Wyatt Earp and Coeur D'Alene Gold!


Book Description

In January of 1884, 36 year-old Wyatt Earp and his third wife Josephine, and two brothers, James and Warren, joined in a "stampede" of humanity bound for the fabulously wealthy Coeur d'Alenes of North Idaho Territory. For a bustling enterprising America, this was the greatest bonanza of the day. Such notables as Calamity Jane, Monte Verde, Molly-B-Damn and thousands of other western characters were in attendance, as were veterans of both the north and south in America's great Civil War, as well as, gunfighters, gamblers and thieves who all joined forces in their search for riches.




A Wyatt Earp Anthology


Book Description

Wyatt Earp is one of the most legendary figures of the nineteenth-century American West, notable for his role in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Some see him as a hero lawman of the Wild West, whereas others see him as yet another outlaw, a pimp, and failed lawman. Roy B. Young, Gary L. Roberts, and Casey Tefertiller, all notable experts on Earp and the Wild West, present in A Wyatt Earp Anthology an authoritative account of his life, successes, and failures. The editors have curated an anthology of the very best work on Earp—more than sixty articles and excerpts from books—from a wide array of authors, selecting only the best written and factually documented pieces and omitting those full of suppositions or false material. Earp’s life is presented in chronological fashion, from his early years to Dodge City, Kansas; triumph and tragedy in Tombstone; and his later years throughout the West. Important figures in Earp’s life, such as Bat Masterson, the Clantons, the McLaurys, Doc Holliday, and John Ringo, are also covered. Wyatt Earp’s image in film and the myths surrounding his life, as well as controversies over interpretations and presentations of his life by various writers, also receive their due. Finally, an extensive epilogue by Gary L. Roberts explores Earp and frontier violence.




Wicked Coeur d'Alene


Book Description

Despite its inviting splendor, Coeur d'Alene was home to violent conflict and lascivious mischief in its earliest years. Newspapers echo accounts of desperate gamblers, prostitutes and prospectors who did everything they could to secure their own future--at all costs. Town druggist Mr. Salis Smith concocted medicine composed of 50 percent alcohol mixed with cocaine or opium for the despondent. Characters like Bootleg Mary or murderous Fatty Carroll, notorious for employing shallow graves, populate dark tales of hushed murders, illegal gambling and corrupt politics. From bloody mining disputes to outlaw train robberies, author Deborah Cuyle recounts the sordid, salacious and sinful sides of Lake City's past.




The Crystal Gold Mine


Book Description

How is it possible an old West gold mine stayed hidden for over a century especially since she is located near the heart of the Coeur d'Alene Mining District in Idaho? Well, as my wife Sherry is quite often known to say, "Here's the story!" Retired miner Bill Lane and his wife Judy traveled the northwest of the United States for several years in hopes to preserve an old mine for educating the public. In 1996, they found what they have been looking for in Kellogg, Idaho. Things started off as planned until some locals became upset. It didn't sit well with them believing these outsiders came along and created what they consider to be a fictitious story centered around an old sloughed-in mine. My wife Sherry and I have always been known to take a gamble and have experienced many awesome adventures over the years. My career in the United States Navy, her career in banking, and raising ostriches have left us with fond memories. However, when we purchased the mine property from Bill Lane in 2012 and reopened the old historic gold mine tour, the perception of awesome takes on a whole new meaning. During our decade of owning and operating the Crystal Gold Mine Tours, many folks have asked us for more information about our history. This is in response to those many requests during those wonderful years. It's time to lay down and expose the hand we were dealt, along with taking the opportunity to set a few local folks straight. It turns out, some of them are nothing but a bunch of "modern-day claim jumpers!" And the true history of the Crystal Gold Mine in Kellogg, Idaho is at stake.




Ghosts of Coeur d'Alene and the Silver Valley


Book Description

Eerie sightings and legendary haunts in the heart of the Idaho panhandle. Spirits of pioneers who risked their lives in search of fortune still roam the old buildings in the Silver Valley. The ghosts of a young boy and teacher actively wander the halls of The Roosevelt Inn. A prisoner of war haunts the old fort where his torture and killing took place. Still waiting for her lover's return, an expectant spirit haunts her favorite room in the Jameson Hotel. The skeletons of unfortunate soldiers lie where Fatty Carrol buried their bodies so long ago, and the phantoms of restless miners still linger in abandoned mines. Author Deborah Cuyle reveals Coeur d'Alene and the greater Silver Valley's fascinating haunted history and the souls that refuse to leave.







Anything Will Be Easy After This


Book Description

Bethany Maile had a mythological American West in mind when she returned to Idaho after dropping out of college in Boston, only to find a farm-town-turned-suburb instead of the Wild West wonderland she remembered. Haunted by what she had so completely misremembered, Maile resolved to investigate her attachment to the western myth, however flawed. Deciding to engage in a variety of "western" events, Maile trailed rodeo queens, bid on cattle, fired .22s at the gun range, and searched out wild horses. With lively reportage and a sharp wit, she recounts her efforts to understand how the western myth is outdated yet persistent while ultimately exploring the need for story and the risks inherent to that need. Anything Will Be Easy after This traces Maile's evolution from a girl suckered by a busted-down story to a more knowing woman who discovers a new narrative that enchants without deluding.




Murder & Mayhem in Coeur d'Alene and the Silver Valley


Book Description

Murder & Mayhem in Coeur d'Alene and the Silver Valley uncovers pain and punishment in the panhandle Northern Idaho's natural beauty shrouds tales of gamblers, prostitutes and violent prospectors. Illegal gambling, excessive drinking and vicious disputes were commonplace from Coeur d'Alene to Kellogg. Bordellos lined the streets, and some tempted soldiers mysteriously never returned to Fort Sherman. Former Wallace Mayor Rossi shot a man in cold blood in front of numerous witnesses and was somehow found not guilty. One mining dispute led to the gruesome murder of Idaho's ex-Governor Steunenberg. Legendary Wyatt Earp lived in the valley, until he got caught claim jumping in Murray. Author Deb Cuyle exposes accounts of Coeur d'Alene and the Silver Valley's debauchery, secrets and sin.




The Earps Invade Southern California


Book Description

Most readers of the Wild West know Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp, and Morgan Earp for the famous shootout on the streets of Tombstone, Arizona. But few know the later years of the close-knit Earp family, which revolved around patriarch Nicholas Earp, and their last push at a major monetary coup in Los Angeles. By 1900 a newly established Old Soldiers’ Home was in place at Sawtelle (between Santa Monica and Los Angeles), with thousands of veterans earning monthly pensions, but in an environment where alcohol was prohibited. Enter the Earps and their “blind pig” (illicit alcohol sales) scheme. Two of the Earps, Nicholas and son Newton, were enrolled in the Soldiers’ Home, and Newton’s far more famous half-brothers Wyatt and Virgil showed up from time to time, but the star of the operation was older brother James. Booze would flow, the pension money would be “dispersed about,” and jails were sometimes filled, as the Earps and several other men on the make competed for the veterans’ money. We are also reintroduced to Old West figures such as “Gunfighter Surgeon” Dr. George Goodfellow, “Silver Tongued Orator” Thomas Fitch, millionaire George Hearst, detective J.V. Brighton, Lucky Baldwin, and many other well-known westerners who touched the lives of the Earps.




Wyatt Earp: A Vigilante Life


Book Description

A portrait of the iconic nineteenth-century law officer separates fact from fiction while exploring Earp's role in creating his own myths, revealing his lesser-known activities as a thief, gambler, and confidence man.