Almost everything we “know” about the outlaw gunman Johnny Ringo is either factually inaccurate, unsubstantiated hearsay, or intentional embellishment by authors to sell their books and magazine articles. Here is what we know with a reasonable degree of certitude. We know he was born in Indiana in 1850 and died … Continue reading
William C. Greene was born in Wisconsin in 1852 (or maybe 53). Greene spent his most productive years in Sonora, Mexico. However, we can reasonably conclude that, between 1890 and 1910, he was one of the richest and most influential men in Cochise County, Arizona Territory. Most folks referred to … Continue reading
How Tucson’s Wealthiest & Most Prominent Civic Leaders Committed Mass Murder & Got Away With It. Today, there’s nothing there. Nothing to suggest what happened in the early morning of April 30, 1871. Nothing to commemorate this blood-soaked ground where between 118 and 144 people, almost all women and children, … Continue reading
Ever since Jim and I have been travelling to and from Tombstone I have been curious about the Millville Ruins, stone structures outside of Tombstone about 8 miles. They sit on the side of a hill facing the San Pedro River to the west as it meanders northward. My opportunity to … Continue reading
“Texas” John Slaughter was the sheriff who cleaned up Cochise County after the Earp Brothers and Doc Holliday left Arizona. He was as tough as they come and, among the outlaw class, earned the moniker “that wicked little gringo”. As despised and feared as he was by the outlaws, he … Continue reading
Katie Elder was more, much more, than the title character in John Wayne’s 1965 western, “The Sons of
Katie Elder,” She was more than the portrayal by Faye Dunaway in the 1971 film “Doc.” Katie Elder was
a real person, whose background was perhaps more plaid than checkered. For one thing, there were all
those names.
Wyatt Earp, now with federal authority, assembled a posse of gunmen to hunt for his brother’s would-be assassins.
Continue readingIn the 1920’s, one of Tucson’s richest men was Albert Steinfeld. When he was 18-years-old, the German-born Steinfeld came to Tucson in 1872 via stagecoach to work for his uncle Louis’ mercantile, Zeckendorf’s. Originally, Zeckendorf’s was a large one-story adobe building with a flat roof situated just west of Calle … Continue reading
Part1 of 3: The Dillinger Phenomenon Editor’s Note: Tucson celebrates Dillinger Days every year in front of the Hotel Congress. 2019 will be January 18 & 19. It’s a hoot. John Dillinger robbed banks. To many, he became a popular folk hero, not unlike train robber Jessie James back in … Continue reading
The most common complaint I hear about Tucson is the awful condition of Tucson roads, particularly the proliferation of potholes. Every time this subject comes up I recall that Congress Street wasn’t even paved until 1912 the year Arizona became a state. From myriad accounts by travelers in those early years, any pavement was better than no pavement.
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