The Dalton Gang plagued Oklahoma Territory in the early 1890s. After the disastrous Coffeyville Raid, the gang reformed as the Doolin-Dalton Gang, with Bill Doolin at the helm. The U.S. Marshals hired a legion of deputies, including Chris Madsen and Bill Tilghman, to bring down the gang, and Heck Thomas dealt the final blow when he cornered Bill Doolin in 18 ... Show More
Aug 2022
THREE GUARDSMEN Ep. 3 | Chris Madsen: “Soldier of Fortune”
Chris Madsen was a Danish immigrant with a colorful past, but one thing was certain: he loved action. When he moved to America, he joined the Fifth Cavalry and fought on the Northern Plains for nearly 15 years. Then, he traded his uniform for a Deputy U.S. Marshal badge and start ... Show More
30m 41s
Aug 2022
THREE GUARDSMEN Ep. 5 | Bill Tilghman: “Dodge City Deputy”
Bill Tilghman grew up idolizing Wild Bill Hickok. When Tilghman was 24, he became a full-time lawman in Dodge City during the peak of its wild years as one of the wickedest towns in the West. He worked with the Earp brothers and the Masterson brothers, and occasionally, Doc Holli ... Show More
32m 54s
Jan 2022
S2 – 1: The World was on Fire
Virginia City was Nevada’s largest boomtown with a rise and fall in a span of 20 years. Historically dark, and now reported to be haunted by miners, historical figures and women of ill repute - to this day, the bourbon still flows and the ghost stories are a’plenty. Join us at a ... Show More
59m 40s
Feb 2024
The Silver Rush Kings and the "Big Bonanza"
On this episode of Our American Stories, straight out of a Horatio Alger novel, the Silver Kings (John Mackay, James Fair, William O'Brien, and James Flood) epitomized the rags-to-riches American dream story. Roger McGrath tells the story of the richest mineral discovery in Ameri ... Show More
17m 58s
Mar 2022
EP240: The Silver Kings and the "Big Bonanza" and The Man Who Brought Couponing to the Digital Age
On this episode of Our American Stories, Roger McGrath, author of Gunfighters, Highwaymen, and Vigilantes is here to tell us the story of the richest mineral discovery in American history, the Comstock Lode. Jason Wolfe created the first coupon site on the internet back when you ... Show More
38m 13s
Aug 2023
EP 90 - The Ghosts of the Washoe Club | Virginia City, NV
The Washoe Club in Virginia City, Nevada, serves as a vivid reminder of the town's rich mining heritage and its role in shaping the American West. Its ornate Victorian architecture, legendary spiral staircase, and haunting tales have made it an enduring symbol of Nevada's fascina ... Show More
1h 7m
Apr 2024
Westward Hoax: The Secret History of Palisade, Nevada
<p>In the 1870s, Palisade, NV was the meanest little town west of the Mississippi. Every week, newspapers announced another gunpowder-fueled cowboy showdown. Palisade put the wild<em> </em>in the “Wild West.”</p> <p>But there was a lot more to the story that didn’t make the paper ... Show More
34m 5s
Dec 2023
Great American Authors | Mark Twain: Voice of a Nation | 3
In the late 1850s, a young man named Samuel Clemens started out piloting steamboats on the Mississippi River. Within a few years, he embarked on a writing career, adopting the pen name that became famous: Mark Twain. Armed with a wry sense of humor and a natural flair for storyte ... Show More
41m 54s