September 13th, 2009

A week ago I was doing a book signing at Linda’s Old West Books in Tombstone, Arizona. While I was there I met a writer who had co-authored a book about the place many refer to as “the town too tough to die.” At some point during the signing the affable author mentioned that she was a researcher as well as a writer. Evidently she has done extensive research on a variety of frontier subjects for many western authors. When the topic of old west cemeteries came up she shared her knowledge of Tombstone’s Boot Hill. The author explained that most of what is currently known about the graveyard, it’s location and occupants, is incorrect. She said she knew the truth about the cemetery because she has the deed and some other original documents for Boot Hill. She added that she was not going to write about it herself, nor was she going to share the information with anyone other than one of her friends who was going to pen a book about the legendary spot. The entire discussion got me thinking about the accuracy of history as a whole. When you write non-fiction books about the old west you strive to use original source material. If original source material is in private hands, like the deed to Boot Hill for example, how accurate can any history be? At best, history writing can only be an unfinished work in progress. Even when the facts are reasonably well established, historians may differ radically in their interpretation of those facts. Some historians take those interpretations too seriously. Prior to the signing I’d received a couple of emails warning me not to come to Tombstone because of what I wrote about Wyatt Earp in the book Thunder Over the Prairie. The number of men I said Earp gunned down in his vendetta ride differed from theirs. This difference was so substantial to them they felt the need to threaten me. I can’t imagine being that upset about something that happened more than 125 years ago. When I told author Glenn Boyer about all this he was outraged. He called fellow author and Tombstone resident, Ben Traywick and asked him and a few of his hands, to be my body guards while I was in town. Mr. Traywick did not disappoint. I believe I’m in for more trouble when the book about Libbie Custer comes out. I already know that more than 6,000 personal documents on or about Libbie and her famous husband are in the hands of a gentlemen living near the Little Big Horn. And he’s not going to let me see them. I’ve asked. So, the book will only be as accurate as the material available. Oscar Wilde once said, “the one duty we owe to history is to rewrite it.” If many historical records are privately owned and only a select few are allowed to examine them, history will always be rewritten.