It was a Sunday in mid-September when Ms. Karen and I left our home in the Tucson Mountains to travel to the Cochise Hotel to visit with the proprietor, Phil Gessert. We arrived at noon and Phil was sitting on the front porch waiting for us. The Cochise Hotel is … Continue reading
John Clum became one of those legendary characters from Tombstone’s infamous past. His life before Tombstone is just as interesting, but that story is known only to a few. He was born in upstate New York in 1851 and attended a military academy before enrolling at Rutgers College where he … Continue reading
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.
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
Located some 50 miles south of Tucson Arizona, Mission Tumacácori is rich in history. Before becoming a National Historic Site, it served as a Spanish mission in the Pimería Alta, Land of the Upper Pimas. It barely survived a revolt by the Pima Indians in 1751 and eventually was abandoned due … Continue reading
