Best Ushistory Podcasts (2024)

1
John Bull | The Duke of Death 26:49

3h ago26:49

26:49

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.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Free Newsletter! h…

1
158: Prohibition - So You Wanna Be a Rum Runner? 55:55

29m ago55:55

55:55

“You’re Bill McCoy.” “Never heard of him.” This is the story of a crazy decade-plus when America outlawed booze…but the liquor kept flowing. The Prohibition era marks a partial return to the Golden Age of Piracy, with bootleggers frequenting old haunts in the Caribbean, including Nassau, capital of The Bahamas. These sailors are also buying, sellin…

1
Pat Garrett | COMPILATION 3:13:34

3h ago3:13:34

3:13:34

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 isn’t that great of a legacy. Many consider Garrett a coward, at best, a no-good backstabbing Old West Judas who betrayed his …

1
386 Sleeping with the Ancestors 51:32

4m ago51:32

51:32

In this special Juneteenth episode, as we honor the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, we delve into the work of those working to preserve slave dwellings across the United States, safeguarding the essential stories these structures embody. In our conversation, Joseph McGill, the Executive Director and Founder of the Slave Dwelling Project…

1
Tom Horn | Execution (Part 4) 1:06:28

7d ago1:06:28

1:06:28

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 assassin Tom Horn was executed for Willie’s murder. In years prior, Tom had been an enforcer for various cattle barons throughout …

101
157: Temperance, Prohibition, and the Path to the 18th Amendment 1:00:01

16d ago1:00:01

1:00:01

Episode Description: “Farewell, you good-for-nothing, God-forsaken, iniquitous, bleary-eyed, bloated-faced old imp of perdition, farewell!” This is the story of the path to prohibition. Early America drinks a lot – I mean, A LOT. Alcohol doesn’t give you dysentery, it’s used as a medicine, and in the first decades of the Republic, whiskey is cheape…

1
Tom Horn | Assassin (Part 3) 39:01

17d ago39:01

39:01

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 unclear, he most likely fought on the side of the Tewksbury’s against their avowed enemies, the Grahams. And despite wearing the b…

1
385 Did George Washington Have Heirs? 1:04:19

22d ago1:04:19

1:04:19

The United States Constitution of 1787 gave many Americans pause about the powers the new federal government could exercise and how the government's leadership would rest with one person, the president. The fact that George Washington would likely serve as the new nation’s first president calmed many Americans’ fears that the new nation was creatin…

1
Tom Horn | Range Wars (Part 2) 42:05

21d ago42:05

42:05

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 men, some of whom fell at the hands of a notorious up-and-coming killer by the name of Tom Horn. And, of course, this would no…

1
156: The Presidency of “Silent” Cal Coolidge 1:00:33

19d ago1:00:33

1:00:33

“I believe I can swing it.” This is the story of the Coolidge Administration. Calvin Coolidge isn’t the most talkative guy–he’s painfully shy, to be frank–but “Silent Cal” does care deeply about public service. Over the years, the thrifty, hard-working New Englander moves up the ranks, from municipal offices to state offices, until, as Massachusett…

1
Tom Horn | Apache Wars (Part 1) 40:36

29d ago40:36

40:36

“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 Dodge and Newton before cutting his teeth and fighting Apache down in Arizona. Graduated to the Range Wars, and in time, Horn wou…

1
384 Making Maine: A Journey to Statehood 1:05:35

1M ago1:05:35

1:05:35

Article IV, Section 3 of the United States Constitution establishes guidelines by which the United States Congress can admit new states to the American Union. It clearly states that “no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State…without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Co…

1
The REAL Lonesome Dove 33:59

1M ago33:59

33:59

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. But did you know that much of Lonesome Dove was inspired by real-life people and events? Today, we discuss the real history…

1
155: The Life & Times of Warren G. Harding & The Teapot Dome Scandal 1:06:52

1M ago1:06:52

1:06:52

“If you knew of a great scandal in our administration, would you for the good of the country and the party expose it publicly or would you bury it?” This is the story of a brilliant man’s presidency and the greatest presidential scandal to precede Watergate. This is the story of Warren G. Harding and the Teapot Dome Scandal. Growing up in Ohio, War…

1
Legends of the Wild West | Outlaws, Gunfighters, & Lawmen 3:56:16

2M ago3:56:16

3:56:16

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 Battle of Beecher Island, and his brother’s time in Tombstone. Afterward, we’ll join Billy the Kid and his pals over at Whit…

1
383 Aquatic Culture in Early America 56:52

2M ago56:52

56:52

If you will recall from Episode 331, the Williamsburg Bray School is the oldest existing structure in the United States that we know was used to educate African and African American children. As the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation prepares the Bray School for you to visit and see, we’re having many conversations about the history of the school, it…

1
John Colter | The First Mountain Man 41:10

2M ago41:10

41:10

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 go on to be the first American to cast eyes on the Teton Mountains, Colter’s Hell, and what’s now known as Yellowstone Nationa…

1
154: An Epilogue Discussion with Ben Sawyer 1:01:01

2M ago1:01:01

1:01:01

The Prof. sits down with fellow Prof. Ben Sawyer of the Road to Now Podcast and Middle Tennessee State University to chat through the last volume episodes. Russia, the Red Scare, the second Klan, and more, while Ben gets Greg to share behind-the-scenes details on the writing process. Enjoy! ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into e…

1
Lewis & Clark | The Journey's End (Part 6) 30:30

2M ago30:30

30:30

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 Drouillard? Finally, we’ll examine the mysterious death of Captain Meriwether Lewis. Check out the website for more true tal…

1
382 Hessians in the American Revolutionary War 54:05

2M ago54:05

54:05

Within the Declaration of Independence, the founders of the United States present twenty-seven grievances against King George III as they declare their reasons for why the thirteen British North American colonies sought their independence from Great Britain. Their twenty-fifth grievance declares that King George III “is at this time transporting la…

1
Lewis & Clark | The Blackfeet (Part 5) 20:28

2M ago20:28

20:28

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 States and the Blackfeet Confederacy and result in decades of bloodshed. But is the official story – as told by the Corps of …

1
153: West Virginia’s Mine Wars: From Trouble in Matewan to the Battle of Blair Mountain 1:02:06

2M ago1:02:06

1:02:06

“I want to say make no settlement until they sign up that every bloody murderer of a guard has got to go.” This is the story of the largest uprising in the United States since the Civil War. As unions spread across the Progressive-Era United States, West Virginia mine owners manage to keep them out. They have some good reasons (tough margins) and s…

1
Lewis & Clark | York & Fort Clatsop (Part 4) 27:00

3M ago27:00

27:00

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 Corps of Discovery, York was not paid for his services, and William Clark refused to grant him his freedom. What was York’s ul…

1
381 Texas in the Spanish Empire 1:03:00

2M ago1:03:00

1:03:00

The vast and varied landscapes of Texas loom large in our American imaginations. As does Texas culture with its BBQ, cowboys, and larger-than-life personality. But before Texas was a place that embraced ranching, space flight, and country music, Texas was a place with rich and vibrant Indigenous cultures and traditions and with Spanish and Mexican …

1
Lewis & Clark | The Shoshone (Part 3) 41:11

3M ago41:11

41:11

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 would need to find the Shoshone. Also discussed are the hunting on the upper Missouri, the portage of the Great Falls, and a f…

1
152: The Second Ku Klux Klan: Racism, Anti-Semitism, & Anti-Catholicism in the 1920s 1:02:34

3M ago1:02:34

1:02:34

“Every official except one elected yesterday at the first municipal election of this borough had been endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan.” This is the story of the Second Ku Klux Klan. It’s been nearly half a century since the Third Enforcement Act killed off the Klan in 1871. But amid Jim Crow segregation in 1915, the lynching of a Jewish Georgian Leo F…

1
Lewis & Clark | Sacagawea & Daniel Boone (Part 2) 47:10

3M ago47:10

47:10

One aspect of the Lewis and Clark expedition that’s often overlooked is that much of their success hinged largely on the good graces of the various Indigenous people on whose land they were crossing. Today, as we follow the expedition up Missouri, we’ll take a look at several such encounters, first with the Oto and Missouri tribes, then Arikara, th…

1
380 The Tory's Wife 1:05:00

3M ago1:05:00

1:05:00

The American Revolution was a movement that divided British Americans. Americans did not universally agree on the Revolution’s ideas about governance and independence. And the movement’s War for Independence was a bloody civil war that not only pitted brother against brother and fathers against sons; it also pitted wives against husbands. Cynthia A…

1
Lewis & Clark | The Corps of Discovery (Part 1) 46:09

3M ago46:09

46:09

In the Spring of 1803, the United States acquired the Territory of Louisiana, a largely uncharted tract of wilderness stretching from Canada all the way down to New Orleans, over 800,000 square miles that, as the maps were concerned, remained a mystery. President Thomas Jefferson ordered an expedition to explore Louisiana west to the Pacific Ocean …

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