Ride the Devils Herd, John Boessenecker
Ride the Devils Herd, John Boessenecker
List: $26.99
On Sale: $6.99

Ride the Devil's Herd
Wyatt Earp's Epic Battle Against the West's Biggest Outlaw Gang

Author: John Boessenecker

Narrator: Stephen Graybill

Unabridged: 14 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/17/2020

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

The little-known story of how a young Wyatt Earp, aided by his brothers, defeated the Cowboys, the Old West’s biggest outlaw gang.

Wyatt Earp is regarded as the most famous lawman of the Old West, best known for his role in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. But the story of his two-year war with a band of outlaws known as the Cowboys has never been told in full.

The Cowboys were the largest outlaw gang in the history of the American West. After battles with the law in Texas and New Mexico, they shifted their operations to Arizona. There, led by Curly Bill Brocius, they ruled the border, robbing, rustling, smuggling and killing with impunity until they made the fatal mistake of tangling with the Earp brothers.

Drawing on groundbreaking research into territorial and federal government records, John Boessenecker’s Ride the Devil’s Herd reveals a time and place in which homicide rates were fifty times higher than those today. The story still bears surprising relevance for contemporary America, involving hot-button issues such as gang violence, border security, unlawful immigration, the dangers of political propagandists parading as journalists, and the prosecution of police officers for carrying out their official duties. Wyatt Earp saw it all in Tombstone.

About John Boessenecker

John Boessenecker is the author of twelve books, including New York Times bestseller Texas Ranger. He has received the Spur award from Western Writers of America, the Best Book award from Westerners International, and in 2011, 2013 and 2019 True West named him Best Nonfiction Writer. He has appeared frequently as a historical commentator on PBS, The History Channel, A&E, and other media. He lives near San Francisco, California.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Socraticgadfly on January 31, 2021

Lost two stars at the end, and probably lost himself a reader, as well. (Update: Based on part on my reading of Philip Fradkin's Wells Fargo history "Stagecoach," who in one chapter covers things related to Tombstone and clears away as much myth about the OK Corral or more than Boessenecker does in h......more

Goodreads review by Nate on October 26, 2023

Fascinating! There’s so much more to the story than you’re ever likely to see in a novel or movie. One thing that really blew me away was how partisan the media and citizens were back then. Tombstone had two newspapers, one Democrat one republican and they printed competing, sometimes fictional narr......more

Goodreads review by Clay on July 22, 2020

Learned more about the Cowboys outlaw gang. A better book cover would have criminals on it, kind of get the impression that Wyatt Earp is one of the bandits the way it is.......more

Goodreads review by Will on May 07, 2021

Content: 5, this is fascinating history. Fair dealing with the dead: 5, even handed and clearly reasoned. Editorializing application to the modern world: 4, his comments on the media are spot on (it's always been about the $); I also agreed with his comments on policing, but they were stretching a lit......more

Goodreads review by Mark on August 25, 2020

Just when you thought there would be nothing new to come out on Wyatt Earp, here comes "Ride the Devil's Herd" with more new information that fleshes out Wyatt Earp's story. Boessenecker and the late Paul Cool have given us a major contribution in history.......more