Award-winning historian Dale L. Walker uncovers the truth about some of the American West's most famous and infamous figures. He delves deep into some of the most enduring myths and legends of the Old West to unveil the real stories beneath them, including: *Who was the first American to make a transcontinental journey across the Western United States to the Pacific Ocean? Lewis and Clark or a Yazoo Indian who preceded them by more than sixty years*What was the true relationship between Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane? And who was the woman who claimed to have proof she was their daughter? Asking these and many more questions, The Calamity Papers sheds some necessary light on our nation's history by taking a closer look at some of its heroes.