Hot damn, a new mystery! In June of 1902, a journalist in Buffalo, New York decided he needed to put in a good word for his old pal, Bat Masterson. Only weeks before, Masterson had left Denver under a dark cloud, and now he was making a go of it in New York City. New […]
Mysteries at the Museum, Part II
It was great to see the show. Lou has been written about many, many times over the years in non-fiction books on confidence games, famous criminals, criminal psychology and the like. He’s even made an appearance in several works of fiction, always the slimy, obese mobster. But never on the screen, big or small. So, […]
Mysteries at the Museum, Part I
Lou has finally made his television debut, and here he is: (The actor looks familiar, but I can’t seem to find a credit for the part.) A few months ago Scott and I were contacted by the staff of Mysteries at the Museum, a Travel Channel program that examines the history behind various historical objects […]
The Cabinet Saloon, Deming, NM
I’ve been sitting on this for a while. A few years ago, our colleagues down New Mexico way sent us a little gift. The husband and wife team of Bob Alexander and Jan Devereaux were engaged in their own research — in this case, regarding the husband and wife team of Frank Thurmond and Carlotta […]
Ain’t Life Wonderful!
Dr. James
Sacramento Daily Union, March 23, 1864
Stroud Theatre, Phoenix, 1883
Another piece of the puzzle — Blonger & Co. goes to Phoenix. We have reams of information on Sam and Lou in 1882, when Sam was marshal of New Albuquerque, and the brothers had numerous and varied exploits, dutifully chronicled by the town newsmen. The years that directly follow have been a bigger mystery. The […]
Sam and the Austin Stage
Details of Sam’s exploits during the Civil War years are few and far between, which is a real shame. The California Trail! An infant Denver! Driving a stage over the Sierras! And that’s just about all we know. Imagine the epic story that’s just out of reach! And then consider how much more Sam went […]
Soapy Gets All The Breaks
Except maybe that one time in Skagway. Ridley Scott’s Klondike starts Monday, January 20 on the Discovery Channel. The miniseries follows two young men into the heart of the Yukon gold rush. Ian Hart plays Soapy. If we’re lucky the writers will throw us a bone and have Soapy say a little something about Denver. […]
Blonger Day, cont.
As you may know, Blonger Day also includes the ritual “airing of grievances” – no, sorry, that’s Festivus – rather, it includes a recounting of the past year’s events (as bountiful or scanty as they may be), not to mention a peak at the year to come. The Mark Inside In April, author Amy Reading […]