Old West

Tag Area: Real-World Setting
Short Story

Unusual Tales #3

Don Alvarado’s Treasure


Young Frank Winston has everything a man could ever want, but for the past three months, he's been unable to move on in his ideal life because he’s haunted by dreams of a band of 18th-century Spanish soldiers who buried a treasure chest in the desert north of Mexico. —Michael Main
"Oh, Professor," half chided Helen Crane, "You don’t mean to say that you believe in these dreams. That the past can actually come back into the present."
The first page of the two-page story, "Don Alvarado
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: YA and Up
  • Debatable Time Travel
TV Episode

The Twilight Zone (v1s01e26)

Execution


Back in the 1880s, just after a man without conscience is dropped from a lone tree with a rope around his neck, a scientist pulls him into 20th-century New York City.

Serling wrote this script based on a George Clayton Johnson’s bare bones, present-tense treatment for a TV script, complete with an indication of where the commercial break should go. For this episode, Serling filled in the flesh and cut the fat from a bare bones, present-tense treatment by George Clayton Johnson. The treatment appeared in Johnson’s 1977 retrospective collection of scripts and stories, and in Volume 9 of Serling’s collected Twilight Zone scripts, Johnson commented that “Rod took my idea and went off to the races with it. He had a remarkable knowledge of what would and wouldn’t work on television, and he took everything that wouldn’t work out of ‘Execution’. He worked like a surgeon; a little snip here, a complete amputation over there, move this bone into place, graft over that one. When he was done, my little story had grown into a television script that lived and breathed on its own.” Serling also added a nice twist at the end that, for us, warranted the TV episode an Eloi Honorable Mention.
Rod Serling wrote this script based on a 1960 Twilight Zone episode of the same name, but I’m uncertain whether the story was published before Johnson’s 1977 retrospective collection. —Michael Main
Caswell: I wanna see if there are things out there like you described to me. Carriages without horses and the buildings that rise to—

Professor Manion: They’re out there, Caswell. . . . Things you can’t imagine.
Dressed in a tie and black jacket, and holding his trademarked cigarette, Rod
                Serling stands in front of a time machine.
  • Eloi Honorable Mention
  • Fantasy
  • Weird Fiction
  • Definite Time Travel
TV Episode

Star Trek (s03e06)

Spectre of the Gun


After barging into the space of the reclusive Melkotians, Kirk and his crew find themselves facing the Earps and Doc Holliday in a second-rate simulation of the 1881 gunfight at the O.K. Corral. —Michael Main
History has been changed in the fact that Billy Claiborne didn’t die, but Chekov is lying there dead.
A façade of a sheriff’s office stands on a set of tumbleweeds, barron trees,
                and a red sky.
  • Science Fiction
  • Time Phenomena
Comic Book

Topolino #911

Zio Paperone e la scorribanda nei secoli


After waking an Egyptian pharaoh from a millennia-long sleep, Uncle Scrooge summons Donald and Gearloose, eventually realizing that they can restore the pharoah to his rightful throne via a trip to ancient Egypt in Gearloose’s not-quite-finished time machine. That doesn’t go quite as planned, and on the way home, they manage to turn the future into a money-mint-land or somnethin’?. —based on Duck Comics Revue
Il veicolo aveva bisogno di una messa a punto! Comunque, siamo sulla “strada” giusta! Tenetevi forte!
translate Keep your seat belts buckled at all times! In the unlikely event of a water landing, your seat cushion doubles as a flotation device.
In three panels, Uncle Scrooge is visited by three fawning minions and then
                decides to visit his private museum.
  • Science Fiction
  • Comedy
  • Audience: Families
  • Definite Time Travel
Short Story

The Twilight Zone [s1e30] (treatm.ent)

Execution


Back in the Old West, just after outlaw Jason Black is dropped from a lone tree with a rope around his neck, two scientists pull him into the 20th century. The story isn’t your typical short story; instead, it’s a treatment that Johnson presented to Rod Serling for a Twilight Zone episode that aired on 1 April 1960.
Listen to me. There is a strange world outside that door. Without us to help you, anything can happen to you. This is the twentieth century, don’t you understand?
|pending alt-text|
  • Eloi Bronze Medal
  • Fantasy
  • Weird Fiction
  • Definite Time Travel
Feature Film

Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann


Now that I know that one of the Monkees wrote this time-travel yarn of a dirtbiker riding his motorcycle through a time portal and into the Old West, the universe begins to make sense. —Michael Main
You shot it. What a bunch of dumb sons of bitches. You shot it—a machine, you butt-heads!
Three cowboys ride through a flat grid embedded in a silhouette of a modern-day
                motorcycle rider.
  • Science Fiction
  • Western
  • Definite Time Travel
Feature Film

Timestalkers


After the death of his wife and child, Dr. Scott McKenzie stumbles upon a tintype photograph from the Old West showing three corpses, a shooter, and a modern Magnum 357, leading him to develop a theory of time travel that is confirmed when a beautiful woman from the future appears and takes him back to the Old West to chase the shooter, save President Cleveland, and pursue other obvious plot developments.

Spoiler: At the end, I believe that Georgia uses her time crystal to send Scott back for a do-over on the day of his family’s death. This is disappointing since up until that point, the film has set up a perfect example of a single, nonbranching timeline. —Michael Main
What if Cole came back to set off a chain of events that would eventually destroy the one man who stood in his way?
Gun-toting Lauren Hutton (as Georgia Crawford) and William Devane (as Scott
                McKenzie) look on as lightning comes out of Klaus Kinski (as Dr. Joseph Cole).
  • Science Fiction
  • Definite Time Travel
Feature Film

Bill & Ted I

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure


The Two Great Ones, Bill S. Preston, Esq., and Ted “Theodore” Logan, are the subjects of time-traveler Rufus’s mission, but instead they end up using his machine to write a history report to save their band, Wyld Stallyns. —Michael Main
Most excellent!
Alex Winter (A K A Bill) and Keanu Reeves (A K A Ted) sit on top of a phone
                booth crammed with Napoleon and other historical figures in orbit around Earth.
  • Eloi Silver Medal
  • Science Fiction
  • Comedy
  • Audience: YA and Up
  • Definite Time Travel
Feature Film

Back to the Future III

Back to the Future III


Marty and 1955-Doc travel back to the Old West where 1985-Doc is trapped along with various Biff ancestors and a possible love interest for Doc. —Michael Main
Doc: [blowing train whistle] I’ve wanted to do that my whole life!
Michael J. Fox (as Marty), Christopher Lloyd (as Doc), and Mary Steenburger (as
                Clara) in Western garb beside the DeLorean and a flaming train track.
  • Science Fiction
  • Definite Time Travel
Feature Film

Frankenstein Unbound


Joe Buchanan invents a weapon that’s meant to be so terrible it will end war forever, but the weapon causes time rifts, one of which takes him (and his futuristic talking car, a.k.a. his electric carriage) back in time to where he meets Dr. Frankenstein (a standoffish man, but willing to talk science), Frankenstein’s monster (who is fascinated with the talking car), and Mary Wollstonecraft (a budding author).

The film did a good job of bringing Brian Aldiss’s book’s premise to the screen, with a better pace than the book, but the short dream sequences were ineffective for me and Dr. Frankenstein is more of a clichéd villain than in the book. —Michael Main
Zero pollution, maximum ozone shield: Something tells me we’re not in New Los Angeles any more.
A giant eye sewn together from different eyeballs.
  • Science Fiction
  • Horror
  • Definite Time Travel
Early Chapter Book

The Magic Tree House 10

Ghost Town at Sundown


Jack and Annie head back to the Old West where they meet a piano-playing ghost, cattle rustlers, and a cowboy who’s a budding writer. —Michael Main
“Slim, you should write your book,” said Annie.
Dressed as young cowboys on a street in an old west town, a startled Jack and
                Annie look into the distance.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novel

Second Chances 1

Come Home to Me


Jake doesn't believe in time travel, or that he’s been sent back in time to act as scout for a wagon train along the Oregon Trail. He's also been given the added burden of keeping one emigrant woman safe during the journey. He and Rachel are confused by their attraction to each other. Jake’s ill-mannered, unconventional ways are overshadowed only by his notorious reputation. Rachel’s traditional values and quiet, responsible character are the complete opposite of what attracts Jake to a woman. When their forbidden attraction turns to love, what will happen at the end of the trail? —from publicity material
Jake stared from one man to the other. A horse neighed behind him, and shuffled through the thick straw bedding. His eyes narrowed. Where the hell was he? He’d fallen asleep on the uncomfortable mattress in his jail cell last night, thinking about his strange encounter with his new lawyer. He glanced around. He stood inside an old wooden barn, in a horse stall to be precise. The familiar pungent smell of horse sweat, manure, and hay permeated the air. The equine occupant of the stall chose that moment to blow hot air down Jake’s neck. He swatted an impatient hand at the horse’s nose to make the animal move away from him. He thought he’d seen the last of horses since leaving Montana. How did he get here?
A man and a woman lean in for a kiss above an image of a covered wagon in a
                desolate landscape. On the cover of Come Home for Me.
  • Romance
  • Definite Time Travel
Novel

Second Chances 2

Ain’t No Angel


Delaney Goodman has been running from her painful past all her life. Dreams of working with horses have long been replaced with the reality of doing anything to make ends meet. About to hit rock bottom, she accepts a stranger’s proposition, even if it sounds too good to be true. She figures she has nothing, not even her dignity, to lose. She awakens in an unfamiliar Montana ranch - and an unfamiliar century - and quickly discovers that she will need more than her charm to complete the task assigned to her while navigating her new relationship with ranch owner Tyler Monroe. —based on publicity material
Laney’s brows scrunched together. She glanced at her surroundings. She was inside a cramped old-fashioned coach of some sort, and the windows were wide open, sending in thick clouds of dust. She stared out at the passing landscape. Evergreens and prairieland as far as she could see. Not a hint of a skyscraper of road anywhere.
A woman snuggles into the shoulder of a man above an image of three horses
                running on a grassy plain. On the cover of Ain’t No Angel.
  • Romance
  • Definite Time Travel
Feature Film

A Million Ways to Die in the West


Albert: Hello?
Doc Brown: Wa . . . uoh.
Albert: What’s uh . . . what’s that?
Doc Brown: [hastily covering the DeLorean] Nothing! Wa . . . uh, it . . . [nods head] it’s a weather experiment.
Albert: Oh. [leaves]
Doc Brown: Great Scott!
Small images of Liam Neeson (as Clinch). Seth MacFarlane (as Albert), and
                Charlize Theron (as Anna) and five other western-themed characters (including a
                sheep).
  • Comedy
  • Western
  • Cameo Time Travel
Novel

Second Chances 3

Diamond in the Dust


Down to earth and level-headed, Morgan Bartlett isn’t afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve. All she wants is independence from her overbearing mother, and the freedom to shape her own destiny. When she aids a badly beaten man along the side of the road, she may have found more than a dusty cowboy down on his luck.

Morgan’s unshakable belief that Gabe is a good man slowly chisels away the walls he’s built around himself. As he comes to terms with living in the future, he must decide if losing his heart is worth more than holding on to the life he’s led in the past. —from publicity material
He glanced around at his unfamiliar surroundings. He was in a parlor of sorts. A short table stood a few feet away from the sofa on which he sat. An oddly-shaped lamp hung from the pastered ceiling, and Gabe squinted his good eye. It was a rather plain-looking, milky-colored dome attached to a wooden support, along with what looked like blades that reminded him of a windmill that was hung on its side. He’d never seen an oil or kerosene lamp like it. Perhaps it wasn’t even a lamp, but some ornate decoration.
A gruff cowboy pulls a brunette woman in for a kiss over an image of a wooden
                cart on a dilapidated farm. On the cover of Diamond in the Dust.
  • Romance
  • Definite Time Travel
Short Story

Second Chances 3.1

An Old-Fashioned Christmas

  • by Peggy L. Henderson
  • serialized in Peggy L. Henderson’s newsletter, circa December 2015

Gabe McFarlain is adjusting to life in the twenty-first century, and looking forward to his first modern Christmas with his wife Morgan, and his adopted son. Sometimes, however, a little old-fashioned cowboy spirit can add sparkle to the magic of the holidays. —from publicity material
Snowflake ornaments and berries on a Christmas Tree branch. On the cover of the
                Christmas Caring anthology.
  • Romance
  • Definite Time Travel
Novella

Second Chances 3.2

A Second Chance Christmas

  • by Peggy L. Henderson
  • serialized in Peggy L. Henderson’s newsletter, circa December 2019

Gabe and Morgan McFarlain are looking forward to spending Christmas Eve with their close friends, Jake and Rachel Owens. When the Reverend Johnson makes an unexpected visit, it is Gabe who holds the key to his friends' family secret. When he's asked to go back in time to save Jake's ancestor, the past and the future may be changed forever. —from publicity material
He chuckled and shook his head. To think that he’d wanted to ruin his brother and the ranch at one time. Because of his misguided need for revenge, he’d ended up in the future. Meeting Morgan and her son had been the best thing that could have happened to him. Although he missed his simple life in 1872, there was much to like about modern times, too.
An old windmill on a desolate landscape with two conifers and three stars in
                the sky. On the cover of the Second Chance Christmas collection.
  • Romance
  • Definite Time Travel
Novel

Second Chances 4

Riches of the Heart


Hunter and Sherri come from completely different upbringings . . . and different centuries. Traveling together on a wagon train makes it difficult to avoid each other. Hunter’s reluctance to let go of past hurts, and Sherri’s reason for making the journey in the first place, leave no room for love to blossom. —from publicity material
A blonde woman pulls a gruff cowboy close for a kiss above an image of a trail
                leading into mountains. On the cover of Riches of the Heart.
  • Romance
  • Definite Time Travel
TV Episode

Loki, Season 1


Hang on to your Tesseracts! Apparently, in Endgame, when the Avengers traveled back in time to swipe various things from the 2012 Avengers, they inadvertantly started a branch in time where Loki ended up with the Tesseract. Of course, once that occurred, the Time Variance Authority spotted him as a Variant and quickly recruited him to help in their fight against even more variant Variants. —Michael Main
Appears to be a standard sequence violation. Branches growing at a stable rate and slope. Variant identified.
Tom Hiddleston (as Loki) stands with his arms crossed and an annoyed look on
                his face, in front of a large analog clock with multiple hands.
  • Eloi Bronze Medal
  • Superhero
  • Audience: YA and Up
  • Definite Time Travel