On this date back in 1866 construction on Fort Phil Kearny, one of the most important army outposts of the Old West began.

It was one of a series of forts that were to guard the Bozeman Trail.
Three years earlier John Bozeman had blazed a trail that headed northwest to the gold fields of Montana. The area of the trail was the traditional hunting grounds of the Sioux, and violated a treaty with Chief Red Cloud. So Red Cloud conducted raids along the trail.

Colonel Henry Carrington did the design and supervised the construction. It was the size of three football fields.

Even with the forts the army found it impossible to stop the Indian attacks. So, in 1868 the forts were abandoned and the trail closed in a peace treaty with the Indians. Immediately after the fort was abandoned, the Indians burned it to the ground.

On this date back in 1889 “Buckskin” Frank Leslie murdered his lover, a Tombstone prostitute Millie Williams.

This wasn’t his first killing. Buckskin was noted for having a mean temper, especially when he was drunk. He had killed the husband of an earlier lover; that incidentally was declared self-defense. Some say he killed Johnny Ringo. It is known that he shot Billy Claiborne.

Then on this date back in 1889 Buckskin, while drunk, murdered Mollie Williams. In the Old West to kill a woman…for any reason…was the lowest thing a man could do. It wasn’t unusual for a woman killer to be immediately lynched. Nor only was Buckskin not lynched, he only got 25 years at Yuma Territorial Prison for the killing. While at the prison he had a cushy job and was pardoned after 7 years.

There are those who say it wasn’t that Buckskin was lucky, but that he had powerful friends who pulled strings to protect him…Evidence is that those powerful friends were employed by Wells, Fargo and Company.