Western Icons

the people who became the characters we know today

333 Pins

1mo

Walt Whitman

“Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent.” —Walt Whitman

an old black and white photo of a man sitting in front of a table with a lamp on it

Camping Set Up

Camping Set

Green River

After All These Years

Great Plains

Roman Catholic Church

St Louis Missouri

Mountain Man

Pierre-Jean De Smet

North of Pinedale, visit the Trapper’s Point marker, an area atop a bluff with a view overlooking the Green River Valley Rendezvous site. Other nearby monuments commemorate Father Pierre De Smet, who celebrated the first Mass in the area. Photo: Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, 1864

John Steinbeck

“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” —John Steinbeck

Within twelve hours every newspaper in the United States, Canada and Mexico printed the tragic news of the death of Johnnie Mullens, known nationally and internationally as the greatest rodeo arena director in the world. Rodeo Arena, Pat Garrett, Wild West Show, Community Hospital, Rodeo, Newspaper, Reno, The United States

Johnnie Mullens

Within twelve hours every newspaper in the United States, Canada and Mexico printed the tragic news of the death of Johnnie Mullens, known nationally and internationally as the greatest rodeo arena director in the world.

an old black and white drawing of a man with a beard wearing a suit jacket

John Ross Browne

Irish-born John Ross Browne was 12 years old when his family moved to the United States. The Gold Rush inspired him to move to northern California in 1849. His adventure writings influenced Herman Melville and Mark Twain. He died at the age of 54 in Oakland in 1875.

an old black and white photo of a man in a suit with his hair pulled back

Ben Moeur

Arizona’s “Depression Governor” Ben Moeur was raised in San Antonio, Texas and liked to say, “I punched cows from the time I was six years old until I was twenty.” https://truewestmagazine.com/the-governor-doctor-of-arizona/

an old black and white photo of a man with long hair wearing a medal around his neck

Arizona Charlie

When Wild West showman and shooter Arizona Charlie's show biz days ended, he retired to Yuma. He survived an auto accident when he collided with a cactus. When friends cautioned him to be more careful, he replied, “It’ll be a snowy day in Yuma when they plant this old Hassayamper.” When he died on December 9th, 1932, it snowed an inch and a half in downtown Yuma. Old timers say it hasn’t snowed there since.

an old time photo of a man wearing a large hat and feathered shawl

Cheyenne Frontier Days

Buffalo Bill Cody

The town of Cody, named for Buffalo Bill, developed when federal reclamation projects provided much-needed water for irrigation. But Buffalo Bill’s fame attracted hunters and dignitaries from across the world.

For a time, William F. Bill Cody was the most famous man in America. His rise to fame was meteoric. In 1869, dime novelist Ned Buntline (Edward Zane Carroll Judson) met the 23-year-old Cody in Nebraska. Old West Photos, Vintage Photo Prints, American Frontier, Mountain Men, Old Western

Buffalo Bill

For a time, William F. Bill Cody was the most famous man in America. His rise to fame was meteoric. In 1869, dime novelist Ned Buntline (Edward Zane Carroll Judson) met the 23-year-old Cody in Nebraska.

an old black and white photo of people on a boat

Cross Of Iron

Johnny D

Mining Town

Buffalo Bill

Buffalo Bill (standing, center) on Lee’s Ferry.

Related searches

Nobel Prize In Literature

Literary Devices

Ernest Hemmingway

“The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed.” —Ernest Hemingway Ernest Hemingway, Sun Valley Lodge, Idaho, 1939. Lloyd R. Arnold

an older man standing at a podium with a statue in front of him and smiling

Historical Nonfiction

Tucson Book Festival

Al Harper received the 2024 True Westerner award to a standing ovation in the Grand Palace Saloon at Old Tucson Studios on March 9, 2024.

a man sitting on top of a couch in front of a gas station sign next to a dog

Bob White

Bob White is a world-renowned authority on Tom Mix. https://truewestmagazine.com/article/secret-agent-man/

John B. Allen

John B. Allen came to Arizona during the 1858 gold rush at Gila City, a few miles east of Yuma. Always a wandering man, Allen headed for Tombstone following the silver discovery in 1877. Allen Street was named after him.

a painting of a man in a black coat and white shirt with his arms crossed

James Bowie

James Bowie, like Davy Crockett, earned public notoriety for his fighting spirit. In 1834, he returned to San Antonio after his family died in 1833 in a cholera epidemic in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico.