Legends and Lies Great Mysteries of the American West [Paperback]

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.

Dale L. Walker'sLegends and Liesis a masterwork of its kind, bringing serious scholarship and poetic prose to a subject that has too often received only tabloid treatment. Loren D. Estleman

Not only good reading, but good history. Roundup Magazine

A stunning accomplishment. The San Antonio Express News

A colorful, accurate, fast romp through some of the remaining mysteries of what was once the American frontier. The Salem Statesman Journal

Dale L. Walkers more than twenty books reflect his varied historical interests: military and Western history, 19th century Golden Age journalism, biography, and Jack London studies. He is a four-time Spur Award winner, the Owen Wister Award for life achievement, and is a member of the prestigious Texas Institute of Letters. Among his books are the Spur Award-winningJanuarius Macgahan,The Boys of '98,Bear Flag Rising, andPacific Destiny.