Tips and Tidbits for Writers

Researching and Writing About the Old West

By Bill Markley

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Researching the American Old West can be a dangerous landscape filled with ominous canyons and perilous precipices. You need to be on guard to fend off alleged authorities and fly-by-night sources ready to lead you astray. But take heart, if you are conscientious and persistent in seeking the truth, you can succeed in your quest.

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Whether you are writing nonfiction or fiction, you want your story to be accurate. Nothing bugs me more than when I am reading a novel and I come across characters, landscape, weapons, language, etcetera that are wrong. It throws me off. I don’t want to waste my time, so I take the novel to Goodwill.

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The same goes for nonfiction. In general, people will believe if something is nonfiction it must be accurate—right? No. Check sources. I have come across so-called nonfiction books that do not have endnotes for their sources of information. Case in point, I read a book claiming the James Boys had traveled to Dodge City and met Wyatt Earp. That sounded pretty cool, but there was no endnote as to the source of the information. I contacted the author about his sources, he replied saying he couldn’t remember. I could not use his information—off to Goodwill.

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Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the research trail:

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When beginning to research a particular person, event, or topic, find what are considered the best books on the subject. Examine those books’ bibliographies. Select the books, articles, journals, etcetera, the authors used. Access those documents, and if there are further bibliographies, examine those and repeat the process. Work your way back to the earliest sources. Don’t rely exclusively on secondary sources because they might have gotten it wrong or added in their own spin.

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Just because someone wrote down something over a hundred years ago doesn't make it true. Check it against other sources and know that there is nothing new on spinning the story the way the writer wants it to go. Think of today’s news; MSNBC and Fox News report the news differently, so did newspapers in the past.

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Journals written at the time of an event are more accurate than memoirs written years later. Our memories do change over the years.

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Many writers advise not to follow leads down rabbit holes; however, they can be fun. Set yourself a time limit to extract yourself. You never know what you might find down there.

 

Below are some research locations you may want to explore:

 

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West has a huge collection of American West historical photographs and manuscripts. The associated McCracken Research Library has rare western books and original documents. https://centerofthewest.org/

 

The Wild West History Association publishes historical articles with sources. Membership is required for full access. https://wildwesthistory.org/info-resources/

 

University archives and libraries with history programs set in the West maintain material dedicated western history. Institutions such as the University of Texas house collections of primary sources. https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/c.php?g=516457&p=3531167

 

State, county, and city historical societies have extensive records of western material. For example, the South Dakota State Historical Society has online collections. https://history.sd.gov/ and the Denver Public Library has a digital collection of over a million images of photographs, artwork, index cards of manuscripts, and maps. https://digital.denverlibrary.org/

 

The National Archives has massive collections of all things western, many of which can be accessed online. https://www.archives.gov/

 

The Library of Congress maintains government documents, maps, and photographs pertaining to the west. https://www.loc.gov/

 

Local historical societies and museums across the west are treasure troves of western history and may have online collections that can aid in your research.

 

Newspapers.com has over a billion online newspaper pages and is well worth paying the fee to access their records. https://www.newspapers.com/

 

Ancestory.com is another valuable resource if you are researching an individual. You may find that the person’s descendants have already conducted some of the research for you. https://www.ancestry.com/

 

I can’t stress enough, if you’re writing fiction, make it real; and if you’re writing nonfiction, document your sources. Happy Trails!

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-Bill Markley is the author of a multitude of award-winning books about the American West and is well-acquainted with the research process. Bill lives in South Dakota and has served as a Western frontier reenactor - he even had roles in "Dances with Wolves, "Far and Away," and other films. We are grateful to Bill for providing this wonderful advice and list of resources.