Search Results for: Texas
Old West Book Review: The Frontier World of Fort Griffin
The Frontier World of Fort Griffin, Charles Robinson Ill, University of Oklahoma Press, 800-627-7377, $14.95, Paper. 236 Pages, Illustrations, Notes, Bibliography, Index. This fast-paced, fun to read book tells of the exciting, albeit short, life of the rip-roaring Texas town called Fort Griffin. Wild and dangerous, it sprouted from the desolate prairie to fulfill the […]
A Duel With The Cactus
September 2, 1892, Daily Herald, El Paso, Texas – “Halt! What’s that?” said our leader in a sharp whisper. It was a clear moonlight night in the extreme southwest of Mexico. I was visiting a friend who conducted a large ranch and hacienda there. A local revolt had just been quelled in the neighborhood and […]
Old West Book Review: The Devil’s Triangle
The Devil’s Triangle, James Smallwood, Kenneth Howell, Carol Taylor, University of North Texas Press. Paper, $19.95. Non-fiction, Maps, Notes, Bibliography, Index. This book is a well-written study of the War of Reconstruction in Texas between 1865 and 1877. Gangs of ex-Confederate soldiers returning home to Texas after the “Lost Cause“ harbored hatred and resentment toward […]
John Chisum
The Old West had a couple of “Chisholms” who were cattlemen… Jesse Chisholm of the Chisholm Trail fame and John Chisum of Lincoln County, New Mexico. Although their last names are spelled differently, they often get confused. Since John Chisum is less well known, today we’ll take a look at this man. John Chisum was born in Tennessee. […]
William Crabtree and the Horrell Gang
Bill Crabtree was a Texas cowboy who wanted to be a great outlaw. And, try as he would, he constantly failed. It seems as if every time he turned around he was being arrested for something… from unlawfully carrying a pistol to murder, from which he was acquitted. In 1878, he got involved with the Horrell […]
