re- photograph sparked the demise of the gang, when
search through census records, newspaper arti- in fact it was kaput before the photo was made
cles and government archives, and with the help public. Nor did Harvey Logan take the alias “Kid
of historical societies, Ralph managed to trace Curry” as an homage to George “Flat Nose” Cur-
the Benders back to their roots in Germany, then rie. Harvey and his brothers were using the name

Chart your Course to experience the unexpected
discoveries in and around Alliance, Nebraska
where there is history at every turn. From scenic
drives, to our local brewery, remarkable parks,
1±Ï 8ÔÉÔ° ť rich art and the legendary Carhenge; you will be
transported to a nostalgic place where quaint
fÏÅw±ŃÉ
Qw±««É ±ÏÅ shops line our historic downtown brick paved
streets and folks you’ve never met will smile and
°ÏÅæ
ť wave. Our hospitality and beauty of our city will
leave you wanting to come back for more.
Qw««·àÉ 8«ÏwÅæ Plan your getaway now by visiting

8ÔÉÔ° www.visitalliance.com
·æŃÉ
Å·±ÏÅ
NEW-WESTERN MOVIE AND TV BOOKS

John Wayne - An American Legend by Roger M. Crowley. 7KH:HVWHUQHU6SHFLDO&RPPHPRUDWLYH,VVXH9ROXPHby
The book features behind the scenes making of his classic Roger M. Crowley. Softbound, color front and back cover, 112
westerns, rare photos and posters from The Big Trail to The pages on glossy stock, 8 1/2” x 11”, 100 plus photos, 12 pages
Shootist and stories on his commemorative items, birthplace in in color.
Iowa, paintings, interviews, candid photos and more. Softbound, $25.95 plus freight. Autographed.
164 pages, glossy stock, 8 1/2” x 11”, over 200 photos, 13 pages
in color. Update from original book published in 1999 in which 7KH:HVWHUQHU6SHFLDO&RPPHPRUDWLYH,VVXH9ROXPHby
Harry Carey Jr., gave a tribute. I have met over 50 actors that Roger M, Crowley. Softbound, 8 1/2” x 11”, color cover, 116
worked with John Wayne going back to the 1930’s. pages, glossy stock, 12 pages in color, over 200 photos.
$34.95 plus freight. Autographed by author. $27.95 plus freight. Autographed.
&DPSÀUH&RQYHUVDWLRQVby Tim Lilley and Roger M. Crowley. 7KH:HVWHUQHU6SHFLDO&RPPHPRUDWLYH,VVXH9ROXPHby

The authors conducted interviews by phone and personal Roger M. Crowley. This issue features Alamo Village, TX, Old
LQWHUYLHZV DW YDULRXV ÀOP IHVWLYDOV RI WKH JUHDW FRZRUNHUV RI Tucson, AZ, Bent’s Old Fort, CO, Randolph Scott remembrance,
John Wayne. Interviews were with: Patrick Wayne, Maureen western movie heroes, sidekicks and villains, movie festivals,
O’Hara, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Andrew V. McLaglen, Custer Art and The Westerner on the Trail column, and much
Hal Needham, Chuck Roberson, and 34 more interviews. A more. Softbound, 126 pages, 25 pages in color, 8 1/2” x 11”,
wealth of information on what it was like working with John glossy stock, over 200 photos.
Wayne on many of his classic movie locations. Softbound, color $29.95 plus freight. Autographed.
front and back cover, 190 pages, on glossy stock 8 1/2”x 11”,
over 100 photos, 10 color pages. 7KH 8QVXQJ +HURHV by Neil Summers. See your favorite
$35.95 plus freight. Autographed. western stars in action with Hollywood’s great stuntmen.
Softbound, 128 pages, 8 1/2” x 11”, over 100 photos with movie
7KH 2IÀFLDO 79 :HVWHUQ 5RXQG8S book by Neil Summers name, stuntmen, location, and more.
and Roger M. Crowley. This book covers 182 TV shows, with SOXVIUHLJKW
40 comments by actors that worked on the shows, such as Bruce
Boxleitner, Dick Jones, Harry Carey Jr., and Neil Summers. Many How to order. Minimum freight $10.00.
of these shows are currently on the cable channels. The forward SAVE: 2 or more books shipped postpaid,
by Will Sugarfoot Hutchins. Softbound 8 1/2”x 11”, color covers, 4 or more - less 10% postpaid,
glossy stock, 13 color pages, 212 pages, over 200 photos. Purchase all 7 for $168.50 postpaid Cont USA
$35.95 plus freight. Autographed. Mastercard/Visa
7KH:HVWHUQHU6SHFLDO&RPPHPRUDWLYH,VVXHVI published ]
The Westerner MagazineIURP,GHFLGHGWRUHSULQW
YDULRXV LVVXHV H[DFWO\ DV WKH\ DSSHDUHG ZKHQ ÀUVW SXEOLVKHG Roger M. Crowley’s Old West Shop
I added additional historical articles, movie ands TV related PO Box 5232-23,Vienna, WV 26105
stories, candid photos, movie festivals, interviews and more. Our 49th year. 304-295-3143
Many of the events featured I covered personally! Each book email: [email protected]
is detailed on my website! I personally autograph each book!
www.rmcrowley.com
Curry before they met Currie. Finally, notwith- much of his life to the study of Apachería, the
standing screenwriter William Goldman’s liter- region traditionally inhabited by the namesake
ary license, the outlaw who gamboled in public tribe, including parts of what became Texas, New
on a bicycle was Ben “The Tall Texan” Kilpatrick, Mexico, Arizona and the northern states of Mex-
not Cassidy. ico. Aranda has written articles about Apaches
—Daniel Buck for Wild West and other publications, but he’d
left the task of writing books about these fasci-
A Year to Remember nating and often warlike natives of the South-
Over a six-week stretch in the summer of 1876— west to such friends and associates as Eve Ball,
while Americans celebrated the nation’s centen- Dan Thrapp, Ed Sweeney, Robert Watt and Bill
nial—a series of events occurred out West that Cavaliere. But now comes Episodes From Apache
would shape society’s perception of life on the Lands, Aranda’s own long-awaited book, in which
The Summer
frontier for the next century and a half. Dominat- he presents, in largely chronological order, 10
of 1876: Outlaws,
ing the headlines were the shocking news of Civil interesting chapters from the Apache wars.
Lawmen and
War hero George Armstrong Custer’s defeat and In the first chapter Aranda introduces the
Legends in the
death on Montana Territory’s Little Bighorn River, reader to Anton Diedrick (later known as Die-
Season That
the Dakota Territory murder of frontier hero Wild drick Dutchover), a west Texas pioneer who was
Defined the
Bill Hickok and the downfall of the James-Younger often a victim of Mescalero Apache hostility,
American West
Gang in the wake of a thwarted bank robbery in and the author follows that up with the story
By Chris Wimmer,
St. Martin’s Press, Great Northfield, Minn. Those bombshells, cou- of Roque Ramos, a little-known Apache captive
New York, 2023, $30 pled with news from a cadre of charismatic charac- who eventually escaped to scout in expeditions
ters who exemplified the American West, spawned against his captors. Also included are chapters
the stories and legends that continue to dominate about Apache victim Maggie Graham and another
our perception of the region. Chris Wimmer’s new young captive, Santiago McKinn, who was pho-
book chronicles that history-making summer. tographed while in captivity. Most of the book,
While many of the facts and figures will be though, covers episodes in the 1870s and ’80s in-
familiar to Wild West readers, it is interesting to volving more familiar names: Indian agent John
see how they all weave together. Wimmer, host of Clum’s 1877 arrest of Geronimo at Ojo Caliente,
the Legends of the Old West podcast, does a good New Mexico Territory; 1879 attacks by Chief Vic-
job in piecing together a complex timeline, which torio’s warriors; Victorio’s 1880 death in the fight
includes such tangential Eastern events as the at Tres Castillos, Mexico; an incredible 1881 raid
invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham by 80-something Nana, who filled the leader-
Bell, the birth of major league baseball (with the ship void after Victorio’s death; Brig. Gen. George
first National League game in Philadelphia) and Crook’s 1883 expedition to chase down renegade
Episodes From the opening of the Centennial Exhibition (also Apaches in Mexico’s Sierra Madre; and the spec-
Apache Lands in Philadelphia), the first world’s fair held in the tacular 1885 raid into the United States by warrior
By Daniel Aranda, United States. Significant as such historical mo- Josanie (aka Ulzana).
ECO Publishing, ments were, larger-than-life Western figures also Readers interested in a more complete history
Rodeo, N.M., 2023, $20
managed to get their 15 minutes of fame on the of the Apache wars should look to much longer
public stage. In addition to Custer, Hickok and offerings by Sweeney, Thrapp, Paul Andrew Hut-
the James brothers, that fateful summer fea- ton and other fine researcher/writers. But with
tured co-starring appearances by such figures as Episodes Aranda succeeds in his mission “to fill in
Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull (who led the Sioux, some details and human interest items on some
Northern Cheyennes and Arapahos to victory well-known and sometimes lesser-known inci-
on the Little Bighorn), and Wyatt Earp and Bat dents.” Most of the episodes come with a large
Masterson (Dodge City deputies at the outset of body account, of course, as it’s virtually impossi-
their careers as famed lawmen). ble to write about 19th-century Apaches without
Wimmer’s fast-paced, page-turning narrative mentioning bloodshed and viciousness (and not
weaves together these disparate threads into a all of it coming from the Indian side). For instance,
tight tapestry of storytelling, presenting a gallery Aranda says 52 people were killed in the Josanie/
of Western Outlaws, Lawmen and Legends, as the Ulzana raid and adds, “There may have also been
book’s subtitle promises. other unlucky unknowns that were killed but
—Dave Kindy never reported because their bodies were never
found.” Peace in these rugged, remote lands was
From Apachería With Hate a long time coming.
New Mexico author Daniel Aranda has dedicated —Gregory Lalire

The illustrated book of cowboy history
COWBOY: AMERICAN ICON
by Daniel Pruitt
This history of cowboys — and cowboy

culture — is packed with archival photos of
the early heroes of the 19th century plains.
And then the horses, railroads, cattle and
gear. You’ll also find John Wayne, the real
Butch Cassidy, and the makings of 20th
century cowboy culture. This is a marvelous
gift for anyone loving cowboys and their
history.
500 photographs
color maps and illustrations
large hardcover, $40.00
Published by
AT BOOKSTORES AND ONLINE
STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (required by Act of August

12, 1970: Section 3685, Title 39, United States Code). 1. Wild West 2. (ISSN: 1046-
4638) 3. Filing date: 10/1/23. 4. Issue frequency: 3 times a year . 5. Number of issues
published annually: 3. 6. The annual subscription price is $39.95. 7. Complete mailing
address of known office of publication: HistoryNet, 901 N Glebe Rd, 5th Floor, Arlington,
VA 22203. 8. Complete mailing address of headquarters or general business office of publisher: HistoryNet, 901 N Glebe Rd, 5th Floor, Arlington, THE AMERICAN FRONTIER
VA 22203. 9. Full names and complete mailing addresses of publisher, editor, and managing editor. Publisher, Michael A. Reinstein, HistoryNet,
901 N Glebe Rd, 5th Floor, Arlington, VA 22203, Editor, David Lauterborn, HistoryNet, 901 N Glebe Rd, 5th Floor, Arlington, VA 22203, Editor in
Chief, Dana Shoaf , HistoryNet, 901 N Glebe Rd, 5th Floor, Arlington, VA 22203. 10. Owner: HistoryNet; 901 N Glebe Rd, 5th Floor, Arlington, VA
22203. 11. Known bondholders, mortgages, and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent of more of total amount of bonds, mortgages
The
KLONDIKE
or other securities: None. 12. Tax status: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months. 13. Publisher title: Wild West. 14. Issue date for circu-
lation data below: Summer 2023. 15. The extent and nature of circulation: A. Total number of copies printed (Net press run). Average number of
copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 50,778. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 49,740. B. Paid
JACK LONDON AND WYATT EARP WERE AMONG
circulation. 1. Mailed outside-county paid subscriptions. Average number of copies each issue during the preceding 12 months: 23,423. Actual THOSE WHO JOINED THE 1896–99 GOLD RUSH
number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 23,069. 2. Mailed in-county paid subscriptions. Average number of copies each
issue during the preceding 12 months: 0. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 0. 3. Sales through dealers and
carriers, street vendors and counter sales. Average number of copies each issue during the preceding 12 months: 7,419. Actual number of copies
of single issue published nearest to filing date: 4,750. 4. Paid distribution through other classes mailed through the USPS. Average number of
copies each issue during the preceding 12 months: 0. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 0. C. Total paid
distribution. Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 30,842. Actual number of copies of single issue published near-
est to filing date; 27,819. D. Free or nominal rate distribution (by mail and outside mail). 1. Free or nominal Outside-County. Average number of
copies each issue during the preceding 12 months: 0. Number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 0. 2. Free or nominal rate
in-county copies. Average number of copies each issue during the preceding 12 months: 0. Number of copies of single issue published nearest
to filing date: 0. 3. Free or nominal rate copies mailed at other Classes through the USPS. Average number of copies each issue during preceding
12 months: 0. Number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 0. 4. Free or nominal rate distribution outside the mail. Average
number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 480. Number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 485. E. Total
free or nominal rate distribution. Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 480. Actual number of copies of single issue
published nearest to filing date: 485. F. Total free distribution (sum of 15c and 15e). Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12
months: 31,322. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 28,304. G. Copies not Distributed. Average number
of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 19,456. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 21,436. H.
Total (sum of 15f and 15g). Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 50,778. Actual number of copies of single issue
published nearest to filing: 49,740. I. Percent paid. Average percent of copies paid for the preceding 12 months: 98.5% Actual percent of cop-
ies paid for the preceding 12 months: 98.3% 16. Electronic Copy Circulation: A. Paid Electronic Copies. Average number of copies each issue
during preceding 12 months: 0. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 0. B. Total Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) +
Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a). Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 30,842. Actual number of copies of single
issue published nearest to filing date: 27,819. C. Total Print Distribution (Line 15f) + Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a). Average number of copies
each issue during preceding 12 months: 31,322. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 28,304. D. Percent
Paid (Both Print & Electronic Copies) (16b divided by 16c x 100). Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 98.5%.
Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 98.3%. I certify that 50% of all distributed copies (electronic and print)
are paid above nominal price: Yes. Report circulation on PS Form 3526-X worksheet 17. Publication of statement of ownership will be printed
in the Winter 2023 issue of the publication. 18. Signature and title of editor, publisher, business manager, or owner: Kelly Facer, SVP, Revenue
Operations. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or mislead-
ing information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanction and civil actions.
GO WEST
Tombstone, Arizona
I
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH; INSET: ARIZONA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
n this era of failing local newspapers and a shift to digital publishing,

the longevity of The Tombstone Epitaph is heartening. Arizona’s oldest
continually operated newspaper started up its press on May 1, 1880.
Founding editor John Clum was warned he would find nothing in
Apache country but his own death, thus the newspaper’s macabre name.
But Clum had already earned respect as an agent to the Apaches and had
even managed to detain Geronimo—albeit briefly—without firing a shot.
In Tombstone the law-and-order editor organized a vigilance committee,
served as postmaster, was elected mayor and befriended Wyatt Earp. In the
wake of the Oct. 26, 1881, gunfight near the O.K. Corral Clum ran the unambiguous headline Earp Brothers Justified,
prompting an attempt on his life by the Cowboy gang of outlaws. He left town in 1882, 30 years before locals posed
by and atop a stagecoach for the inset photo. A handpress still graces the office, though today the Epitaph is a monthly.

ATTENTION: ALL VETERANS
Get the VA Benefits
You’ve Earned
Tough time understanding your VA PLUS Discover:
benefits? Don’t know which benefits 3 ways to connect your injury or disability to your time in
you’re entitled to or why you got rejected? the military
VA benefit decisions can be appealed — discover which ones
Millions of retired and active-duty service members
and how to appeal
miss out on critical VA benefits every day because
the system is too confusing. Those days are over with Get peace of mind knowing your mortgage is paid if you die
Veterans Benefits for You: Get What You Deserve. Help for homeless, jobless, and incarcerated vets
This NEW book is your easy-to-understand, Learn length of service requirements
comprehensive, step-by-step “how to” road map. 6 insurance programs — 3 for vets and 3 for service members
Direct from a VA insider, you get clear answers and Learn how to appeal a decision
expert guidance on getting the benefits you deserve — Learn how to get accrued and survivor benefits
including hidden benefits you didn’t know about! Dependent education assistance — a survivor benefit!
This Book Is Written by Paul R. Lawrence, Former Learn which forms to fill out
Undersecretary for Benefits U.S. Dept. of Veteran Affairs Get more money from the GI Bill
Get military pay and disability compensation
For almost three years, Paul served as the undersecretary
for benefits in the Department of Veterans Affairs. As Free checking accounts at select banks and credit unions
undersecretary, Paul led a team of 25,000 people with just for military vets — and your money is insured!
an operating budget of $4 billion, administering $120 Why you don’t want to miss the window on signing up for life
billion in benefits annually. He serves on the board of insurance or you won’t be eligible
directors of Vets2Industry, a nonprofit helping veterans
And more!
pursue a career in the private sector.
Thanks to the Veterans Benefits for You: Get What You
Get Veterans Benefits for You with FREE OFFER! Deserve, you’ll know exactly which VA benefits you’re
(A $25 value) eligible for, discover benefits you didn’t know about, and
Veterans Benefits for You reveals which benefits are find out how to get your benefits faster — without the
available to you, how to know if you’re eligible, exact confusion or rejection. Hurry! Order your FREE COPY
steps to apply, pitfalls to avoid, and much more. today with our special offer. Supplies are limited.
Disability, grants, loans, pensions, survivor’s benefits,
insurance, appeals, Claim Your FREE OFFER — Save $25!
“Veterans need counseling, special
Online: VetBenefits611.com/West
compensation,
this book!”
— Robert L. Wilkie,
employment help,
the post-9/11 GI Bill
Call: (800) 497-3938
10th Secretary of Veterans Affairs See website for terms, conditions, and eligibility for this offer.
— it’s all in here.
H i s to ry FR O M T H E H e ar t
STEPHEN AMBROSE HISTORICAL TOURS PRESENTS
CRAZY HORSE & CUSTER TOUR: WAR ON THE GREAT PLAINS

Travel with us June 16 - 24, 2024
A TOUR YOU WON’T FORGET! Explore The Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains
on our Crazy Horse & Custer Tour as you travel through Wyoming, South Dakota and
Montana to learn about these legendary leaders. One had a drive to keep his people and
land free; the other a mission ordained by manifest destiny. In October 21 - 27, 2024, join
us on our Apache Wars of the Southwest Tour, an unforgettable journey through the
scenic Southwest that follows in the footsteps of Geronimo and cast of remarkable historical
characters. Our American History, Civil War and WWII tours are unrivaled in their
historical accuracy!
EXPLORE NOW AT STEPHENAMBROSETOURS.COM 1.888.903.3329

Wild West - Winter 2024 USA

Uploaded by

Document Informationclick to expand document information

Copyright:

Available Formats

Wild West - Winter 2024 USA

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Wild West - Winter 2024 USA

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

THE AMERICAN FRONTIER

+ BILLY DIXON’S WIDOW ENSURED

What Stauer Clients Are Saying

Stauer® | AFFORD THE EXTRAORDINARY

Historic F ort F etterman

Scan with your smartphone to

20 GUNFIGHTERS & LAWMEN

22 PIONEERS & SETTLERS

24 ART OF THE WEST

HATS OFF! 70 GUNS OF THE WEST

Behind the Curtain

4 WILD WEST WINTER 2024

Men’s White Bison Ring

capture a look that’s distinctively Your own

The Bradford Exchange Celebrates 50 Years!

YES. Please reserve the “Strength and Courage” Ring Size______

THE AMERICAN FRONTIER

WINTER 2024 / VOL. 36, NO. 3

DAVID LAUTERBORN EDITOR

TRENDING NOW BRIAN WALKER GROUP DESIGN DIRECTOR

Won the West DANA B. SHOAF EDITOR IN CHIEF

Today in History MORTON GREENBERG SVP ADVERTISING SALES [email protected]

Daily Quiz NANCY FORMAN / MEDIA PEOPLE

What If? © 2023 HISTORYNET, LLC

Consider the fallout of historical events SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: 800-435-0715 OR SHOP.HISTORYNET.COM

fearless, kind, gentle and generous. He was respectful and loyal to

8 WILD WEST WINTER 2024

Top Figures in Earp-era

2 Bob Paul On March 15, 1881, gunmen ﬁred on a

10 WILD WEST WINTER 2024

7 “Curly Bill” Brocius Brocius was

Achievement Awards, respec-

8 Johnny Ringo Ringo was a man of fe-

WILD WEST WINTER 2024 11

FAMOUS Unearthing the Truth

12 WILD WEST WINTER 2024

REPLICA LEATHER VEST

4 Front Welt Pockets

A Quality Apparel Design Available Only from The Bradford Exchange

14 WILD WEST WINTER 2024

1-800-333-2045 Flexible Stretch Watch Bracelets in the News:

Stauer ® Ste 155, Dept. FMW͖͕͔-01

† Special price only for customers using the offer code

• Precision movement • Stainless steel crown, caseback & bracelet

16 WILD WEST WINTER 2024

From a Just Discovered

Get an 1878, First-Year Morgan Silver Dollar!

SPECIAL CALL-IN ONLY OFFER 1-800-517-6468 Offer Code FMD161-01

GovMint.com • 1300 Corporate Center Curve, Dept. FMD161-01, Eagan, MN 55121

Western garb with his own Rocky Mountain Dick

18 WILD WEST WINTER 2024

www.Fighting69thWhiskey.com Fighting69thWhiskey @Fight69Whiskey @Fighting69thWhiskey

“All her life in the West,” historian Dee Brown

Femme Fatale raging in the East, Fair was running a boarding-

20 WILD WEST WINTER 2024

WILD WEST WINTER 2024 21

PIONEERS & SETTLERS

22 WILD WEST WINTER 2024

WILD WEST WINTER 2024 23

Stauer ® 14101Southcross Drive W., Ste 155, Dept. WSC