One Hundred Sixty Acres of Dirt tells the tales of remarkable people-farmers, cowboys, pioneer women and schoolmarms and their journey dealing with rustlers, droughts, Apaches, and straying husbands. It is the story of how they persevered and survived. It was their dream to own their own land. The pioneer families traveled a thousand miles to claim their homesteads in Arizona Territory. It is a beautiful country, but a tough life. Those who persevered met the challenges, raised their families, and prospered. Their determination was inspiring. They were strong and they left a legacy of courage. The histories came from personal journals and scrapbooks. Winner of four literary contest awards, including 2nd place winner for Arizona Authors Association Non-Fiction One Hundred Sixty Acres of Dirt is a carefully researched historical account of these stories that are filled with the emotions and passions of the people that lived them: their daily lives, joys, and tragedies.

--Arizona history stories in this fascinating book include: "The Legend of Red Ghost, The Fabulous Lost Adams Diggings, Uncle Jim's Last Gunfight, Con Men of Yesteryear and "Frank Murphy's Railroad

History and tales of the Southwest told with excitement and humor.

Action-packed tales of Wyatt Earp, the Rough Riders, Arizona Rangers, the shoot-out at the OK Corral, and many more.

Volume Two very closely follows the format established in Volume One of Tombstone By Tombstone: Here Lies the Old West, with one major exception. Volume One had 75 stories within just about the same number of pages as Volume Two while this volume only contains 46. So the stories are more in-depth, and I do believe more interesting. Once again we have some of the famous, infamous and some that certainly are not household names. There are stories on two of Wyatt Earp's brothers, but not on Wyatt. He does get frequent mention as there is a story about a fellow who rode with him and a fellow who did not. The ladies get good coverage again this time. There are five women of the Old West and only one of them could be considered a "Lady of the Evening," and after she quit running with the Wild Bunch she seems to have given up that life. There is a story of a western Indian who was sent east and an eastern Indian who was sent west. And there is a story about the boy that Geronimo missed when he attacked and destroyed the other members of his family. And because he missed, the boy celebrated his 107th birthday. There is a story about one very bad Indian outlaw and one Indian that rode with Geronimo and wrote his own autobiography. Did you know there was a fellow that fought the Yankees in the War of Northern Aggression and after the war was over received a Medal of Honor fighting with the US Army? Were you aware that one Medal of Honor recipient shot and killed another MOH recipient? Everyone knows who James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok is, but other than Old West buffs, how many know the name Davis Tutt? Some may be surprised to learn that the Gunfight Close to the OK Corral was not the bloodiest in Arizona history and the bloodiest didn't happen until after the beginning of WWI, and that was still the Wild West here in Arizona. There are four of the meanest killers that ever roamed the southwest and some of the best lawmen ever assigned to catch them. Blacks, whites, Indians, Mexicans, outlaws, in-laws, ladies and whores, they are all covered here and everybody will find something that they did not know before reading these stories.

For the first time since the 1920s, The Laughing Desert presents the 1925-1926 Salome Sun by Arizona humorist and the "Sage of Salome," Dick Wick Hall. These thirty-two issues of the nationally syndicated weekly newspaper are packed with stories, poems, down home philosophy and Claude G. ("Put") Putnam's illustrations that made the town of Salome famous. Hall poked fun at bankers, Wall Street, all forms of pretension, and even himself. This book also includes previously unpublished photos of Salome and the Hall family, love poems from Dick to his wife, Daysie Sutton Hall, plus images of Arizona's McMullen Valley in the 1920s. Hall's granddaughter, educator and historian Robin R. Cutler, created The Laughing Desert for Arizona's Centennial. Her introduction places the engaging newspaper in its historical context and she includes an epilogue about her grandfather's enduring legacy. Marshall Trimble, Arizona's Official State Historian and a prolific author, educator and sought-after entertainer provides the Foreword. Fun for readers of all ages, The Laughing Desert is ideal for those who love the history, literature, humor, romance and colorful landscape unique to the American West. It's a unique gift and a great resource for classrooms or book groups; the replicas are filled with material teachers at all levels may use to liven up discussions about desert life and Arizona literature and history. Readers will smile as they follow the quirky adventures of Dick Wick Hall, his seven-year-old Frog that could not swim, and desert characters such as Chloride Kate, the Reptyle Kid, Cactus Callie, Gila Monster Jake and cub reporter Archie Bald Doveface. As an early ad for the paper put it, if you enjoy the great outdoors and laugh at the West of Mark Twain, Owen Wister and Charlie Chaplin "you will be hilarious over the Salome Sun." Each 8.5 by 11 inch issue of the 4-column paper fits on a separate page. DISCOUNT CODE AVAILABLE FOR SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, LIBRARIES, MUSEUMS, STORES AND ANY ORDERS OF FIVE OR MORE COPIES. CONTACT [email protected]. For more information about the Hall family and Dick's daughter Jane Hall's journey from Salome to Hollywood where she was an MGM screenwriter during the studio's Golden Age, see www.robinrcutler.com