I have always loved the Wild West. I don’t know if it is the struggle against lawlessness, vigilante justice, gold prospecting, ghost towns, showdowns at high noon, snake oil salesmen, railroad tycoons, or riding a horse everywhere you go. I am sure it is one of those, or the perfect combination of all. The true encapsulation of this era are the various personalities that flavored the myths and legends. I get into some of the greats with Bill O’Neal, the official historian for the great state of Texas. We talk about the the first quick-draw showdown, popularized by “Wild Bill” Hickok, how Doc Holliday was a real dentist but not a great gunslinger, and I postulate that “Killin” Jim Miller was the Wild West’s first real serial killer!

Images

John Wesley Hardin’s Business Card

Books
Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters
Frontier Forts of Texas
John Chisum: Frontier Cattle King