The western states of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah came into being first as territories of the United States by acts passed by Congress and signed by the President in the early 1850s.  Their borders were dictated basically by conflicts with Mexico and the looming civil war in the United States.              There were factions … Continue reading CARVING OUT ARIZONA →

Normally in these articles, I attempt to stay away from those characters of the old west who have been the subject of dime novels of the time, or who have become such legends that their true identity has become murky through the retelling of common tales until any truth about their actual personalities and exploits … Continue reading DOC HOLIDAY →

Although her husband, James, officially owned the store, Clara Griffiths pretty much ran the place.  She also filled the job as Post-mistress of the Frisco, Utah post office which was housed in a small building next to the store and accessed through an adjoining doorway.  She also served as the town medical emergency service – … Continue reading HUBUK: A NATIVE IN DISGRACE →

Everybody in Frisco, Utah knew Bill Thomas.  He had arrived in town in 1879 to help Sly Smith the dairyman with his small herd.  Of course, nobody really knew much about Bill’s past, but that was common for most of the people in town.  He worked hard to take care of his wife and small … Continue reading THE KILLING ON CHRISTMAS DAY →

Perhaps it’s the nature of some men who work in physically difficult jobs to believe that problems can be solved only through strong-armed means.  Miners, in the 1880s for instance, spent their working days at the ends of dusty mine drifts and stopes hammering away at rock surfaces; attempting to crack them into smaller bits … Continue reading THOMAS FORREST’S STABBING OF MIKE CARBIS →

Most tales of the old west are best told in the words of those directly involved in the story.  Here is a shortened story of the 1900s killing of Shorty Dallas near Clifton, Arizona taken from the notes of a settler of the area.             “The cause of Shorty’s death was the plan of two … Continue reading KILLING SHORTY DALLAS →

Most western movies that attempt to depict an old west saloon have a rinky-tink piano playing in the background.  These old “upright” instruments provided the atmosphere needed to set the mood for gamblers, and saloon girls.  In actuality, there weren’t many saloons that could afford such an instrument, nor were the rooms large enough for … Continue reading CLARA’S UPRIGHT PIANO →

Everybody in Frisco, Utah knew Bill Thomas.  He had arrived in town in 1879 to help Sly Smith the dairyman with his small herd.  Of course, nobody really knew much about Bill’s past, but that was common for most of the people in town.  He worked hard and quietly to take care of his wife … Continue reading A KILLING ON CHRISTMAS DAY →

After facing a near deadly early winter storm near present day Milford, Utah, the Dominquez/Escalante party of explorers faced a decision whether if they should continue on to find a trail to Monterey, California or return to Santa Fe.  The 1776 calendar was approaching November and the Franciscan Fathers decided to leave it up to … Continue reading Father Escalante: Crossing of the Fathers →

Of all the suspected outlaws that roamed southern Utah in the 1880s, one of the most colorful and notorious was Ben Tasker.             Ben had been a resident of a number of mining towns, drifting from Nevada to Silver reef, to Frisco, to Eureka and then making the rounds again, he didn’t stay long in … Continue reading BEN TASKER →