Episodes

During the summer of 1863, the U.S. Government sent the legendary Kit Carson to reign in the Navajo. As such, the former Mountain Man adopted a scorched earth policy, burning crops and villages, restricting access to water, a...

Following the Mexican-American War, Kit Carson returned home and attempted to start a ranch. The former Mountain Man had been out west with the Pathfinder – John C. Fremont – for several years as they tried to conquer Califor...

By 1845, tensions were high in the Mexican territory of California. Not only were the U.S. and Mexico on the brink of war, but even the native Hispanic Californios were looking to separate themselves from the official governm...

Kit Carson ventured west as a teenager, looking to escape the drudgery of civilization. And in the years to come, he’d find all the excitement a youngster could hope for in the life of a mountain man. For over a decade, Carso...

When it comes to the Old West, they don’t get much more legendary than Kit Carson. Although soft-spoken and physically small, this larger-than-life mountain man would go on – during his own life – to become a national hero, a...

“It makes no difference what men think of war. War endures. As well ask men what they think of stone. War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.” – Blood Me...

Dangerous Dan Tucker would arrive in the southwest in the mid-1870s, pin on the badge of a Sheriff’s Deputy, and, in a very short amount of time, tally up a body count surpassed only by the likes of John Wesley Hardin and Dea...

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In November of 1868 – at just the tender age of fifteen – John Wesley Hardin killed his first man. And, a few weeks later, he’d kill yet again; this time, three soldiers who came looking for him. Fearing a hangman’s noose, We...

How wild or violent was the Wild West? Were gunfights a daily occurrence, or is that just a byproduct of Hollywood and dime novels? Also discussed are the murder rates for Deadwood and Dodge City, Red Dead Redemption, cowboys...

There is a lot of misinformation about Billy the Kid's death. This is your comprehensive guide to cut through the noise and determine fact from fiction. Thank you to all of the historians whose research I rely upon. (1:15) – ...

Although John Bull remains relatively unknown today, the English-born gambler is considered one of the deadliest gunmen of the Old West. Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.co...

On the night of July 14th, 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett killed Billy the Kid. In doing so, he helped create a legend and ensured that his legacy would forever be intertwined with the notorious outlaws. And let’s be honest – it i...

In July of 1901, 14-year-old Willie Nickell was shot dead in an ambush. He had been less than a mile away from home attempting to open a gate when two bullets struck him in the back. A little over two years later, noted assas...

Tom Horn first arrived in Wyoming in 1892. He had spent most of a decade chasing Apache down in Arizona before diving headfirst into a feud known as the Pleasant Valley War. Although Tom’s actions during the feud remain uncle...

Regarding Old West feuds, Arizona’s Pleasant Valley War ranked among the most violent. Also known as the Graham-Tewksbury feud, this conflict would rage on for over a decade and see a death toll from between twenty to fifty m...

“Killing men is my specialty. I look at it as a business proposition, and I think I have a corner on the market.” – Tom Horn, scout, lawman, detective, and assassin. As a young man, Tom Horn walked the rough cow towns of Dodg...

Lonesome Dove, the 11th novel of famed author Larry McMurtry, was published in 1985. Four years later, the characters Augustus McCrae and Woodrow F. Call were immortalized on screen by actors Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones...

There is no new episode this week. Instead, I thought I'd share a compilation of previously released material. In this collection of true stories from the Old West, we’ll discuss Comanche Jack Stilwell, his heroics during the...

Considered by many to be the first Mountain Man, John Colter first came west with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. When they head back to civilization, Colter instead chooses to stay behind. He’d live with the Crow tribe and g...

Today, we’ll follow the Lewis and Clark Expedition as they return to civilization. We’ll also discuss the lives of a few key figures post-expedition. What ever happened to Sacagawea? What about her son, Pomp? How about George...

In July of 1806, Captain Meriwether Lewis and three of his companions had a violent confrontation with the Blackfeet, resulting in at least one dead warrior. This encounter would lead to strained relations between the United ...

Despite being a slave, York enjoyed unprecedented freedom during the Lewis and Clark expedition. Unfortunately, this would not last, and once back in Missouri, York returned to a life of bondage. Unlike the other men of the C...

In the spring of 1805, the Lewis and Clark expedition departed from the Mandan and followed the Missouri River west into Montana. They would need to cross the Rocky Mountains before the snow began to fall, and to that, they w...