by Sharon Hall | Mar 17, 2015 | Wild West Wednesday
Her story was sensationalized in 1857 by a Methodist minister named Royal B. Stratton, who used what the Arizona Republic called “purple prose” to exaggerate and fabricate the experiences of young Olive Oatman. As the Republic pointed out, there was no need for such...
by Sharon Hall | Jan 28, 2015 | Wild West Wednesday
In 1914 the Ruby Mercantile was sold by Julias Andrews to Philip Clarke, who moved his family to Ruby and built a bigger store up on a hill. The Clarke family soon discovered the dangers of living in Ruby with its proximity to the Mexican border and the presence of...
by Sharon Hall | Dec 3, 2014 | Digging History Magazine, Wild West Wednesday
No one seems to have a definitive history of Jackson Lee “Diamondfield Jack” Davis’ early life. Even the date and place of his birth appears to be a mystery. A cursory internet search will yield results spanning the years between 1864 and 1879 as his purported birth...
by Sharon Hall | Aug 13, 2014 | Digging History Magazine, Wild West Wednesday
Historical accounts vary as to whether today’s Wild West character came by his name via the middle name of “Xavier” or it was a family nickname, or he just adopted “X” as his name after becoming a well-known member of the Montana Vigilantes. Following the big 1863...
by Sharon Hall | Jul 16, 2014 | Digging History Magazine, Wild West Wednesday
This event which took place on January 24, 1876 might have been just an obscure piece of American Western history if not for the fact that it involved twenty-three year-old William Barclay “Bat” Masterson. He was born on November 26 ,1853 and raised in Kansas. His...
by Sharon Hall | Jul 9, 2014 | Digging History Magazine, Wild West Wednesday
July 8, 1898 was an eventful day in Skagway, Alaska. A scoundrel by the name of Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith met his untimely demise. Soapy had been making a name (and not a good one) for himself for years from Texas to Colorado to Alaska. Conduct a search at...
