Myths And Mysteries Of The Old West

by Michael Rutter

"When the truth becomes legend, print the legend" (from 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance') The famous line from a classic Western movie sums up our traditional attitude toward the history of the American West. We’ve always cherished the tall tales, myths, and legends far more than we value the facts - even when those facts are equally fascinating. In Myths and Mysteries of the Old West, Michael Rutter takes you beyond the legends to meet the real characters who star in the most popular Western stories, novels, and movies. The cast * Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid *Etta Place, “the Sundance Woman” * Billy the Kid * Wild Bill Hickok * Calamity Jane * Mountain Man John Colter * Comanche, “the most famous horse in the West” * Billy Dixon of the “one-mile shot” * John Sutter of the California Gold Rush * General George Armstrong Custer * Sitting Bull - And More

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Americana, Westerns, Mythology

161 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael Rutter has authored or co-authored nearly 40 books and 600 articles for magazines and newspapers. He was awarded the Ben Franklin Award for Outdoor Writing and the Rocky Mountain Book Publishers Association Award. Michael teaches advanced writing at Brigham Young University. He is also a Christa McAuliffe Fellow.

Reviews

[Tony Laplume · Rating 4 out of 5]

True aficionados will probably have heard about all of the stories Rutter explores already, but for me, half the fun was learning some new stuff in addition to new facets of others I'm sure everyone knows to some extent. Aside from a rough introduction that doesn't bode well for the writing style (an impression that quickly proves unfounded, by the way), Rutter is an excellent guide to the myths, how they began, and what history can tell us about what really happened.

[Kaitlin Jundt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book in a gas station in Butte, Montana. I thought it would be a good roadtrip read, as I was traveling through the area of the main characters of the book. Each chapter is about a historical event or person involving Montana and Dakota territories. The author did a great job researching and pointing out facts about each event/person that I never knew! Sometimes I felt like the author was writing in circles, and it was almost as if he had no idea how to explain the facts. I loved how I could page through and just pick the chapters at random. I am a history buff and this will be a book I will pick up at random again just to read for enjoyment.

[Toni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has chapters about several people including Custer, Sitting Bull, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Billy the Kid, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and John Colter. Also includes stories/myths of the Seven Cities of Cibola, The Battle of Adobe Wells, the California Gold Rush, and the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Contains brief, superficial rundowns of western lore. The device of asking rhetorical questions at the first of each chapter to spark readers' interest became tiresome, but the reading was quick and easy.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, well-written collection of some of the best romantic stories of the American West, from James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok, Martha Jane (“Calamity Jane”) Canary and Buffalo Bill Cody to lesser known names such as John Colter (the original “Mountain Man”) and Billy (“One-Mile Shot”) Dixon, a man of legends and probably the best shooter on the Plains. Great myths and mysteries. For Western aficionados, a fun read.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff

Given the title, I expected more about unsolved crime and hidden treasure, but the content is tamer than that, though no less intriguing, once you get into it. Well-written, with a bit of personal experience thrown in, it's an engaging book that will take you back, make you want to get out and explore.

[Amber Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Know how to tell a black bear from a Grizzly greenhorn? Ya climb the nearest aspen tree. If'n it comes up and bites you, it's a black bear. If'n it knocks the durn tree over, it's a grizzly."

Fun sampler of the West. Buffalo Bill, Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Etta James, Calamity Jane, Adobe Walls, Custer, Billy the Kid, John Colter, The Seven Cities of Cibola, the Gold Rush, the buffalo and grizzlies are all briefly discussed. Not a definitive volume as this is a relatively short book, but it's a good truthful discussion of these topics and their realities. Basically a taste and reading list suggestion about the West for a greenhorn.

[Kate Brewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some really interesting sections, and tries very hard to separate fact from fiction. The author succeeds in doing this, even while diving into the folklore surrounding these stories. For an avid fan of the history of the American west this book would be an excellent choice. For me, a lover of history but not well versed in Western legend, it was enjoyable but sometime left me wanting more background or clarification. Overall a fun, shorter read that was a good for a day in the sun.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

First saw this book in the gift store of the Blazin' M Ranch in Cottonwood, AZ. I've read several books similar to this, so there wasn't a lot of new information in this book but it was still an enjoyable read. I did like the inclusion of the chapters around buffalo and grizzly bears and how they played into the Old West. Content touched on many of the more popular names from western folklore so it would be a great read if you're looking for a summarized back story of each. All in all, a fun book for western enthusiasts.

[Mike Barat · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you already know a lot about the American West this book is not for you. However for people like myself who only have a small amount of knowledge about this time period it's perfect. This book is only 134 pages and the stories have a lot of information considering how short the stories are. The book is consistent in the sense that done of the stories were badly written. If you don't know a lot about this time period and want to know more than I recommend this book. If I had pick a best story I would say it was the story about Billy The kid.

[Nicole Westen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should really read more as 'Legends of the Old West'. I was kinda hoping for folklore, or just plain weird things that have puzzled people for centuries. Sorta like a wild west D.B. Cooper. But this was really just talking about historical figures of the west whose reputations tend to be blown out of proportion to reality. Not bad, but kinda boring if you already know anything about American expansion into the west.

[Marci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Combining straight reporting of historical fact with historical record analysis and engaging episodes of fact-based fiction, Michael Rutter comes up with an interesting and informative collection of tales of the American West up to about 1900. Some are better done than others, but overall this is a book I recommend to my friends who are interested in the subject.

[Justin Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and informative book. Rutter finds a perfect balance of relaying historical facts and telling stories from a point of view as myths and mysteries. Even though most of the stories he tells are well known, every chapter in this book is worth reading.

[Kendall Concini · Rating 1 out of 5]

#readingchallenge2017 (leftover 2016 my history book)

read it..not my thing. Nothing sunk in...something about the gold mines, Calamity Jane is a drunk, and some guy did things.

[Kitty Bachman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book—learned a few new things! But once again the news media took liberties with their reporting!

[Dramagirl]

Very good

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. Always interesting to learn new tidbits about famous gunfighters and outlaws of the Old West, etc.

[Mike Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable and easy read. A few of the topics bored me but most were enjoyable reads and I learned new things about many of them.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this short book, Rutter addresses some of the popular myths from the old west. Of the 12 chapters, I found myself interested in Billy the Kid, Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the most interesting. I don't think the point of the book is to break the myths but, rather to explain the myths and give alternate theories. It's not heavy reading, if you are familiar at all with old west history you probably have heard the stories before but, I still found it a fun read.

[waits4thebus · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting, but what they were calling conclusions really weren't. I give it two stars for at least making me interested in pursuing some of these legends further to form my own conclusions.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book is pretty slim 'n' trite... very little fact versus fiction as advertised...some retelling of legends and guesses or theories, but not very entertaining or enlightening.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Tidbit book. Easy read, recommended

[Lkking · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what the title suggests - a debunking of familiar myths and recognition of mysteries still surrounding the American wild west. Find out the true - as far as we know - stories surrounding Billy the Kid, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Calamity Jane and many more, including General George Armstrong Custer who apparently was a one time Indian supporter.