Myths and Mysteries of the Old West

by Michael Rutter

Overview

How much of what we know about the history of the Old West is true? In this new book, author Michael Rutter looks at the legend and lore behind such notorious figures as Billy the Kid and Calamity Jane and the stories of famous gun fights and battles, telling what really happened. Truth may be stranger than fiction, but these 12 legends stand up to scrutiny, and this book will be a must-read for all western history buffs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493028290
Publisher:	TwoDot
Publication date:	04/01/2017
Series:	Legends of the West
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Michael Rutter is a freelance writer who lives in Orem, Utah, with his wife, Shari, and two children. He is the author of more than 35 books. When not traveling or writing, he teaches English at Brigham Young University. His passion is the American West.

Read an Excerpt

COMANCHE:
The Most Famous Horse in the West

Did a horse named Comanche really survive the Battle of the Little Bighorn? What made this animal so legendary? Has Comanche been preserved for future generations?

Comanche wasn't an average cavalry-issue horse. Captain Myles Keogh's personal beast, he was a well-trained, splendid mount that stood out in a herd. Comanche was a bay, born sometime during the Civil War, probably around 1862. He was a little over fifteen hands high and weighed well over 900 pounds. Over the years he had collected an impressive number of battle scars from his adventures in the Indian wars, where he earned his name. Comanche was Injured by an arrow during a skirmish with the Indians in the Cimarron country near Bluff Creek (southeast of Dodge City, Kansas). He let out a bellow uncharacteristic for a hooved creature. His cry of pain sounded a lot like the scream of a charging Comanche warrior. Comanche was known for his stamina and courage, as well as his ability to get by on cheat grass or willow bark just like an Indian pony. He was readily identifiable and known to most of the men in the Seventh Cavalry.

Table of Contents

(1) Introduction (2) The Lost Cities of Cibola (3) The Battle of Adobe Walls (4) John Colter (5) The California Gold Rush (6) The Mountain Meadows Massacre (7) George Armstrong Custer (8) Sitting Bull (9) Comanche (10) James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok (11) Calamity Jane (12) Billy the Kid (13) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (14) Buffalo: The Extermination Order (15) Grizzly Bears: Beyond the Tall Tale (16) Bibliography (17) Index (17) About the Author