Tufts, Warren - Casey Ruggles, Juan Soto, 9-22-1951

The 36th day from the Casey Ruggles story, Juan Soto. The story ran from August 13th, 1951 until October 9th, 1951. Juan Soto is an actual historical figure from the late 1800’s, having been part of an organized bandit gang that operated in rural California. Soto was actually killed in a gunfight with Alameda County Sheriff Harry Morse. In this story, its Casey Ruggles, as part of a posse of five other lawmen, who track him down and confront him in a pretty graphic & authentic showdown.

Casey Ruggles was a Western comic strip written and drawn by Warren Tufts. It ran from 1949 to 1954, beginning first as a Sunday strip that was launched on May 22, 1949. A daily strip was launched on September 19, 1949. Until January 9, 1951, the Sunday strip and the daily strip both told the same story. On that date, they were split into their own continuities.

Ruggles was a former sergeant in the U.S. Army who became an adventurer in California during the Gold Rush. Tufts did some absolutely beautiful and delicate work in creating the strip. While I don’t have the title strip (hint, hint), it’s hard to describe how enjoyable it is to read the story in its collected entirety.

Thanks to Roger Clark for making me the next steward of this great bit of sequential storytelling!