Central States Lawman and Outlaws Historic Assoc. In the late 1800s - and early 1900s The River of humanity flowing west, was both wide and deep. Caught in the current of manifest destiny, were settlers, soldiers, business interests, and Outlaws. It was a perfect whirlwind of the Wild west. G.C. Stevens This page is copyrighted (c)
Friday, October 16, 2026
National Bison Day: Saturday, November 7th & 8th, 2026 at Sunset Hills Bison Ranch, Malcom Iowa
An Author in the Mid-West by G.C. Stevens
The Stuart N. Lake Letters Pt #3; Lake writes to Wyatt Earp, By G.C. Stevens
The Stuart N. Lakes Letters, Part II

Foreword;
Dear Wyatt Earp Aficionado,
There are in this world, men of substance, action and being, who by Gods grace are placed in their time and location to influence the world around them. It's easy to wax philosophical over such men, and to ponder over men like Wyatt Earp. Especially by those who sometimes contemplate history. They pour over texts, letters, diaries, records and old tintype photographs trying to nail down the persons or times in which the lived, these contemplations grow within their minds. But behind the mask, is a desire that takes on many forms of intentions. They range from the most sincere actions of the heart, to the most evil intentions of destruction. But the hind site of time, history, age and health, can temper the hardest of souls. I know this is true of Wyatt Earp, who was a man of substance, action and being. A man who wore a badge of authority, but the badge never made him who he was. He made the badge what it was supposed to be. The evidence of this cannot in the semi fictional, but in the many documents that he left behind. Many of these documents eventually came into possession of Writer and Earp historian Glenn Boyer. Direct evidence in the way of records and letters were donated to the Arizona Historic Society (AHS) from Glenn Boyers collection. The AHS has in their possession hundreds of pages of documents between Wyatt Earp, Josephine Earp, Stuart lake and Houghton Mifflin publishers. Stuart Lake and Wyatt Earp had formed a very tight, cooperative and cordial relationship as Lake had begun his journey to write Wyatt Earps biography, "Frontier Marshall". I have begun the process of purchasing copies of these letters with the intent of showing the public what is in these files, as I believe that the truth should be revealed for all of those who want to know what really happened, rather than examining it through the lens of Hollywood. My original intent was to photograph and publish each letter, however AHS has exercised copyrights over all copies and requires fees for each page that is placed on public display, It is therefore cost prohibitive to display each page. I can however transcribe each page. On one hand this will be very time consuming, but on the other hand, I will indeed gain much knowledge from closely examining and transcribing each page. I will do my best to recreate the look and feel of every letter, so that the reader has a full feel for its contents (which was written by first generation typewriters) and context. I look forward to this endeavor, and I hope the reader will benefit from this article.
Letter dated Aug 31, 1928
Stuart Lake attempts to interrogate Wyatt Earp about how many men he had killed? In this letter, Lake cites statements made by Bat (Lawman Bat Masterson), and how many men Bat had claimed that he killed.
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Aug 31, 1928
Dear Mr. Earp:
Because you were pretty well tired with all the work we had done. I didn't try yesterday to check to check up on one very important thing. So, when you get back to Lod Angeles, as promptly as you can, will you write me an answer to the following questions, which I prefer with a statement of things that make clear exactly what I have to know.
In the first place, there have been printed about you the same sort of things that were printed about Bat -- for example that Bat had drilled thirty men when the truth is that he did in fear. I want to be absolutely certain about your own career. As I have it now, there are the following:
Hoyt, In Dodge City,
The Two McLowerys and one Clanton in the street fight
One half-breed, Florentine at Pete Spences Ranch,
Frank Stillwell, at Tucson
Curly Bill at Iron Springs
(Note probably made by Stuart lake in the margin)
"One of these by Doc Holliday, One by Morg" (Morgan Earp).
Were there ever any others? Either before Tombstone or later, in San Francisco, Alaska, Neveda or Colorado days? Of course, I have seen various stories printed which I knew are far from the facts, that one of Bob Edgren's for instance. But, in checking over our present record , it seemed to me that I recalled from conversations with Bat that there were more than I have listed above. I may be mistaken, but must be sure for the simple reason that if there were others and I do not include them then there will be many people who do recall them and say that my whole book is in error because I have not told the whole story. They will discredit our whole effort in the same way in the same way that those who know the story of Tombstone are discrediting Burns, and the ones who will do it will be those who will be seeking every loophole in our array of facts.
So, will you sit down and write me about this question? If there no others, well and good, but, if there were, please tell me who and when and why as fully as you care to. Then, we can take up the necessary details later. They will be of small importance, but must be mentioned, however briefly, and I want the information for the first chapter of the book.
And as I said, anything else that occurs to you will be welcome.
Also do yoy recall any killings which were charged against you for which you were not responsible? (Added note by Stuart Lake) Sincerely
Stuart N. Lake
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Wyatts Response
4004 West Seventeenth St Los Angeles, California, September 13, 1928.
Mr. Stuart N. Lake
San Diego, California
Dear Mr. Lake:
This letter should have been written you some days ago; the delay, however, has been due to a search through trunks and other containers which have been in storage. I regret to tell you that, the results have been very disappointing as there were no picture or data of any kind discovered. The photographs, letters etc. which you will find inclosed hererwith are those which were gathered together from around the house here.
You might be able to obtain other information, from Mr. William J. Eunsacker, Rowen building. Los Angeles; S. Israel, 511 Western Mutual Life Building, Los Angeles; Mr. John P. Clum 1956 West Seventy-Fourth, Los Angeles, these are the addresses that I promised you.
Other information you inquired for; Mr. George Hurst (Father of William Randolph Hurst) was in Tombstone sometime during the fall of 1880, and it was at that time that I accompanied him in making an examination of some mining properties.
I do not remember the name of the Millner who witnessed the street fight in Tombstone. In that affair, Billy Clanton and Frank McLowry had four or five bullet holes in their bodies, and of course it would be impossible to declare who was responsible for the shots. I was responsible for none of the others only those names which I already have given you.
The Lawrence affair in San Francisco, I do not consider as of sufficient personal contact to be written into the story. You also inquired about Edgegreens account; Of this I have told you all; I have withheld nothing.
So far as the affair at Prescott was concerned, my brother Virgil could not have been responsible personally for the death of any individual as all the members of the posse were firing at the same time. I believe I explained to you that a valuable collection of pictures, newspaper clippings and other data, the property of Virgil's wife, was destroyed in a hotel fire in Oklahoma some years ago, this was confirmed by Virgil's widow, whom Mrs. Earp called several days ago.
I have written to Tucson for copies of the magazine containing articles under the caption of "Tombstone's Yesterday." These, I will forward to you as soon as received.
There is nothing further I know of at the moment to write you. I might suggest that you communicate with Mr. Hunsacker without delay as he called to see me last week and informed me that he is leaving for a trip to New Zealand within a week or so; he will be gone for several months.
My eyes are turning in the direction of the desert again and I already am planning on a return. If there is other information you are in doubt about, let me know so that all this may be completed before I leave Los Angeles. The accompanying inclosures, I hope, will fill in the gaps for you.
I trust you are well and feeling fine. Mrs. Earp joins me in regards to Mrs. Lake and yourself.
Sincerely yours,
Wyatt S. Earp
(Wyatt S. Earp.)
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Fiction; Chato, Indian Scout, Apache Dawn, By G.C. Stevens
Chato was a scout for the U.S. Army, was a man caught between worlds, trusted by few in a changing world, and understood by fewer. His latest assignment came straight from Indian Agent John Clum, a wiry, bald headed man with a stubborn streak and a vision for peace on the San Carlos Reservation. Clum had handpicked Chato for a delicate mission: track down a band of Apache renegades who’d slipped off the reservation, stirring unrest among the settlers and threatening Clum’s fragile truce.
“Chato,” Clum had said, peering over his desk in the dusty agency office, “you’re the only one who can do this. You speak their tongue, know their ways. Find them—bring them back alive if you can.” I will support you with a detachment of soldiers and all the supplies you need.
Chato nodded, his face unreadable. He didn’t care much for Clum’s idealism—peace was a word men like Clum tossed around too easily—but he respected the man’s grit. And Chato was actually John Clum's favorite Scout. Besides, Chato knew the renegades: young warriors, restless and proud, led by a firebrand named Naiche. They weren’t outlaws, not yet—just men who’d rather die free than live penned up like cattle.
Mounted on his wiry mustang, Chato rode alone into the canyons, following trails only an Apache could read: a broken twig, a scuff in the dirt, the faint scent of smoke on the wind. By nightfall, he found their camp nestled in a dry arroyo, a flicker of firelight betraying their position. He tethered his horse and approached on foot, silent as a shadow. In the distance he saw Apache warrior's. He knew he and his detachment had probably been watched for many hours. But Naiche spotted him first, riding briskly up to Chato in charge while whooping, then dismounted his horse while leaping up with a knife in hand. “You,” he spat in Apache, recognizing Chato’s mixed features. “Clum’s dog. Come to drag us back?” Chato raised his hands, empty. “Not his dog,” he replied in the same tongue. “Just a man who knows what it’s like to not fit anywhere. Clum wants you alive. The Army? They’ll shoot first, ask later. Your choice.” The warriors muttered among themselves, weighing his words. Naiche’s eyes burned with defiance, but Chato saw the flicker of doubt. He pressed on, switching to Spanish, a language they all understood from border raids. “Vivir para luchar otro dÃa,” he said quietly. Live to fight another day. Suspecting an attack, Chato and the detachment took up a defensive positions crouched behind a ridge of jagged boulders, his dark eyes scanning the horizon. After several hours of waiting, it became apparent that the hostiles had no intention of surrender, and that they had fled into the desert. His detachment—eight soldiers under Lieutenant Harrow—tracked the band of Apache warriors for another three days, following hoofprints and broken twigs through the unforgiving terrain. But now, the chase had ended. The Apache waited ahead, concealed among the rocky outcrops of a narrow canyon.
Chato adjusted the bandana around his neck, his rifle resting lightly in his calloused hands. He’d warned Harrow that the Apache leader, a cunning warrior named Tza-Ke, wouldn’t flee forever. “He’ll turn and fight when the ground favors him,” Chato had said that morning, his voice low and steady. Harrow, a green officer fresh from West Point, had nodded but said little, his jaw tight with untested confidence.
Now, the trap was sprung. A sharp cry echoed through the canyon, followed by the crack of gunfire. Bullets ricocheted off the rocks as the soldiers scrambled for cover. Chato darted to Harrow’s side, pulling the lieutenant down just as a shot whizzed past his head. “They’re above us,” Chato hissed, pointing to the canyon rim where faint silhouettes moved like ghosts against the orange sky. “Tza-Ke’s got the high ground.”
Harrow cursed under his breath, his face pale but resolute. “We’ll flank them. Take three men and circle left. I’ll hold here.”
Chato nodded, though doubt gnawed at him. The Apaches knew this land better than anyone—every crevice, every shadow. Still, he signaled to Privates Dunn, Lopez, and Carter, and the four slipped away, moving low through the brush. The air smelled of gunpowder and dust as they climbed a steep incline, Chato’s moccasins silent against the stone.
At the canyon’s edge, they spotted Tza-Ke, Naiche and six warriors, their rifles trained on the soldiers below. Chato raised a hand, halting his men. He studied Tza-Ke—a lean figure with a red cloth tied around his head, his eyes fierce and unyielding. For a moment, Chato felt a pang of kinship; he, too, had once lived by the old ways before the Army claimed him. But duty was duty.
He whispered a plan: Dunn and Lopez would draw fire while he and Carter closed in. The privates nodded, grim-faced, and opened fire. The Apaches spun toward the noise, and Chato moved like a shadow, his knife flashing as he tackled a warrior to the ground. Carter’s rifle barked, dropping another. Below, Harrow’s men rallied, their shots echoing up the canyon walls.
Tza-Ke turned, spotting Chato. The Apache lunged, his tomahawk gleaming in the fading light. Chato rolled aside, the blade striking sparks from the rock, and drove his shoulder into Tza-Ke’s chest. They grappled, dust swirling around them, until Chato’s knife found its mark. Tza-Ke slumped, his breath fading with a final, defiant glare.
The battle ended as swiftly as it began. Three Apaches lay dead, the rest vanished into the dusk. Two soldiers were wounded, but none lost. Harrow clapped Chato on the shoulder, his voice hoarse. “Good work, Villareal. Damn good work.”
Chato said nothing, wiping his blade clean. He gazed at the canyon, the weight of the fight settling into his bones. Victory tasted bitter when the enemy wore a face so like his own.
“Didn’t do it for you,” Chato muttered, tugging his hat lower. He mounted his horse and rode off, a solitary figure dissolving into the desert heat—half Apache, half Mexican, and entirely his own.
Saturday, October 10, 2026
Angel and the Badman, Movie Review by G.C. Stevens
ANGEL AND THE BAD 2026
This is where I have to put a on date myself, because it's important to how I viewed this movie. I am sixty-eight years old, and trust me, I've viewed a whole bunch of westerns. The very first important western movies that I the pleasure to watch were "The Magnificent Seven" (1960) which I saw on T.V. in 1965, which was a movie that set the tone for westerns that came after it, The Good The Bad and The Ugly" (1966) which I actually saw the theater when it came out. In between all of that, I was raised on a healthy dose of John Wayne movies, T'.V. westerns, "Gun Smoke", "Have Gun, will travel", "Bonanza" and "Davy Crocket" and a whole cavalcade of other westerns and frontier movies that came along. Add to that, the next level dramatic westerns like Sam Peckinpah's , "The Wild Bunch.", "True Grit", and 'The Long Riders." In the author's humble opinion, the last great western made was "Tombstone." But I must point out, that during the last fifty years of film making, a whole lot of things have changed in the way that films were shot and produced. Especially with the introduction of computer technology in film making. The technical aspects and cinemaphotography are considerably different than they were in 1960, but so is the mindset of our culture, this last fact is very important to take note of where Angel and the Badman is concerned.
But with all of that said, if you're looking for the Good The Bad and the Ugly or true Grit, you're not going to find it in Angel and the Bad Man, but if you go back and watch the original version of Angel and the Badman that was made in 1947, you'll find the actual model for the 2026 version, except that the 21st century version moves Angel and The Bad Man into a more mature vision that deals with immorality, violence, family and faith in God, which by the way, isn't any different than the original and just like the days of early film making, there are no emotional or dramatic movie musical scores, you'll only hear the typical music that supports each scene. In fact, the background music isn't very memorable at all. A big take away here is that Angel and the Badman relied on something ancient and obscure to both actors and movies goers, in that the movie relied on two basic things, that being cinemaphotography and real acting and dialog between people, just like the 1947 version employed. I enjoyed the simple rolling scenery of the desert and rolling plains, because I understand that most of the American west is rolling plains and scrub brush desert and it's not all monument Valley Utah. A warning to historians and thread counters, the wardrobe in Angel and the Badman is not exactly historically correct attire, and it seems that the wardrobe is used as a way to highlight the characters and scenes. I won't go into too many details of the movie, and you'll get no spoilers from me, because I think you should see the movie. If you do decide to see this movie for any reason, my advice is to see it as a witness to the shift in culture and to watch the western genre trying repeat its formula for success from the very beginning. On October 4th, 2026, I wrote a review of the original 1947 version of Angel and the Badman, you can read that here. The Angels Studios version used a lot of the original plot, but it made some significant artistic changes. The biggest part of the plot leaves western fans with one mystery and question, where did the Confederate gold come from? My mind went to Jesse James and the Knights of the Golden Circle. But you'll have to figure it out on your own.
G.C. Stevens, See you on the dusty trail!
If you like what I do here you can support this blog here: Dusty Trails of The Old West is Books, Articles and Research
Sunday, October 4, 2026
The Adair Iowa Autumn Market by G.C. Stevens
Angel & The Badman, & It's Remake By G.C. Stevens Updated 10/10/2026
Angel and The Badman Press Release
The 1947 Version of Angel and the Badman IMDB Page
Friday, October 2, 2026
Bison Bold Coffee!
Thursday, September 24, 2026
The Great American Western & The Central States Lawman and Outlaws Historic Association Team Up!
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Frontier Photo, US Cavalry Indian Wars (?) Taken by Palmquist and Jergens: By G.C. Stevens
- Sitting Bull / Photographed and published by Palmquist & Jurgens, Cor. Seventh and Robert Str., St. Paul Minn. Summary: Photograph shows Sitting Bull, three-quarter-length portrait, seated, facing front, holding a calumet. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
The Palmquist & Jurgens Studio today is mostly known for its series of iconic photographs taken of Sitting Bull in 1884. Sitting Bull had first visited Saint Paul in March 1884, being accompanied by one of his wives, his nephew One Bull, Indian agent James McLaughlin and an interpreter. He returned again the same year on September 4th, this time accompanied by Colonel Alvaren Allen, the owner of the Merchant Hotel in Saint Paul where Sitting Bull had stayed during his first visit. During the earlier visit in March he sat for a photography session with the Palmquist & Jurgens studio, then located at 225 East Seventh Street. It has been reported that a dozen glass plate negatives were taken of Sitting Bull and an additional one of him together with his nephew One Bull. It clearly was not a chance undertaking, in fact Sitting Bull was actually permitted to enter into a contract with the photographers reportedly giving them the exclusive right to sell and market these twelve photographs, finished in the form of albumen print cabinet cards, for a one-year period. It is also certain that Sitting Bull was given supply of prints of the photographs, for him to either give away or to sell.
Stories of the Frontier and Wild West!
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