Dr. History's Tales of the Old West

The Final Podcast

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0000

The Final Doctor History Episode

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Billy the Kid’s Pistol

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Lawmen often kept the firearms of the people the arrested. After the siege and arrest of Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett kept a Winchester rifle and Colt revolver that belonged to Billy Wilson. Garrett used that pistol to shoot Billy the Kid in a darkened room in 1881. In 2021 the Colt revolver sold at auction of over 6 million dollars.

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Buffalo Bill

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0000

In 1872 he was a scout for the army. He was sent to chase some Miniconjou Lakotas who had stolen some horses. Shots were fired; one Indian was killed. For his bravery he was awarded the Medal of Honor. His reputation was built on real experiences on the frontier and true heroism.

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Wild Bill Hickok

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Wild Bill had a fight in a saloon that ended with a 7th Cavalry soldier dead and another wounded. There are several versions of the story, but it is believed the soldier’s pistol misfired when put against Hickock’s head. He fired in self-defense, killing one and wounding another.

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Montana Huckleberries

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Lewis and Clark wrote in their journals of the abundance of wild huckleberries as well as serviceberries and currents. Native Americans used various berries and their roots for medicinal teas for treating coughs and other ailments and to make pemmican. Newspapers wrote of the berries. County fairs had berry pie contests.

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Outlaw Ladies

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Etta Place robbed trains with the Sundance Kid. Calamity Jane associated with Wild Bill Hickok and is buried next to him. Bell Starr stole horses, rustled cattle and robbed stagecoaches. Jennie Stevens, "Little Britches" and Annie McDoulet, "Cattle Annie" rustled cattle. Pearl Hart and Joe Boot lured cowboys into a room, hit them over the head and robbed them. They robbed a stagecoach, but got lost and were arrested and spent time in jail.

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Elfego Baca

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0000

He had the usual characteristics of gunmen, and didn’t mind shooting people. However, he became a self-appointed lawman. He survived a siege by eighty cowboys for thirty-six hours. He became a peace officer, lawyer, mayor, county clerk, school superintendent, and district attorney.

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Bear River Tom Smith

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Few gunmen were interested in using their fists. Smith was the exception, he was as handy with his fists as his six-shooters. Abilene hired Smith as their marshal, but required they pass an ordinance requiring cowboys surrender their weapons before entering town. Smith maintained peace in Abilene for several years until tragedy struck.

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The Shooters

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0000

The gunfighter portrayed by Hollywood is a myth. There were shootouts, people died, but the gunfighter only shot when the odds were in his favor. The fast draw did not exist. Murder was far down the list of crimes, most were drunkenness, assault, larceny, thievery, vagrancy, gambling and burglary. The gunfighter influenced literature, was a romantic figure and is the stuff of legends.

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4th of July - Request to My Listeners

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Today is the 4th of July, we honor our founding fathers and those who fought and died for our freedom. Also, a request to you my listeners regarding the continuing of the Dr History Podcast.

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Native American Medicine - Part Three

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Over hundreds of years, tribes discovered the use of food and herbs to promote health and healing. They were skilled at treating bullet and arrow wounds. They set and immobilized fractures. They had little difficulty with childbirth. The introduction of European diseases killed millions as they had no immunity.

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Native American Medicine - Part Two

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0000

The medicine man or Shaman was honored and respected second only to the chief, and sometimes was the chief. Some women were allowed to become shamans. It took seven years to become a shaman in the Blackfeet tribe. Herbs played a huge part for the shaman. There were at least 138 species of plants used for medicine and food.

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Native American Medicine

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Thousands of years of trial and error, humans found ways to treat wounds and illnesses. The Indians had some methods better than the Europeans. They performed amputations, treated fractures and snakebites, removed arrows, used herbs and sweat lodges. Each family had a medicine bundle with special objects needed for a healthy survival.

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The Country Doctor

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0000

They practiced with little help and resources. No hospital, a laboratory or X-ray equipment, only the strongest and most courageous could endure the long nights, bad weather, home visit for little or no pay. He carried all his equipment in a bag including what limited medication was available in those days.

"May the family doctor never be completely eliminated" (Montana Medical Association)

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The Shoshone Tribe

Tue, 27 May 2025 06:00:00 -0000

The Great Shoshone Nation ranged from Wyoming to Boise to Salt Lake and included Ute, Gosuit, Piute, Hopi, Comanche, Kiowa and the Aztec.They were hunters and gatherers, expert at basketry. Food included wild game and insects. Rabbit drives were for the skins which were used for clothing, blankets and saddle blankets. Tattooing and earrings were common. Horses were traded to the Shoshone by the Comanche and Kiowa and were considered the best horses.

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William W. Mayo

Tue, 20 May 2025 06:00:00 -0000

William W. Mayo immigrated in 1846, married and moved to Minnesota Territory. He was a surgeon in the Union Army in Rochester, Minnesota. In 1864 he opened his first medical practice. He was joined by both sons. They cared for survivors of a tornado, and with the help of Mother Alfred Moes and two hospitals formed the Mayo Clinic. Now, over 7,300 physicians and scientist, they saw 1.3 million patients in 2022.

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Widzhebue

Tue, 13 May 2025 06:00:00 -0000

While picking berries, she was captured by Assiniboine raiders, dreaded enemy of the Shoshone. She was taken to Northeastern Montana. Given to a warrior as a second wife, she found the first wife intended to kill her, so she planned her escape. She hid in a hole in a riverbank for three days, then made her way over 1200 miles back to her family on the Raft River. She was the mother of Chief Pocatello.

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Rocky Mountain Stage Drivers - Part Two

Tue, 06 May 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Not all drivers were honorable. Some had partners rob their own stage, others died defending their passengers. They were cramped, bored, lacked sleep, some even went crazy. Plenty of good food at times to poor quality if any. Buffalo hunters, scouts and adventurers could provide exciting stories.

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Rocky Mountain Stage Drivers - Part One

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Passengers first sight of the Rocky Mountains was awe inspiring and scary. Drivers were king of the road, respected and admired. Through blinding snow storms, fog, flooded rivers and narrow mountain roads and robbers. Drivers had lots of stories if you were lucky enough to ride next to them.

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Entrepreneurs in California

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Some miners found the work too hard. They found other ways to riches. Alexander Todd began the first mail service. Daniel Dancer used 150 mules to haul all the goods needed in the mining camps. James Burch started with an old ranch wagon to haul passengers over roads that were nothing more than trails, eventually buying fine coaches and horses.

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Sailing Around Cape Horn

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Easterners were desperate to get to the California gold fields. Questionable ships were put into service. The Drake Passage and the Strait of Magellan could be treacherous. Boredom, crowded quarters, storms and the poor food and water were tolerated as they passengers had visions of striking it rich.

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Whalers in Alaska - Part Two

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Disaster struck in 1871 as ships ventured farther North in search of whales. Ship's Captains ignored warnings from the Eskimos. The ice closed in and trapped 32 ships, three of them were crushed. Captains of the remaining 29 ships sent whaleboats sixty miles south to ask for help from ships that were safe. Leaving their ships, two hundred whaling boats made the dangerous journey and were rescued by the whaling ships waiting for them.

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Whalers in Alaska - Part One

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Whalers left New England for three to five years, sailed around South America, stopped in Honolulu on their way to the Bering Sea. Here they found whales, walruses and salmon. A whale could smash a whaling boat, but real danger came from the ice that could trap and crush a ship. Eskimos warned the whalers about getting trapped, but did they listen? Listen to part two next week.

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Western Indians

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 06:00:00 -0000

In 1519 a Spanish galleon brought ten stallions and six mares ashore, this would forever change the lives of the Native Americans. The tribes had distinct communities and customs with different languages, but they knew the universal sign language. The land was possessed in common as opposed to the European concept of land ownership. Over 350 treaties were made and broken. Thus began the saga of conflict with such famous Chiefs as Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Geronimo, Chief Joseph and many others.

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Fencing the Open Range - Part Two

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Ranchers opposed, but then accepted barbed wire. Cattle and horses could be injured, but it was cheap. Two hundred mile "drift" fences would keep cattle from drifting North or South. In 1880 40,000 tons of wire was sold. Eventually there were 400 different types of barbed wire. The XIT ranch had 1500 miles of fence. Problems arose with armed "fence cutters" who usually went out at night.

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Fencing the Open Range - Part One

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Before fences, line riders were to keep cattle from wandering. Some ranchers spent thousands to build board fences to preserve their breeding stock. Joseph Glidden invented barbed wire. Ranchers were skeptical, but eventually accepted it as a less expensive way to control cattle. Trouble was coming.

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The Northern Plains

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 07:00:00 -0000

Cattlemen discovered that the Northern Plains could support raising cattle. Most winters cattle could survive on the nutritious grass. Immigrants on the Oregon Trail traded two worn out cattle for one healthy animal. Cattlemen wintered the worn-out animals in Montana, then returned with healthy cattle to trade with the immigrants.

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Cowboy Clothes

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 07:00:00 -0000

Joe Justin started repairing boots, then making his own. His wife Annie developed a self-measuring kit for mail orders. John Stetson mass produced hats, “Boss of the Plains” was a favorite. Immigrant Levi Strauss imported clothing, he joined with Jacob Davis to use copper rivets to reinforce their pants, which became the “501.” Early trousers were made of wool or canvas. Frontier dress with fringes was a part of western design.

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Texas Ranchers

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 07:00:00 -0000

Millions of acres of prairie was ideal for raising cattle. Richard King and John Chisum had the largest ranches with thousands of cattle and horses. New homesteaders lived in one room shacks or dugouts until they could build a proper ranch house. A ranch with a good water supply was essential. The rancher had to design his own brand and how to mark his cattle with a "wattle" and an earmark.

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Cattle Drive Towns

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 07:00:00 -0000

The best known Kansas cattle towns were Abilene, Dodge City and Wichita. The towns boomed with the arrival of the herds. Cowboys were ready for new clothes, a hot bath and entertainment. Some lost their wages and headed back to Texas, most were wiser, moral and honest.

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Antarctic Explorers

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 07:00:00 -0000

Sir Earnest Shackelton made three expeditions to the Antarctic. His ship, the Endurance, was crushed in the sea ice on his third voyage. He sailed to Elephant Island and left 22 of his men to shelter until he could make his way back. He sailed 800 miles in a small whaling boat to South

Georgia Island to a whaling station. After four and a half months he was able to rescue his men left on Elephant Island.

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My Trip to Antarctica

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 07:00:00 -0000

We had an amazing trip to Chile and on to King George Island in the Antarctic. Whales, seals, penguins and beautiful icebergs. We were in the area where Sir Earnest Shackleton’s crew spent time on Elephant Island before being rescued.

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Nelson Story

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 07:00:00 -0000

After striking it rich in Virginia City, Montana, Story

financed the first cattle drive from Texas to Montana in 1866. He faced all the

dangers and struggles of moving cattle through Indian territory to bring Texas

longhorns and Texas cowboys to the miners in Montana.

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Obsidian Cliff

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 07:00:00 -0000

Obsidian Cliff in Yellowstone Park is the largest deposit

of obsidian in North America. Native Americans have used this for thousands of

years for scrapers, spears and arrow heads. More than two dozen tribes would

peacefully gather obsidian in this war free zone. Pieces of this obsidian has

been found as far as the East coast and central America. Knapping, the process

of making arrow heads is still used today.

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Photographers and Painters

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 07:00:00 -0000

Easterners wanted stories and pictures of the old west, but cameras were heavy and difficult to use. William Jackson took thousands of pictures, most important, of Yellowstone. Soloman Butcher took pictures of the pioneers. Albert Bierstadt’s paintings were in museums. Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell became the most famous painters and sculptors of the west, because of detail and they focused on the people and their way of life.

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George Washington Bush

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 07:00:00 -0000

His parents were freed slaves so George could travel anywhere. He worked for the Hudson's Bay Company in the Rocky Mountains. He tried farming but was drawn to Oregon, sold his farm and joined a wagon train. Upon arriving, he found that blacks were not allowed to settle in Oregon. He moved to the Puget Sound where he helped other settlers. He played a big role in securing the territory for the United States.

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Ladies of the Yukon

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Fifty-five-year-old Anna DeGraf climbed the rugged Chilkoot Pass. She was looking for her son. With her sewing machine, she made clothes and tents. She spent 20 years on the Last Frontier. Harriet Pullen was a cook in Skagway. She made apple pies for the miners. She used her horses to start a freighting company hauling miners supplies. She established a luxury hotel and died in Skagway.

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Queen of the Klondike

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Belinda Mulrooney created an empire in the Yukon. Her supplies required 30 trips over the Chilkoot Pass. She built a hotel with great food, as good as any in the states. Her hotel was the first property with electricity, she brought in telegraph and telephones, formed a water supply company and provided goods and services for the miners. She partnered with miners and became wealthy, until she got married.

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Women in the Yukon

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Chasing Yukon gold, one in ten were women. Some with husbands or on their own. They climbed the Chilkoot or White Pass Trails enduring cold, wet conditions and meager rations. They staked or leased claims. Some found riches but also started schools or businesses while raising children. They helped establish more than a community, they created civilization in the wilderness.

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The Whitmans and Spaulding - Part Three

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 07:00:00 -0000

After the journey, the Spauldings established their mission in Lapwai, in what is now North Idaho. Eliza was well liked and respected by the Nez Perce. Henry, however, was not well liked, even resorting to whipping those who didn't obey. The Whitmans established their mission near present day Walla Walla. Narcissa did not like the always present Cayuse in her home. The influx of immigrants brought disease that nearly wiped out the Cayuse tribe. They ambushed the Whitmans killing them and eleven others.

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The Whitmans and the Spauldings - Part Two

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 07:00:00 -0000

The future missionaries made it to a rendezvous on the Green River. The Native Americans were amazed at seeing their first white women. They now faced the most difficult part of the journey. Across southern Idaho, to Fort Boise, then Blue Mountains and on to Fort Walla Walla. Now they were ready to establish their missions. Next week, part three, the tragedy.

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The Whitmans and the Spauldings - Part One

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Narcissa wanted to be a missionary, as did Marcus, so they got married more as a business agreement. The same with Henry and Eliza Spaulding. They joined forces to travel to the Oregon territory to preach to the Nez Perce and Flathead Indians. The first white women to make the trek on what would be the Oregon Trail.

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The Lumber Rush - Part Three

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Idaho lumberjacks sent logs down the rivers, but one log could cause huge jams. Dynamite worked, but was dangerous. Ephraim Shay invented a small railroad engine that effectively pulled log laden rail cars. John Dolbeer invented the steam driven "donkey engine" for extracting logs. Simon Benson invented the first successful method for floating log rafts to San Diego.

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The Lumber Rush - Part Two

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Skidroads, log chutes and flumes were used to transport lumber to the mills and to market. Skidroads used oxen to pull tons of huge logs. Chutes were long troughs made of wood. John Cook's chute sent logs at 90 miles an hour, sizzling when they hit the water. Flumes with water were as long as 54 miles. Brave souls occasionally rode in special boats down the flume, not all of them made it.

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The Lumber Rush

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Lumber was in huge demand in California and came from Maine until they realized there were thousands of acres on the west coast. Lumbermen used different methods to fell trees, all involved heavy dangerous work. By 1859 millions of board feet were produced on the west coast.

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John Sutter

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0000

He had it all, 50,000 acres in California, cattle, sheep, horses, acres of wheat. He needed lumber, so joined with James Marshall to build a sawmill. When Marshall found some shiny stones, it was the end for Sutter. With the gold rush he lost all his employees, his land was overrun with gold seekers, his cattle scattered and crops trampled. He died a poor man.

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Prize Fighting

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Virginia City Montana was the site of the first glove prize fight and lasted 26 rounds. In 1867 Con Orem fought Jimmy Dwyer in a bare knuckles fight. They fought into the night and was to resume the next morning, but Orem was unconscious. When G. Ward and John Gallagher fought a 105-round bout, it ended in tragedy. Gallagher’s left arm was broken, but he continued to fight. In the 105th round, Ward went down for good and died the next day.

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Home Remedies and Patent Medicines

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Every home had a variety of remedies. Some were herbs, others were store-bought. Whiskey was taken straight or mixed with herbs, used internally or externally. Snake, skunk, goose, wolf or bear oil were claimed to cure rheumatism. In the Civil War, maggots probably saved lives by digesting infected wounds.

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Lt. Col. William Barret Travis

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Col. James Bowie was too sick to command the troops at the Alamo, so Col. Travis took over. Historians have debated how he died. Some say he died by suicide, others that he died fighting a Mexican officer, or that he was captured and killed. Some say he was shot while on the rampart. Joe, the only survivor, said Travis fired his double-barreled shotgun and immediately fell to enemy fire.

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Frontier Restaurants

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Tired of beans, new restaurants opened in Tombstone Arizona. Nellie Cashman opened the Russ House with 600 diners on opening day. Quong Kee was considered the best cook in Arizona, opened the Can Can Restaurant and Hindquarter Cafe. Menus would rival some of the best restaurants of today. Oregon Trail food included bacon, bread, rice, coffee, pies, soup, hard tack dried meat and fresh game.

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Widows on the Oregon Trail

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0000

To become a widow along the trail could mean being left behind or worse. Help and compassion would only go so far. Widows driving the wagon might lose an unattended child to accidents. Disease also took its toll on the children.

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The Shortcut

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Stephen Meek convinced a wagon train to let him guide them on a short cut across Oregon to the Dalles. Within days it went bad. Feed and water were scarce. Hard sharp rocks cut the animals feet. The immigrants soon realized Meek was lost. A typhus outbreak began to take lives. Abandoned and starving, it fell to Mose Harris to lead a rescue party.

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Sarah Walden

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Dr. Marcus Whitman and some friendly New Perce Indians helped prevent the hostile Walla Wallas from attacking their wagon train. On reaching the Columbia River, she joined her husband in taking the cattle over the Cascade Mountains. Their food was stolen, a blinding snowstorm nearly froze them, cold and starving they finally made it to Oregon City.

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Cowgirls

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Mildred Douglas was a champion bronc rider and appeared in films. Kitty Canutt, nicknamed "Diamond Girl" because she had a diamond set in a tooth, would sometimes pawn to pay her entry fee. Pearl Biron was a master of the Australian bullwhip. Bonnie Gray could perform the "under the belly crawl" stunt. Mamie Francis and her horse jumped from thirty feet into a tank filled with water.

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Fox Hastings

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Cowboys have been killed bulldogging, but that didn’t stop 138 pound Eloise "Fox" Hastings from competing against men. She traveled with Wild West shows throughout the country riding and roping. She suffered concussions, broken legs, crushed ribs and fractured arms, but said, "I like the thrill when I match my 135 pounds against a half ton of brute force."

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Lucille Mulhall

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0000

America's first cowgirl. There wasn't a horse she couldn't ride. She performed at age 13 in her father's wild west show, but she wanted to compete in steer roping. She competed against men, including Will Rogers. She drew large crowds wherever she performed her riding and roping skills, including steer roping which she often won. She was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.

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Alexander Mackenzie - Part Two

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Mackenzie abandoned the river and began the trek westward. Some Carrier Indians agreed to guide the group. They meet the friendly industrious Bella Coola tribe, who agreed to guide them the rest of the way. Trouble began when they met the Bella Bella tribe who attacked and tried to kill them. They reached the Pacific, and after 74 days and 1,200 hundred miles returned to the fort where they began.

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Peter Pond

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Washington Irving caused a lot of excitement about the Northwest with his book. The North West and Hudson's Bay Companies established the fur trade in Canada. Pond was a celebrity with a violent temper, but a frontier genius who blazed trails across half the continent and set up as a fur trader. He also led an expedition discovering an enormous region full of fur bearing animals.

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Alexander Mackenzie - Part One

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0000

In 1789 he set out to reach the Pacific by way of the great "River of the West" but failed. In 1793 he made a second attempt with ten men and a dog in a single canoe. Some of the rivers were impassable, but they portaged around the rapids. They crossed the continental divide, low on rations, they set out on foot to reach the Pacific.

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Uncle Nick

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0000

His book, "The White Indian Boy," relates his experience of running away to live with Shoshone Chief Washakie. He witnessed a battle between the Shoshone and Crow tribes with many killed. He nearly had his leg amputated by the medicine man. He was a pony express rider, blacksmith, carpenter, rancher, prison guard, prison inmate, trader, trapper and "frontier doctor."

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Millionaire Miners

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Sometimes it was luck, others a knowledge of geology and some it was buying the right stock. Eilley Orum, the Queen of the Washoe made millions but died poor. Four Irishmen became the Kings of the Washoe, earning $138 million form two mines and millions more investing in the right stock. All four died wealthy leaving millions to family.

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Dishonest Miners - Part 2

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0000

"High grading" was the practice of workers stealing a few pounds of high-grade ore to sell to crooked assayers. Professional gamblers rushed to each new strike to relieve the workers of the hard-earned money. Women were scarce on the mining frontier, but when they showed up, they were treated with extreme respect.

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Dishonest Miners - Part 1

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0000

There was always a way to cheat potential buyers of a non-productive mine. From dishonest assayers, to salting a mine with gold or silver from another mine, to selling worthless stock. Some owners assessed the stockholders on played out mines that never produced.

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Riverboat Gamblers

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0000

With more steamers on the rivers, it was the perfect place for professional gamblers. Unwary passengers with rolls of money were the perfect victims for the crooked gamblers. Cheaters were sometimes caught and kicked off by the captain. James Bowie caught a cheater, and with the use of the knife he was famous for, taught the crooks a lesson.

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Tribal Gambling - Part Two

Tue, 28 May 2024 06:00:00 -0000

The games always involved gambling. How many arrows could be in the air at one time. Throwing a pole through a moving hoop. "Double ball" was played by the women as well as foot races. Husbands and wives could wager all their spouses belongings, sometimes losing it all, which could cause some serious discussions.

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Tribal Gambling - Part One

Tue, 21 May 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Native Americans would gamble for religious purposes as well for entertainment. They could lose all their worldly goods with a roll of the dice, the guess of who holds a bean or a game called “ball play”, similar to lacrosse. Gambling between tribes has been going on for centuries before the white man showed up.

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Beyond the Grave: Unsinkable Molly Brown

Mon, 20 May 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Molly Brown visits us from beyond the grave for a person-to-person interview. The Lady from Leadville, married Johnny Brown, became amazingly wealthy and traveled the world. She tells us of her experience on the Titanic. She always was there to help those in need.

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Frontier Gambling

Tue, 14 May 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Almost everyone gambled in the old west, from kids to the old folks. Fortunes were won or lost with the toss of the dice or turn of a card. Gamblers could be found in large or small towns, mining camps, rail workers camps, anyplace where a few men wanted some excitement.

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Railroad Settlers

Tue, 07 May 2024 06:00:00 -0000

The railroads needed settlers to fill the land. They spent a lot of money promoting the land, even sending people to Europe to entice them to come to America. Towns needed a railroad spur to ensure they town would grow, some did, others just disappeared.

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The Mussel Slough Massacre

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0000

The Southern Pacific encouraged settlers to farm and improve on their land grants with the understanding they would be able to buy it for from $2.50 to $5 per acre. When the railroad raised that price to $25 and $35 an acre, the farmers revolted. They were being evicted from the land they had worked for years. In the end the railroad won.

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Western Movies - Part 4

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0000

From silent movies to the modern, John Wayne stands out as the most famous star. He started as a prop boy and extra, but with the help of John Ford he made the step from B movies to the big screen. John Wayne and hundreds of other Hollywood cowboys made history and brought the old west alive.

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Railroad Passengers

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0000

In its first year, 150,000 passengers rode the Transcontinental Railroad from Omaha to Sacramento, that number rose to a million. Some traveled for a vacation, others to a destination. Comfort varied between first class with beds and exotic food to the emigrants who brought their own food and sat the whole journey.

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Western Movies - Part 3

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Gary Cooper was a top male box-office attraction and could star in westerns or modern movies. Fans expected death -defying deeds as well as a hero with high moral standards. John Ford created the “epic” western high budget movies like “Stagecoach” which rescued an actor named John Wayne

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Western Movies - Part 2

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Early movies needed a hero, Gilbert Anderson became Broncho Billy and made a sequel a week, making $50,000 per show. Bill Hart became a clean-cut hero creating the look of the Old West. Next, Tom Mix was a good athlete and did his own stunts while dressed in all white hat and clothes. By 1925 he was making $17,500 a week and was a star to millions until he died in a car wreck.

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Western Movies - Part 1

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0000

The film industry began in the early 1900’s. Cowboys found less work on ranches, but could make more money being extras and stunt doubles in early Western movies. It could be dangerous work, but some went on to become movies stars.

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Cowboy Stories - Part Two

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Mules, Frozen Hands, "Big" Ed, A Magic Cow, A Horse called "Firecracker" another called "The Black Demon" and a true champion bronc rider.

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Cowboy Stories - Part One

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0000

The First Cattle Drive, A cowboy who nearly drowned, Hank Vaughn, Horse Trading, A lone cowboy and Seven White Horses.

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Jack Gilmer

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 07:00:00 -0000

He worked for several of the big stage companies. He saw the need for short lines to small towns and mines. From Salt Lake he served nearly every community along the Wasatch Mountains and grew into one of the largest and wealthiest companies in the country.

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The Saluda and Sultana

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 07:00:00 -0000

The Saluda had been sunk, raised, patched and put into service on the Missouri River. Captain Belt said he was going to make it up the river or blow it up, and that’s what happened. The Sultana was taking released Union prisoners of war North. A greedy captain was paid by how many passengers he could crowd onto the Sultana. 1195 passengers died as a result of a boiler explosion.

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The Steamboat “Imperial”

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 07:00:00 -0000

John Napton took a chance on the Imperial to get home from Fort Benton. A miserable voyage, constantly getting stuck on sand bars, no pilot, food with worms and passengers having to get out into the river to pull the boat off sand bars. He joined other passengers to finish the voyage in a salvaged Mackinaw.

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British Chroniclers

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Sir Richard Burton thought the military would appreciate the help of genuine British soldier. He wrote of his experiences which helped entice his fellow countrymen to immigrate and invest in the cattle industry. Wealthy Englishwomen soon adapted to the western way of life.

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The European Writers

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Visitors from Europe wrote of their adventures in the west, which prompted many to immigrate. The Earl of Dunraven wrote a book, others kept journals of the weather, the food and clothing to impress friends back home. Sir Richard Burton offered instructions on the art of gunslinging.

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The Publishers

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Publishers and their equipment met with some danger. Presses dumped in rivers. Publishers dodging cannon balls, kidnapped, thrown into jail, tarred and feathered and nearly hung by disgruntled readers. Desperate for news, some made up outrageous stories, such as the famed, "Wampus Cat."

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Greeley and Richardson

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Easterners needed someone they could trust to tell them what they could expect in the West. New York Times journalist Horace Greeley was the expert. His famous words, “Go West, young man, go West” inspired many to leave their homes for the vast unknown.

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Steamboats

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 07:00:00 -0000

A steamboat could make $80,000 for the cargo and passengers going to Fort Benton in the Montana gold fields. Life was hard for the deck hands and crew. There was danger at every turn, of 700 steamboats, 300 were destroyed by snags, explosions and sand bars.

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The Kiowa Tribe - Part 2

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Chief Little Mountain was chosen to lead the Kiowas. The military held peace talks which lasted a decade until the gold rushes brought thousands across their lands. Another treaty further reduced their land. Was there to be peace or war?

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The Kiowas

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Islandman was the chief of the KIowas. He failed to protect his tribe after a brutal battle with the Osage. The tribe had a unique method for choosing a new leader. Little Mountain became the chief for the next 33 years.

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Christmas Stories

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 07:00:00 -0000

The Christmas Truce, personal stories and more.

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The Cowboy Era - Part 2

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 07:00:00 -0000

The cowboy’s identity was his horse. The lariat, gun, a fancy hat and good boots were standard equipment. A cowboy’s speech was roughly one third profanity, with son-of-a-(yes, that word) being the most common. They were a hardworking, never complaining, tough and dedicated men.

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The Cowboy Era - Part 1

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Artists like Remington and Russell dramatized the cowboy life, but was it reality? They often went long hours in bad weather, with little food or sleep. Cowboys came from all walks of life and countries, some to get away from the law. From his prized Stetson, spurs, boots and chaps, his life centered on that unlovable creature called a cow.

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A Trappers Equipment

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Bullboats, dugout canoes and even rafts were handmade and could hold tons of furs and gear. Also handmade were lightweight pad saddles, buckskin gun cases, calf knee gun protectors, tomahawk and knife sheaths, leggings and leather pouches for carrying food and supplies.

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Old Bill Williams

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Ornery, cantankerous, unwashed and a master trapper. Captured by Apaches, they took all his belongings and turned him loose to walk over two hundred miles barefoot. Usually very cautious, he made the mistake of agreeing to be a guide for John C. Fremont. The expedition was a disaster that ended with the death of Old Bill.

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Osborne Russell

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Mountain man, trapper and author of “Journal of a Trapper.” Camped near Yellowstone Lake, he and his companion were attacked by Blackfoot Indians. Both wounded by arrows, they managed to escape by hiding in the thick brush and were able to walk back to Fort Hall.

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Trappers and Grizzlies

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 07:00:00 -0000

The grizzly was the animal the trappers feared worst. They say if confronted, stand your ground and stare the bear in the eyes and he will leave. But trapper Marie and others who encountered bears carried scars the rest of their lives. Men were in the land where the grizzly was king.

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Manuel Lisa

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0000

He was a cold, calculating and ruthless businessman, but was successful at the fur trading business. He followed Lewis and Clark for several years with bands of trappers that included some who were with Lewis and Clark. He underpaid his trappers and overcharged them for supplies, but died a rich man.

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The Trappers - Part Two

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Trappers built cabins or lived in tipis near friendly Indians. Clothing was made by the Indian wives. Entire outfits, moccasins, leggings, shirts, and robes. The tipi was kept clean and organized with a pot of food always cooking to feed visitors. They moved if forage or food became scarce.

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A Trapper’s Life - Part One

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0000

A successful trapper had to know the business. Where and how to set his traps, how to care for the pelts and how to survive the winter. He could read signs of possible danger from Indians, and which were friendly. His occupational disease was rheumatism from the hours standing in icy cold rivers and streams.

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The Forty-Eighters

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Nearly everyone could pan $10 to $15 dollars a day. There were the big ones who took $26,000, another $20,000 in a few weeks. Some made $800 to $1500 a day, but it wasn't easy. Standing in knee deep cold water all day caused colds, fevers and pneumonia. Supplies cost many times they're worth. Out of ten million dollars in gold, only about 5% made their fortunes.

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Oregon Fever

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Early pamphlets and settlers bragged of the virtues of this land of milk and honey. Salmon, good timber, abundant crops and productive gardens. Getting there was another story. Totally unprepared immigrants got lost, ran out of food, oxen that gave out, facing extremes of weather and diseases. But, many persevered and made it.

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The Northern Paiute

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 06:00:00 -0000

The Paiute believed the white people would someday come to "heal all the old trouble." Sarah Winnemucca and her people were disappointed how the immigrants treated them. Sarah was considered the first Native American to write her autobiography.

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Sheep in the Old West

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Columbus, Cortes and other explorers brought sheep to the Americas. The California gold rush miners needed food; sheep was the answer. "Uncle Dick" Wootton bought 9,000 sheep, after a fight with a Ute Chief and crossing the Sierra Nevadas he made a $50,000 profit.

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Tom Fitzpatrick, The Legend of Broken Hand

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 06:00:00 -0000

He was leader of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. He stared down a grizzly bear, recovered stolen horses from Shoshone Indians, escaped from some Gros Ventre warriors, escaped from Blackfeet warriors. Later he guided wagon trains and was an agent for the several Indian tribes and died at the age of fifty-five.

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Buffalo Bill's Mining Adventure

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 06:00:00 -0000

He made a lot of money with his Wild West Shows, but always seemed to be short on money. He thought mines would be easy money, it wasn't. He poured a lot of money into several mines, none of which ever produced a profit.

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Steamers on the Colorado

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0000

In 1852 the first attempts to transport goods up the Colorado River to Fort Yuma failed. Capt. George Johnson succeeded with the General Jesup, then added a second stern-wheeler. He discovered the Colorado River could be navigated 400 miles upriver from Fort Yuma. He retired a wealthy man.

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Ivy Baldwin

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0000

He taught himself to walk the high wire and hired on with a circus. His career took him around the world riding hot air balloons, walking tightropes, parachute jumps and high diving into nets. He was shot down in a hot air balloon serving in the Spanish-American War. He was the star attraction for thousands with his daring high wire acts.

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Saddle Mountain's Lost Mine

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0000

A cry for help caused Harry Penol to find Frank Fosterson, trapped under a ton of rock. Penol carried him to Salmon Idaho, but it was too late. Before Fosterson died he told Penol there were five sacks of gold in the cave which had a very rich vein of gold. Penol returned the next year but was never able to find the lost gold.

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Leadville’s Ice Palace

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Once the richest mining town, the boom didn’t last. The citizens decided to build an ice palace to make money. Under one roof, an ice-skating rink, two ballrooms, a band, a restaurant, food concessions, paintings, sculptures, curling contests, speed skating, dance contests and ice hockey tournaments. It was a financial failure and with an early warm weather left it a pile of watery mush.

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The Children’s Blizzard

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0000

The blizzard of 1888 struck in the afternoon while children were still in school. Some miracles occurred that saved lives. Unfortunately, over 200 people perished. Seven year old Martha tells her story of survival and the tragedy of the death of a baby.

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Shoshone Riverboat on the Snake

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0000

1866, the 136 foot long, 300 ton stern wheeler steamboat, the Shoshone, was built near Fort Boise. The owners wanted to supply men and goods to the gold fields. Hells Canyon proved hazardous, but she made it to Lewiston and down the Columbia.

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Virgil Earp

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Virgil joined a posse in Prescott, Arizona. He helped take down two outlaws with sharpshooting from his Winchester rifle. That was the beginning of his experience in law enforcement. A year later he rose to fame with his brothers in a gunfight at the OK corral.

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Leadville Marshal Marty Duggan

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Muliti-Millionaire and Mayor of Leadville, H. W. Tabor, only hired Marshals who lived by his rules until he hired Marty Duggan. He arrested one of the Mayor's cronies and threatened Tabor to put him in jail for attempted bribery. Duggan brought peace and respectability to Leadville.

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History of Patriotic Songs

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0000

The story behind the songs, "God Bless America," "My Country Tis of Thee," "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "Hail Columbia" and "The National Anthem." As we sing our National Anthem we can picture Francis Scott Key on board the British ship sending bomb after bomb at our flag and how he described to the prisoners on the ship that "the flag was still there."

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Hiram Vasquez

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Kidnapped at age four, he lived among the Shoshone Tribe and was a favorite of Chief Washakie. He learned how to hunt with bow and arrow and took part in their rituals. At age nine he was reunited with his family at Fort Bridger. He stayed out west, married and had thirteen children.

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Lewis and Clark -- Return Journey

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0000

March 1806 the Corps headed up the Columbia River. The Skillets, Shahaptian Tribes, Walla Wallas and Nez Perce all helped until they crossed the Bitteroots and Rockies. The expedition continued to explore on their way arriving in St. Louis September 23, 1806 to great celebrations.

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Lewis and Clark at Fort Clatsop

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0000

They just missed a trading ship for the return trip. Fort Clatsop was a fifty by fifty foot stockade with seven cabins. They had shelter and plenty of game to hunt. They learned how to make moccasins, buckskin clothes and storing food from the nearby Clatsop Indians. On March 18, 1806 they prepared for the return journey.

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Lewis and Clark to the Pacific

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0000

The Pacific Plateau System of trade among tribes was effective for tribes from the Rockies to the Pacific coast. It was the end of the trail, but Lewis and Clark found the Pacific coast to be a cold, wet place. Thirty-three individuals would spend a wet, isolated winter together.

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Lewis and Clark on the Columbia

Tue, 30 May 2023 06:00:00 -0000

After 3714 miles they reached the Columbia River. The faced miles of dangerous rapids and had to portage around some while riding through others in their dugout canoes. They met different tribes that were harvesting salmon that could be processed and preserved for several years. They still had challenges to reach the Pacific.

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Wetxuiis

Tue, 23 May 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Wetxuiis lived among the whites, so when Lewis and Clark stumbled upon some Nez Perce, she convinced Chief Twisted Hair that they were good people and should not be killed. The near starved and exhausted expedition was fed camas and meat by the Nez Perce and were able to continue their journey. The journey may have ended there were it not for the intervention of Wetxuiis.

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Ezra Meeker

Tue, 16 May 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Ezra and wife Eliza were part of the 1852 emigration to Oregon Territory. In 1906, 76 year old Ezra retraced his Oregon Trail journey with oxen and a covered wagon. He placed historical markers on his route. In 1910 he did it again, both times took 2 1/2 years. A self appointed spokesman for the thousands who traveled the Oregon Trail, he wanted to keep the history alive.

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The Art of Hanging

Tue, 09 May 2023 06:00:00 -0000

They tried to be humane in legal hangings. The rope had to be 1 and 1/2 inches thick, soaked, dried, and softened. There was a formula with the weight of the victim to show how far he was to be dropped. The “hangman's knot" would only slip one way and could not be loosened. Mistakes were made. Blackjack Ketchum’s head came off.

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Mail Order Brides

Tue, 02 May 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Too many single men in the West and too many single Women in the East. The answer was personal ads in newspapers. It was a leap of faith. Most wrote letters for one or two years, but usually married within one or two days of meeting. Most were successful.

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A Strange Bullfight

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Joe Wolf was a promoter and con man. He advertised a great Spanish bullfight complete with the world’s greatest bullfighter, Cavlos Garcia, a lady bullfighter, Cazadoro fighting bulls and a sharp shooter. At showtime, there was no lady bullfighter, only Texas longhorns, an unknown bullfighter who had to chase the steer who refused to fight. Wolf was arrested, eventually left town without paying his debts.

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Egypt, Jordon and Israel - Part Two

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0000

The Qumran Caves contained the Dead Sea Scrolls. Masada’s defenders committed suicide rather than be taken Roman prisoners. A beautiful valley where David killed Goliath. And Jerusalem where Jesus walked, the synagogues where He taught, His tomb after the crucifixion, Gethsemane, Golgotha, the Wailing Wall and the Temple Mount. So many experiences and not enough time.

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Egypt, Jordon and Israel - Part One

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0000

The trip of a lifetime, Cairo and the pyramids, the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, King Tut’s mummy, the temples of Ramses the II, the Nile River, the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee and of course Jerusalem and the many sites mentioned in the Bible.

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Chief Young Man Afraid

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0000

As successor to his father, he had more influence and authority than any living Sioux Chief. In 1895, the most powerful leaders were Crazy Horse, Red Cloud and Young Man Afraid. On several occasions he prevented conflicts between the military and his people. He was a great leader and a friend to the white authorities.

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Death of Wild Bill Hickok

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 06:00:00 -0000

He arrived in Deadwood as a prospector, but soon turned to gambling. At the No.10 Saloon, he didn’t take his usual stool at the card table. Jack McCall had lost big to Wild Bill the night before. Without warning, he pulled a six shooter and shot Wild Bill in the back of the head and was eventually hung.

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Doctor Finfrock

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 06:00:00 -0000

He began his practice at Fort Halleck as post surgeon, Dakota Territory. He cared for soldiers, emigrants, scouts, freighters and locals. He developed an amputation method called “disarticulation,” amputating the limb at the joint. A strong advocate for clean water and a central sewer system in Laramie and one of the founders of the Laramie Presbyterian Church.

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Good Samaritans of the Plains

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 06:00:00 -0000

The Potawatomi’ left their reservation to hunt buffalo to prepare for a hard winter. After a successful hunt they camped near a small new community of freed slaves who were destitute, no food or shelter. They fed the people, helped build shelters, then split all their food and buffalo robes with them. They would not have survived without the kindness of the Potawatomi Prairie Band.

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James Beckwourth

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Born into slavery, once free he headed west. He joined the Rocky Mountain Fur Company along with Hugh Glass and Jim Bridger. He married a Crow woman and lived with the Crow band for several years. He was in California for the gold rush, blazed trails across the Rockies and Sierra Nevada’s. He achieved as much or more than his white counterparts and is now being recognized for his accomplishments.

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Mohave Runners

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Young Mohave boys were encouraged to race each other to prepare to be a runner. The runners enabled small bands to communicate and trade with each other. They could run 100 miles in 3 hours, 200 miles in 24 hours, even out run a horse over a long distance and go four days without food.

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Law and Disorder

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Marshal Dyer charged the government for cows and seed potatoes, the prisoners did the work, then sold it back to the government. Sheriff Johnny Behan testified against the Earps. Pinkerton Detective Tom Horn was caught robbing a faro game eventually hung for killing a rancher’s son. Most lawmen served honestly and with integrity facing danger and poor pay.

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Killer Mine

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Almy coal Mine Number 5 had water, methane gas, explosive dust and the danger of cave-ins and fire. Although they used the most modern safety equipment at the time, in 1895 two explosions destroyed equipment and instantly killed sixty-two miners. Some suffocated, burned or were killed by flying debris or concussion. The mine closed in 1909.

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Big Nose George

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 07:00:00 -0000

A robber and killer, he was caught and after three attempts he was finally hung. His remains were found in 1950 in a whiskey barrel. His fame came from the fact that his skull and “strange” shoes are in one museum, his skull cap and shackles he wore are in another museum.

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Steamboat the Unrideable

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Black with white tufts of hair at the bottom of his legs, Steamboat was a magnificent horse. So powerful at unloading riders, they called him the “Outlaw Horse.” Some say his image is on the Wyoming license plate. One of only five horses named to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.

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Jackson Hole Wyoming

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Native Americans lived there for thousands of years. Mountain men, trappers and fur traders followed by “Bachelor settlers” prospectors, immigrants, runaways, and refuges from the law. The last of the old west, these people endured hardship but used the natural resources to make a living.

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Rattlesnake Bites

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Native Americans rounded up rattlesnakes, put them in a pen, then prodded them to strike a piece of liver to inject the venom. They pushed their arrow and lance tips into the liver to get the poison. There were many ideas how to treat snake bites, some worked, some didn’t. Today, getting to a hospital is the most important.

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Native American Origins

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0000

The Native Americans all knew where they came from as these stories passed down from generations. There is a strong spiritual bond with the “Creator”, “The Master of Life”, the “Great Spirit” or “Wakan Tanka”. Most tribes believed their land was the center of the world and was a sacred place.

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Lean John’s Ride

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0000

The fifty soldiers at Fort Hill in Los Angeles were surrounded by five hundred native Californians. Lean John was chosen to ride for help. A horse was shot out from under him, he still rode over 500 miles, in five days on ten horses. The fastest ride from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

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Gate 67

Tue, 27 Dec 2022 07:00:00 -0000

A Christmas Message.

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Christmas Memories

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Pioneer Christmas was a special occasion, trees were decorated with popcorn, pinecones and ribbons. All gifts were handmade, Christmas eve was spent going to church, Christmas day was a day of good food and spending time with family and friends.

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Christmas in the Yukon

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 07:00:00 -0000

In 1894 Emilie Tremblay was living with her husband in a one room sod-roof cabin in the Yukon. As the only woman, she decided to make Christmas dinner for the local miners. Stuffed rabbit, roast caribou, beans, potatoes, sourdough bread and butter, with cake and plum pudding for dessert1. She remembers it as the best time she ever had.

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Deadman's Bar

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Three German prospectors claimed to have a good gold find on the Snake River near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. They conned John Tonnar into funding the venture and being a partner. There were arguments, the three miners were found dead. Tonnar was suspected, arrested, but found innocent.

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Island Park Gold Caches

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Hidden in Targhee National Forest is stolen treasure, buried by the outlaws who usually came to a bad end. Jim Locket and his gang were all caught and paid the price after burying their loot. A young man buried his stolen treasure, but died at the end of a rope. Some has been found, but more lies undisturbed.

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King Hill

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Nellie Burgess drew on forty acres along the Snake River and called it the Rainbow Ranch. She planted a garden and trees, hauling water by bucket from the river. Along with the other homesteaders, they built a church and improved on their homes and ranches. It grew into the small Idaho community of King Hill.

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The Castle Gate Payroll Robbery

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Butch Cassidy carefully planned the robbery, arranged for horses and supplies and with help from other gang members made his escape from a sympathetic posse. He even rescued a stray dog.

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The Tukudeka Indians

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Also called the "Sheepeaters." They lived high in the Rockies, were excellent hunters, well dressed and fed. They were a peaceful tribe, but became extinct due to smallpox.

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Jake Herman, Rodeo Clown

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Jake was a failure at being a rodeo star, so decided to be a rodeo clown. He had a trick mule, dog and skunk and once butted heads with a bull which left both knocked out. He brought a lot of applause and laughter with his act and retired at age 72.

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Bill Miner

Tue, 25 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Known as the Grey Fox, he had a habit of always getting caught when he committed a crime. He also managed to escape from prison several times, but eventually died in prison.

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Oregon's Johnny Appleseed

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0000

They said Henderson Luelling was crazy to think he could take a heavy wagonload of fruit trees to Oregon. He made the trip, started the Luelling and Meek Nursery and sold grafting shoots all over Washington, Oregon, and California.

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Ostrich Ranches

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Because of a huge demand for feathers, Arizona ranchers imported ostriches in 1883. They were cheap to raise, ate less and produced $30 a year in income. The feathers were cut and sold at a huge profit until it became unfashionable to wear feathers.

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The Story Teller

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Henry McDonald wanted his own freighting business, George Myers wanted to sell. McDonald ended up with Myers outfit, but how did he get it? Myers ended up dead, a jury found McDonald guilty of murder despite his many stories. His life ended on the gallows.

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Serial Wife

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Ed Meyer was deathly sick in the hospital. He was recovering until he kept eating his wife’s daily picnic basket. Lyda Lewis's routine was to take out life insurance policies on her husbands, who soon died after marriage. Finally caught, she went to prison.

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Counterfeit

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0000

The Eddys and the Splawns used wooden molds of five, ten and twenty-dollar gold pieces to make their own money. With careful research they used plaster coins, coated with an alloy, then coated with a gold mixture and using an electric battery produced the counterfeit coins. Charley Reavis, an amateur detective solved the case, the family went to jail.

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Sawtooth Jack

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0000

The 900 pound grizzly was caught in a huge cage by Dutch Schwartz. After being shown around Ketchum, Idaho, he was taken to New Orleans to the World’s Fair, then sold and exhibited as “Idaho Jack.” Grizzly Johnson supposedly choked a bear to death, and the Swede who attacked a bear and another bear who ended up in a bunkhouse. Some of these sound more fiction than fact.

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The Wild West Show Business

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0000

It took incredible teamwork to prepare for the shows. Carpenters, blacksmiths, painters, harness makers, tent makers, horse trainers and cooks. On the road, organizing the train cars, wagons and performers. The Cossacks, trained elephants, bronc riders, sharp shooters, trick riding, Indian battles all took precise timing.

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Mules Led the Charge

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Chief Gray Beard held two white girls captive. Lt. Frank Baldwin’s orders were to attack. Vastly outnumbered, he organized his men and 23 six-mule teams with wagons to charge the Indian Village. The Indians scattered and the girls were rescued.

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Dromedary Express

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Using camels for a pack train sounded like a good idea. Unfortunately, the camels smelled terrible and frightened horses and mules causing them to go crazy with fear, sometimes plunging to their death. The plan was a total failure.

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Bible in a Bearskin

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0000

When Sumner Bacon found religion, he wanted to spread the word. With no formal training he began preaching, the first Protestant in Texas. He delivered hundreds of Bibles and helped General Sam Houston as a messenger.

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And The Band Played On

Tue, 09 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0000

As Indians attacked a wagon train, the captain ordered the band to play. The Indians thought this might be a new powerful medicine, so they stopped and listened. The immigrants offered food and gifts, the Indians provided buffalo meat, disaster was averted.

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Quicksand

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Movies and TV show people dying a slow death or getting rescued just before going under. Experts today say you cannot drown in quicksand and there are techniques to get yourself out with help or even by yourself.

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Deadwood Dick

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 06:00:00 -0000

A fictional character invented by author Edward Wheeler was a popular “Half Dime” novel. Six men claimed to be Deadwood Dick, but Richard Clark actually began to think he really was Deadwood Dick.

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Jim Bridger and Sir George Gore

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Money was no object when Sir George Gore hired Bridger for a hunting expedition. It took forty men, 112 horses and 6 wagons to carry his gear. He shot forty bear, 2500 buffalo and many elk, deer, antelope and other small game. Unfortunately, he wasted the meat and pelts.

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Cole Young, Train Robber

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 06:00:00 -0000

He led a band of robbers in New Mexico, robbed a train in Santa Fe and killed a man. His last train robbery was fatal when U.S. Deputy Marshal H. W. Loomis was a passenger on the train. His gang got away, but he didn’t.

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Stagecoach Stories

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Stage drivers took pride in being an expert in their profession facing outlaws, bad roads and terrible weather. Roadside Inns were crowded, dirty and the food was just as bad. Conditions improved as some stages operated as late as the 1920’s.

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Robbery of the Denver Mint

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Jim Clark was a trusted employee until he embezzled $37,000 to cover his gambling debts. He got lost, his horse got away, he walked for miles, but with a $1000 reward he was captured. He escaped but was captured again and spent a few years in jail.

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Tobacco in the Old West

Tue, 21 Jun 2022 06:00:00 -0000

It was used in America long before the first settlers. Indian tribes used it in pipe ceremonies to seal a treaty or agreement and for spiritual ceremonies. It had medical uses as a pain killer and as a poultice. Old timers used pipes, cigars, cigarettes, snuff and chewing tobacco.

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The Chinese and the Central Pacific

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 06:00:00 -0000

It was said the western portion of the Transcontinental Railroad would not have been possible without the Chinese. They made good money and were skilled in the use of black powder. They did what no one else was willing to do and set the example of steadiness, diligence and clean living.

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Little Jo

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Little Jo could run faster, shoot straighter, handle a lariat, and ride the toughest broncs. He started his own ranch and rode in a Wild West Show which was filmed and was the first western film shown west of the Mississippi. Little Jo died in 1903 and it was discovered that Little Jo was actually a woman.

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Pitamakan

Tue, 31 May 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Orphaned at age 15 she raised four younger siblings. Strong and independent and courageous, she joins war parties and is considered "good medicine" by the Medicine Man. She became a war chief of the Blackfeet tribe and was honored by naming a waterfall after her.

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Jed Smith and the Bear

Tue, 24 May 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Attacked by a grizzly bear, Smith’s scalp, ear and left eyebrow were nearly completely torn off. With scissors, needle and thread, Jim Clyman sewed the scalp and ear back on Smith’s head. He wore his hair long to try to cover the severe scars. At age 32, he was killed by Indians.

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End of the Open Range

Tue, 17 May 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Millions of dollars were spent raising cattle by ranchers, including Theodore Roosevelt. The 1862 Homestead Act opened the range for farmers which conflicted with ranchers. Windmills, the steel plow and barbed wire, along with severe winters contributed to the demise of the open range.

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The Lost Dutch Oven Mine

Tue, 10 May 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Tom Scofield stumbled onto a deserted mine with rich ore and a Dutch oven filled with gold nuggets. He was so excited to spread the news he didn’t identify landmarks as he left. He spent years trying to locate the mine without success. He was contacted by many people hoping to find his mine.

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Life on the Reservation

Tue, 03 May 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Freda Snell’s father was the Indian agent for the Northern Cheyenne and Sioux Indian Reservations. She grew up on the reservations as her father taught farming, canning, gardening and ranching. She met two Chiefs who were at the Custer Battle. The Indians were honest, hardworking, industrious and had a good life.

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Doc Crumbine

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0000

He was Dodge City’s doctor. His projects included treating alcoholism in babies, milk to be served in sealed containers, laws regulating patent medicines and food.He waged a war on flies and typhoid. Had “Don’t spit on the Sidewalk” printed on sidewalk bricks to help prevent tuberculosis and promoted pasteurization of milk.

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Doc Zahl

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0000

He and his brother learned to ride and shoot, in the Dakota Territory they began hunting buffalo. He was in the saloon when Wild Bill Hickok was killed. They were hired to rebury the soldiers who were killed with Custer at the Little Big Horn. He rescued Charles Russell and hunted with Theodore Roosevelt.

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Buffalo Migration and Hunters

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Buffalo migrated north in summer and south in winter from New Mexico to Central Canada. Native American hunters defended what they considered their hunting ground from other tribes. It was a rite of passage for a young Native American to kill a buffalo on another tribe's land.

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John Muir in Alaska

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0000

He was eager to explore Glacier Bay, take notes and map the coastline 200 miles north. They pushed through ice floes in a dugout canoe. He explored Taylor Glacier, nearly falling to his death in a crevasse, but proved that the glacier was growing and later helped create Sequoia, Mount Rainier and Grand Canyon national parks.

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Custer and the Black Hills

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 06:00:00 -0000

General George A. Custer led an expedition into the Black Hills as the government was trying to buy the land from the Sioux and move them to a reservation. Gold was discovered which led to the Black Hills gold rush.

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Robert Kennecott

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Hired by Western Union to prepare a telegraph route from Canada across Alaska in an attempt to connect with Europe across the Bering Strait. His crew worked mostly in the dark in sub-zero weather with little food, Kennecott died before learning that a cable had been laid across the Atlantic.

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Eugene Blair

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Outlaws learned to avoid any Wells Fargo stage that was guarded by expressman, Eugene Blair. He not only guarded express, he also tracked down outlaws and escorted prisoners. He was considered a man of "courage and prompt action."

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Early Medicine

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 07:00:00 -0000

If purging, blistering, sweating or bleeding didn’t work, the patient didn’t have much hope. Homeopaths, hydropaths, botanic doctors, bonesetters and inoculators, Indian healers and midwives had their place. But rest, fluids and tender loving cured most illnesses.

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Pat Garrett

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Before he killed Billy the Kid, he killed Joe Briscoe. Billy and Pat were great friends. Billy bought Pat clothes, gave him a horse and saved him from a gunfight. They ate, drank, double dated and played cards together and were known as "Big Casino" and "Little Casino."

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Billy the Kid - After Death - Part 2

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Who knows the truth? Was his grave marker shot to pieces, made from a fence post, in a museum or washed away by a flood? And his coffin, filled with a saddle bag and rocks, a side of beef or just dirt? The exact location of the grave is anybody’s guess.

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Billy the Kid - After Death - Part 1

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Newspapers sell papers with exciting headlines, true or not. Was his finger cut off, his body dug up and bones held together with wires, body parts on display at county fairs, his skull owned by an Albuquerque man? Not according to Pat Garrett.

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Uncommon Outlaws

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Anthony Blum outwitted a priest. Cyclone Bill claimed a cyclone took him, his mules and wagon in Arizona and dropped them in Kansas. George and Wheeler destroyed an express car with dynamite. Amateur cattle thief “Russian Bill” ended up on the end of a rope.

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The Last Old Time Prospector

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Frank “Shorty” Harris spent his life in search of the big bonanza. From Idaho, Montana, Arizona and California he found good mines, but not fortune. Buried in a national park, a bronze plaque reads, “Here Lies Shorty Harris, a single blanket jackass prospector."

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Trappers and Trailblazers - Part 3

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Jim Beckworth became a war chief of the Crow, trapped for the Rocky Mountain and American fur companies. Trappers struggled to survive severe cold, Indians, dysentery, smallpox, tetanus, bears and rattlesnakes. A good year could net him as much as $2000 at the rendezvous to buy supplies for another perilous year.

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Trappers and Trailblazers - Part 2

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 07:00:00 -0000

William Ashley formed the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. In 1822 he hired Jed Smith, Jim Bridger, Tom Fitzpatrick, Hugh Glass and the Sublette brothers. He organized the first rendezvous at Henry’s Fork on the Green River, each year moving to other locations, Fort Hall, Pierre’s Hole, Jackson Hole and others.

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Trappers and Trailblazers - Part 1

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 07:00:00 -0000

John Colter was returning to St. Louis with Lewis and Clark when he returned to the wilderness to guide and trap beaver. He traveled through Idaho, Wyoming and Montana searching for beaver and working with Indians. He was chased for six miles by Blackfeet Indians, running naked he survived by hiding in a river.

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Pioneer Stage Lines - Part 2

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Mail carriers began carrying express, cash, bank drafts, gold and silver resulting in the first stage robbery. Wells Fargo contracted with existing companies to carry their express. First class mail sometimes eventually made it, second class mail might be found along the trail or thrown under wagon wheels to help cross mud bogs.

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Pioneer Stage Lines - Part 1

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 07:00:00 -0000

Mail service from Missouri to Sacramento faced 2500 miles of freezing weather, snowstorms, Indians and waterless deserts. Many companies had no coaches, they used wagons, mules and even on foot to deliver the mail that many times never reached their destinations.

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Old West Newspapers

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 07:00:00 -0000

Thousands of papers started between 1846 to 1890, many were short lived. People were hungry for news. Papers printed speeches, sermons, poetry, murders, war news, ads, legal notices and even printed in some foreign languages.

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Indian Music

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 07:00:00 -0000

Music was very important in the lives of Native Americans. It tells their history, education, medicine and was sacred for special ceremonies. They used drums, flutes, whistles, rasps, rattles and chordophones. Singing was considered the most important part of their music.

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Native American Languages

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 07:00:00 -0000

There may have been as many as 300 Native American languages with only 175 remaining. They were complex and there was a tremendous variety among tribes. Navajo is the most difficult to learn and the most commonly spoken in the U.S. and was used in World War II.

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Great Plains Indians

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 07:00:00 -0000

They had a rich culture and organization. Some were nomadic, others were farmers who traded between tribes. Many cooperated to maintain peace. Marriage and raising children involved the whole family. Men and women had their roles. They believed in a spirit world.

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Yellow Wolf

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 07:00:00 -0000

A first cousin to Chief Joseph, he followed the famous chief and the Nez Perce. He fought at White Bird Canyon, the Clearwater River and in the Battle at the Big Hole. They nearly made it to join Sitting Bull in Canada but surrendered and ended up on the Colville Reservation.

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Bloody Island

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 07:00:00 -0000

Dueling was considered the gentlemen's code of honor. Dueling was illegal, so a small island in the Mississippi became the ideal site . The challenged party chose weapons, distance and volleys. One of the most famous was Abraham Lincoln, he chose the cavalry broadsword.

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Private Charlie Windolph

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Windolph gives his first person account at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. At age 97 he was the last survivor of the troopers who fought there.

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Wyatt Earp in San Diego

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0000

After the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Wyatt and his wife moved to San Diego. He invested in real estate, had three saloons, owned race horses, harness horses and refereed boxing matches. Wyatt acquired a small fortune while living in San Diego, he died January 13, 1929 in Los Angeles.

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Sooners and Boomers

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Thousands waited for the starting gun to begin the race to stake their claim on 160 acres or townsite lots in several million acres. Each lot had been surveyed and the coordinates left on a pile of rocks they then rushed to town to file their claim.

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Captain Joseph La Barge and Captain Grant Marsh

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Both were successful Missouri Riverboat Captains, fighting Indians, ever-changing river conditions. The river was different going upstream compared with downstream. Marsh captained the Far West to the Little Bighorn river to rescue survivors of the Custer Battle.

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Steamers on the Big Muddy

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0000

In 1819 the Independence was the first of hundreds of steamers on the Missouri River. Three hundred steamers were destroyed by snags, fire, crushed by ice, violent winds or boiler explosions. The Saluda was the worst disaster on the Missouri, the boiler exploded killing 200 crew and passengers.

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A Cattle Drive

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Young Baylis Fletcher hired on to drive cattle from Texas to Wyoming. He faced a stampede, quicksand in the Red River, hail storms, Indians and endless miles of brown grass prairies. The boy Fletcher passed the test, he became a cowboy.

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Cap Guns

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Oh the good ole days when I rode the range with my trusty Mattel “Peacemaker” six shooter. Cap guns first appeared in the 1860's. Movies and TV from the forties through the sixties was the age of cap guns. We all wanted to be like Roy Rogers, Annie Oakley, Gene Autry. The Lone Ranger, Cisco Kid, Hopalong Cassidy were our heroes.

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Harry Tracy

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0000

He started by stealing geese, but quickly moved on to house breaking, robbing saloons and stores, ending up in prison. He added murder to his list while escaping prison. He continued a life of crime until caught by a posse while hiding in a wheat field.

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Mary Draper Ingles

Tue, 07 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Kidnapped by the Shawnee with her two sons. She escaped, traveled 500 to 600 miles, crossed 145 creeks and rivers, nearly froze, survived living on black walnuts, wild grapes, sassafras leaves, blackberries, even dead animals. After traveling 42 days she was reunited with her husband.

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Old West Towns - Part 2

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Despite the wind, droughts, flash floods, blizzards or fires the people found time for fun. Dances, sleigh rides, lectures, horse and foot races, but baseball was the favorite. Independence Day was a favorite, lots of food, fun and patriotic programs.

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Old West Towns - Part 1

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Early towns were in need of skilled cabinet makers, tailors, saddlers, shoemakers, doctors and teachers. They didn’t always get the best, but the good ones helped build the towns and the old west.

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Snake River Gold

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Gold may have been discovered in Idaho as early as 1853. Legend is a Nez Perce Indian woman led white men to the first discovery of gold that became the Oro Fino mines in North Idaho. More lesser known mines were found throughout Idaho.

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Judges of the Old West

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Judges could be threatened, intimidated, even killed. Court could be held in a saloon, pool halls or a tent. Some had limited knowledge of law and could be bribed or pocket fines. There were probably more honest judges than dishonest.

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Law and Order

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Vigilantes took care of lawbreakers until town Marshalls and county Sheriffs were hired. Desperate towns would even hire bad men. Duties could include health and fire inspector, bill collector, tax collector, street cleaner, even shooting unlicensed dogs.

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Gamblers

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0000

A favorite pastime, poker, dice, keno, faro, roulette, chuck-a-luck, dog and cock fights, horse racing and boxing. There were as many ways to gamble as there were to cheat and take a man's hard earned money.

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Peg Leg Smith

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0000

He cut off his own leg after being shot, carved his own wooden leg and established Fort Smith. He sold goods to travelers, was a rugged, whiskey-drinking, storytelling, horse thieving rascal, but a famous man who helped establish the west.

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The Scouts

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Former trappers became scouts for the explorers, missionaries, surveyors, the army and wagon trains. Many were pathfinders who opened up the West, men like Jim Beckworth, Jim Baker, Jim Bridger, Tom Tobin and Kit Carson.

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A Patriotic Program

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Francis Scott Key witnessed the British bomb Fort McHenry. Despite direct hits, the huge torn and battered American flag survived, inspiring him to pen our National Anthem. Captain William Driver was the first to proclaim our flag as “Old Glory."

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The Spaldings

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Henry and Eliza opened the Lapwai Mission among the Nez Perce. They were welcomed, opened a school and provided medical treatment. Henry clashed with the Shamans, the Mountain men and the Nez Perce men as he tried to force them to work. They eventually moved to Oregon City, Oregon.

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The Whitman Tragedy

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0000

The Whitmans and Spaldings wanted to convert the Indians. The influx of settlers and infectious diseases caused large numbers of Indians, especially children to die. Indians blamed the Whitmans resulting in the ambush and death of settlers including the Whitmans.

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Oregon Trail Along the Snake River - Part 2

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0000

A veteran trapper guide was a great help. He knew where there was grass, water, wood, where to cross rivers and avoid hostiles. Fort Hall on the East was considered the most important post on the Snake River. Fort Boise on the West provided safety, grass, water and wood.

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Oregon Trail Along the Snake River - Part 1

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0000

The Spauldings and Whitmans showed that a wheeled wagon could cross the country. Crossing the Snake River Plain was dry, dusty, with little food, grass was scarce, sharp rocks slashed the feet of the animals. Indians were friendly at first until they saw the destruction of the thousands of travelers.

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The Lost Golden Lake

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0000

In a blinding blizzard Ashton Teeples stumbled onto a lake. In three days he panned $225,000 in gold nuggets. He survived attacks by two different outlaw bands, shot six times, rescued by Mexican sheepherders, his life was saved. He enjoyed his fortune, but the golden lake was never found again.

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Bering Sea Whaler

Tue, 25 May 2021 06:00:00 -0000

In 1856 six year old Minnie and her mother Mary with her husband Captain Sam Lawrence boarded the whaling ship Addison. They spent the next four years in the Alaskan waters returning to Massachusetts with a full load of oil and baleen.

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Brush Poppers

Tue, 18 May 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Mossy horn steers were wild and dangerous. The cowboys wore heavy leather chaps, gauntlets and jackets to protect themselves as they crashed through mesquite trees, prickly pears, and other thorny shrubs chasing these wild cattle.

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Oliver Loving

Tue, 11 May 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Oliver Loving and his partner Charles Goodnight pioneered cattle drives. Loving and Bill Wilson escaped an Indian attack by swimming the Pecos River. Loving was wounded but made it to Fort Sumner where he died. Goodnight carried his body back to Texas for burial.

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Guns of the Old West

Tue, 04 May 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Which gun won the West? The Hawken, Samuel Colt's pistols, the Springfield "needle gun," Winchester, Smith and Wesson, Sharps? All played their role in taming the west. The double barrel shotgun was versatile, economical, good for hunting, defense, the true workhorse of the Old West.

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The Outlaw Burt Alvord

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Marshall Alvord and his gang successfully robbed a train, his next train robbery failed landing him in jail. He escaped and headed to Mexico. He helped capture outlaw Augustine Chacon. Jailed after another robbery, he spent two years in prison. He died from yellow fever in Barbados.

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The Great Diamond Hoax

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Partners Arnold and Slack showed investors a sack of diamonds they "claimed" they found. They led a group to Wyoming where they had "salted" a small area with uncut diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Geologist Clarence King, a government surveyor exposed the hoax as "utterly valueless" and "unparalleled fraud."

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Snowshoe Thompson

Tue, 13 Apr 2021 06:00:00 -0000

For twenty years he skied 90 miles over 50 foot snowdrifts through blizzards to haul the mail over the Sierras. He saved the lives of miners, hauled clothing, books, emergency supplies, tools, pots and pans never thinking of himself. He helped anyone in need and left his mark in California's history.

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Hats and Caps

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 06:00:00 -0000

John Stetson created the "Boss of the Plains." It kept the sun off your eyes and neck, could be a bucket, was customized by the owner and may cost two months wages. The "coonskin cap" was never worn by Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett or Lewis and Clark except on TV.

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Frontier Teachers

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Women proved to be the best teachers as new towns sprang up in the west. Despite limited supplies, school houses and poor pay, they helped with the westward expansion.

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Native American Mothers

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Sacred rituals before during and after childbirth was essential for the family. Some foods were taboo, they used herbs and teas to relieve pain and had their own version of disposable diapers. At least half their babies didn’t survive.

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Mary Musgrove

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0000

The Pocahontas of Georgia, she helped General Oglethorpe establish the Colony of Georgia. As an interpreter she helped prevent war, supplied meat, bread and food for the colonists. Considered the most important figure in Georgia's colonial history.

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Louise Siuwheem

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 07:00:00 -0000

She saved her Coeur d'Alene tribe from attacking enemies. Called "the spiritual directress, guardian angel of her tribe." She helped convert many of her tribe to Christianity and helped build the Citaldo Mission.

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Bill Pickett

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 07:00:00 -0000

He invented the technique of bulldogging a steer by biting it's lip. He got the idea by watching bulldogs bite the lips of steers. He traveled the world with the 101 Ranch Wild West Show and amazed thousands. Will Rogers said, "Bill Pickett never had an enemy, even the steers wouldn’t hurt old Bill."

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Buffalo Shooters

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 07:00:00 -0000

In 1872 thousands of shooters killed thousands of buffalo. Shooters could be killed by range fires, gored or trampled by the buffalo, even freezing to death. By 1872 the vast herds were reduced to a few thousand.

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Indian Buffalo Hunters

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 07:00:00 -0000

They used buffalo jumps, fire, deep snow and frozen rivers. With horses they were able to ride into the herd. Buffalo meant meat, robes, clothes, furniture, jewelry, artwork, cookware and bedding, nothing was wasted.

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The American Buffalo

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 07:00:00 -0000

Buffalo hunters killed for their hides, but thousands died from lightening strikes, wild fires, disease and tornados. They got mired in mud bogs, quick sand, river bottoms and tar pits.

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The Ghost Dance and the Battle of Wounded Knee

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 07:00:00 -0000

Sitting Bull and the Ghost Dance gave hope for a return to the old ways and eliminating the white man. Warriors and cavalry from the Little Big Horn were to meet again with tragic consequences.

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The Hungry Winter

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 07:00:00 -0000

The 1863 gold rush brought thousands to Virginia City, Montana. Winter of 1865, food was scarce, early snow blocked supplies. Flour went from $25 to $100 a sack. Mobs of hungry miners stormed the stores searching for flour.

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Jesse Stahl

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 07:00:00 -0000

After riding "Glass Eye" he became famous. He invented "hoolihanding" and could ride a bucking bronco facing backwards while carrying a suitcase. An exceptional athlete.

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Texas John Slaughter

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 07:00:00 -0000

He confronted Pancho Villa and Geronimo, rustlers and outlaws and only killed when necessary. He was a lawman, cattleman, gambler, gunman, businessman and empire builder.

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Mountain Charlie

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 07:00:00 -0000

Bear fighter, settler, miner, freighter, stage coach owner and successful businessman. Known for surviving a savage bear attack that took part of his skull, he wore a hat to try to hide the scars.

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A Christmas Story

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 07:00:00 -0000

From Abraham to the Maccabees to Herod the Great the stage was set for the birth of Jesus Christ. What a pioneer Christmas was like. A World War II story of German and American soldiers on Christmas. Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

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The Comstock Fire

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 07:00:00 -0000

Virginia City had several fires, but the 1875 fire was the largest. Over 2,000 buildings destroyed, 300 people left homeless and damages at one million dollars. Mines reopened the next day, the townspeople considered this a minor setback.

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Cole Younger

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 07:00:00 -0000

Cole Younger was a tough outlaw, shot eleven times after failing to rob the bank at Northfield, he was captured and sent to prison with his brothers. Brother Bob died in prison, Jim committed suicide, Cole toured in a wild west show and died at age 71.

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Boxing in the Old West

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 07:00:00 -0000

Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson promoted boxing matches in Alaska, Mexico and the U.S. Tex Rickard was the main force in million dollar world tile boxing matches, including Gentleman Jim Corbett, John L. Sullivan and Jack Dempsey.

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Cherokee Bill

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 07:00:00 -0000

"Dastardly Deed of Demons" read the headlines as Cherokee Bill and the Cook Gang robbed the bank. He was caught and executed but not before leaving a trail of robberies and dead people.

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Bass Reeves

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 07:00:00 -0000

The first black deputy U.S. marshal west of the Mississippi. One of Judge Isaac Parker’s most valued deputies, He arrested over 3,000 felons including his own son.

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Laura Ingalls Wilder

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 07:00:00 -0000

Born in 1867, her books have been translated into 40 languages. "Little House on the Prairie" was made into a popular TV show. She had her struggles and rejections but became popular among all ages.

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First Wagons West - Part 2

Tue, 03 Nov 2020 07:00:00 -0000

The Mormon migration in 1847 established Salt Lake as the crossroads of the West where thousands replenished their supplies and animals on their way to the gold fields in California. The real money was made by those who, "mined the miners", selling goods and providing transportation.

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First Wagons West

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 06:00:00 -0000

William Ashley in 1827 took the first wheeled wagon west of the Missouri. William Sublette in 1829, Reverends Whitman and Spaulding in 1836. In 1843 the Stephens-Murphy party were the first to make it all the way to California.

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City of Rocks Robberies

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 06:00:00 -0000

The City of Rocks was feared due to Indian attacks and was a favorite place for robbers to hide and bury their loot. Some never returned; is the treasure still there waiting to be discovered?

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States Names

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Arizona, the Dakotas, Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Oregon, California, New Mexico, Idaho, California and Wyoming. How did they get their names? Some were Indian or Spanish names, others from the topography and others were named by Congress.

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Maximilian's Gold

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Bill Murdock and his gang agreed to guide ten heavily loaded wagons to San Antonio. It was discovered the wagons contained treasure. Murdock was the lone survivor after his gang robbed the wagons and were then killed by Indians. The treasure remains hidden.

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Barkerville B.C.

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Billy Barker was one of dozens of English sailors who jumped ship in search of gold. At the bottom of a fifty foot hole they struck gold and Barkerville became a boom town. Billy lost his fortune and died a poor man.

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Blue Bucket Mine

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0000

A lost wagon train in Oregon sparked a gold rush. Three young men picked up some unusual looking pebbles in a creek, they carried them in a blue bucket back to the wagon train. Only later was it discovered to be gold.

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The Sultana

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0000

The Mississippi River was the scene of many riverboat disasters including the worst maritime disaster in the United States. In 1865, the boilers exploded on the Sultana killing hundreds of recently released Civil War prisoners and passengers.

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Smallpox

Tue, 08 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0000

The scourge of the West, it attacked whole tribes and left few survivors. As trade increased so did the disease, as trappers, immigrants and Indians traded goods that were often infected.

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Mat Nelson - Part 2

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0000

After the Figure Four, he became a Deputy U.S. Marshall. He tracked outlaws, horse and cattle thieves, put many behind bars including a notorious "Quail Netter".

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Mat Nelson - Part 1

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 06:00:00 -0000

By age fifteen he could ride and rope with the best and survived his first cattle stampede. While working for the Figure Four he witnessed a deadly gun battle and had some fun with an Eastern greenhorn.

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The Jackass Mail

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 06:00:00 -0000

The San Antonio to San Diego mail line was a true test for the passengers who didn't know if they would be in a stage or on a mule. Poor shelter and food and not knowing when or if they would arrive at their destination.

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Alchesay

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Described as "a mass of muscle and sinew of wonderful courage and faithful", he mastered the skills of hunting, tracking and warfare. A Medal of Honor recipient, he advised President Grover Cleveland, Cochise and Geronimo.

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Patrick Gass

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 06:00:00 -0000

At 99, he was the last of the Lewis and Clark expedition. His journal was the first published account, seven years before Lewis and Clark’s journals. He served in the War of 1812, worked with Daniel Boone, married at age 58 and had seven children.

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The Beaver

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 06:00:00 -0000

A rodent, the largest in America, can weigh from forty to one hundred pounds. His chisel-like teeth can down huge trees and can build a dam as long as a thousand feet and fourteen feet high, big enough for John Colter to hide from Indians.

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Maney Gault

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 06:00:00 -0000

As a Texas Ranger, Gault helped stop Bonnie and Clyde's reign of terror. Loyal, modest and "unbreakable", he solved cases of murder, bank robbery and cattle rustling, one of the greatest Texas Rangers of all time.

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Whiskey in the West

Tue, 14 Jul 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Whiskey was used as a trade good by early explorers and immigrants. "Rectified" whiskey contained tobacco juice, kerosene or grain alcohol to water it down and sell more at $30 a gallon, $900 in today’s money.

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Pearl Hart

Tue, 07 Jul 2020 06:00:00 -0000

She got lost after robbing a stage and was arrested, while in prison she became one of the most famous women in Arizona. A petite lady or a dangerous outlaw?

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Showdown at Pine Ridge

Tue, 30 Jun 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Four hundred Brul'es Indians on war ponies demanded food at the Pine Ridge Reservation. With a force of a few troops and 100 Oglala Sioux Police, agent McGillicuddy stood with his watch in hand and gave the war party five minutes to leave.

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Massacre Rocks

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Horror week along the Oregon Trail in August 1862. A narrow passage between the Snake River and lava hills provided a good place for Indian attacks on wagon trains, though most pioneers died from disease or accidents.

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The Cowboys

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 06:00:00 -0000

The biggest outlaw gang, they robbed, stole thousands of cattle and killed at least thirty five men. Wyatt Earp and his six-shooter ended the career of some of those outlaws.

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Women of the West

Tue, 09 Jun 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Sacajawea helped Lewis and Clark, Elizabeth Custer was with her husband at Fort Abraham Lincoln, Natawista played an important role at Fort Union and Medora helped her husband run his businesses.

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Billy the Kid: Last Interview

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 06:00:00 -0000

140 years after Billy's death, an interview published in the Las Vegas Gazette was discovered. He was in a Santa Fe Jail at the time and appeared cheerful, possibly because he was digging a tunnel to escape.

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The Battle of Sugar Point

Tue, 26 May 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Thirty five Chippewa Indians held off several hundred troopers in the last conflict between Indians and white settlers in North America.

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Rain-in-the-Face

Tue, 19 May 2020 06:00:00 -0000

He fought in the Battle of the Little Big Horn and was accused of killing Custer, which he both denied and claimed. He bravely fought for his people and country, converted to Christianity but never lost his hatred for the whites.

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Phillip Nolan - Horse Trader

Tue, 12 May 2020 06:00:00 -0000

In the 1790's there were thousands of wild horses in the Southwest. Nolan traded with Indians and drove herds to Eastern buyers. His final expedition ended with a bullet in his head from Spanish soldiers.

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Death at Fort Walla Walla

Tue, 05 May 2020 06:00:00 -0000

When gambler A.J. Hunt shot Private Emit Miller, he faced the wrath of the entire 4th U.S. Cavalry. Under cover of darkness the troopers stormed the jail and escorted Hunt outside where his life came to a deadly end.

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Arizona Charlie

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 06:00:00 -0000

He organized the first rodeo, set records in steer roping and joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. He traveled the world, met famous people, started his own wild west show and opened the Palace Grand Theatre in the Klondike.

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Quanah Parker

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 06:00:00 -0000

With a white mother and Comanche father, he was born to greatness and excelled in both cultures. He was a Comanche Chief and remained warrior to the end.

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Buffalo Drives

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Before guns and horses, Indians learned how to kill buffalo. The buffalo caller and tribe members lured, then stampeded the herd over a cliff. Buffalo provided food, clothes, tools, bowstrings and pemmican.

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Freighting to Deadwood

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Charlie Zabel hauled clothing, food, tools and machinery across treacherous rivers, Indian country and outlaws. A fast rising river nearly drowned his oxen and threatened to destroy his six wagons.

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LTC William Travis

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Little is known of Travis at the Alamo and how he died, the best source is from Travis's slave, Joe. He said Travis climbed the rampart, was shot and killed. A Mexican solder said, "The chief they called Travis died like a brave man."

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Lawmen of the Old West

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Most lawmen did their job with long hours and low pay while guarding the citizens. Some lawmen rode both sides of the law, Henry Plummer, Johnny Behan, Frank Dyer, Tom Horn, Ben Thompson and Henry Brown. Their careers ended at the end of a rope.

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Montana's Wolf Wars

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Although wolves ran across North America, ranchers in Montana faced the loss of their herds. They hired "Wolfers" to kill wolves, including the famous renegades "Custer Wolf" and "Livingston."

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Willie Chadburn

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 06:00:00 -0000

He lived up to his reputation as the "Black Sheep" of the family. Robbery was not successful, jail only made him more determined to continue robbing, until the posse caught up with him.

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Yellow Wolf

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 07:00:00 -0000

Nez Perce leader Yellow Wolf was a cousin of Chief Joseph. As a member of Joseph’s tribal band, Yellow Wolf fought and surrendered with Joseph in their tribe’s attempt to escape to Canada in the summer of 1877.

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Drought in the Old West

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 07:00:00 -0000

Droughts on the Great Plains caused the death of thousands of cattle and bankrupt ranchers. With the building of dams, windmills and range management, ranchers were able to raise huge herds of cattle.

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John Christopher Columbus Hill

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 07:00:00 -0000

At age thirteen he fought along side his brother and father against Mexican soldiers until captured. Adopted by Santa Anna, sent to College, earned a Doctorate, held lofty positions and helped negotiate the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

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Buffalo Bill in Paris

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 07:00:00 -0000

Cody’s Wild West Show gave audiences real life experiences, Indian battles, horse races, buffalo hunts and rodeo events. In Europe he attracted huge crowds including royalty, Visitors could walk among Indians in their tipis, corrals of buffalo and horses and even visit with Cody and Annie Oakley.

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The Tres Piedras Legend

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 07:00:00 -0000

Pierre LaFarge, an ex French Priest, together with twelve other Frenchman, robbed a gold cache in Mexico. They also killed and robbed Mexican miners. The treasure was buried near Flag Springs, LaFarge and the Frenchman died or were killed, the treasure remains, maybe?

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Yellow Jacket Mine

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 07:00:00 -0000

The remoteness of the mine made it a huge challenge to deliver materials. Even with hard work and strong mules the mine was never very successful.

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Stage Station

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 07:00:00 -0000

John Martin’s well provided water for the relay station and travelers. Stage driver Jacoby raced for the safety of Martins Well trying to outrun the Indians and save himself and his passengers.

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Rattlesnake Dick

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 07:00:00 -0000

A handsome, brilliant well dressed gentleman, he had lots of friends and was very good at robbing Wells Fargo stagecoaches. Like most in his career, two well placed bullets ended his career.

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Idaho Bill

Tue, 07 Jan 2020 07:00:00 -0000

He claimed to be friends with Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill, Pawnee Bill, Billy the Kid and others. A natural showman, he never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

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Stagecoaches and Robbers

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 07:00:00 -0000

Hundreds of stages were robbed from 1856 to 1916, most did not yield much treasure. Travelers suffered extreme heat or cold and dust over rough roads. As many as 21 people crowded inside and on top for long trips.

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Chumash Indians

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 07:00:00 -0000

Possibly the oldest tribe in California, with plenty of food, they had time for games, music, religious festivals, arts and crafts. They invented and built plank canoes which allowed them to travel and trade with other tribes.

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Sharpshooters

Tue, 03 Dec 2019 07:00:00 -0000

Ad Toepperwein, probably the greatest marksman of all time, traveled the country putting on exhibitions with his wife, Plinky. His greatest achievement, shooting for ten days, 72,500 targets made of 2 1/4 inch wood blocks, 7 hours a day, 68 1/2 hours, missing only 9 targets.

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The Sheepeaters

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 07:00:00 -0000

This isolated distinct tribe lived a peaceful happy life high in the Rocky Mountains. Expert arrow makers, they excelled at tanning hides and making clothes, they traded with other tribes and mountain men. Smallpox took it’s toll leaving few Sheepeaters.

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Jesse and Frank James

Tue, 19 Nov 2019 07:00:00 -0000

After riding with Quantill’s guerrillas and Bloody Bill Anderson, it was an easy step for the brothers to start a life of crime. Were they heroes or cold blooded murderers? Jesse was killed, Frank became an honest citizen.

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Baseball in the Old West

Fri, 15 Nov 2019 04:45:54 -0000

In 1869 the Cincinnati Red Stockings took the Transcontinental Railroad to California to play the local teams. By the mid-1880s baseball teams spread over much of the West.

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Curse of the Lost Creek Mine

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 01:04:00 -0000

Peter Slumach, a Salish Indian, found gold worth millions, but was hung for murder. The curse claimed the lives of some who found the gold and many more who didn’t. According to Indian legend, only one with Indian blood can claim the gold.

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Geronimo - The Later Years

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 01:27:00 -0000

The once proud leader of the Apaches was reduced to selling his autograph and at 76, being "displayed" as dangerous. He died from pneumonia in 1909, not living long enough to see his people return to their homelands.

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Calamity Jane

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Orphaned at age 14, Martha “Calamity Jane” Canary was left to care for five siblings. A dishwasher, cook, waitress, nurse, army scout, she dressed as a soldier, was compassionate to the sick and needy. Buried in Deadwood next to Wild Bill Hickok.

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Pasteur and Three-Fingered Jack

Tue, 15 Oct 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Two stories: Bitten by a rattle snake, Jack chopped off two fingers. He continued mining and made but lost a fortune. Willie Chamberlain was attacked by a rabid wolf, his only chance, go to Paris and seek treatment from Louis Pasteur. It worked.

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Greyson Welsh

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Left an orphan, he herded cattle, was attacked by Indians, fractured legs and nursed back to health by Indians, nearly starved and frozen to death, his crew successfully brought the herd in after a 6,000 mile journey.

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Jeffords and Cochise

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 06:00:00 -0000

He was a blood brother to Cochise and considered the only honest Indian agent. As treaties were made and broken, both Jeffords and Cochise could see the end of Indian life as they knew it.

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"Brazen Bill" Brazelton

Tue, 24 Sep 2019 06:00:00 -0000

He didn't swallow a wagon wheel but did single-handed rob stage coaches. He nearly got away by using disguises and putting horse shoes on backwards.

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Sir St. George Gore

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 06:00:00 -0000

A hunting trip with twenty eight wagons, oxen and horses, a personal cook and three waiters. Nice tent with heating stoves, brass bed, bathtub, oak table, fine dinnerware, a French rug, and most important, a fur-seated commode.

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John Butterfield

Tue, 10 Sep 2019 06:00:00 -0000

He organized the world’s longest transcontinental mail line. He bought horses, mules, wagons, hay and grain, way stations, dug wells, hired surveyors, drivers and blacksmiths. Mail was delivered in 25 days and linked East and West.

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Mike Tovey

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Shotgun messengers faced dangers, few took as many risks as Tovey. After 23 years guarding for Wells Fargo, being wounded twice, he was killed in the line of duty.

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The Golden Tunnel

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 06:00:00 -0000

It began with "Buck" Rogers discovery of gold. The cursed treasure left a trail of dead men and is still there, perhaps being guarded by the dead miners whose remains are still there.

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John Wesley Powell

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 06:00:00 -0000

He was a soldier, geologist, professor, scientist and explorer. Facing dangerous rapids, he floated the Green River in Wyoming down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and after three months and 900 miles finished his first expedition.

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Indian Traditions

Tue, 13 Aug 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Over 1300 native civilizations called North America their home. The Indians had a close spiritual understanding of the creation of the earth and a belief that they were put here by a “Creator”, "Great Spirit”, “Master of Life”, or Wakan Tanka.

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Samuel Colt

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 06:00:00 -0000

His first revolving six-cylindered pistol model was carved from wood, This led to the creation of a working rifle and pistol. Along with the Colt .45 "Peacemaker" were the Walker Colt, the "Texas" Patterson, the Dragoon, and the Model 1851 Navy .36 caliber.

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The Hanging Judge

Tue, 30 Jul 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Judge Parker was a cheerful outgoing man, loved by children and devoted to his job. He tried more than 13,000 people, three fourths were convicted, 344 carried the death sentence of which 88 died on the gallows. George Maledon was the very efficient hangman who made sure the job was done right.

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The Buffalo Soldiers

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 06:00:00 -0000

The oft forgotten black soldiers served faithfully in the Indian wars, risked their lives and proved to be hard working, dedicated and brave. Some received the Congressional Medal of Honor defending stage stations, forts and fighting Indians.

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The Apache Indians

Tue, 16 Jul 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Always on the move, they roamed a vast territory fighting and raiding other tribes. Freedom-loving, foxy, and deeply religious, they could outrun on foot the cavalry horses. Among their friends were Generals Howard and Crook, Tom Jeffords and Al Seiber.

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The Mormon Exodus - Episode 2

Sun, 14 Jul 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Brigham Young organized the exodus in 1847. They came by ship, wagon trains and handcarts to settle in the Great Basin. Immigrants heading west were able to replenish supplies and worn out stock.

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The Mormon Exodus - Episode 1

Tue, 09 Jul 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Organized in 1830, the Mormon church claimed to have modern revelation, a prophet, and new scripture in the form of The Book of Mormon. These, along with the slavery issue and polygamy resulted in them being driven from Missouri and Illinois.

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Lincoln, New Mexico

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 06:00:00 -0000

The most dangerous street in America known for the Lincoln County War with Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett. More than 50 lives ended due to accidents, revenge, violence and questionable frontier justice.

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Religion and Spirituality

Tue, 25 Jun 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Native American women played an important role in the spiritual ceremonies of the tribe. They saw the forces of creation and offered prayers of thanks for food, good health and protection.

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Jackson Hole

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 06:00:00 -0000

A hundred miles in any direction made Jackson Hole the ideal place for a rendezvous where furs and supplies could be traded. Jim Bridger, John Colter, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Jedediah Smith, William Sublett are among the great explorers and trappers who spent time in Jackson Hole.

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Edgar Rice Burroughs

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Yes, he wrote Tarzan but he also served in Troop B, U.S. 7th Cavalry stationed in Arizona Territory and joined in the search for the Apache Kid. This experience helped as he wrote, “The War Chief” and “Apache Devil".

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The Women of the Alamo

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Amid the terror of gunfire, cannons, fighting and death during the Battle of the Alamo, there were women and children that survived. After the battle Santa Anna gave each two silver dollars, a blanket and released them.

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The Kolb Brothers

Tue, 28 May 2019 06:00:00 -0000

They were among the first to float the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. They became famous for their photos showing the wonders of the Grand Canyon while guiding tourists on mules.

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Mental Illness

Tue, 21 May 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Many mentally ill people were imprisoned, beaten, tortured, shackled and exhibited for show. Dorothea Dix dedicated herself for forty years to provide proper treatment and facilities and more accurate diagnosis for these misunderstood people.

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Lost Treasure

Tue, 14 May 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Three Germans found the "Cement Mine" as did a lone prospector and a man named Whitman, all died and it remains lost. A lost Mexican girl and a wandering cowboy found sacks of gold nuggets, but it too remains hidden by the blowing sand in Death Valley. Lots of treasure is still there.

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Billy the Kid’s Belle

Tue, 07 May 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Paulita Jaramillo was friends with Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. She was interviewed and said there was no romance, just good friends. She was there when Garrett shot and killed the Kid in her brother, Pete Maxwell’s home.

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Joaquin Murrieta

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Joaquin was a forty-niner, a vaquero, gold miner and famous outlaw. His head ended up in a glass jar after Harry Love and the California Rangers tracked him down.

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Klickitat Gold Mine

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 06:00:00 -0000

The Chief of the Klickitat Indian tribe kept secret the location of the gold, the secret passed on father to son. The last person who knew the location, a Chief’s daughter, was killed by her drunken French husband, so the gold is still there.

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White Pass Trail

Tue, 16 Apr 2019 06:00:00 -0000

From Skagway, this 45 mile trail to the Klondike witnessed the worst inhumane treatment of horses, mules and oxen. Over 3000 horses packed supplies and miners to Lake Bennett before being abandoned to die.

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Charles McKenzie

Tue, 09 Apr 2019 06:00:00 -0000

The Klondike was the "big stampede on 1897". Thousands left Dyea and Skagway to began the "big climb," 1000 feet up the Golden Staircase to the summit, some never made it, buried by an avalanche.

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John M. Browning

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 06:00:00 -0000

The gun wizard made his first gun at age 13, invented the lever action, pump, gas operated machine gun, semi-automatic pistol, belt fed machine gun, 37 mm cannon, BAR and more. He had 128 patents with guns considered mechanical engineering marvels.

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Frank Hamer

Tue, 26 Mar 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Hamer was a Texas Ranger, expert rifleman, hunter and tracker. He engaged in 52 gun battles, put away 21 bad guys, trailed Bonnie and Clyde and was there when they met their fate.

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Talking Mirrors

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 06:00:00 -0000

Communication was essential for military success. The heliograph, a device with moveable mirrors, was used on strategic mountain tops to help the Army follow the movements of Geronimo.

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Frederic Remington

Tue, 12 Mar 2019 06:00:00 -0000

He captured the "real authentic" west with his paintings, illustrations and sculptures. He loved horses, dogs, good cigars, was well liked and could drink anyone under the table.

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The Chisholm Trail

Tue, 05 Mar 2019 07:00:00 -0000

Millions of cattle were rounded up in Texas and driven as far as Montana, California and Missouri. Cowboys, Indians, stampedes and ticks carrying "Texas Fever" were all part of the challenge of getting to the end of the trail.

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George Ruffner

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 07:00:00 -0000

Two young men headed West, they worked together learning how to be cowboys. They crossed paths many times, the last found them standing together on the gallows, one was to hang.

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Bose Ikard

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 07:00:00 -0000

No longer a slave, he traveled West and became a trusted important partner in the Loving and Goodnight cattle business. He fought Indians, trailed herds, survived stampedes, raised a family and was honored in the the Texas Trail of Fame and Cowboy Hall of Fame.

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Medicine Man

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 07:00:00 -0000

Well respected and wise, he would sing, chant and dance to invoke the "Great Spirit". Herbs, roots, and blossoms were used as well as sweat baths and cold plunges .

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The Doomed Trio

Tue, 05 Feb 2019 07:00:00 -0000

For seven years, Robinson, Hoback and Reznor trapped the Missouri, Snake and Madison Rivers and served as guides for the overland Astorians. Their dream of returning to Kentucky ended with their death on the Boise River.

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Coal Oil Jimmy

Tue, 29 Jan 2019 07:00:00 -0000

James Buckley, "Coal Oil Jimmy", was a cold blooded killer. With partner Tom Taylor, they robbed stage coaches until two cowboys collected the $1200 reward.

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A Soldier's Life

Tue, 22 Jan 2019 07:00:00 -0000

Flogging, solitary confinement, time in the guardhouse or strapped to a ball and chain, punishment could be severe. Deserters often took army property and were seldom caught.

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Klondike Gamblers

Tue, 15 Jan 2019 07:00:00 -0000

Win or lose, most gamblers never quit, with only a few managing to keep their wealth. Silent Sam won one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in one card game.

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Horse Thieves

Tue, 08 Jan 2019 07:00:00 -0000

The horse thieves thought they got away, but they didn't count on expert tracker George Goodhart. By using tact and being quick with a gun, George had never killed any of those he arrested.

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Christmas Stories

Tue, 25 Dec 2018 07:00:00 -0000

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous song, "Christmas Bells" and how "Silent Night" came to be written and sung. Gate 67 and a Montana Christmas, two examples of the true spirit of Christmas.

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Pioneer Christmas

Tue, 18 Dec 2018 07:00:00 -0000

Corn husk dolls, carved toys, knitted scarves and mittens, a small tree covered with popcorn and cranberries, and the food. A fat goose, roast elk and buffalo, smoked tongue, chokeberry preserves, blackberry duff, what a feast for family and friends.

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Granville Stuart

Wed, 12 Dec 2018 07:00:00 -0000

He was a "road" rancher, prospector, horse trader, blacksmith, merchant, civic leader and vigilante. He didn't make a fortune, but was known a "Mister Montana".

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Bethenia Owens

Tue, 04 Dec 2018 07:00:00 -0000

As a daring female physician, she overcame prejudice and hardship to pave the way for others. She never refused a call, braving storms, floods and other obstacles to serve those in need.

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The Lost Bride

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 07:00:00 -0000

Who was this beautiful well dressed young woman and how did her lifeless body end up in the river? Miners and Indians came together to give her a proper funeral.

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Gold Rush Robbers

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 07:00:00 -0000

Some unlucky miners tried their luck at robbing stagecoaches. They didn't count on Nevada City marshal Steve Vernard and his trusty Henry rifle.

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Chief Buffalo Horn

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 07:00:00 -0000

The treaty was supposed to say, "Camas Prairie", not "Kansas Prairie", which led the Bannock Indians to revolt. An eye witness to the battle described how Chief Buffalo Horn was killed and the battle was over.

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Stagecoach Stories

Tue, 06 Nov 2018 07:00:00 -0000

Dirty, dangerous and slow, thousands traveled by stage. Despite robbers, Indians and narrow roads, the real terror was accidents, sometimes caused by careless drivers.

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Joe Phy

Tue, 30 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0000

As Indians attacked the freight wagon, the military escort abandoned Joe and Mac. Muleskinner Joe held off the attack as Mac rode for help, but would they get there in time?

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Idaho Jack

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0000

Known as the "King of Bears", Idaho Jack was big, smart and dangerous. Swartz didn't want to kill this legend; he wanted to outsmart and capture him.

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Dave Simpson

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0000

He was the blacksmith at the Rock Creek Station and rumored to be a horse thief. A detective found enough evidence, so it was decided that Dave Simpson must hang.

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Whipsaw and Little Cayuse

Tue, 09 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0000

Whipsaw, an old trapper, took in a captive 2 year old Pawnee Indian boy. Named “Little Cayuse” he had an acute sense of alertness that enabled him to warn of approaching danger.

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The Pony Express

Tue, 02 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0000

1900 miles of bandits, Indians, blizzards and deserts were challenges faced by these daring and brave young men. A financial failure, it lasted only 18 months.

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Klondike Justice

Tue, 25 Sep 2018 06:00:00 -0000

The Chilcoot Pass was the route many miners took to the gold fields. They carried the required 2000 pounds of supplies and had their own form of justice for thieves.

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The Comstock

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 00:00:00 -0000

In 1851 the Grosh brothers discovered the Comstock Lode. This led to the greatest Nevada boomtown ever, Virginia City. Huge veins of silver and gold produced millions for many of the owners.

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The Sundance Kid

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Harry Longabaugh, alias Bob Evans, Tex McGraf or Hiram Bebee, he fought for Pancho Villa, served in World War I, joined a gang with John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly, and Pretty Boy Floyd. After killing Marshal Lon Larsen in Utah, he died in 1955 in the Utah State Prison. Was this the real "Sundance Kid"?

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Butch Cassidy - Part 3

Tue, 04 Sep 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Were Butch and Sundance killed in Bolivia? Not according to his sister Lulu, his father, his brothers and more witnesses who met him long after he was supposed to have been killed.

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Butch Cassidy - Part 2

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 18:00:00 -0000

The outlaw years, robbing banks in Telluride, Montpelier, Castle Gate, the UP train and Winnemucca. Butch, Sundance and Etta Place left for South America to try to begin a new life.

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Butch Cassidy - Part 1

Tue, 21 Aug 2018 04:14:00 -0000

Born Robert Leroy Parker, his grandparents left England, joined a Mormon handcart company and settled in Southern Utah. Oldest child of Maxi and Annie Parker, Butch met outlaw Mike Cassidy and began his career as a bank robber and outlaw.

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The Townsmen - Part 2

Tue, 14 Aug 2018 00:00:00 -0000

A land rush was an exciting race to claim a lot in a new town. The general store, or "shebang", was the life of the town, where goods could be purchased, including prefabricated homes.

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Lawmen

Tue, 07 Aug 2018 00:00:00 -0000

With a rifle, six-shooter, ammunition, horse and blanket, these men faced some of the worst outlaws. The pay was poor, some rode both sides of the law, but most were faithful brave men doing their job.

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The Townsmen

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Towns by the thousands sprang up across the west, some prospered and grew. They attracted butchers, bakers, merchants, doctors, but the editor of the newspaper was most important.

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Dave Tucker

Tue, 24 Jul 2018 00:00:00 -0000

He spent time in jail for cattle rustling and robbing a bank. So how did this man become President of the very bank he helped rob, and became a stalwart citizen?

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The Triskett Gang

Tue, 17 Jul 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Violence was not uncommon in the small gold rush towns, but the Triskett Gang were thieves and murderers. Frontier justice put an end to their rein of terror.

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Steamers on the "Big Muddy"

Tue, 10 Jul 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Fires, snags, sand bars and exploding boilers were just some of the dangers for steamboats on the treacherous Missouri River.

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The Blue Roan Mankiller

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 00:00:00 -0000

The outlaw horse had never been ridden and had killed two men. The pride of the ranch depended on Shorty and his bronc riding ability.

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Kitchen-Table Surgery

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Setting broken bones, gunshot wounds, amputations, appendectomies, tracheotomies and even brain surgery was performed by skilled surgeons in the homes of pioneers.

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King Fisher

Tue, 19 Jun 2018 00:00:00 -0000

He was handsome, pleasant, a perfect gentleman but deadly with a six-gun. He rode both sides of the law, rustled a few cows, killed a few cowboys and died the way he lived.

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Steamboat Queen

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Steamboat races on the Sacramento River was a popular pastime. The captains would do anything to win, including ramming and shooting at the the other boat.

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The Petrified Man

Tue, 05 Jun 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Who was this man and how did he become petrified? Is it General Meagher or Antelope Charley? This rare specimen made a lot of money for the owners.

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Malee Francis

Tue, 29 May 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Malee, daughter of a Creek Indian Chief, was known as Florida's Pocahontas after saving the life of a soldier. She was the only woman in US history to be awarded a special medal.

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A Soldier's Food

Tue, 22 May 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Salt beef, salt pork, beans, bread, hardtack, cornmeal mush all washed down with black coffee and they did their own cooking. Food shortages were common, along with moldy, rancid and spoiled meat.

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Curse of the Mine

Tue, 15 May 2018 00:00:00 -0000

The Lost Creek Mine seemed to bring nothing but bad luck and for some a curse.

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Hank Vaughan

Tue, 08 May 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Vaughan was a mix of gunplay, murder, livestock rustling and occasionally a good citizen. The old gunfighter's body, scarred by thirteen bullet wounds, died falling off a horse.

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The Gunnison Battle

Tue, 01 May 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Captain John Gunnison was on a surveying mission in Utah Territory. A wagon train of Missourians, determined to kill Indians, and Pahvant Indians bent on revenge ended in tragic death on both sides, including Gunnison.

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Health on the Trail

Tue, 24 Apr 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Early travelers faced choking dust, mud, insects, bad weather, not enough food, sickness and often death. Travelers preferred treatment from traders and mountain men.

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Spanish Gold

Tue, 17 Apr 2018 00:00:00 -0000

In the 1600's, the Spanish enslaved local natives for mining gold. One man discovered gold, but was shot and killed. Before he died, he told a local cowboy where to find the treasure.

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Ouray and Chipeta

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Ouray, a skilled hunter and fierce warrior, negotiated treaties and was known as the "Peace Chief". Chipeta, his wife, was respected and loved by her people and was known as "Queen of the Utes".

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Hole-in-the-Wall

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid lived here along with 100 to 200 outlaws from 1880 to 1910. No sheriff or posse dared enter the hideout where an army of killers and robbers were living.

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Lost Mines of Idaho

Tue, 27 Mar 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Some men carried the secret location of their rich finds to their graves, and yet over a billion dollars in gold and silver came from mines in Idaho, some of which were accidentally found.

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Sarah Winnemucca

Tue, 20 Mar 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Born the daughter of Chief Winnemucca, Sarah was a guide and interpreter for the army. She spent her life trying to get sufficient food and clothing for her people living on reservations with dishonest Indian agents.

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Tom Fitzgerald

Tue, 13 Mar 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Nearly eaten by a bear, chased by Indians, he hid in a cave, nearly drowned, treed by wolves and near starvation, he was rescued by two trappers. Mountain man and trapper, Tom, finally made it to the annual rendezvous in Pierre's Hole.

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Range Wars

Tue, 06 Mar 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Over 10,000 sheep and one man were killed during Oregon's sheep and cattle wars. The sheep shooters took an oath of secrecy to join the brotherhood of sheep haters hoping to drive sheep out of the country.

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Cowboy Poetry

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 00:00:00 -0000

The Dude Wrangler, Jack Potter's Courtin', How Many Cows?, Young Fellers, Reincarnation.

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Richard Kirkland

Tue, 20 Feb 2018 00:00:00 -0000

The Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg saw thousands killed or wounded. Kirkland, became known as "the angel of Marye's Heights," as he bravely carried water into no-man's land to give relief to wounded soldiers from both sides.

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Africa - Part 2

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Majete Wildlife Reserve, Mount Mulanji, Monkey Bay and Lake Malawi, and amazing wildlife. The Dzaleka Refugee Camp with 7,000 people just trying to survive.

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Malawi Africa - Part 1

Tue, 06 Feb 2018 00:00:00 -0000

A beautiful green country, thousands of acres of maize, tea, tobacco, macadamia nuts. 24 hour stay in a village eating, sleeping and dancing with these great people. This is the first time the village has done this.

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Soldiers on the March

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 00:00:00 -0000

After a long trek and hearty meal of hardtack and salt pork they slept in a tent with twelve other soldiers. Water was sometimes strained through their sock causing various forms of intestinal distress (originally recorded 3/12/13).

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The Cavalry

Tue, 23 Jan 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Life was rough for the cavalry, they faced Indians, bad weather, heat and lack of proper food. They took good care of their horses, carried their own gear and many hours in the saddle could cause "serious" discomfort (originally recorded 3/5/13).

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Tahlequah Canyon Battle

Tue, 16 Jan 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Ned Christie, son of a Cherokee Chief, had money and education. He decided robbing banks, trains and stealing horses was a better vocation, until he met Heck Bruner.

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Pioneer Women

Tue, 09 Jan 2018 00:00:00 -0000

Nancy Kelsey was the first white woman to cross the Sierra Nevadas. She walked barefoot carrying a baby and was an inspiration to her fellow travelers. Nellie Chapman was the first licensed dentist in the Old West.

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Pocahontas

Tue, 02 Jan 2018 00:00:00 -0000

She was an Indian Princess, daughter of the Chief of the Powhatans. She saved John Smith, helped keep the peace and supplied the colonists with food, she played a major role in the "Miracle of Jamestown".

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Jollification

Tue, 19 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0000

All was not work for the pioneers. Jollification was the term used for any excuse to dance, celebrate, have quilting bees, barn raising, candy pulling and just getting together.

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Buffalo Hunters

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Buffalo Bill, Wyatt Earp, Pat Garrett and Bat Masterson were buffalo hunters. Ranchers were glad to have more feed for their cows, for the Indians it was a tragedy.

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Theodore Roosevelt

Tue, 05 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Before politics he tried cattle ranching and was successful for awhile, but severe losses ended his cattle business. He gained fame in Cuba with his "Rough Riders" and eventually became our 26th President.

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Chief Joseph - Episode 3

Tue, 28 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0000

After 1600 miles fighting battles, hunger and cold, Chief Joseph surrendered. His famous words, "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."

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Chief Joseph - Episode 2

Tue, 14 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Attempts at peace failed after a white flag of truce was ignored. After the Battle of White Bird Creek and the Clearwater, the military realized they were fighting brave skilled warriors fighting for their families.

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Chief Joseph - Episode 1

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Chief Joseph - Episode 1The Nez Perce, a gentle tribe, helped the white men, including Lewis and Clark. Trouble began with the signing of a treaty forcing some to leave their lands and leading to battles and a 1700 mile trek.

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Train Robbers

Tue, 31 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0000

America's first train robbery, five Reno brothers, stole a lot of money and set the example for future robbers. John spent 25 years in prison, the others met their fate at the end of a rope.

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The Snake River

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0000

The quest for a river leading to the Pacific Ocean led to half-truths, exaggerations and downright lies. Captain Robert Gray, Alexander Mackenzie and the Lewis and Clark expedition finally established the rivers West.

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The Missouri River

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0000

A river of flowing mud, dead trees, and sand bars, yet thousands traveled by canoes, flatboats, Mackinaws, keelboats and steamboats to reach the Rockies.

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Title The Fast Draw

Tue, 10 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Real gunfights in the old west were not like those seen in movies. Bat Masterson, Pat Garrett, Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and the gunfight at the OK corral all had their own gunfights. (Previously recorded show from Jan 22, 2013)

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Tonkawa Indian Tribe

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0000

1862, The Tonkawa tribe awoke to an attack by the Shawnees, Delawares, Wichitas, Kickapoos and a few other tribes Why? Maybe it was because they acted as scouts for the Army in attacking other Indian tribes, or their tradition of eating their enemies.

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Trail Trouble

Tue, 26 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Cattle drives faced a lot of challenges, not always making a profit. Payment to Indians for crossing their land, freezing weather, buffalo, elk and deer mingling with the cattle were just some of the challenges.

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Ambush on the Coquille

Tue, 19 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Weary and starving, the explorers accepted food and a canoe ride only to be ambushed. Heddon packed his wounded companion over thirty miles to safety.

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Across Nebraska

Tue, 12 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0000

The UP began the Transcontinental Railroad in Omaha. Thousands worked in all kinds of weather, heavy lifting, shoveling, pounding spikes, setting ties and rail, they accomplished the impossible.

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The Graders

Tue, 05 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0000

With picks, shovels, wheel barrows, teams and scrapers, they prepared the grade for ties and rails. The Chinese ate healthy, worked hard and had the most dangerous job of drilling and blasting the solid rock to build the tunnels.

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The Surveyors

Tue, 29 Aug 2017 00:00:00 -0000

They came first to lay out and mark the line for the Transcontinental Railroad, trying to avoid lakes, mountains and rivers. Like Lewis and Clark, they explored the west to find the best route. Grenville Dodge fought Indians, explored and found the route West.

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The First Cowboys

Tue, 22 Aug 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Texas was the cattle raising industry which gave rise to the first cowboys. Armed to the teeth, spurs, long hair covered with a broad-brimmed sombrero was the look of the Texas cowboy.

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Wild West Shows

Tue, 15 Aug 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Buffalo Bill's Wild West show began in 1883. Gunfights, outlaws, stagecoach and wagon train attacks, sharpshooters and Cossack Prince Tifto all added to the excitement of a real Wild West Show.

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Roman Nose

Tue, 08 Aug 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Never a Cheyenne Chief, he believed he could not be killed due to his "great medicine". He rode in front of the enemy while arrows and bullets whistled past, with not even a scratch.

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Idaho Cowboys

Tue, 01 Aug 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Stray horses caused problems between ranchers, but they usually came to a friendly agreement. Cowboys loved silver on their saddles, bridles, bits and spurs and were the first to give money to poor kids.

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Chief Pocatello

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -0000

His courageous mother escaped capture, walked 600 miles returning to her native Northwestern Shoshoni tribe. Pocatello hunted buffalo, fought the Sioux, Blackfeet and white men, robbed to feed his people and died in 1884.

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Battle of San Jacinto

Tue, 18 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -0000

"Remember the Alamo" and "Remember Goliad" was the war cry as General Sam Houston led the Texan Militia against Santa Anna. Victory resulted in gaining nearly one third of the United States.

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The Alamo

Tue, 11 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Was there a coward in the Alamo? Moses Rose made the difficult decision to leave rather than face certain death and was branded a coward and a deserter.

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National Anthem

Tue, 04 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -0000

The War of 1812, "Old Glory" and the signers of the Declaration of Independence. This is one of my favorite shows I repeat every year, so listen now to our rerun of last years show from July 5, 2016.

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Chinese Trial

Tue, 27 Jun 2017 00:00:00 -0000

The hard working Chinese played a big role in settling the Old West. Virginia City, Montana was the site of the trial of two Chinese men accused of murder.

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Vacation Sites

Tue, 20 Jun 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Big Springs 120 million gallons of water each day and Johnny Sack's cabin, near Island Park, Idaho. Head West to ghost towns, Nevada and Virginia City, Montana where $30,000,000 in gold was taken. Pan for gold, ride a stage coach, then past Quake Lake and into West Yellowstone to the Playmill Theatre.

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Unsinkable Molly Brown

Tue, 13 Jun 2017 00:00:00 -0000

She was a "thorn" in the side of Denver society, but the rest of the world fell in love with this somewhat crude illiterate woman. She was reported to be the last woman off the Titanic.

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Dentistry

Tue, 06 Jun 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Toothache? Try alcohol, heroin, or an "electric toothbrush". Mix boiled spiders, eggs, oil and apply to the sore tooth or spit into the mouth of a frog. To clean teeth, mix ground antlers, hooves, crabs, eggshells and lizard livers.

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Indian Medicine

Tue, 30 May 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Indians knew about tonics, astringents, antiseptics, and many natural remedies. They performed amputations, treated fractures and removed arrows. In some ways they may have been superior than the Europeans.

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Wagon Train Women

Tue, 23 May 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Cooking, sewing, cleaning, doctoring, even harnessing and driving wagons, these women had to be strong. Wagon trains didn't stop long for women giving birth, or for burying the dead. 2400 miles with hopes and dreams for a better life.

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Western Women

Tue, 16 May 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Don't trifle with a woman's affections, steal her cattle, horses or oxen. Don't "steal" her daughter, her husband's rifle or shoot her ranch hand. Indians found a "defenseless" ranch wife was pretty good with a rifle.

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The Wagons

Tue, 09 May 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Conestoga, Studebaker, Espenshied, Murphy or a converted farm wagon, and, are you going to use horses, mules or oxen? Decisions that determine if you will make to Oregon or California.

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Dave Simpson

Tue, 02 May 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Was Simpson a horse thief? A peculiar man with a reputation for being honest, yet evidence indicates he was a horse thief. A hasty trial with a rope around his neck, was this the end?

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Pickett and Love

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Nat Love and Bill Picket were among the most famous African American cowboys. They made their name by being the best when it came to riding, roping, branding and herding cattle. Pickett was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1971.

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Stampede

Tue, 18 Apr 2017 00:00:00 -0000

On a cattle drive, a stampede was feared the most. Usually at night, lightning, thunder, a horse falling, and sometimes for no reason, a herd could be thrown into a wild panic. Most herds stampeded at least once.

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Chuck Wagons

Tue, 11 Apr 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Cattle drives depended on a good foreman and cook. Coffee, sourdough biscuits, bacon, steak, beans, pot roast, short ribs and son-of-a-(gun) stew, cowboys were well fed. They also obeyed strict chuck wagon rules.

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Cattle Drive, Receiving

Tue, 04 Apr 2017 00:00:00 -0000

A cattle drive began with receiving cattle, in this case from Mexico. From receiving, swimming across the Rio Grande, counting the herd, picking your horses, all part of a six month trail ride.

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Custer's First Stand

Tue, 28 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -0000

1868, General George A. Custer led the 7th Cavalry in a surprise winter attack against Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle and his village. Custer reported a victory, yet there were only a dozen warriors killed and 23 soldiers killed. 1876, another attack along the Little Bighorn river, with much different results.

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Outlaw Red Buck

Tue, 21 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -0000

George Miller didn't like his neighbors cows eating his corn. He shot some cows and his neighbor, but partnering with Red Buck was his worst mistake.

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Mysterious Mandans

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Blonde, blue eyed, fair skinned Indians? Tall, powerful and courageous with their "skull crushers", they were feared by the Sioux. The 1362 Kensington Stone and Viking graves may hold the answer.

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Dinah of Death Valley

Tue, 07 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Dinah, the three-wheeled steam tractor, set out to replace the 20 mule teams hauling borax across the Mojave desert. When the dust cleared there was just one winner.

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White Gold

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -0000

The winter of 1864 found the mining town of Alder Gulch with a serious lack of flour as supply trains were unable to make it through the deep snow. Flour, also called, “Dumpling Dust”, sold for as much as $110 a sack.

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Skinner’s Treasure

Tue, 21 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -0000

George W. Skinner discovered a huge treasure but disappeared. His skeletal remains were found, but not the treasure, even with written directions discovered by his brother.

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Horse Thief

Tue, 14 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Doc Middleton stole mules and horses from friends, neighbors and emigrants, but would turn around and give horses to poor stranded emigrants. A Robin Hood of sorts, but still ended up in jail.

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Jim Bowie's Last Fight

Tue, 07 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Famous for a knife, he fought against General Santa Anna at the Alamo, with Davy Crockett and Colonel William Travis. These brave defenders died fighting for Texas independence.

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Treasure Island

Tue, 31 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0000

A treasure hunters paradise, Mustang and Padre Islands. Miles of buried treasure, sunken ships, coins, artifacts, military relics waiting to be found, but watch out for snakes.

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The Infantryman

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0000

He carried 50 pounds of gear, marched 10 to 20 miles a day in all kinds of weather, often without enough food or clean water. At the end of a campaign, clothes were rags, boots worn out, hair and beards long and shaggy, yet they played an important role in protecting early pioneers.

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Trail Towns

Tue, 17 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0000

After three months driving cattle, the cowboys were ready for fun. A haircut, new clothes, a photo and money to spend. Wild Bill Hickok patrolled Abilene with a sawed-off shotgun.

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Battle of Adobe Walls

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0000

Buffalo herds were being slaughtered for their hides. Indian tribes attacked the trading post at Adobe Walls, but the hunters held them off with sharpshooting and Billy Dixon's mile long shot.

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John C. Fremont

Tue, 03 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0000

He explored most of the West, fought in the Mexican and Civil wars, discovered gold, ran for President and died poor. One of the West's greatest explorers.

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Christmas Traditions

Tue, 20 Dec 2016 00:00:00 -0000

A pioneer Christmas was a combination of traditions and songs from around the world.

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A Christmas Truce

Tue, 13 Dec 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Even in times of war, there can be moments of peace. During WW II Elisabeth Vinckens, a German, opened her home to some unusual guests and for a short time, there was peace.

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City of Rocks Christmas

Tue, 06 Dec 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Christmas morning, in a blinding snowstorm, 19 year old Charles Walgamott rode the horse drawn sled carrying passengers, mail and freight. They met the stage coming from the Oakley (Idaho) stage station, then returned to the City of Rocks stage station for a great Christmas feast.

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Pearl Hart

Tue, 29 Nov 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Armed with a .44 Colt pistol, Pearl Hart robbed a stagecoach and was immediately arrested. The last stage robbery resulted in 18 months in jail for the beautiful bandit.

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A Miners Tale

Tue, 22 Nov 2016 00:00:00 -0000

A young miner was having a great time drinking with his friends until he challenged fellow drinkers to a contest. The results were not what he wanted as he went home bloodied and battered.

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Early Western Hospitals

Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Doctors and nurses worked in tents, cabins and kitchen tables with no knowledge of germs. Dr. Listers discovery along with better facilities made your chances of recovery much better.

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Charley Parkhurst and Little Joe

Tue, 08 Nov 2016 00:00:00 -0000

One eyed Charley was a famous stagecoach driver. Bandits learned to avoid robbing his stage. Little Joe Monahan could cowboy with the best of them. Only when they died was the "real" Charley and Joe revealed.

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Benjamin LeDuc

Tue, 01 Nov 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Utah's Tintic rich mining district attracted its share of crooks. LeDuc swindled mine owners, authorities searched but never found him. He was last known to live in Salt Lake City disguised as a women and was never caught.

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Kit Carson

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Mountain man, scout, guide and war hero, his name was enough to prevent Indians from attacking. He fought with and against the Indians while traveling the entire west.

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John Wesley Powell

Tue, 18 Oct 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Civil War veteran, John Wesley Powell wanted to row boats down the Colorado River. After facing dangerous rapids, near starvation they became the first to explore the length of the mighty Colorado River.

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The Lost Dutchman Mine

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 00:00:00 -0000

John Waltz, the Dutchman, seemed to have found the mine, he had plenty of gold. Does the Superstition Mountains still hold the secret and the curse for those who never returned looking for the lost treasure?

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Hatcher and Chief Old Wolf

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Hatcher was a mountain man, guide, freighter and adopted into the Kiowa tribe. With Hatcher's knife to his scalp, Chief Old Wolf wisely decided to order his braves to retreat from their attack.

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Stagecoach Mary

Tue, 27 Sep 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Born a slave and an orphan, she moved to Montana and worked at a convent. A few bad habits, but she had a big heart and was the first black person hired by the postal service to carry the U.S. mail.

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Lewis and Clark

Tue, 20 Sep 2016 00:00:00 -0000

John Colter's horse was stolen by some Teton Sioux indians, this could have been the end of the expedition. Chief Black Buffalo demanded more gifts, so a visit to the indian village and a few "carrots" of tobacco and the expedition was able to continue.

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The Boise Bandits

Tue, 13 Sep 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Stagecoach robbery was the crime of choice, especially if thought to be carrying gold. John Miller and Talton Scott were arrested, jailed and escaped, arrested again and ended up doing hard labor in jail.

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The Paymasters Treasure

Tue, 06 Sep 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Charles Simpson witnessed the murder and robbery of the paymaster. He saw where the robbers buried the treasure. Did he return years later to retrieve the gold?

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Francis Slocum

Tue, 30 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Delaware Indians kidnapped five year old Francis in 1778, it would be sixty years before she would see any of her family again.

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Bell Starr

Tue, 23 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0000

The female Jesse James, a convicted felon, she was linked to thieves and killers and referred to as the "Bandit Queen". Her life came to a sad end in an ambush and a shotgun blast.

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Bungled Bank Robbery

Tue, 16 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0000

After hearing Butch Cassidy brag about robbing banks, three of his Wild Bunch decided they could also rob banks. They should have stayed with Butch.

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Steamer on the Snake

Tue, 09 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0000

The Snake River flows through Hells Canyon, deepest gorge on earth. The sternwheeler, "Colonel Wright" challenged the river, but the river won.

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Lost Treasure

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0000

$17,000 was buried by the stage station attendant in an attempt to keep it safe, he was killed and the treasure has never been found. Two sheepherders buried $102,000 in gold coin, after killing their employer, taking $4,000 each, they also were killed, so another treasure that has never been found.

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The Vigilantes

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 00:00:00 -0000

They shot, hung, flogged and even branded some outlaws and may have sometimes had the wrong man. They also hired men to do the killing for them, Tom Horn was one who seemed to enjoy his profession, until he made a trip to the gallows.

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The German Sisters

Tue, 19 Jul 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Cheyenne Chief Stone Calf wanted revenge for his son's death. The unlucky German family was attacked, four daughters were taken hostage. General Nelson Miles and the cavalry came to the rescue.

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Clay Allison

Tue, 12 Jul 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Using his gun or a rope, killing came easy to Clay Allison. When a nervous dentist pulled the wrong tooth, Allison shoved the dentist down and began pulling the dentist's teeth.

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4th of July

Tue, 05 Jul 2016 00:00:00 -0000

How "Old Glory" got its name. The fate of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. How our National Anthem came to be during the war of 1812.

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"Portugee" John Phillips

Tue, 21 Jun 2016 00:00:00 -0000

With a constant threat of Indians, he rode 236 miles in 4 days in freezing weather to Fort Laramie to deliver the message requesting reinforcements. His brave ride probably saved lives at Fort Phil Kearny.

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The Pinkertons

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Barrel maker turned detective, he was the original "private eye". He chased Jesse James, the Younger and Dalton gangs, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The modern FBI used his agency as a model.

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George Armstrong Custer

Tue, 24 May 2016 00:00:00 -0000

He admired and defended the Indian way of life, but was reckless and vain. Loved or hated, he followed orders and did what he thought was true and right.

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Chilkoot Avalanche

Tue, 17 May 2016 00:00:00 -0000

With dreams of striking it rich in the Yukon, thousands made the trek to Alaska. An avalanche on the "Golden Staircase" was another hazard the minors faced.

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The Cattlemen

Tue, 10 May 2016 00:00:00 -0000

The Goodnight and Loving partnership faced Indians, stampede and financial ruin. They drove cattle, invented the chuck wagon, the side saddle and crossed buffalo with cattle, true pioneers in the cattle industry.

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The Miller Frazer Gunfight

Tue, 03 May 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Sheriff Frazer made mistakes, hiring Miller as a deputy, then two gunfights in Pecos, Texas. The end came with a double barrel shotgun blast and a lynch mob with a rope.

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Billy the Kid (Part 2)

Tue, 26 Apr 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Sheriff Pat Garrett put Billy behind bars, sentenced to death, he escaped hanging only to be shot by Garrett. Will we ever really know the truth behind the Legend?

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Billy the Kid (Part 1)

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 00:00:00 -0000

A legend in the Old West, with more movies, books, and magazine articles than any old west character but how many did he really kill, and what is the real story? (Originally Aired 5/15/2012)

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Wild West Shows and Rodeos

Tue, 12 Apr 2016 00:00:00 -0000

When cowboys got together they had to see who was the best at roping, riding, bulldogging, and who had the fastest horse. The wild west shows also contributed to today's rodeos.

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The Potlatch Ceremony

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 00:00:00 -0000

An important ceremony among Alaska's Tlingit tribes with singing, dancing and feasting. The giving of gifts indicated the wealth of the host tribe.

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Guns and Gunfighters

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Outlaws, lawmen, cowboys, gamblers all relied on a gun. They lived by the gun, but many of them met an early death.

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Jim Fugate

Tue, 22 Mar 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Fugate was a teamster hauling freight to Santa Fe. They were attacked by Cheyenne, Kiowa-Apaches and Arapaho indians, death on both sides, but the freight made it to Santa Fe.

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Rourke’s Robbery

Tue, 15 Mar 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Good planning is important when trying to rob a train. Rourke made a lot of mistakes, the worst being chased by a posse led by the famous Bat Masterson.

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Peg Leg Smith

Tue, 08 Mar 2016 00:00:00 -0000

He was a mountain man, trapper, Indian fighter and horse thief. Near death, he amputated his own leg, and was nursed back to health by Ute Indians.

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Nemaha River Treasure

Tue, 01 Mar 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Two young minors made their fortune in the gold fields of California but lost it all one terrible night. They buried the treasure that hunters still seek.

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Pioneer Nurses

Tue, 23 Feb 2016 00:00:00 -0000

They delivered babies, sutured wounds, set broken bones and treated disease, often traveling long distances in bad weather. These were some of the real heroines of the old west.

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Al Sieber

Tue, 16 Feb 2016 00:00:00 -0000

A breed apart, scouts were essential to the military. Seiber, like Kit Carson and Jim Bridger, spent years guiding in the old west.

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Joe Meek

Tue, 26 Jan 2016 00:00:00 -0000

Captured by Indians, he tricked the chief into a standoff with Jim Bridger and his mountain men.

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Jim Bridger

Tue, 19 Jan 2016 00:00:00 -0000

At age 56 he was considered the greatest scout in the West. He also told some tall tales around the campfire

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Shanghai Terror

Tue, 05 Jan 2016 00:00:00 -0000

San Francisco was a dangerous place for sailors. They were drugged or knocked out, then sold to ship's captains with little or no pay and forced to work

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Jedediah Smith

Tue, 29 Dec 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Nearly killed by a bear, he traveled in unknown territory more than any other mountain man. He never smoked, got drunk or used profanity and was a friend to the Indians

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Christmas War Story

Tue, 22 Dec 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Enemies became friends for a short time during WW 1 and WW 2. Even in war, Christmas can be a time of peace

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Kidnapped

Tue, 15 Dec 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Taken by Geronimo at age 9, he became a blood brother and lived his life as an Apache for many years before returning to his family

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Geronimo

Tue, 08 Dec 2015 00:00:00 -0000

He was never a chief, but led many war parties into Mexico and the U.S. This old warrior finally surrendered and lived on reservations until his death from pneumonia.

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Diamondfield Jack

Tue, 01 Dec 2015 00:00:00 -0000

He came close to being hung for murders he didn't commit, drifted into Nevada and discovered gold. He was worth millions but died a pauper with his boots on.

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Transcontinental Railroad

Tue, 24 Nov 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Abraham Lincoln wanted to connect East to West with a railroad. Picking and scouting the best route was led by Grenville Dodge.

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Charles Blackstone

Tue, 17 Nov 2015 00:00:00 -0000

He joined the gold rush to Alaska, but discouraged and broke, he attempted a dangerous trek to return home

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Daniel Potts-Part 2

Tue, 10 Nov 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Letters home describe Yellowstone, travel up the Missouri River, trapping and trading, near starvation and an unfortunate accident

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Daniel Potts

Tue, 03 Nov 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Few trappers could read and write, Potts wrote letters to his family describing his adventures in the west as a trapper and mountain man.

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Henry Starr

Tue, 27 Oct 2015 00:00:00 -0000

He claims to have robbed more banks than anyone, and claims to have buried treasure in Kansas. His career ended with a shot in the back.

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The Younger Brothers

Tue, 20 Oct 2015 00:00:00 -0000

The four Younger brothers joined up with Jesse and Frank James to form the James Younger gang. They robbed banks, trains and stagecoaches, but the law caught up with them in the end.

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Wind Wagons

Tue, 29 Sep 2015 00:00:00 -0000

A sail on a wagon to cross the plains? Sounds crazy, but "Windwagon Thomas" Sam Peppard and others gave it a try, not much success, but good entertainment.

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The Real Cowboys-Part 2

Tue, 22 Sep 2015 00:00:00 -0000

A good saddle on a well trained horse, the cowboy was ready to fix fence, doctor cows, try to keep cows from freezing or starving. After a long winter they were ready for the roundup.

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The Real Cowboys

Tue, 15 Sep 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Cowboys lived by a strict code of the West, they were hard working and loyal. They faced danger from rattlesnakes, bad weather and wild cows.

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Marcus Whitman

Tue, 08 Sep 2015 00:00:00 -0000

The Whitmans and Spauldings headed west to preach to the indians. The first white women to make the journey and thus began the Western migration.

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Wilson Hunt Price

Tue, 18 Aug 2015 00:00:00 -0000

He led an expedition overland to the mouth of the Columbia River. They suffered cold, hunger, thirst and death in this remarkable journey.

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Old Black Harris

Tue, 11 Aug 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Moses "Black" Harris was a true Mountain man, trapper, guide and could tell stories around a campfire that were amazing and sometimes true.

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California Joe

Tue, 04 Aug 2015 00:00:00 -0000

He was friends with Custer, Kit Carson, Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill HIckock and was a guide for several Generals. He made the mistake of turning his back on an old enemy.

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The Indian Wars

Tue, 28 Jul 2015 00:00:00 -0000

The mid 1800's saw large numbers of settlers and others moving into Indian Territory. Broken treaties and invasion caused war as they tried to protect their land.

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Gary Schorzman

Tue, 21 Jul 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Gary Schorzman, part 2, discussing life in the old west in southern Idaho, the cattlemen, miners and pioneers

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Fourth of July

Tue, 07 Jul 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Fate of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, How "Old Glory" got it's name and the event that inspired our National Anthem

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John Chisum

Tue, 30 Jun 2015 00:00:00 -0000

King of the Pecos,he had from seventy to eighty thousand cattle on his 150 mile empire. He hosted outlaws, sheriffs, soldiers, and more in his luxurious home.

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Love and Picket

Tue, 23 Jun 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Nat Love and Bill Picket were two of the more famous African-American cowboys. One out of three cowboys in the old west were of African-American or Mexican descent, these were some of the best cowboys to ride the range.

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The King Ranch

Tue, 16 Jun 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Early ranchers put up with Indians, rustlers, squatters, drought, killing winters and prices that went up and down. Richard King was one of the success stories.

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Runnymede

Tue, 09 Jun 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Rich kids from England were sent to learn the ways of the Wild West. Boxing, drinking and hunting coyotes was not what their parents had in mind.

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Black Kettle

Mon, 01 Jun 2015 17:00:00 -0000

Named after the Cheyenne Chief, this magnificent horse was a legend on the plains of Kansas. He was hunted and chased for years before he was finally caught.

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Bodies Cemetery

Tue, 26 May 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Bodie, California attracted thousands in search of gold. For many the cemetery became their final resting place.

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Luke Short

Tue, 19 May 2015 00:00:00 -0000

He was a gambler and had a bad habit of killing people. Called the "undertakers friend" because he "shot 'em where it didn't show"

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River Log Drives

Tue, 12 May 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Getting logs down the river to the mill pond was dangerous work. Log jams required finding the key log, dislodging it by hand or dynamite. Men were crushed or killed if caught in the river.

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Cattle and Quicksand

Tue, 05 May 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Cattle drives could be dangerous, but another hazard was river crossings. Many cattle got caught in the middle of the river and had to be rescued.

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China Visit - Part 1

Tue, 21 Apr 2015 00:00:00 -0000

The Great Wall, Terra Cotta Warriors, visiting students and Lecture at Peking University, my amazing visit and travels in China

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Army Surgeons

Tue, 14 Apr 2015 00:00:00 -0000

They were in greater danger themselves, yet practiced the highest standard of medicine in the 1870's. Typhoid, cholera, scurvy, rabies, broken bones, arrow and gunshot wounds, they saw it all.

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Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 00:00:00 -0000

The Law and Pinkertons were after them, so they left for South America. They bought a large ranch, but couldn't avoid robbing banks. So did they really die in Bolivia?

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Lewis and Clark--Physicians

Tue, 31 Mar 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Not formally trained as physicians, they were well prepared. They treated everything from, fractures, snakebite, fever, lacerations, infections and other diseases. They also treated Indians and learned from the Indians.

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Wagon Train Attacks

Tue, 24 Mar 2015 00:00:00 -0000

August 1862, the worst Indian attacks along Idaho's Snake River on the Oregon Trail. Many lives were lost and thousands in provisions, wagons and animals.

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Klondike Gold Rush

Tue, 17 Mar 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Purchased for $7.2 Million, it was a bargain, producing 100's of millions in gold. The work was extremely hard, dangerous, and very few found their "bonanza"

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Train Robbers

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Robbing trains was very popular and lucrative if the robbers knew their business, if not, it would be their last train ride.

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John Wesley Hardin

Tue, 03 Mar 2015 00:00:00 -0000

One of the most dangerous men in the old west, he may have killed as many as thirty men. He lived by the gun and died by the gun.

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Gold Country Doctors

Tue, 24 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0000

With whiskey for anesthesia, they performed surgery in tents, saloons, and stables. With luck the patient lived. They traveled on bad roads and terrible weather to save lives, some were quacks, others very skilled in treating patients

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Bigfoot

Tue, 17 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Was there really a "Bigfoot"? Yes, not a myth, he was a very large man who was jilted by a girl and turned bad. His days ended in a gun battle. Also, a short story about a stagecoach that ended up at the bottom of the Snake River.

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The McCarty Gang

Tue, 10 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Tom rode with Butch Cassidy but decided to go on his own with brother Bill and nephew Fred. From Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Montana it went well, until they rode into Delta, Colorado and met the town hero.

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Comanche

Tue, 03 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Was this the only horse to survive the Battle of the Little Bighorn? Captain Myles Keogh's horse survived many battles and was a mascot for the 7th Cavalry.

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Pierre Garreau

Tue, 27 Jan 2015 00:00:00 -0000

The son of a Cree Indian woman and Frenchman. His bravery was legendary among Indians and the white man. He never backed down from a fight

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Escaped Convicts

Tue, 20 Jan 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Desperate and dangerous convicts escaped from the Nevada State Prison. Wanted dead or alive, some were caught, some killed but some were never found

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Gold Rush Travelers

Tue, 13 Jan 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Gold fever caused many to head for California. Some went by ship around Cape Horn, others crossed the isthmus of Panama hoping to board a ship for San Francisco. They faced storms, disease, poor food and accommodations and some died on the journey.

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Mary Graves

Tue, 06 Jan 2015 00:00:00 -0000

Mary and her family headed west with big dreams until they joined the Donner Party. Snowbound, starving and cold in the Sierra Nevada mountains, Mary struggled to reach Sutter's Fort and get help. An amazing story of survival

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Captain Jack

Tue, 30 Dec 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Forced to leave their homelands, the Modoc Indians, led by Chief Captain Jack only wanted to live in peace. The military had other ideas and wanted to force them onto a reservation. A lack of trust on both sides led to the Modoc War.

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Sister Blandina

Tue, 16 Dec 2014 00:00:00 -0000

She was friends with Billy the Kid and Geronimo. She was a teacher, nurse and much more. She was able to have schools built and lived a life of service to others

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Elfego Baca

Tue, 09 Dec 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Last of the old time gunfighters who survived bullets and knives. He tried to enforce the law with a fake badge and eventually became a sheriff and lawyer.

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Annie Oakley

Tue, 02 Dec 2014 00:00:00 -0000

A superstar in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, an expert with a gun. She performed for thousands, including royalty.

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Thanksgiving

Tue, 25 Nov 2014 00:00:00 -0000

The first Thanksgiving. Squanto, an english speaking Indian, taught the Pilgrims how to grow their own food and helped them survive.

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Calamity Jane

Tue, 18 Nov 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Army scout, stagecoach driver, wagon freighter, Indian fighter, nurse and sometimes prostitute. She loved Wild Bill Hickock and is buried next to him in Deadwood, South Dakota.

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Idaho Stage Holdup

Tue, 11 Nov 2014 00:00:00 -0000

A gold carrying stage was robbed with help from the driver. Vigilantes administered justice with a rope and a tree. Gold bars may still be buried.

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Mountain Man Medicine

Tue, 04 Nov 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Hunting knife surgeons. Mountain men doctored themselves and each other without medical knowledge or tools.

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Johnson County War

Tue, 28 Oct 2014 00:00:00 -0000

War between the huge Cattle Ranches and the working cowboy ended with several dead. Two groups that should have been working together.

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James O. Pattie

Tue, 21 Oct 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Trapper, mountain man and Indian fighter. He liked hunting bears and beaver and rescued his true love from Indians.

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Roving Sky Pilots

Tue, 14 Oct 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Listen to find out all about Roving Sky Pilots

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Transcontinental Railroad

Tue, 07 Oct 2014 00:00:00 -0000

A race that connected East to West with the help of workers from all over the world. The Transcontinental Railroad was an amazing accomplishment that required thousands of workers with backbreaking labor and danger, from the surveyors to the final laying of the track and meeting at Promontory Point.

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Homestead Doctors

Tue, 30 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Country Doctors faced long hours, bad weather, poor roads and other dangers. These brave men and women did their best to save lives, sometimes losing their own.

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End of an Earp

Tue, 23 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0000

He missed the Gunfight at the OK Corral. He didn't become famous like his brothers, Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan. The youngest brother could never live up to the name. In the end, a bullet to the heart sent him to his grave.

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Lola and Lotta-Entertainers

Tue, 16 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Lola Montez and Lotta Crabtree danced and sang during the gold rush in California. They entertained thousands of lonely miners who showered them with gold nuggets and coins.

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Ghost Stories

Tue, 09 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Black Jack Ketchum's ghost, a headless horseman and a legless horseman

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Buried Treasure

Tue, 02 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Millions in buried and lost treasure. Six short stories of gold never found and where you can go look.

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The Nez Perce Indians

Tue, 26 Aug 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce were losing their homeland. Two of the battles that took place along their attempted escape to Canada was the White Bird Battle and the Battle of the Big Hole.

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Black Bart

Tue, 19 Aug 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Charles Bolton, a gentleman, robbed over two dozen stagecoaches without firing a single shot. He left poetry signed, "Black Bart". He was also a model prisoner in San Quentin.

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Billy Miner--The Unknown Outlaw

Tue, 12 Aug 2014 00:00:00 -0000

He was the most wanted man in several states and Canada. He spent nearly half his life in prison, escaping several times. Each time he was released from prison he continued his life of crime.

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Military Doctors

Tue, 05 Aug 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Military doctors developed new methods for removing arrow heads. These brave men performed surgery by candlelight while dodging arrows and bullets.

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The Indian Wars

Tue, 29 Jul 2014 00:00:00 -0000

The Indians and Army both used tactics that sometimes favored the Indians, other times the Army. The Indians just wanted to preserve their way of life. The government wanted the land and all Indians on reservations.

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Bob Ford, Killer of Jessie James

Tue, 22 Jul 2014 00:00:00 -0000

The man who killed the man who killed Jesse James. Ed Kelly killed Bob Ford who killed Jesse James. So who killed Ed Kelly and why?

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Buckey O'Neill--Sheriff

Tue, 15 Jul 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Train robbers didn't count on Sheriff Bucky O'Nelll and posse to chase them so far. Four states, several weeks and $8000 later he brought them in for trial. He also served with the "Rough Riders" in Cuba.

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Sitting Bull

Tue, 08 Jul 2014 00:00:00 -0000

He was elected to represent all free-roaming Sioux and defeated the best army in the world at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. He was brave, wise, generous, and a legend among his people.

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Our National Anthem

Tue, 01 Jul 2014 00:00:00 -0000

The War of 1812 was our "2nd" battle for Independence. Fort McHenry was where Francis Scott Key witnessed bombing that inspired our National Anthem. Also, how our flag got the name, "Old Glory".

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California Gold Rush

Tue, 24 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0000

The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill started the gold rush. Millions in gold were discovered, not just in California, but Colorado, Montana, and most of the western states.

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Texas Rangers

Tue, 17 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Organized in 1823, they had a questionable reputation, but survived off and on for many years. Re organized for good in 1935, they are the elite in law enforcement and respected around the world. Hollywood's portrayal of gunmen is not accurate, here you will read of famous and little known men who shaped the old west, some for good and others not so good.

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Jim Bridger--Mountain Man

Tue, 10 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0000

There was competition between fur trappers, until it came to fighting Indians. Struck in the head and with two arrows in his back, Jim Bridger survived the battle, but carried an arrow head in his back for three years. He was one of the greatest explorers and trappers, a legend in his own time. One of the most important scouts and guides in the West.

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Kate Bender--The Bloody Benders

Tue, 03 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Lone travelers in the old west faced many dangers, some simply vanished and were never seen or heard from again. Dinner at the Bender's Inn could prove to be your last meal.

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Madam Moustache--Gambler, Saloon Owner

Tue, 27 May 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Eleanora Dumont was a successful gambler and parlor owner. Not so lucky in love nor was her late husband. Her unusual hair growth earned her the name, "Madam Moustache" Note: Recording error for the first part of this podacast. Women in the old west could be heroines, robbers or killers, they were legends larger than life and were sometimes hung.

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Soapy Smith--Skagway Scoundrel

Tue, 20 May 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Jefferson "Soapy" Smith was slick, selling $5 bars of soap, a fake telegraph office, and a desire to be the first thief in Alaska. A very proper gentleman while robbing miners, but in the end justice was served. The Klondike lured thousands in search of gold, so how did we get Alaska? The Chilkoot Trail and Skagway is part of the story, but there are many more than these.

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Cattle Drive Stampede

Tue, 13 May 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Young Andy Adams first cattle drive with 3200 head, from Mexico to Montana in six months. Of all the dangers on the trail the stampede could be the deadliest. The third week out a horse stumbled, and the stampede was on. Other dangers included indians, wild cattle, flooded river crossings, quick sand, lack of water and feed, wild horses.

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Blackjack Ketchum--Outlaw

Tue, 06 May 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Tom "Blackjack" Ketchum was a bank robber, killer, gang leader who hooked up with Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch for a short time. He wanted to make history by robbing a train by himself. He lost his head in the end.

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Hugh Glass--Grizzly Survivor

Tue, 29 Apr 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Mountain man, trapper, Hugh Glass was attacked by a grizzly bear. Abandoned, left for dead, revenge drove him to survive to kill Jim Bridger. Part of Bridger's life he would like to forget. Bridger was legend, a scout, guide, explorer, one of the most important men in shaping the old west.

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Granny Remedies

Tue, 22 Apr 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Folk medicine dates back centuries and has passed on for generations. On the frontier, the family doctor was the housewife, or grandma, or neighbor. The homestead mother was the key to health in the old west.

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Almo Creek Massacre

Tue, 15 Apr 2014 00:00:00 -0000

A wagon train was traveling from Missouri in 1861 on the Oregon Trail. In Idaho they took the California trail when disaster struck. Later, another smaller wagon train was also attacked with a much better outcome.

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The End of the Dalton Gang

Tue, 08 Apr 2014 00:00:00 -0000

They wanted to make history by robbing two banks at the same time. When the dust settled there were four citizens dead and four robbers dead. Listen to their story and find out what they did wrong.

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Wyatt Earp--His Later Years

Tue, 01 Apr 2014 00:00:00 -0000

He became famous for 30 seconds at the Gunfight at the OK corral. But what happened in his later years. He traveled all over the west trying different business ventures that usually didn't work. This is his story of his Alaskan business dealings, his fortune and misfortune in the gold fields.

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Mose Burris

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Mose Burris was an American Indian stickball champion, Marshall, and sharpshooter.

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Life Among the American Indians

Tue, 18 Mar 2014 00:00:00 -0000

Some inventions have never been improved, the canoe, the moccasin, the snowshoe, the tepee and the bow and arrow. Did they use poisoned arrows or practice for battle? Did they use a lasso? And what happened when they began getting guns?

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Sacagawea's Son--Baptiste Charbonneau

Tue, 18 Feb 2014 00:00:00 -0000

He was born on the Missouri with the Lewis and Clark expedition. Sent to school by Clark, taken in by a German Prince, he studied and traveled 6 years in Europe. A trapper, mountain man, guide, trader, and interpreter.

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Kidnapped by Geronimo

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 00:00:00 -0000

A 9 year old indian boy taken from his family by Geronimo. Tried by fire, walking on embers, he became a blood brother. He lived his life as an Apache warrior and rode with Geronimo. He eventually returned to his family.

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Grizzly Adams--A Shoemaker Who Tamed Grizzly Bears

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 00:00:00 -0000

He trained bears and traveled with P.T. Barnum. The tame weren't so tame, as his body was covered with scars when things went wrong. The mountain man, miner, showman and museum owner's life was made into a movie many years later.

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The Naked Mountain Man--Osborne Russell's Story of Survival

Tue, 03 Dec 2013 00:00:00 -0000

A small group of mountain men were trapped by a band of Blackfeet indians. It looked like the end, as they were outnumbered. An old Iroquois trapper decided he was going out in style. A very unusual charge was made by this man that saved the day. Russell was a true mountain man, trapper and explorer in the Northwest. One of the best accounts of a fur trapper.

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Stage Run--Fastest in History

Tue, 19 Nov 2013 00:00:00 -0000

San Francisco to Kansas, Ben Holladay had to save his Overland Express. His government contract was on the line. The only thing to save it was to make the fastest run across the county in his stagecoach. Did he make it? Listen to see!

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Indian Athletics--Broken Bones and Death

Tue, 12 Nov 2013 00:00:00 -0000

Stick ball, hoop and pole, rock football, underwater volleyball, swimming and running, spears that might accidentally take out your opponent. Games were fierce and could mean death or slavery to the loser.

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