From the Annals of History: A Real Life #Cowboy & His Lover...The Rose of Cimarron

Hi there, and thanks for stopping by today to read about bloody shootouts, a real-life cowboy and the woman who loved him. 

This is the true story of Rose Dunn, also dubbed the Rose of Cimarron, for her kind nature and beauty. I hope you enjoy it. 

Rose Dunn (aka the Rose of Cimarron) was born near Ingalls, Oklahoma. Her family was poor, but she received a formal education at a convent in Wichita, Kansas. Dunn's two older brothers became minor outlaws by the time she was 12. She learned to ride, rope and shoot from her brothers, and through them, she met and became involved romantically with George "Bittercreek" Newcomb around 1893. At the time, Rose was  only14-15 years of age. 

The gang Newcomb ran with worshipped her due to her good looks and her calm and kind demeanor, They were fiercely defensive of her, and in return, spawned her loyalty to them. Rose was completely infatuated with Newcomb and began supporting Newcomb's outlaw life. When he was a 'wanted' man she often ventured into town for supplies for him. By that time, Newcomb rode with theWild Bunch gang led by famous outlaw Bill Doolin. Her brothers, however, had left the outlaw life and become well-known bounty hunters, calling themselves the Dunn Brothers.

On September 1, 1893, the gang was cornered in Ingalls by a posse of U.S. Marshals, in what became known as the Battle of Ingalls, resulting in an intense shootout. Western legend has it that Newcomb was badly wounded, and while he lay in the street, Rose Dunn ran from the "Pierce Hotel" to his side with two belts of ammunition and a Winchester rifle. She fired the rifle at the Marshals while Newcomb reloaded his revolvers, thus, allowing Newcomb to escape.

Three Deputy Marshals were killed during that shootout, and both Newcomb and Charley Pierce were wounded but escaped. Gang member "Arkansas Tom" Jones was also wounded but captured by Deputy Marshal Jim Masterson. Together with Newcomb and other members of the gang, Rose Dunn hid out for at least two months nursing the remaining gang members back to health.

By 1895, Newcomb had a $5,000 bounty placed on him, dead or alive. Newcomb and Charley Pierce began hiding out near Norman, Oklahoma, both of them having been wounded in another gunbattle with US Marshals. On May 2, 1895, the Dunn Brothers shot and killed both Newcomb and Pierce as they dismounted in front of the Dunn house to visit Rose. The brothers collected the bounty, believed to have been $5,000 each.

Rumors abounded that Rose had 'outed' Newcomb and Pierce, but in later years, both Rose and her brothers denied the allegations. 

Rose went on to marry a politician and died at the age of 76. 

When we write western romance fiction, it's a story made up in our heads--although it might be taken from actual events in history. Sometimes we forget that life was brutal and cold in those days with real shootouts (and real bullets), nasty battle wounds, poor medical care, and long recoveries. Quite different sometimes than the romantic stories we peddle about westerns.

Here's one of my stories set in New Mexico in the late 1800s. New Mexico was well known for its harsh terrain and hot weather. I hope you enjoy reading about it.

Chasing the Dead

Western Romance

In 1884 New Mexico, Madrid Arrende finds herself kidnapped by the Apache. Determined to rescue her, her wealthy father realizes there is only one man capable of bringing her back alive...Deacon Bannister. Deacon doesn't give one whit about the large sum of money Don Erasmos Arrende has offered him to find his daughter. He only cares about bringing the woman he left at the altar a year ago home.

A ghost is terrorizing the Apache village and the young maiden, Sacheen, has been banished by her People for unleashing Uday's wrath. Now, Deacon, Madrid and Sacheen must flee for their lives across the rugged New Mexico landscape with the evil spirit in hot pursuit.

Will they make it back alive to Madrid's father's hacienda or will

Deacon lose Madrid forever?

❤Available on Al Venues HERE❤

Thanks so much for visiting today. I hope you'll stop in again!