"1876: Year of the Gun" by Steve Wiegand

Sometimes it's hard knowing just how wild the Wild West was in this country. Cutting through the mythology that surround western heroes like Wyatt Earp and Buffalo Bill Cody is something that Steve Wiegand endeavors to do with "1876: Year of the Gun."A longtime journalist for three California papers, Wiegand has devoted himself to writing books since 2010. With "1876," he's sifted through western history to provide an account for readers to better understand the situation."Sometimes the legends and the fact are inextricably intertwined. Sometimes what squeezes out is the truth," he said.Wiegand debunks some of the stories surrounding Bat Masterson, George Armstrong Custer, Wild Bill Hickok, Jesse James along with Earp and Cody but makes the point that the figures we know so well weren't phonies. "They did live dangerous lives. Hickok was shot and killed while playing poker at the age of 39. In the case of Bat Masterson, he had a dual life. On one hand he was a buffalo hunter, involved in shootouts and served for a time as sheriff of Ford County (where Dodge City is located). For the last 20 years of his life he moved to New York where he served as a newspaper editor and sports columnist and an expert on boxing," Wiegand told Steve Tarter.Wiegand's research turned up the legends that might have been along with the celebrated characters that have become household words thanks to television and movie stardom. "Bill Tilghman was a U.S. marshall and revenue agent who racked up 50 years in law enforcement, getting involved in more shootouts that Hickok, Earp and Cody combined, but you don't hear about him," he said.