Dude Ranching in America is one of Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series. The author is Russell True from the White Stallion Ranch near Tucson, Arizona. Covering the Era of Dude Ranching as a destination, there are historic photographs of 50 or more Dude Ranches in Arizona, focusing on Wickenburg, … Continue reading
John Slaughter, who was a Confederate soldier, Texas Ranger and Cochise County sheriff, loved this porch. He was sitting there one day with his family when a cloud of dust swirled up from the south. Pancho Villa and his army rode onto Slaughter’s ranch.
Continue readingFrom 1861 to 1886, only the most foolhardy Tucsonans would venture much beyond their little town surrounded by hostile desert and more hostile Apaches. Today, few know that six of Tucson’s first streets were named for local men killed by Apaches. Only one was named for a man who instead … Continue reading
A Beautiful, Cruel Country was published in 1987 when the author, Eva Wilbur-Cruce was in her 80’s. This is a story of her youth on a Southern Arizona ranch near Arivaca in the early 20th century. It is the story of a young girl, being educated by her father in … Continue reading
On a recent Road Trip, we stopped at a few ghost towns, namely Pearce, Courtland, and Gleeson along the Ghost Town Trail. These are all located near Sunsites east of Tombstone.
Continue readingBartholemew William Barclay “Bat” Masterson (1853 – 1921) spent the first half of his life in what we know today as the Wild West. Among his contemporaries, he was famous as a buffalo hunter, Indian fighter, scout for the U.S. Army, and a renowned lawman in Dodge City Kansas where he and … Continue reading
Ms. Karen & I had visited Yuma right after Christmas 2016. We discovered so much to see and do that we looked forward to returning in late March 2017. Our first day found us an hour north of Yuma, off a dirt road near the Yuma Proving Grounds; at Castle … Continue reading
On a cold December day in 1883, five men robbed the Goldwater & Casteneda Store on Main Street that substituted for Bisbee’s only bank. They did so believing that the mining company’s payroll was locked inside the store’s safe. What started as a quick and easy robbery ended in the death of almost a dozen people.
The robbers quickly discovered a problem. The mine’s payroll had not yet arrived. Foolishly, the five robbers stuck around to steal what they could from the store, its owners, and customers. This took time. Time they did not have.
Continue readingBoothill is authentic. It was Tombstone’s first City Cemetery, established in 1879. It wasn’t called Boothill until the 1920’s, probably as a result of Hollywood westerns or dime novels.
Continue readingIn 1880, old age began about 40, the average life expectancy of a U.S. citizen. Life was hard, good nutrition & effective medical treatment were scarce. By age 40, most people, particularly women, were simply worn out. Between 1879 and 1884, about 300 people were buried in the Tombstone Boothill … Continue reading
