Monday, January 27, 2025

More Sombrero Mountaintops, Our New Old West Savior & Brigham Young

 January 27, 2025

   Turns out there is more than one Mexican hat named mountain in the U.S.

Sombrero Peak in the Sierra Anchas

More Sombrero Geological Formations

   "Boze, You want a big sombrero? I’ll give you a big sombrero. How about Sombrero Peak in the Sierra Ancha mountains at 6,400 feet elevation?! That’d be north of the Salt River on the western edge of the Apache Res bordering the Tonto National Forest. Technically it’s in the res and one need a permit from the Apaches to climb it. I’ve been meaning to get up there for years. Lots of history and pre-history there. Name checked as well in the old cowboy song, 'The Crooked Trail to Holbrook.'"

—Greg Scott


We Have A New Old West Savior Columnist
   Jana Bommersbach wrote her first True West Savior column on Lynda Sanchez and now, Lynda is taking over the column for the late, great Jana. 

   BBB and Lynda at the Ellis Store,
Lincoln, New Mexico

Here are her bonafides. Since 1978, award winning author, historian and True West contributing editor, Lynda Sánchez, has been writing about the west. She lives with the ghosts of Billy and others on her ranch along the Rio Bonito in Lincoln, New Mexico.  Long an advocate for preserving the West she has written 6 books and over 400 articles.   Ms. Sánchez urges folks to send her success stories about saving/preserving the west.   diamondjnl@pvtn.net   Andale!

   We are researching all the films featuring Brigham Young to do the true story behind American Primeval and when I watched "Brigham Young" (1940) last night I was surprised to see a young Vincent Price playing Joseph Smith.

Vincent Price as Joseph Smith
in "Brigham Young," 1940

   As the story goes, the producer David O. Selznick commissioned a screenplay about the Mormon leader Brigham Young because of Selznick's alarm at the rising antisemitism in the late thirties. 


If you want to watch it, here it is:

   The film was directed by Henry Hathaway who helmed seven Randolph Scott films, the John Wayne "True Grit" and many other Westerns. When he received his marching orders from Selznick, Henry reportedly said. . .

"Great! A movie about the two most boring subjects in the world: religion and wagon trains."

—Henry Hathaway

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous4:38 PM

    I'm very disappointed you will be doing an issue on "American Primeval" but again almost completely ignored "The English". I thought Chaske Spencer as Eli Whipp did an outstanding job. Your only coverage on it was a paragraph in The 2022 Best of the West issue. Shame on you.

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