Frontier Justice Coming to Town this Summer During Colorado State University’s American West Program

Bat Masterson, Pat Garrett, members of the Texas Rangers and other Western peace officers of the 1800s will lay down the law during this summer’s 25th American West Program at Colorado State University.

"Frontier justice in the unruly, rugged environment of the West was a difficult and dangerous undertaking," said Harry Rosenberg, history professor and coordinator of the American West series. "The program this year will feature a series of talks and slides by noted historians from throughout the country who will discuss how frontier men and women upheld the law – or how they sometimes fell on the wrong side of the law themselves."

The series opens June 4 with a discussion on the experiences of women police officers, matrons and prisoners in Western law enforcement by Anne Butler, senior editor of the Western Historical Quarterly and Trustee Professor at Utah State University.

Events will continue every Tuesday evening through July 30, when Patricia Limerick, historian from the University of Colorado-Boulder, will explore the role of the courts in the changing West.

Other topics include vigilantism, lawmen as depicted in art, the role of the Posse Comitatus in the West and a slide presentation on the rise and fall of Wyoming lawman Tom Horn.

Following is a schedule of events for the American West Program. All talks begin at 7:30 p.m. in Room C146 Plant Science Building. Due to remodeling, participants are asked to enter the building on the north side, off University Avenue.

All events are free and open to the public.

For more information, call Rosenberg at 491-5230.

• June 4 – "Behind the Badge: Western Women and Law Enforcement," Anne Butler, editor, Western Historical Quarterly, Utah State University.
• June 11 – "The Western Lawman as Art," Thom Ross, artist and author, Seattle, Wash.
• June 18 – "Pat Garrett: The Ups and Downs of a Western Lawman," Leon Metz, author and lecturer, El Paso, Texas.
• June 25 – "Posse Comitatus in Blue: The Soldier as Frontier Lawman," Michael Tate, history professor, University of Nebraska-Omaha.
• July 2 – "Tom Horn, Wyoming Range Detective: Guilty of Murder in the First Degree," Chip Carlson, historian and biographer, Cheyenne, Wyo.
• July 9 – "The Texas Rangers in History and Legend," Robert Utley, historian, Georgetown, Texas.
• July 16 – "Vigilantism – The Conservative Mob," Richard Brown, Beekman Professor of History, emeritus, University of Oregon.
• July 23 – "Bat Masterson: The Colorado Connection," Mike Koury, publisher, Old Army Press, Fort Collins, Colo.
• July 30 – "Judging Colorado: The Role of the Courts in the Changing West," Patricia Limerick, history professor, University of Colorado-Boulder.