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Al Colombo and WMD Authors
Showing posts with label WMD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WMD. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
WMD Is Closing Its Doors
Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Wild West Chronicles— The Bandit Queen
By Christopher Robinson, WMD Senior Editor
Bat Masterson’s (Jack Elliott) scant research on the little-known Hart takes him to the home of Joe Boot who he tracks down to get the inside scoop that no one else could provide.
Boot relays to Bat the only side of Hart’s life he knows, detailing her failed marriage and subsequent job serving grub at a mining camp where Boot meets and falls in love with the spunky girl.
The headstrong but charismatic fledgling female outlaw makes an immediate impression on her targeted victims, first with her gender and then by returning to them small amounts of cash so they can survive the experience. However, a team of lawmen thwart Hart’s plans and she and Boot are soon captured and tried.
Despite an early prison escape, Boot still displays to Bat his bitterness stemming from Hart’s betrayal which enables her to receive a more lenient sentence than her partner.
The Bandit Queen will premiere this Sunday, July 4th at 5:30PM ET and re-air Friday, July 9th at 11PM ET. Find out where to watch. https://www.insp.com/
Please post a comment below!
Sunday, March 15, 2020
From the Desk of the WMD Publisher
Greetings, fellow Cowboys, Cowgirls, and
our American Indian brothers! The authors of the Western Magazine Digest (WMD) thank you for reading our work and watching the many movies we feature in the Hot Box. It is our sincere desire to provide you with interesting, factual stories based on historical fact.
our American Indian brothers! The authors of the Western Magazine Digest (WMD) thank you for reading our work and watching the many movies we feature in the Hot Box. It is our sincere desire to provide you with interesting, factual stories based on historical fact.
Most of what we do are historical accounts of people, places, and events while recently we featured a fictional story based on actual people from the past. There's three things that I'd like to talk with you about today:
- First, we're looking for writers who would like to have their work published in WMD. This is a labor of love for us all, so there is no payday, other than when you, our readers, comment, like, and share our work with others. Whether you're a seasoned writer or someone who's just beginning, I'd like to chat with you.
You can reach out to me through the Comment Form, or send an email to wmd@usa.com.
- Second, it's not easy writing and publishing a story every week, so with that said, until we can add a writer or two to our masthead, we're going to publish on an every-other-week basis.
- Three, it's important to myself and our WMD authors that you enjoy reading what we write. If we didn't value what you think we'd not do what we do. So, please do us a favor by commenting on the kinds of stories you'd like to read in our digital pages.
You can reach out to me through the Comment Form, or send an email to wmd@usa.com.
That's it for now. Be sure to tune in next weekend when we publish a new story at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday!
Kind Regards,
Allan B. Colombo
Please post a comment below!
Sunday, August 11, 2019
The Old West Railroads That Survived the Years
Old railroad trains are quite a nostalgia trip for many people, especially us older folks. There is that something special we experience as we see those old steam engines in the movies or in any of the railroad museums around the country. Even just gazing at an old abandoned railroad track tends to spark our imagination as to what class of locomotives and what types of rolling stock may have traveled across those old steel rails in times long past.
Were there box cars loaded with varied commodities of freight, or tankers full of crude oil? Maybe there were hoppers loaded with iron ore or coal. Were these old tracks the ones where a prestigious passenger train made its final run? Much of the details can be researched about them. But still, we can let our imagination take us on one of those glamorous journeys anytime we allow it.
But railroads in America are also another way to measure our progress as a nation. From a simple cart on two rails in a mining operation, pushed in and out of those deep dark tunnels by manpower or by beasts of burden, to the huge and awesomely powerful steam locomotives, and then to the modern diesels which produce many thousands of horsepower, and can pull one hundred or more heavily-loaded freight cars, the railroads have been recognized as a major necessity for our expanding and prosperous nation. I can't imagine where we would be today without our railroads, both past and present.
While freight and passenger trains made their appearance in the eastern states prior to the Civil war, I'm going to focus mostly on the early railroads of the western United States.
56 .5 inches (4' 8-1/2") was well established across America as the standard RR gauge (width). It is also called the Stephenson gauge, named after George Stephenson of England, who in 1830 designed that country's first railroad, the the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.
However, even after the standard-gauge system was widely employed here in America, there still remained several variations in the width of narrow gauge rails that were laid. This turned out to be one of the logistics problems for the Confederacy during the civil war. I saw a photo one time of a Confederate rail yard that had at least three different gauges of railroad track routed through it.
But out west, especially for logging and mining operations, narrow-gauge railroads were the most cost effective way to go. Narrow-gauge systems required less real estate along side of them for one thing. And the narrow width roadbed could be built using less stone and gravel, and less lumber had to be obtained to make the shorter ties. And the height and width of the steel rails themselves was somewhat less than what was required for the standard-gauge lines, which further aided in the cost advantage of narrow-gauge.
While there were several variations of narrow-gauge track put to use in the western states, the most common gauge used in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Utah and several of the other western states measured in at 3-feet wide. It is likely that the formation of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad in 1870 had something to do with establishing the 3' gauge across the territory because of its extended run from Denver, Colorado to Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad has survived, and is running today under the name of the Durango & Silverton narrow-gauge railroad. And it is understandably a very popular tourist attraction. The 45-mile trip between Durango, CO and Silverton, CO offers some exceptional scenery for its passengers.
And also sharing another stretch of the same 100-miles of historic track is the Cumbres and Toltec RR, which is more popular with the hard core railroad fans. While more restricted in operation, the Cumbres and Toltec RR offers a greater assortment of authentic rolling stock than does the Silverton, and the scenery where it travels through is excellent. But the C&T railroad mainly operates as a charter railroad, and is available mostly to members of specific railroad preservation groups, as you will see in one of the videos accompanying this article.
The Alco (American Locomotive Company) K-28, Baldwin K-36 and K-37 locomotives that are still in use by both the Durango & Silverton RR and the Cumbres & Toltec RR today were built in the era of 1903-1925. And as was the case with many narrow-gauge locomotives back then and now, they were as large as their standard-gauge counterparts. Some locomotive manufacturers built units in both of the two more common gauges (3' narrow-gauge and 4' 8-1/2" standard-gauge) to accommodate most all of the major rail lines of their day.
The popularity of the old western scenic railroads with their classic Alco and Baldwin steam locomotives has also prompted a new trend to surface among model railroaders during the past decade or so. They have merged the fine detail that is possible with the larger O-gauge and S-gauge model trains (and scenery) with the space saving advantage of HO-gauge track layouts. This seems to accurately mimic the scale of a narrow-gauge railroad.
Early on, the modelers had to painstakingly modify their O-gauge or S-gauge trains by changing the running gear of their locomotives and the wheel trucks of their rolling stock in order to run on HO-gauge track. But now, model RR manufacturers such as Bachmann and others, offer these units ready-made in what is referred to as On30-gauge. Another video link I've provided shows a good example of the detail and reality that is possible with this new trend in modeling.
For anyone planning a trip out west and who want to enjoy the scenic beauty and nostalgia of these old time western railroads, I have picked out several other lines that still remain:
In Heber City, Utah, you can hop on the old (and slow) 'Heber Creeper' railroad which is pulled up the Provo Canyon grade by a 1907 Baldwin steam locomotive.
Sacramento, California is recognized by rail fans for its California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento. The museum is rated as one of the best and most complete of its kind. Its 21 restored locomotives and cars date back to the early 1860s. And In the summer months, visitors can take a scenic steam train ride that runs alongside the Sacramento River.
Virginia City, Nevada offers its visitors a nostalgic experience as they head out to the location where the TV series 'Bonanza' was filmed. An excursion train ride can be taken from there on a Virginia and Truckee (V&T) Railroad train pulled by a steam locomotive that will take you out to an old gold mine and back.
In Williams, Arizona, a portion of the old Grand Canyon Railway was restored in 1989, and apparently runs frequently. But bookings for tickets may be tight. For this railroad and all the others, it would be highly recommended to make a phone call or two before planning your visit.
The Sumpter Valley Railroad, out of Baker City, Oregon, offers scenic tours on weekends and on major holidays. From their photos that I've seen, it looks like a great scenic ride would be provided there.
The Oregon Coast Scenic Railway out of Tillamook, OR also looks like an excellent choice for rail fans.
Out of Ebe, Washington, the Mt. Rainier RR offers scenic tours pulled by either diesel or steam locomotives, whichever are available.
A short 9-mile steam run is offered by the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad out of Chehalis, Washington.
So, if you take a little time with the popular online search engines, you will likely turn up a few more of the other old steam trains still thundering down the rails in the old west.
As you can see, the era of the steam locomotive still remains with us... alive and well, running along the rails, and in our hearts.
Safe Travels,
Gary Miller
But railroads in America are also another way to measure our progress as a nation. From a simple cart on two rails in a mining operation, pushed in and out of those deep dark tunnels by manpower or by beasts of burden, to the huge and awesomely powerful steam locomotives, and then to the modern diesels which produce many thousands of horsepower, and can pull one hundred or more heavily-loaded freight cars, the railroads have been recognized as a major necessity for our expanding and prosperous nation. I can't imagine where we would be today without our railroads, both past and present.
While freight and passenger trains made their appearance in the eastern states prior to the Civil war, I'm going to focus mostly on the early railroads of the western United States.
However, even after the standard-gauge system was widely employed here in America, there still remained several variations in the width of narrow gauge rails that were laid. This turned out to be one of the logistics problems for the Confederacy during the civil war. I saw a photo one time of a Confederate rail yard that had at least three different gauges of railroad track routed through it.
But out west, especially for logging and mining operations, narrow-gauge railroads were the most cost effective way to go. Narrow-gauge systems required less real estate along side of them for one thing. And the narrow width roadbed could be built using less stone and gravel, and less lumber had to be obtained to make the shorter ties. And the height and width of the steel rails themselves was somewhat less than what was required for the standard-gauge lines, which further aided in the cost advantage of narrow-gauge.
The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad has survived, and is running today under the name of the Durango & Silverton narrow-gauge railroad. And it is understandably a very popular tourist attraction. The 45-mile trip between Durango, CO and Silverton, CO offers some exceptional scenery for its passengers.
And also sharing another stretch of the same 100-miles of historic track is the Cumbres and Toltec RR, which is more popular with the hard core railroad fans. While more restricted in operation, the Cumbres and Toltec RR offers a greater assortment of authentic rolling stock than does the Silverton, and the scenery where it travels through is excellent. But the C&T railroad mainly operates as a charter railroad, and is available mostly to members of specific railroad preservation groups, as you will see in one of the videos accompanying this article.
The Alco (American Locomotive Company) K-28, Baldwin K-36 and K-37 locomotives that are still in use by both the Durango & Silverton RR and the Cumbres & Toltec RR today were built in the era of 1903-1925. And as was the case with many narrow-gauge locomotives back then and now, they were as large as their standard-gauge counterparts. Some locomotive manufacturers built units in both of the two more common gauges (3' narrow-gauge and 4' 8-1/2" standard-gauge) to accommodate most all of the major rail lines of their day.
The popularity of the old western scenic railroads with their classic Alco and Baldwin steam locomotives has also prompted a new trend to surface among model railroaders during the past decade or so. They have merged the fine detail that is possible with the larger O-gauge and S-gauge model trains (and scenery) with the space saving advantage of HO-gauge track layouts. This seems to accurately mimic the scale of a narrow-gauge railroad.
Early on, the modelers had to painstakingly modify their O-gauge or S-gauge trains by changing the running gear of their locomotives and the wheel trucks of their rolling stock in order to run on HO-gauge track. But now, model RR manufacturers such as Bachmann and others, offer these units ready-made in what is referred to as On30-gauge. Another video link I've provided shows a good example of the detail and reality that is possible with this new trend in modeling.
For anyone planning a trip out west and who want to enjoy the scenic beauty and nostalgia of these old time western railroads, I have picked out several other lines that still remain:
In Heber City, Utah, you can hop on the old (and slow) 'Heber Creeper' railroad which is pulled up the Provo Canyon grade by a 1907 Baldwin steam locomotive.
Sacramento, California is recognized by rail fans for its California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento. The museum is rated as one of the best and most complete of its kind. Its 21 restored locomotives and cars date back to the early 1860s. And In the summer months, visitors can take a scenic steam train ride that runs alongside the Sacramento River.
Virginia City, Nevada offers its visitors a nostalgic experience as they head out to the location where the TV series 'Bonanza' was filmed. An excursion train ride can be taken from there on a Virginia and Truckee (V&T) Railroad train pulled by a steam locomotive that will take you out to an old gold mine and back.
In Williams, Arizona, a portion of the old Grand Canyon Railway was restored in 1989, and apparently runs frequently. But bookings for tickets may be tight. For this railroad and all the others, it would be highly recommended to make a phone call or two before planning your visit.
The Sumpter Valley Railroad, out of Baker City, Oregon, offers scenic tours on weekends and on major holidays. From their photos that I've seen, it looks like a great scenic ride would be provided there.
The Oregon Coast Scenic Railway out of Tillamook, OR also looks like an excellent choice for rail fans.
Out of Ebe, Washington, the Mt. Rainier RR offers scenic tours pulled by either diesel or steam locomotives, whichever are available.
A short 9-mile steam run is offered by the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad out of Chehalis, Washington.
So, if you take a little time with the popular online search engines, you will likely turn up a few more of the other old steam trains still thundering down the rails in the old west.
As you can see, the era of the steam locomotive still remains with us... alive and well, running along the rails, and in our hearts.
Safe Travels,
Gary Miller
Additional Reading
- Legends of America
- Railroads in the West
- Narrow-gauge railroads in the United States
- 1870s Railroads, Heading West
- True West Magazine Train Towns
Please post a comment below!
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Join the Western Magazine Digest Community on Facebook!
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Here you will find interesting articles and current news pertaining to the Old West, Cowboys, Indians, the Civil War, Ghost Towns, Movies, and the wonderful television sitcoms of the past. Don’t let another day go by without being part of our Facebook Community! http://bit.ly/2D3lQ0j, or use our Twitter page: http://bit.ly/2FjRt87
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Sunday, March 24, 2019
Here's the Rest of the Western Magazine Digest Story
Howdy, partner!
Another source of inspiration for myself is that of old western magazines, like the Old West magazine shown on the right. This is the Winter 1982 issue of Old West. From it the trail has led me to two or three feature stories. For example, on page 12 is a story entitled, "Old West Gunfighters: The Men Who Fired in Anger" (see the table of contents below center). This story led to the writing of "Gunfighters of Renown," which we featured in WMD on November 23rd of last year.
Last December we featured four stories that culminated from a WMD article entitled "The Story of Bloody Bill Anderson," taken from an action story in Old West magazine, Winter 1978 edition, entitled "Cord of Death." Note that there are links at the bottom of part 1, 2, and 3, as well as a fourth story that culminated from this Old West article.
You already know the weekly publication side of Western Magazine Digest (WMD), but as Paul Harvey use to say, "here's the rest of the story." Besides publishing feature stories weekly, we also feature news and comment via our social media channels (Facebook and Twitter). If you're not tuning in to these two social media channels, then you're only getting part of our story.
For example, yesterday we sent out several news items, two of which I thought should be of great interest to our WMD readers. The one in Argus Courier, entitled "Petaluma’s Past: Northern California’s ‘Indian War,'" discusses the one and only Indian war that occurred in the State of California.
When we send our social media notices over our channels, we use a simple formula. We usually carry one or two sentences, we add three or four hashtags (to draw the attention of other social media networks), as well as a link. Photos are either natively provided by way of migration through the respective social media channel, or we add them where it seems appropriate.
Here's an example of our California Indian social media notice, along with a screen shot (above):
Petaluma’s Past: Northern California’s ‘Indian War’ | #TpromoCom #WMD #Indian #War | It was the only actual “Indian War” in California history. And the only Native American uprising in which a U.S. Major General was killed. One-hundred-forty-six years ago, Sonoma County and Petaluma were terrified.A second news item carried yesterday was that of a special ranch that provides help with the care of horses for local Tallahassee residents, which is carried by WTXL, channel 27, an abc affiliate:
Triple R Horse Rescue giving horses second chances at life | #TpromoCom #WMD #Horse #Rescue | Rescue and rehabilitation ranch, that's what the Rs stands for in Triple R Horse Ranch. After 10 years, the group has grown, but their mission remains the same. (see the blurb below)
According to the author, Jennifer Meyers of WTXL, "Triple R Horse Rescue doesn't just bring in abused horses to make them healthy. They truly give these animals a second chance at life, just like Choco, who has been here for two and a half years."
Headlines from other recent news postings include:
- Gunslingers bring Old West to Central Virginia
- Arizona's 'Superstitions' mountain range home to myth and legend
- Editors’ Picks 2019: Standard Manufacturing Single-Action Revolver
- Last rodeo: Cowboy calls it a career after 28 years
- A Cowboy’s Faith: Cold night healthcare rewarded
To read these and other items on our social media channels, click on the icons below:
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Where the Inspiration Comes From
Currently there are two authors at work on the WMD, Gary Miller and myself.
I believe I speak for both Gary and myself when I tell you that the inspiration for our stories comes from a variety of places, but the foremost spot is that of the heart.
Both Gary and myself have extensive histories in being a childhood cowboy or an Indian (you have to take turns you know). The countless hours that we, as young boys, played "cowboys and Indians" helps fuel the fire of interest in all things of the Old West.
Gary also has the benefit of caring for and riding horses on a regular basis a time or two during his lifetime. I have relatives in Martinsville, Indiana who have a horse ranch where I also got my feet wet riding a horse or two. And then there are the hundreds of hours spent watching westerns on television and in the movie houses of our youth.
Now that we're older, we draw from those wonderful memories every time we sit down to write a feature story.
A more recent story, entitled "The Historical Photography of Dr. Edward H. Latham," was inspired by another story in the same publication entitled, "A Girlhood Spend With Chief Joseph," on page 18. Through this article I began to research the photographer of that era who's work was featured in that story, Dr. Edward H. Latham. I scanned the pages of this old magazine and featured the photos so you could view it as well. What a treasure.
The thing about these old magazines (I have a huge collection of these collectible treasures), most every story involves real historical data either researched or told to someone who lived it. If you're interested in acquiring one or two of them, contact me at 614-585-2091 or email me. You also can review the few I've managed to add to our eCommerce store.
Be sure to leave a comment or question below. If you do not see the comment box, click on the "no comments:" and you will be on the actual article page. Scroll down and you will find the comment box. Thank you for reading WMD!
--Al Colombo
Looking for Writers
I wish we could dig deeper and provide even more information by way of additional stories on these subjects, but that would not be practical for us at this stage in our publication. In fact, we're looking for additional writers, so if you're a writer, or if you would like to try your hand at writing, I'd be happy to work with you (email me, or call 614-585-2091). If you do not get a response in 48 hours, please try again. Please post a comment below!
Friday, November 23, 2018
Gunfighters of Renown
One of the attributes centering on all Old West magazine stories is that all of them were/are well researched, documented, and presented in print. This includes "The Men Who Fired In Anger," by Bill O' Neal, as published in the 1982 Winter issue of Old West Magazine.
This story delves into the issue of famous gunfighters of the old west. Upon examination, I found that some of them I'd heard of but many more I hadn't. Of course, O'Neal's article did not examine all 249 that was part of an overall research program cited in the very first paragraph of the article.
"At what age did Westerners commence gunfighting careers? This statistic is available for 136 (55 percent) of the 249 gunmen examined. The average age for a first-timer in a shootout was 25. Of course, many individuals demonstrated early a willingness to take recourse in gunplay," says O'Neal.Those who were involved in gunplay before or at 15 years of age:
- Wes Hardin (History)
- Wild Bill Longley
- John Younger
- Ben Thompson
- John R. Hughes
- Yginio Salazar
- Cole Younger: 16 years of age he killed at man at 71 yards. (see a book reading below)
- Billy the Kid: 17 years old killed a man who slapped him at Fort Grant in Arizona.
- Jesse James: Killed a man in anger at the age of 17.
A Book Reading on Cole Younger
- Jim Miller: Suspected of killing his grandparents at the age of 8; was 17 when he was sentenced to life for killing his brother-in-law as he slept. "Miller was released on a technicality and soon became the West's premier assassin," says O'Neal.
- Henry Brown: Was 18 when he experienced his first gun play killing a man with three slugs.
- Seldon Lindsey: Killed a man at age 18, was acquitted, then went on to become a law enforcement officer.
- Jim Riley: After seeing someone he admired gunned down, killed all of the men involved in the incident.
- Ira Aten: At 18 fought a Texas Ranger.
O'Neal says that the following gunmen became involved in gun slinging at the age of 18:
- Bob Younger
- Charlie Bowdre
- Cherokee Bill Goldsby
- John Spradley
- Tiburcio Vasquez
- Henry Starr: This gunman was 19 when he earned his title after killing a peace officer.
- Johnny-Behind-the-Deuce O'Rourke: Was a gambler who killed another during a card game when the latter pulled a knife (hence the old saying, 'Don't take a knife to a gunfight.').
- Burt Alvord: Killed Six-Shooter Jim at the age of 19.
- Elfego Baca
- Bill Tilghman
- Cullen Baker
O'Neal included a number of photographs of well known and documented gunmen in the story, including the following:
- Tom Smith
- Doc Holliday
- Joe Lowe
- Bob Ford
- John Selman
- Jim Courtright
- Morgan Earp
- Bat Masterson
- Harvey Logan (Kid Curry)
- James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok
- Billy Brooks
- Pat Garrett
Be sure to see the HOT! section (look to the right) where you'll find documentaries and other videos on famous gunfighters of the old west. For the individual who would like to know more, the Old West magazine that this story came from is for sale in our shopping section.
Check out Gary Miller's story, "Gunfighters Then and Now," published on Nov. 3, 2018: click here!
If you find this story interesting, consider purchasing one of the following books or DVD's on famous gunslingers. Thank you for helping us keep the lights on.
Please post a comment below!
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