The town was still, the only thing moving an occasional tumbleweed. Gary Ledoux ambled up to Curly Bill Brosius and asked for his gun. Curly Bill handed him the gun but it “accidentally” went off, putting a plug in Ledoux’s belly and dropping him like a rock. The crowd gasped in horror, and it was then that Ledoux got the bug for reenacting scenes from the Old West.
Curly Bill was, of course, an actor. Ledoux, playing Marshal Fred White, is actually the assistant manager for the Parts Marketing Department/Collision Group of American Honda Motor Company. And yes, Ledoux’s fellow Honda employees know of his affinity for all things wild and west. He tells a story about being at a dealer meeting and offering the only seat left in the room to one of Honda’s top executives at the time.
“You mean I get to sit down next to Wyatt Earp?” the executive said.
Ledoux has always had an interest in the Old West, but he was really able to cultivate it when he moved to California in 1992. At about the same time, the movie “Tombstone” was released, and Ledoux became completely enamored with it. In fact, the movie inspired him to start reading books on the Old West, which prompted him to write a book himself entitled, “Tombstone: A Chronicle in Perspective.” He just wrote another book entitled, “Nantan: The Life and Times of John P. Clum – Claverack to Tombstone 1851-1882,” which was released on October 26, 2007. A second volume on Clum, “Tombstone to Los Angeles 1882-1932,” is set for release on October 26, 2008. A fourth book, “Wolfville Tales,” will be released October 26, 2009. With a steady day job, the writing is slow going, but Ledoux somehow makes it work.
“Pretty much when I’m not working I’m writing,” he says. “I get up at 4:30 or 5 a.m. and knock out a little, then maybe knock out a little more at night. You have to be disciplined.”
Ledoux also writes a column called “Yesterwest,” which is published in the Tombstone Epitaph and Tombstone Times, and occasionally writes feature articles for the magazines as well. He also maintains a Web site (www.yesterwest.com) where he offers his books for sale and provides links to other Old West historical sites.
And then there’s the reenactments. Ledoux says he probably has more Old West clothes than street clothes, and all the accouterments that go with them: hats, boots, guns and gun leather. Not only does he wear them at reenactments but also at the occasional talk he gives at a historical society. Ledoux sometimes travels as far as eight hours from his North Palm Springs home to act out scenes from the Old West, but mostly it’s Tombstone, Ariz., or the California cities of San Bernadino or Poway.
Ledoux’s favorite Old West character is John Clum, as evidenced by the two books he has written about him. The reason, he says, is because Clum was an ordinary guy who did extraordinary things.
“He lived 80-some years and had so many different occupations – a newspaper guy, a lawyer and an Indian agent. And being an Indian agent and advocate for Indian rights then was not a popular job. It would be like being an advocate for illegal aliens here in California today.”
As far as Old West movies go, Ledoux loves any that feature Clint Eastwood. What would he do if he could hop into a time machine and travel back to his favorite historical period?
“I would go to Tombstone, sit at the Crystal Palace Saloon, enjoy a beer and watch the day go by.”
Writer Jason Stahl is editor of BodyShop Business. He can be reached at (330) 670-1234 ext. 226.
