DEAR EDITOR

[email protected]

Wyatt Earp: Pimp, Hustler and Thug?

Leo W. Banks' article, "Wyatt Earp: The Post-shootout Years" (April '05), is fiction. Earp was never a legitimate lawman for any length of time, and he certainly wasn't a hero. He was a thug, a gambler, a pimp, a hustler, a con man and a world-class liar.

If there is a hero in the Tombstone saga, it can only be Sheriff John Behan, the man whose memory is today maligned. He was a courageous Arizona pioneer, father, businessman, lawman, loyal public servant and a veteran of three wars. His rightful place in Arizona history was stolen from him by the purveyors of the false legend of Wyatt Earp.

Gene Botts, Fernandina Beach, FL Wow. This sounds personal. Good thing Doc Holliday didn't hear you say that. Of course, history's a slippery beast-especially when greased by movies and memoirs. We keep trying to rub the facts hard enough to glimpse the gleam of brass beneath the tarnish of myth. I suspect the truth lies somewhere between your version and the last gushing Earp movie.

Thanks, Bob Early

In the April 2005 issue, I read and saved the column from retiring editor Bob Early ("Along the Way," "The Poor Old Editor Bids Farewell-But Not to His Beloved Arizona").

Congratulations, Bob, on a terrific column and on an even better career. Thanks for sharing a good part of your working life with us. I know you will enjoy whatever comes next.

Don Hurzeler, Lake in the Hills, IL You will be pleased to know that upon retirement Bob was promptly honored by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Arizona Press Club for a career that has shaped journalism in this state for decades. In his final year here, he put out the best travel magazine in the West, according to the Western Publications Association. Nowadays, he's teaching writing at Arizona State University and mentoring a new generation of writers. In fact, the only thing about Bob that irritates me is that he left behind these enormous shoes I'm clumping about in.

Jumpin' Geology

As a geologist, I was particularly impressed by the article "Earth's Exotic Geology" (May '05) and its graphics. I wish that everyone in my field had access to it. The picture on page 22 with the jointing of the bedded sandstone was a particularly outstanding photograph of a geologic exposure. The veins or fins, as they are described, are caused by groundwater. The photograph is a textbook classic.

Phil LaMoreaux, Tuscaloosa, AL

Congratulations Trivia Contest Winners

Nurse-midwife Wendy Hall, 54, and her office manager-daughter, Tammy, 22, had nearly given up their dream of whitewater rafting through the Grand Canyon. For five years they'd applied for a rafting permit through a highly competitive lottery system, but every year their hopes were dashed.

Then in April, the pair from Heber came upon Arizona Highways' 80th anniversary trivia contest with the grand prize of you guessed it-a seven-day raft trip for two through the Grand Canyon. This time, their chances rested more on their wits than luck.

The mother-and-daughter trivia gumshoes trudged through Arizona Highways' back issues, history books and the Internet-and even consulted an Arizona history book author-all to land a perfect score. Granted, so did 271 out of the 1,410 entrants. But this time they had the luck of the draw, when Tammy's name was picked in the recent drawing as the grand prizewinner. "I'm really excited about it," she said enthusiastically.

Two first-prizewinners also were chosen. AnnaMarie Rea, a 40-year-old general contractor in Vernon, won six-night accommodations for two, plus meals, At the Rancho de los Caballeros guest ranch in Wickenburg. "I was shocked, I never win anything," she said. "I've played slot machines with my little roll of nickels. If I win $5, I'm thrilled."

Walt Paciorek of Phoenix, a 62-year-old chemical engineer, can't believe his luck either. He and his wife, Linda, a 61-year-old English and social studies teacher, will spend seven nights at Kay El Bar Guest Ranch in Wickenburg, where they'll sample ranch life from a saddle. Paciorek admits he's never been on a horse more than an hour at a time, "but there's a little cowboy in all of us."

Here are the 10 other prizewinners of coffee-table, children's and other books published by Arizona Highways:

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS

SEPTEMBER 2005 VOL. 81, NO. 9 Publisher WIN HOLDEN Editor PETER ALESHIRE Senior Editor BETH DEVENY Managing Editor RANDY SUMMERLIN Research Editor LORI K. BAKER Editorial Administrator CONNIE BOCH Administrative Assistant NIKKI KIMBEL Director of Photography PETER ENSENBERGER Photography Editor RICHARD MAACK Art Director BARBARA GLYNN DENNEY Deputy Art Director BILLIE JO BISHOP Art Assistant PAULY HELLER Map Designer KEVIN KIBSEY Arizona Highways Books Editor BOB ALBANO Associate Editor EVELYN HOWELL Associate Editor PK PERKIN MCMAHON Production Director KIM ENSENBERGER Promotions Art Director RONDA JOHNSON Webmaster VICKY SNOW Director of Sales & Marketing KELLY MERO Circulation Director HOLLY CARNAHAN Finance Director BOB ALLEN Fulfillment Director VALERIE J. BECKETT

Information Technology Manager CINDY BORMANIS

FOR CUSTOMER INQUIRIES OR TO ORDER BY PHONE: Call toll-free: (800) 543-5432 In the Phoenix area or outside the U.S., Call (602) 712-2000 Or visit us online at: arizonahighways.com For Corporate or Trade Sales: DOLORES FIELD Call (602) 712-2045 E-MAIL "LETTERS TO THE EDITOR": [email protected] Regular Mail: Editor 2039 W. Lewis Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85009 Governor Janet Napolitano Director, Department of Transportation Victor M. Mendez ARIZONA TRANSPORTATION BOARD Chairman Dallas "Rusty" Gant, Wickenburg Vice Chairman Richard "Dick" Hileman, Lake Havasu City Members James W. "Jim" Martin, Willcox Joe Lane, Phoenix S.L. "Si" Schorr, Tucson Delbert Householder, Thatcher Robert M. "Bob" Montoya, Flagstaff INTERNATIONAL REGIONAL MAGAZINE ASSOCIATION 2003, 2001, 2000, 1998, 1992, 1990 Magazine of the Year WESTERN PUBLICATIONS ASSOCIATION 2002 Best Overall Consumer Publication 2004, 2002, 2001 Best Travel & In-transit Magazine 2003, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1995, 1993, 1992 Best Regional & State Magazine SOCIETY OF AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITERS FOUNDATION 2000, 1997 Gold Awards Best Monthly Travel Magazine Arizona Highways (ISSN 0004-1521) is published monthly by the Arizona Department of Transporta tion. Subscription price: $21 a year in the U.S., $31 in Canada, $34 elsewhere outside the U.S. Single copy: $3.99 U.S. Send subscription correspon dence and change of address information to Ari zona Highways, 2039 W. Lewis Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85009. Periodical postage paid at Phoenix, AZ and at additional mailing office. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Arizona Highways, 2039 W. Lewis Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85009. Copyright © 2005 by the Arizona Department of Transportation. Repro duction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The magazine does not accept and is not responsible for unsolicited materials provided for editorial consideration.

PRODUCED IN THE USA

2 SEPTEMBER 2005