The dusty trails of the American Southwest are full of memories. The Old West became famous because of many reasons -- lawlessness, gambling, soiled doves, gunslingers, and lawmen who wore their badge as a star of honor.
When I worked as a reporter in New Mexico, I would breakfast at the Cattlemen's Café with ranchers and cowboys from the big spreads like the famous Bell Ranch. Or maybe a wrangler from Jimmy Randall's quarter horse ranch near Montoya, N.M. would drop into Tucumcari or Clovis to spend half a day. They always had stories to share.
They would tell me where Billy the Kid or Pat Garrett or Ike Clanton were buried. They'd even often to take me there and sometimes I would accept their kind offer.
Sometimes our journeys would involve a bit of gold panning or a poker game. That was part of the territory. The Old West, as well as the New West, is about gambling. It's part of the scene and its part of what makes the Southwest so colorful to the people who live there as well as visitors.
I did a little research about some of my favorite western personalities and came up with some intriguing information. If you like Old West Trivia, this should be right down your alley. If you don't...smiles...I reckon you could always find a copy of the daily newspaper and read the sports section.
BY WHAT NAME was John Holliday better known?
Try Doc Holliday. In poor health and an alcoholic, he worked as a dentist but was also known for his poker playing and the occasional killings he became involved in. Doc was 28 when he took part in the shootout at the O.K. Corral on Oct. 26, 1881. Six years later he died with his boots off of tuberculosis at a clinic in Denver, CO.
HOW MANY PEOPLE were killed and wounded in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral?
The unfortunate victims included Billy Clanton and brothers Tom and Frank McLaury who died in the hail of bullets during the brief gunfight. Wounds were suffered by Doc Holliday and brothers Virgil and Morgan Earp. Wyatt Earp and Ike Clanton, who sparked the gun battle, escaped injury.
WHO WERE THE contestants in a non-championship heavyweight boxing match refereed by Wyatt Earp in San Francisco in 1896?
The boxers were Bob Fitzsimmons and Tom Sharkey. In the eighth round, Fitzsimmons flattened Sharkey with a right punch and Earp counted to 10 while the boxer lay motionless. Then he raised Sharkey's hand and declared him the winner, claiming Fitzsimmons had thrown an illegal punch. Rumors later circulated that the fight was fixed and Earp was part of the scheme.
PAT GARRETT, the man who shot Billy the Kid, always claimed he would die with his boots on. Did he?
He sure did. Garrett was shot from behind while riding along a trail near Las Cruces, N.M. on Feb. 29, 1908 and died from his injuries. The man who shot him was Jesse Wayne Brazel, who claimed self-defense even though he shot Garrett through the head and back. He argued in court that he was so intimidated by Garrett's reputation as a gunman that he was forced to ambush him -- and the jury bought his story.
ON AUG. 2, 1876, a scout, marshal, gunfighter and gambler was slain in a saloon in Deadwood, S.D. What was his name?
The victim was Wild Bill Hickok, whose christened name was James Butler Hickok, born in LaSalle County, IL. in 1837. He normally sat with his back against the wall, but on this particular night the only seat open at the poker table was the one facing the door. When he died, he was holding aces and eights, which became known as the 'dead man's hand.'
WHAT WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT boxing champion, nicknamed the Manassa Mauler, was born in the Old West?
He was William Harrison 'Jack' Dempsey, born in Manassa, CO. in 1995. Dempsey was world champion from 1919 to 1926 when he lost a grueling bout to Gene Tunney. He died in 1983, retaining his popularity as a real American boxing champion.
WHO WAS THE Kansas and Texas gunfighter and gambler who became marshal of Austin, TX. in 1880. His trademark was that he wore a high silk hat and carried a fancy walking stick.
That was Ben Thompson, whose lifespan ran from 1843 to 1884. Thompson claimed he had killed 32 mwn. He served less than a year and a half in prison for his shootings and his regular line of work was gambler. He died in an ambush by some hired killers near San Antonio along with Texas gunfighter King Fisher.
