Category Archives: Arizona Territory

Olive Oatman Fairchild

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Mustang

Background Joseph Smith Jr. (1805 – 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saints movement.  Smith was born in Vermont, but by 1817, he had moved with his family to Western New York, which was … Continue reading →

Posted in American Frontier, American Indians, American Southwest, Arizona Territory, California, History, Indenture & Slavery, Massacres, Mormons, New Mexico, Pioneers, Religion, Texas, The Ladies, Yavapai | 7 Comments

In Search of Justice

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Mustang

In 1885, Joseph Isaac Clanton, known to his friends as “Ike,” surrounded himself with men such as Lee Renfro, G. W. “Kid” Swingle, a man named “Longhair” Sprague, Billy Evans, and Ebin Stanley (Ike’s brother-in-law).  They were a scruffy lot, all … Continue reading →

Posted in American Frontier, American Southwest, Arizona Territory, Corruption, Feuds & Rivalries, Gunfights and such, History, Justice, Little Dixie, Outlaws, Society | 4 Comments

The Apache Kid

Posted on October 25, 2021 by Mustang

The Aravaipa Canyon is a wilderness area managed by the Bureau of Land Management.  It consists of a little more than 19,000 square acres in the southeast section of Arizona.  The canyon area was the birthplace of an Apache Indian named Haskay-bay-nay-ntayl — … Continue reading →

Posted in American Frontier, American Indians, American Southwest, Apache Indians, Arizona Territory, History, Indian Territory, Indian War | 1 Comment

Barney Kemp Riggs

Posted on June 14, 2021 by Mustang

There was a time in America when folks just up and died.  No one knew why … they just did.  No one in the mid-1800s knew much about influenza, cancer, congestive heart failure, or stroke.  And when they died, their … Continue reading →

Posted in American Frontier, American Southwest, Arizona Territory, Gunfights and such, History, Texas | 4 Comments

Cowboys in Neckties

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Mustang

Some background The United States is a nation of immigrants.  Between 1580 and 1775, the population of Europeans went from zero to around 3.5 million.  They arrived in waves, of course, and the attitudes toward new arrivals vacillated between enthusiastic welcome and … Continue reading →

Posted in American Frontier, American Southwest, Arizona Territory, Civil War, Colonial America, Gunfights and such, History, Justice, Texas | 4 Comments

Tombstone Judge

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Mustang

With three men dead, two wounded, and one slightly injured, one would think that it was one hell of a gunfight.  Well, it was — and it wasn’t.  The fight only lasted around thirty-seconds, but within that short span of … Continue reading →

Posted in American Frontier, American Southwest, Arizona Territory, Gunfights and such, History, Justice, Politicians | 6 Comments

Uncle Jim

Posted on February 22, 2021 by Mustang

An account of lawman James Franklin Roberts One may recall from The Pleasant Valley War that the long-running feud (lasting nearly fifteen years) was anything but pleasant for the folks in Gila County, Arizona.  Right in the middle of this … Continue reading →

Posted in American Frontier, Arizona Territory, Gunfights and such, History, Justice, Oklahoma | 7 Comments

U.S. Marshal C. P. Dake

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Mustang

All we know about this man’s family is that (a) they were Canadian, (b) they moved to New York when their son was still a child, and (c) they demonstrated one heck of an imagination when they named their son … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona Territory, History, U.S. Marshals | 4 Comments