Western Legend: Texas Jack Omohundro Not to be confused with Texas Jack Vermillion, John (sometimes referred to as Jack) Baker Omohundro was born July 27, 1846, near Palmyra, Virginia. Growing up, he wasn’t much of a student, often skipping school to spend his days in the wilds hunting game or fishing the streams. These…
Category: Western Scenes
Two Rode Together
Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight made history in 1866, and 120 years later Larry McMurtry made them legends The story of Loving and Goodnight influenced Texas Western writer Larry McMurtry to write one of the most authentic and influential western saga’s of our time, Lonesome Dove.
Know Your Weapons: The Cap and Ball Revolvers Prior to the Peacemaker
Prior to the Peacemaker The Revolvers that ‘Really’ Won the West Before the Colt Peacemaker? Before the Colt Peacemaker there was a whole boatload of other Colt single action revolvers. And in truth they had a lot more influence in the Old West than did the Peacemaker because the wildest and woolliest times had passed by…
Surviving Winter: A Mountain Man Pictorial Tribute
Surviving Winter As a writer I very often rely on True West Magazine to supply me with both information and inspiration for my short stories and novels. This pictorial tribute of Surviving Winter went a long way in helping me get started on a follow up to my “Red Tail” Jack Patterson Mountain Man…
Bustamonte, I Hate You
Bustamonte, I Hate You I can remember as a kid reading through my dad’s stack of Shooting Magazine and always looking forward to Skeeter Skelton’s articles. Those articles were like western short stories…stories that briefly transported you to a simpler, honest and more rugged time. Enjoy the ride, I know I did.
The Return Of The Gunslinger
The Return Of The Gunslinger Spot on assessment by my friend NC Scout. Be Self-Sufficient and Prepare Accordingly.
¿Quien es, Pete?
¿Quien es, Pete? As far as Old West History goes, no other person or story had a more profound impact on me as a writer than Billy the Kid. When I was fifteen years old, my parents took me on a three-week summer RV trip to New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. While in New…
Know Your History: Gun Control Failed in 1881 Also
Who Would Have Guessed, Gun Control Failed in 1881 Also As a voracious reader and student of all things Old West I can tell you unequivocally that “Gun Bans” as seen in Tombstone and other rowdy cow towns (Like Abilene Kansas for example where Wyatt Earp was also a Peace Officer) failed miserably and…
Old West Advice…Lessons Learned from Wyatt Earp
OLD WEST ADVICE…LESSONS LEARNED FROM WYATT EARP 1. “No wise man ever took a handgun to a gunfight.” Earp obviously knew the advantage of weapon superiority. If you know your opponent is armed with a handgun, bring a shotgun, or rifle. Give yourself every advantage possible. You don’t want to fight fair. You fight…
Hardin’s Deadly Tools
Hardin’s Deadly Tools As a proud Texan I have always had a fascination with John Wesley Hardin. This article is spot-on accurate when it comes to the details of Hardin’s last “gunfight” in the Acme saloon. This was surprsingly not an uncommon tactic by men wearing a tin star in the Old West when…