Legends and Lies: Great Mysteries of the American West

Dale L. Walker

Macmillan, Nov 15, 1998 - Fiction - 320 pages

"All of history is mystery," Dale L. Walker says, and he proves his point in this lively, humorous--and rational--approach to the West's greatest puzzles. Did Davy Crockett, for example, go down swinging Ol' Betsy, defending the ramparts of the Alamo--or was he captured? Who is buried in Jesse James's grave? Was the man Pat Garrett shot that night really Billy the Kid? How did Black Bart, "the gentleman bandit," disappear? Did Sacajawea, the famous "Bird Woman" who scouted for Lewis and Clark, die twice? The possibilities unfold as Walker brings together little-known facts and the elusive connections that shed light on the biggest enigmas of the American West.

What people are saying

Review: Legends and Lies: Great Mysteries of the American West

User Review  - Calvin - Goodreads

I love iconclastic history, but this was a bit boring

Review: Legends and Lies: Great Mysteries of the American West

User Review  - Melea - Goodreads

Dr. Walker explores some of the mysteries of the Old West. He compiled information to "solve" some of the mysteries, while others remain unsolved, and may always be so. I enjoyed reading about these ...

Contents

• Foreword by John Jakes: 11
• The Day Davy Died: 23
• Incident at Grinders Stand: 49
• The Life and Deaths of Sacajawea: 69
• The Man Who Would Be Jesse James: 87
• The Case of Brushy Bill Roberts: 111
• Bandit Laureate of the Mother Lode: 139
• The Mad Hatter and the Assassin: 157
• The Old Gringos Last Laugh: 180
• Do Your Duty: 205
• An Afternoon on the Greasy Grass: 229
• A Waltz in the Superstitions: 261
• The Fall of Tashunke Witko: 275
• Epilogue: 301
• Acknowledgments: 311

About the author

Born in Illinois, the son of a career army sergeant, Dale L. Walker is a journalism graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso whose 20 books reflect his varied historical interests: military and Western history, 19th century "Golden Age" journalism, biography, and Jack London studies. Among his books are Januarius Macgahan: The Life and Times of an American War Correspondent; Legends and Lies: Great Mysteries of the American West; The Boys of '98; Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders; Bear Flag Rising: The Conquest of California; Pacific Destiny; and Eldorado: The California Gold Rush. He is a four-time winner of the Spur Award from Western Writers of America, the Owen Wister Award for life achievement in the history and literature of the American West, and many other awards, and is a member of the prestigious Texas Institute of Letters.

Walker, who lives in El Paso, Texas, with his wife of 43 years, Alice McCord, has been involved in virtually every aspect of the book business. He has served as a university press director, newspaper book page editor, magazine editor, fiction editor for Forge Books, book columnist and reviewer, and has written historical books, magazine work, and fiction.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Legends and Lies: Great Mysteries of the American West
• Author: Dale L. Walker
• Contributor: John Jakes
• Edition: reprint, revised
• Publisher: Macmillan, 1998
• ISBN: 0312868480, 9780312868482
• Length: 320 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / Westerns; History / United States / 19th Century; History / United States / State & Local / General