Lawmen in the old west played a juggling act as far as the law was concerned. It was necessary for a successful lawman to be both tougher and smarter than the outlaw. In reality, the lawman was guilty of committing offenses that would be punishable if committed by the outlaw. The Earp Brothers were no saints. Marshal Henry Plumber was hanged for crimes he committed while wearing a badge. Most of the sheriffs and marshals wearing badges also played at gambling, often even owning the gambling concessions in the town saloons. As one would suspect, it was gambling that caused much of the trouble...

Treasure hunters recover the $1.9 million gold shipment that sank while enroute to New York. The recovery included 5200 newly minted Double Eagle coins. An original account by James Marshall on his discovery of gold at Coloma that set off the California gold rush. There are many other stories covering California rich history.

The Big Four, Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford, and Charles Crocker, ruled California government for 30 years. The southern Pacific Railroad was the single largest corporation in California and controlled 85 percent of the state's railroad tracks. Huntington handed out bribes to legislators, local police and government officials with impunity. At political conventions, agents of the railroad freely circulated the convention floor and dominated the smoke-filled rooms, arranging the nomination of pro-railroad candidates.

The Oklahoma Land Rush was a madhouse scene that brought both smiles and heartache to its participants. There is also the wonderful story about Cherokee Indian Lewis Ross who drilled for water but failed. He wasn't disappointed though, as he struck oil instead. Then there's the wild and woolly No-Man's land in the Oklahoma Panhandle where outlaws could hide without fear of the law. There was no law. No history of Oklahoma would be complete without a run-down on its favorite son, the ever-humorous Will Rogers.

Western writer Alton Pryor has brought forth a collection of important moments in history. These vignettes present a virtual digest of historical happenings that are fun to read and educational as well. In the words of the author, "My books are short, to the point and are excellent reading material for persons with a busy lifestyle." Readers will learn about the poignant story of the Seven Little Indians. When a tribe stole a band of horses, Indian fighters killed the Indians that stole them. In doing so, they found seven little Indian babies on their hands. Their problem was what would they...

Most outlaws were just natural killers, like John Joel Glanton, John King Fisher and John Wesley Hardin. Others, such as Jesse James were forced into it by circumstances, not by choice. The outlaw's life seldom lasted to old age. There was always someone ready to kill them for the reward, the reputation they would gain by doing so, or to protect themselves and their family. Author Alton Pryor has researched the meanest, most vicious of the outlaws holding forth in the Wild West. Come join us, but make sure your hands are in plain sight.

There was no scandal like the girl who said a cable car accident turned her into a nymphomaniac. She was awarded $50,000 for it. How about the judge who loved playing three-card-monte on the public's money. When he was broke and needed money he opened court. He summoned a deputy and told him to bring in a drunk with money. After fining the drunk, he pocketed the $20 fine and went back to playing three-card monte. This book is filled with outlandish and sometimes humorous tales of the scam games of the west and the scandals that occurred along with them.

It wasn't the men that settled the West. It was the women The Old West was a forbidding territory. Deciding to pack up all your earthly belongings and head into the unknown was not an easy decision to make. It was a harder decision to make for the women than it was for the men. But once they were committed to it, most of the credit for settling the west must go to the women. It was the women who dug in and tended the sick, planted fruits and vegetables, cooked and cleaned and fed the gold miners and put down the necessary roots to settle the west. It was the women who insisted, "I'm not...

The land grants made in California were private rancho grants. The California missions held much of the best land in trust for the Indians. When the missions were secularized in 1833, many Indians chose to leave the missions when the land was divided. While Indians were allotted some land, most of the land was acquired by non-Indians. Between 1835 and 1845, nearly seven hundred land grants were made to claimants. These grants were often made to close friend or supporters of the Mexican governors of Alta California. Many claimants lost their grants when they could not prove legal ownership...