Bloody Beaver

On Christmas Day 1851, Lieutenant Amiel Whipple and his men find themselves outnumbered and facing certain death at the hands of the Quechan people. What happens next is what many would consider a Blood Meridian Christmas miracle.   Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chief Satanta, the great orator, was an extremely influential Kiowa leader. A participant in both battles of Adobe Walls, Satanta was eventually tried for murder and sentenced to life in prison. This is the story of his escape.   Check out today’s sponsor, Mint Mobile! – https://www.mintmobile.com/wildwest   Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Into History for ad-free and bonus content! https://intohistory.supercast.com/ Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Silas Soule moved to Kansas as a teenager. He and his family joined the Underground Railroad, and when it came time to arm up against the border ruffians, Silas didn’t hesitate. Later, during the Civil War, he was commissioned as an officer in the Union Army and served with distinction during the battle of Glorietta Pass. Afterward, he did all he could to protect the Colorado frontier from hostiles. At least, he did until Colonel Chivington ordered him to attack the peaceful village of Black Kettle at Sand Creek. Silas Soule may not be a household name or the subject of movies, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised and inspired by his story. So please, join me today as we recognize a true American Hero, one who wasn’t afraid to spill a little blood but at the same time was willing to sacrifice it all for what was right. And in the end, this integrity cost him his life. Also discussed are Bleeding Kansas, John Brown and the raid on Harpers Ferry, the Colorado gold rush, Tom Tobin and the murderous Espinos

Considered by some to be the last of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch, Harry Tracy blasted his way out of prison in the summer of 1902. What followed was one of the most desperate man hunts in all of U.S. history. Over the course of the next two months, Tracy would lead hundreds of lawmen, including the National Guard, on a deadly game of chase that would see at least 7 men gunned down. According to the papers of his time, “In all of the criminal lore of the country, there is no record equal to that of Harry Tracy for cold-blooded nerve, desperation, and a thirst for crime. Jesse James, compared with Tracy, is a Sunday School teacher.” But who was the real Harry Tracy? Where’d he come from? What started him on a life of crime? And did he really ride with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? This is a compilation of previously released material.   Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www

Billy the Kid had a brother, Joseph Antrim. This is his story, including a brand-new revelation. Stick around to the end for a special announcement.  Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com Finding Joe Antrim | Culz Paranormal - https://youtu.be/tLyPrdPh-rc?si=RhtlnHo-xH-CqbHh   Finding Joe Antrim and his Final Resting Place by Keegan Cool - https://btkcoalition.com/billy-the-kid-blog/f/finding-joe-antrim-and-his-final-resting-place Billy the Kid | Stig Ostgaard - https://stigostgaard.com/billy-the-kid/ The Last Gunfighter Ballad - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnfRcUdblJ0   The Antrim Family - http://www.aboutbillythekid.com/antrim_family.htm   Billy the Kid’s Brother | TrueWest - https://truewestmagazine.com/what-can-you-tell-me-about-billy-the-kids-brother/   The Birth of an Outlaw | TrueWest - 

Deacon Jim Miller, also known as Killin’ Jim Miller, was an Old West assassin-for-hire. Chances are, if you wanted someone gone, Jim Miller could make it happen…for the right price, that is. Also discussed are John Wesley Hardin, Pat Garrett, Sheriff Bud Frazer, and a bullet deflecting steel plate! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp – http://www.betterhelp.com/wildwest Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Into History for ad-free and bonus content! https://intohistory.supercast.com/ Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Series on Pat Garrett – https://youtu.be/CMp1GayD4-4?si=qd21rAyKNgOTpjq0 Series on John Wesley Hardin – https://youtu.be/MiPA_9R2mys?si=98ktgNz6nStyo1Rg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bender family, often referred to as America’s first serial killer family, settled in Labette County, Kansas, in 1870. They built a cabin near the Osage Trail that served as an inn for weary travelers. And that’s when things got weird. Join me today as we discuss the Bloody Benders! We'll discuss their various crimes, their true identity, and their (probable) fate. Also discussed are another Old West family of serial killers known as the Kelly family. Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Join Into History for ad-free and bonus content! https://intohistory.supercast.com/   Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They say the only man Billy the Kid ever truly feared was Dave Rudabaugh. They also say that Rudabaugh taught Doc Holliday how to use a gun. But how accurate are these stories? And just who was Dave Rudabaugh? Join me today as we attempt to separate fact from fiction. We’ll examine Dave’s short-lived career as a train robber and find out what caused Wyatt Earp to describe him as the "most notorious outlaw in the range country." While we’re at it, we’ll also discuss Rudabaugh’s time as a hired gun for the railroad, his association with Billy the Kid, what it was like being arrested both by Pat Garrett and Bat Masterson, his involvement in the shooting of Morgan and Virgil Earp, and a ton more! We’ll even take a look at his various nicknames. Was it Arkansas Dave or Dirty Dave? Did he REALLY kill sixty-five men? Whose gang was it anyway? And what became of Dave down in Old Mexico? Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com

Did John Wayne learn his iconic onscreen persona from the legendary Wyatt Earp? Let’s discuss! We'll also examine Earp’s life after Tombstone! Check out the website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   David Lambert Art Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/davidlambertart   David Lambert Original Thread on Wyatt & Hollywood - https://twitter.com/davidlambertart/status/1440606380860186629   David Lambert archives on the Wrong Reel Podcast - https://wrongreel.com/tag/david-lambert/   Wyatt on the Set by Allen Barra - https://truewestmagazine.com/article/wyatt-on-the-set/   The Fix by Garner A. Palenske - https://truewestmagazine.com/article/the-fix/   William S. Hart & Wyatt Earp Correspondence - https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/hart-earpletters.htm   Scurrilous LA Times article from 1922 - https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/hart-earpletters.htm   Alan Dwan & The Rise & Decline of the Hollywood Studios - https

When Olive Oatman was just 14 years old, she was forced to witness the slaughter of nearly every single member of her family. Only she and her 8-year-old sister were spared, and for the next several years, they’d be held as captives. When Olive finally emerged from the desert she was forever marked, both physically and mentally; a young lady not truly belonging to either culture, or as a friend would describe her, a “grieving, unsatisfied woman, who somehow shook one’s belief in civilization.” Who was Olive Oatman? Why did her family decide to head west? What was life like for her in captivity? What about afterward? What did her tattoos mean? Are the rumors about Olive marrying into the tribe true, and did she really leave children behind when she was rescued? This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp! BetterHelp.com/wildwest This episode is sponsored by Manscaped! Get 20% off + free shipping with the code WILDWEST at Manscaped.com Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wild

In the Spring of 1803, the United States acquired the Territory of Louisiana, a largely uncharted tract of wilderness stretching from Canada down to New Orleans. Over 800,000 square miles that, as far the maps were concerned, remained a mystery. President Thomas Jefferson then ordered an expedition to explore this newly purchased land all the way west to the Pacific Ocean. Tasked with leading this endeavor – officially known as the Corp of Discovery – were Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The Corp of Discovery was to travel some 8,000 miles, navigating their way up the Missouri River before turning west and crossing the Rocky Mountains. From the Oto to the Mandan and from the Shoshone to the Clatsop, Lewis and Clark would encounter dozens of tribes along their way, navigate hostile rivers and mountain passes, and even a few unfriendly grizzlies. But what about the rumors of woolly mammoth and a lost tribe of Welshmen? What became of Lewis and Clark after the expedition? What about Sacagawea and Cl

In November of 1864, famed frontiersman Kit Carson picked a fight with the Lords of the Southern Plains – the Comanche. The bloody engagement that followed, known as the first Battle of Adobe Walls, saw Carson and his men outnumbered 10 to 1 against the Comanche and their allies, the Kiowa. But why? Why did Carson pick a fight with the Comanche on their own home turf? What exactly is Adobe Walls, and what did Kit Carson do with the rest of his limited time alive? How did Kit Carson die? What sort of legacy did he leave behind? Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Into History for ad-free and bonus content! https://intohistory.supercast.com/ Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/ Book Recommendations! https://w

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, and pretty much annihilating everything he could find that belonged to the Navajo. What resulted is an incredibly dark chapter in American history known as the Long Walk, as thousands of refugees were marched from their homeland and forced to live in conditions more akin to a concentration camp than a reservation. But who were the Navajo? Why were they targeted? How much of a role did Kit Carson truly play in the Long Walk? Why’d he get involved in the first place? And how did the Navajo fare once they found themselves on the Bosque Redondo? Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/

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 California. This was followed by a series of transcontinental trips that saw Kit ferrying dispatches overland from the west coast to Washington D.C. and then back again. For the next decade, Kit would serve three stints as an Indian Agent while continuing to work his land and guide for the Army: his days of being gone for years at a time seemingly over, especially after a nasty fall with his horse that resulted in serious injuries. Ah, but duty called yet again. When the Civil War reached New Mexico, Carson enlisted with the Union Army. He’d face off with the Confederates at the Battle of Valverde before setting his sights on the Jicarilla and Mescalero Apache. Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/con

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 government down in Mexico. Into this social and political turmoil came the Pathfinder – John C. Fremont. At his helm was a small battalion of Mountain Men and Delaware scouts under the leadership of famed frontiersman Kit Carson. Join me today as we discuss Carson’s role in the Bear Flag Revolt, the Mexican-American War, the battle of San Pasqual, and his numerous transcontinental trips from the West Coast to Washington, D.C. Also, how do you pronounce Fremont’s name? Let's talk about acute accents! Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Into History for ad-free and bonus content! 

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, Carson would embark on a series of fur-trapping expeditions from New Mexico and Arizona up to present-day Montana and as far west as California. According to Carson, these were the happiest days in his life – there in the mountains, far from the habitations of civilized man, with no other food than that which he could procure with his rifle. Sadly, the good times never last forever. By the early 1840s, the beaver trade was played out, Carson’s Arapaho wife passed away, and he soon found himself embarking on a brand new career as a guide for up-and-coming explorer John C. Fremont. This partnership would elevate both men to the status of living legends. What was life like for Kit Carson post-fur trade? Who exactly was John C. Fremont guy? Why’d they call him the Pathfinder? And how much of Fremo

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, and in death, he’d be immortalized in bronze. But who was Kit Carson? What sort of a man was he? What was his childhood like, and what events shaped him into the legend he’d become? Was Carson a courageous hero or a bloodthirsty killer and the living embodiment of manifest destiny? Or just somewhere in between? And just how short was he anyway? Also discussed are the Blackfeet, Jim Bridger, the Mountain Man rendezvous, and Carson’s encounter with a giant known as the bully of the mountains. Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Into History for ad-free and bonus content

“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 Meridian Blood Meridian, set mainly in the American Southwest during the late 1840s, tells of an unnamed protagonist known only as the Kid. We follow the Kid as he runs away from home and makes his way to Texas before becoming involved in an ill-fated adventure into Mexico. He survives a massacre at the hands of the Comanche and is eventually recruited into a gang of scalp hunters led by John Glanton and his second in command – the absolutely terrifying Judge Holden. The gang then proceeds to cut a murderous swath of destruction throughout northern Mexico before reaping their just rewards. Here’s the fun part: Blood Meridian is loosely based on real-life people and events, including John Glanton and Judge Holden. Today, we’re going to focus mostly on Glanton, an ex-Texas Ranger and War hero

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 Deacon Jim Miller. To quote historian Leon Metz, Tucker was a better lawman and more dangerous than high-profile figures like Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok. But who was he really? Is it true that Dan Tucker once took out half a dozen of the Tombstone Cowboys in one fell swoop? And what about the stories of Doc Holliday giving Dan a wide berth due to his deadly reputation? FYI: The photo used in the thumbnail is NOT Dan Tucker. There are no known photos of Tucker. Pictured instead is disgraced Dodge City marshal Billy Brooks. Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Into History

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