Old West Lawmen - Last Name Begins with "L"

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John M. Larn (1849-1878) - Born in Mobile, Alabama on March 1, 1849, Larn traveled to

James Franklin "Bud" Ledbetter (1852-1937) - Ledbetter was born and raised in Arkansas where he began his career as a lawman and served as a deputy sheriff in Johnson County. Gaining a reputation as a fierce fighter who was hard on thieves and killers, he was soon recruited as a U.S. Deputy Marshal. Working under Morton Rutherford, who was in charge of the eastern Indian Territory District, he moved to Oklahoma. Ledbetter was quickly known for his gunfighting skills and is credited with single-handedly brining in four members of the train robbing Jennings Gang. He later became the Police Chief of Muskogee, Oklahoma.

Lighthorse Police (1844-1889) -  The Indian Police in Oklahoma were given the name Lighthorse by the Five Civilized Tribes when the state was still Indian Territory. As early as 1808, when the Cherokee were still located in the southeast, they  appointed "regulators" to stop crime, protect widows and orphans, and kill those who resisted authority. The tradition continued after the Cherokee were forced on the "Trail of Tears" to Indian Territory and was taken up by the other "civilized" tribes including the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole tribes. The police force got its name from Revolutionary War hero, General Henry Lee who was called "Lighthorse Harry" due to how quickly his cavalry responded to conflicts. The first official Lighthorse Company was formed in 1844 by the Cherokee National Council. Composed of a captain, lieutenant and twenty-four horsemen, the men were tasked with the pursuit and arrest all fugitives from justice before turning them over to the Indian courts for trial and punishment.  Though history tends to focus on the U.S. Deputy Marshal's activities in Indian Territory, the Lighthorse Police were just as important and their tales, unfortunately remain mostly "unsung."  When the  Five Civilized Tribes lost their tribal lands in the late 19th century, the Lighthorse Mounted Police were disbanded. However, today, some tribes still use the Lighthorse name for for elements of their police forces.

Seldon T. Lindsey (1854-19??) -  Reared in Louisiana, Lindsey's family moved to McClennan County, Texas after his father returned from the Civil War.  Upon settling down, Seldon's father established a law practice and in 1870, at the age of sixteen, Seldon found work as a cowboy. Over the next several years he worked on a number of cattle drives to the Kansas railroads. He also spent some time hunting buffalo, where he had the opportunity to meet Buffalo Bill Cody on two occasions.  In 1881, he married and the couple would eventually have eleven children. Appointed as a U.S. Deputy Marshal in 1890, he worked out of Paris, Texas and was involved in a number of gunfights as he brought in outlaws for sentencing. On June 8, 1894, Lindsey, along with U.S. Deputy Marshal Loss Hart, shot and killed Bill Dalton, the last of the Dalton Gang.

Steve Long, aka: Big Steve - A lawman and outlaw, Long ran the "Bucket of Blood" saloon in Laramie City, Wyoming and appointed himself assistant marshal. Long and his two partners were lynched on October 28, 1868. More ...

Harry Love (1809–1868) - Love was said to have known Davy Crockett and Sam Houston in his boyhood and had a brother who died at the Alamo. He fought in the Blackhawk Indian War in 1831 with Abraham Lincoln, and later in the Mexican War in 1846.  He was also a scout, an army express rider, a Texas Ranger, and an explorer of the Rio Grande in 1850. He then moved onward to California, but after failing to make his fortune in the gold fields, he became a deputy in Santa Barbara, California. On May 11, 1853, California Governor John Bigler signed a legislative act authorizing the organization of a band of California Rangers under the command of Captain Harry Love. Their purpose was to capture or kill the infamous bandito Joaquin Murrieta, ringleader of a gang of men believed to be responsible for much of the cattle rustling, robberies, and murders taking place in the Mother Lode region. In July of 1853, the Rangers came across the group of bandits near Arroyo Cantúa in San Benito County and in the ultimate gunfight, killed two of them who were allegedly the famous Joaquin Murrieta and his right hand man, Three Fingered Jack. Love was killed in June, 1868 in Santa Clara, California when he was in a wrestling brawl with a man named Christian Ivorson.  During the scuffle, Harry's own pistol accidentally discharged into his armpit and Love died the next day.

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From the Rocky Mountain General Store

Saloon Style Advertising Prints - What were on the walls of the saloons in the Old West?  Likely, much of the same as those you find today - advertisements for liquor, beer, and tobacco.  Plus the "decadent" women of the time.  In our Photo Print Shop, you'll find dozens of photographs for decorating your "real" saloon or den in a saloon type atmosphere.