Old West Lifestyle & Stories

Search Results for: Texas

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 […]

Old West Book Review: Villa Lobos

Villa Lobos, Michael Zimmer, Five Star Publishing, $25.95, Hardcover, Western Fiction. Author Michael Zimmer has written an action-packed, fast-paced western novel that will appeal to readers thirsty for tough adventure tales about the Old West.  Sit back, read, and have fun with it, but don’t try to spend much time trying to figure out who […]