“The ”49er”

Ebenezer Van Fossen was a young man when he felt the lure of gold tugging at him. He packed his meager belongings and kissed his young bride, Ida, tenderly on the cheek as he left her with the promise to return a wealthy man, able to give her the world.

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“Poncho”

Poncho became a bandit as a young boy. He was the youngest of 12 boys. As time passed Poncho became somewhat of a legend in throughout Mexico. He was known for distributing much of his ill gotten gain to the impoverished peasants. Although Poncho was short in stature his quick draw was famous throughout Mexico, as was the fact that he rode only the swiftest of horses.

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"Lefty"

Although Lefty was a Gringo he was the best friend and trusted companion to the infamous bandit boy Poncho. These two formed a most unusual looking duo as Lefty, who towered over 7 feet tall, looked quite odd standing next to the diminutive, yet rotund Poncho. The gangly Lefty was not as fast a gun as Poncho, but it was suspected that he was the real master mind of this notorious pair.

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“Gentleman Dan”

Dan “Smith”west to find his fortune, but what he found was Gold Mining was a hard and thankless work. He knew there had to be an easier way to make a living and enjoy the good life. He soon discovered that it was easier to rob stagecoaches, and far more profitable. It was the manner in which he held up the stagecoaches that earned him the name “Gentleman Dan”

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“Nick Marston”

As a boy growing up in Eastern Ohio, Nick Marston read every dime novel he could get his hands on about the Wild West. As a teen he purchased a six gun and began spending countless hours practicing his fast draw with dreams of some day heading West and making a name for himself.

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“Chief Joe”

Chief Joe’s life started in a rather odd place, a wood shop in Philadelphia, PA in 1861. Although he was born an Indian he never spent a minute of his life among the Indians! He had always lived amongst the white man. Throughout his life Chief Joe traveled to many different and varied places and was privileged to witness quite a few historical moments.

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"Windfield McGraw"

In his younger days, Windfield McGraw served in the Texas Rangers rising to the rank of Captain. After years of fighting Indians and outlaws, and watching the city of Houston grow from a frontier settlement into a “civilized” town, McGraw and a small group of fellow rangers headed to a small Texas town called Prairie Hawk near the Calamity River. Prairie Hawk was not much of a town, consisting of only a few buildings. Captain McGraw and his small crew lived on the edge of town on a small ranch. They made there living by crossing into Mexico and making off with a few head of cattle and horses the found “wandering” around and taking them to sell in Houston. Life in Prairie Hawk lacked the excitement of the Texas Rangers, but it was better than being confined in the growing, crowded city.

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Carlton Smith Wynautt

Carlton's mother had fallen on hard times and in a desperate attempt to keep herself alive turned to the only occupation available to her, thus Carlton was born and raised in a brothel. His mother, wanting to give her son a better life than she had been forced to endure, raised him to be a gentleman. She made sure he was dressed like any fine gentleman should be dressed, he always sported a stovepipe hat, and the finest silk shirts and ties. Clothes though, do not make the man. Carlton having seen and been exposed to the seedier side of life was not above taking advantage of those he came in contact with or even called friends. He was quite accomplished in cheating at cards and felt it his God given right to have what he wanted no matter how he he went about accomplishing that task. Being treated like a prince by his mother yet being fully aware of what the town folk called him given the sordid details of his birth, Carlton carried a much exaggerated air of self importance about himself. One night in a crowded saloon, sitting in on a game of poker, Carlton came face to face with his destiny. He finally met the man who would put him in his place because of his arrogant attitude and cheating ways, and sadly for Carlton that place was Boot Hill.

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Isaiah Benjamin

In his 20's Isaiah was a gunfighter and could hold his own with the best of them. He spent those early years of his life living hard and loose. But during those wild years of his youth he “saw the light” and his life they say, was transformed.

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Milton Spriggs

Milton had been a loner his entire life. The only surviving child born to his parents, he had been overprotected and sheltered. He hadn't been allowed to play with other kids, or even attend the community school. Climbing trees, riding horses, just normal kid stuff was forbidden for fear he might injure himself. This isolation had turned Milton into a bitter and angry young man. When he was in his late teens he couldn't take it anymore so packed up his belongings and snuck away without so much as a farewell. He had escaped to what he assumed would be a grand life of freedom and happiness. Milton had no knowledge of what the real world was like so learned his life lessons the hard way. The hard knocks this bitter young man endured only fueled the fires of his own tortured soul. The ironic thing for Milton is that he ended up living a lonely and miserable life separated from what he had left home to find and ended his life fighting anyone who crossed his path or disturbed his solitude.

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