Famous Gun Fighters Of The Western Frontier

Bat Masterson's illustrated biographies of legendary gunslingers Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Luke Short, Bill Tilghman, Ben Thompson, and others paint a vivid portrait of the Old West, a world of sharpshooters, cattle rustlers, and Dodge City justice.

Sifting factual information from among the lies, legends, and tall tales, the lives and battles of gunfighters on both sides of the law are presented in a who's who of the violent West

First published in 1907 as a series of articles in "Human Life" magazine, "Famous Gunfighters of the Western Frontier" is the fascinating first-hand account of these famous Americans by Bat Masterson. Born Bartholemew William Barclay Masterson in Canada in 1853, Bat Masterson led an amazing life as a U.S. Army scout, professional gambler, and lawman in the American Old West. He went to find adventure in the frontier as a young man and soon earned distinction as a buffalo hunter. He eventually spent time as the sheriff in Dodge City, Kansas and was involved in several well-known shootouts. It was during these times that Masterson met some of the most important gunslingers in history. These accounts, written decades after Masterson moved back to civilization and worked as a writer and journalist, tell the incredible stories of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Ben Thompson, Luke Short, and Bill Tilghman. "Famous Gunfighters of the Western Frontier" remains an important historical document of five famous American gunfighters and a fascinating and entertaining account of the Wild West. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

From the Preface:On the frontier, says conventional wisdom, a structured society did not exist and social control was largely absent; law enforcement and the criminal justice system had limited, if any, influence; and danger--both from man and from the elements--was ever present. This view of the frontier is projected by motion pictures, television, popular literature, and most scholarly histories. But was the frontier really all that violent? What was the nature of the violence that did occur? Were frontier towns more violent that cities in the East? Has America inherited a violent way of life from the frontier? Was the frontier more violent than the United States is today? This book attempts to answer these questions and others about violence and lawlessness on the frontier and do so in a new way. Whereas most authors have drawn their conclusions about frontier violence from the exploits of a few notorious badmen and outlaws and from some of the more famous incidents and conflicts, I have chosen to focus on two towns that I think were typical of the frontier--the mining frontier specifically--and to investigate all forms of violence and lawlessness that occurred in and around those towns.

Joseph G. Rosa's vivid and expertly written tale of this violent time combines contemporary accounts with meticulous historical research and an unjaundiced appraisal of the facts. Telling the story of every major gunfighter, peace officer, and outlaw of the West, Rosa places them within the context of a violent frontier and the coming of law and order. Complementing the text are twenty-seven outstanding color spreads featuring firearms from the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum (Los Angeles) and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center (Cody). Many of the spreads contain guns owned and used by such well-known individuals as Pat Garrett, Billy the Kid, Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, John Wesley Hardin, Frank James, and Harvey Logan.