True West Magazine - History

History

True West began publication in 1953. It was published by Joe Small, from Austin, Texas.

True West benefited from the early television era: as shows such as Bonanza, The Lone Ranger and Gunsmoke were aired, many fans became interested in finding out about the lives of real cowboys and cowgirls. True West sold, by the 1960s, in approximately 200,000 newsstands.

After that, the early era of television faded out and so did its interest in westerns. The Vietnam War, Disco and other interests of the era took over. True West began to have financial trouble. Many of the magazine's original buyers had started to search for new interests, and Mr. Small fell ill. In 1974, Small sold the magazine.

By 1984, the magazine was being produced from Stillwater, Oklahoma. However, with the surge of competitor magazines such as Cowboys and Indians and American Cowboy, the magazine could not get out of its economic troubles.

In 1999, the magazine was bought by current owners, Rick Baish, Bob Boze Bell and Bob McCubbin.

Some of the magazine's most popular subjects, cowboys and cowgirls, include Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane, Jesse James, Wild Bill Hickok and Annie Oakley, among others.

With the help of new investors, Bob and Trish Brink and Dave Daiss, the magazine has expanded its format to include travel, books, Western movies and most importantly, preservation.

The launching of The Top Ten True Western Towns (Sheridan, Wyoming was named number one in 2006) has brought national recognition to the magazine.

Executive Editor Bob Boze Bell is featured on the True West Moments on Encore's Westerns Channel daily and answers inquiries that come in from around the world.

In 2007, the magazine named Bill O'Neal of Carthage, Texas, as the "Best Living Non-Fiction Writer". O'Neal has written more than thirty works, the majority on the American West.