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Welcome to Wild West podcast where fact and legend merge. The Wild West Podcast presents the true accounts of individuals, who settled in a town built out of hunger for money, regulated by fast guns, who walked on both sides of the law, patrolling, investing in and regulating the brothels, saloons and gambling houses. These are stories of the men who made the history of the Old West come alive - bringing with them the birth of legends, brought to order by a six-gun and laid to rest with thei ...
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The Life and Times of Dave Mather Part Three: Return to Dodge City
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In May 1883, Mysterious Dave returned to Dodge City, Kansas, maintaining his reputation for making poor choices. Mather arrived during the so-called Dodge City War, a dispute between saloon owners who were friends of the mayor of Dodge City and Luke Short, owner of the Long Branch Saloon. Several gunfighters, including Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp,…
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Saloons in the Beautiful Bibulous Babylon of the Frontier
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In this podcast, we will reveal how saloons, over time, became a wide range of entertainment and pleasure facilities that offered gambling and drinking, depicting an image of saloons that early temperance movers would have apprehended. Early saloons in Dodge City were dark and cheaply built and set to take all the money of the early buffalo hunters…
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Life & Times of Mysterious Dave Mather, Part 2: The Las Vegas, New Mexico Years
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From 1878 to 1879, Mathers rode on both sides of the law. From Ogallala to El Paso to Dodge City, the phantom-like Mysterious Dave Mather hunted buffalo, rustled cattle, played at the gaming tables, bore a wound in a knife fight, wore a law badge, and sometimes even been brought into court as a defendant. He crossed the fence between law and outlaw…
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Life & Times of Mysterious Dave Mather Part 1:The Early Years
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He was known as "Mysterious" Dave or sometimes as "New York Dave." During his lifetime, he became noted for many professions in the Old West as a horse thief, buffalo hunter, train and stagecoach robber, law officer, prospector, farmer, gambler, and hotel employee. Little is known today of Mather's life; the gaps in his personal history and his tac…
On February 15, 1879, Bassett, Sheriff Masterson, and others were at Fort Leavenworth to pick up seven Cheyenne prisoners from the military authorities. The Indians, members of Dull Knife's band, were accused of committing atrocities during their September 1878 flight across Kansas and were to be taken to Dodge City for trial. Wild West Podcast pro…
Legend has it James “Spike” Kenedy was just as much a victim as the woman he killed in cold blood. Though all agree Dora Hand was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was not Spike’s intended target, there is some disagreement as to why mayor James “Dog” Kelley was Spike’s target. Some speculate that Spike tried to kill Dog because Dog was his …
At roundup time or on a five-month trail drive that covered 1500 miles, the chuck wagon was an essential piece of equipment in the cattle industry, and the cook was the most important person. More than any other man, the cook ensured the men were happy and productive. Without good food, men would quit, and the work would not get done. So it was wel…
In 1858 there was a little camp about ten miles from Pinoche, and the winter months had tiptoed in as if dancing to a timid harp, as if it takes time for those colder months to gain the certainty that their time has arrived. In this camp occupied by three hundred miners, every one of whom might have packed his prospecting implements and left for mo…
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Hazards on the Trail Part II: Stampedes, Jayhawkers, & Indian Troubles
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As much as we like to romanticize cattle drives, they were more complicated than we imagined. Hours were long, food was monotonous, horses were bad, cattle were worse, and sleep was hard to come by. Yet, despite the hardships, many young men during the second half of the 19th century answered the call for trial hands. The allure of trailing thousan…
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Hazards on the Trail Part 6: Episode 1: Big Blue, Firefox, and River Crossings
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Driving cattle over the various trails was by no means an easy or unassailable task. The cowboy was forced to cope with the perils of the frontier. These perils included terrible roads, rough weather, cattle stampedes, and requiring men to pass through Indian Territory to reach their destinations. In addition, the Indians encountered often demanded…
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The Cattle Drive: Part 5, Cattle Drives, Cowboys & Cattle Towns
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A herd on the trail moved about ten miles a day. Leading the way were the trail boss and the cook with his chuck wagon. To the side of the herd rode most of the cowboys, who kept wandering cattle from separating from the rest of the herd. Bringing up the rear, and eating the dust of several thousand shuffling cattle, were the drag men. Cowboys joke…
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"Cowboy Culture” Part 4: Cattle Drives, Cowboys & Cowtowns
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Search the world for manly noblemen, who scorned to do an underhand trick to gain an advantage over an adversary, making the price of honor so high that dishonor forfeited the life of the betrayer, and you may have created an impossible ideal. But go to the real old-time ranchman, who now perhaps is a banker or dealer in high finance, and ask him t…
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“Cattle Trails” Part 3: Cattle Drives, Cowboys & Cattletowns
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From 1867 to 1889, the two most prominent cattle trails in Texas were the Western Trail, also known as the Fort Griffin-Dodge City Trail, and the Eastern Trail, also known as the Chisholm Trail. To confuse matters further, the Chisholm Trail has also been historically referred to as the Abilene, Caldwell, Cattle, Great Texas Cattle, Kansas, and McC…
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“Joseph McCoy & the Cattle Industry” Part 2: Cattle Drives, Cowboys, & Cattletowns
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In 1867 an Illinois cattle shipper named Joseph G. McCoy arrived upon a plan to revitalize the cattle industry. This young man conceived the idea of opening an outlet for Texan cattle. Being impressed with the knowledge of the number of cattle in Texas and the difficulties of getting them to market by the routes and means then in use, and realizing…
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“The Texas Longhorn” Part 1: Cattle Drives, Cowboys, & Cattletowns
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"All over the land are vast and handsome pastures, with good grass for cattle . . .” A grass that moved as a heaven-weaved quilt of the earth, as if by root and stem, stood in protection of a hardy breed of livestock known as the Longhorn. Wild West Podcast proudly presents Trails, Cattle Drives, Cowboys, and Cattle Towns, Part 1: The Longhorn. Ple…
In this episode, buffalo hunters Jim White, Hoodoo Brown, Prairie Dog Morrow, and Josiah Wright Moore are camped along the Salina River, preparing hides to take to the market. During the evening, just before mealtime, a hunter by the name of Hoodoo Brown tells his account of the aftermath of the Washita battle on November 27, 1868. The battle is be…
In the fall of 2022, Wild West Podcast will proudly present an all-new series entitled Trails, Cattle Drives, Cowboys, and Cattle Towns. This new series will explore the early cattle trade, relive the challenges of a trail drive, describe the character of the cowboy, and retell the stories of individuals who endured the hardships of the cattle trai…
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Life & Times of Bat Masterson Part 4: Royal Gorge War & the Final Years
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In this episode of the Life and Times of Bat Masterson, Bat, a few of his hired hands travel to Colorado to settle a dispute between two railroad tycoons who have engaged in a war for the right of way to lay track along Colorado’s Royal Gorge. This episode concludes with Bat Masterson’s final years, including his resignation as sheriff of Ford Coun…
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Return of Billy Brooks: The Lawman Turned Bad
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Even though a Town Company had organized the small settlement in August 1872, the city was still unincorporated. The town had no elected or appointed officials. A county government had not yet been organized; consequently, there were no courts, jails, or official law enforcement in the region. The closest known law was located in Hays City, over 10…
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Life & Times of Bat Masterson: Part 3: Gunfighters, Gamblers, Jokers & Saloon Girls
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After the gunfight in Sweetwater, Texas, and the killing of Mollie Brennan and Melvin King, Masterson settles in Dodge City. He soon becomes embroiled in a wrestling match with the city marshal over the arrest of Bobby Gill. Masterson is arrested and given a fine of $25.00 for disturbing the peace. The incident motivates Masterson to run for sherif…
The story of Charles Rath describes the beginning of the fur trade in Kansas and how the expansion West over this vast prairie becomes a slaughtering ground of the American Bison. The story conveys how one hide dealer by the name of Charles Rath becomes one of the first speculators for securing hides for the development of factory belts. Through th…
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Bat Masterson & the Red River War: German Family Ambush
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On September 11, 1874, the John German family, consisting of his wife and seven children, were attacked by a band of Cheyenne east of Ft. Wallace, Kansas. Only four of the children, Catherine, Sophia, Julia, and Adelaide, were spared and taken captive. The two youngest, Julia and Adelaide (aged 7 and 5), were subsequently abandoned on the prairie i…
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Life & Times of Bat Masterson: Part 2 - Red River War
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A score of battles and running skirmishes raged across the plains and canyons with some 3,000 soldiers engaging up to 700 Indian warriors. Several pivotal battles took place in the Texas Panhandle during the summer and fall of 1874. Outnumbered and outgunned, native warriors and their families spent months running and fighting. After decisive Army …
“God did not make all men equal," Westerners were fond of saying, "Colonel Colt did.” When it came to the use of shooting irons, however, some men were more equal than others, a fact gunfighters knew well. So, to improve the odds of landing on the right side of this equation, they exercised meticulous care in selecting their firearms from among the…
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The Life and Times of Bat Masters: Part One; The Early Years.
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As a boy, William Barclay Masterson had a great love for hunting which, according to his good friend Alfred Henry Lewis, earned him his nickname, Bat, after Baptize Brown or "Old Bat." When William became engaged in buffalo hunting in the early seventies, the name descended to him. William Barclay Masterson would be known as "Bat" Masterson for the…
H. L. Sitler constructed the first building on the town site of Dodge City in 1871. The location of the sod house was five miles west of Fort Dodge. The spot was near a lone cottonwood tree standing near the entrance of Wright Park that marked a long-used ford across the Arkansas River. The first business that opened on the site of Dodge City was G…
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Early Gamblers of Dodge City & The Games They Played
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Gambling played a significant role in the lives of the buffalo hunters and cowboys who drove America's Westward movement during the nineteenth century. Whether it was a game of poker played on a blanket or a Faro bet placed in a saloon, the game of chance was dear to the heart of the early frontiersman who spun the wheel on liquor, lust, and luck. …
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Bat Masterson in Tombstone Part III: Doc Holliday's Silver Dollar
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In episode three of Bat Masterson in Tombstone entitled "Doc Holliday's Silver Dollar," Masterson finally arrives after his long journey from Dodge City. Holliday greets Masterson at the stage station, and they take a stroll along Allen Street. During their walk, Masterson inquires about the whereabouts of Big Nose Kate. Holliday extends this oppor…
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Masterson in Tombstone Part II: The Man Who Swallowed a Wagon Wheel
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In this episode of Bat Masterson in Tombstone Part II: The Man Who Swallowed a Wagon Wheel, Masterson takes a stagecoach to Tombstone with a driver named Bob Paul. On their journey tooled south from Benson along the San Pedro River, Bob Paul describes the political climate in Tombstone while telling the story of William Whitney Brazelton. Bob concl…
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The Dodge City Variety Show of 1878 & Beyond
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In this episode, we explore the history of the wild west variety shows, including Dodge City in 1878 and beyond. The podcast is based on the work provided by the Kansas Historical Society and the research of Dr. James C. Malin, along with our producer and historical writer Mike King. The first part of the podcast, narrated by Brad Smalley, tells ho…
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Wild West Podcast
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Masterson in Tombstone Part 1: Western Union, Signed Wyatt Earp
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In December of 1880, Bat Masterson takes a train from Kansas City to Dodge City. During Mastersons travels, he reminisces back on a time when he and his brother Ed worked grading track for the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Rail Road. While in Dodge City, he visits with friends, spends time gambling, and reflects back to 1878, when Dodge City featured …
The following is a narrative poem written by Robert Service, composed during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896–1899. It is the story of two friends mushing their way along the Dawson Trail, scavenging for gold. Even though the story in poetic terms starts to be a grim tale, it leads to a wonder - something that sparkles to the disparity of hope on the…
The exciting and unique story of early Dodge City is told daily along Front Street at Boot Hill Museum. The area’s rich history dates back to the Native Americans who thrived off the land and the buffalo. The establishment of the Santa Fe Trail brought settlers to the area and introduced the potential of what is known as Dodge City. Law and order w…
Mayor Kelley's: Bear Meat for Christmas is posted once a year during December. The story takes place in 1877, when Dodge City, Kansas, was full of pranksters. The script written and produced by Mike King tells of a mischief-maker named Luke McGlue, who meets up with James Dog Kelly of Dodge City. Mayor Kelly had a tame bear that he called "Paddy," …
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A Deadly Occurrence: The Cook of Fort Dodge
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The William Taylor Incident is the story of the killing of an innocent man by self-appointed Dodge City vigilantes. The story is told from the first-person perspective of Herman Fringer, one of the early settlers of Dodge City. No one knows the exact truth about how William Taylor got himself into the trouble that led to his killing. Some say his s…
As Dodge City was made by the Santa Fe Railroad, Fort Dodge was made by the Santa Fe Trail. Fort Dodge, established in 1865, was a part of the series of early frontier forts that made the settlement of the west possible by protecting travelers along the Santa Fe Trail. Thus, Fort Dodge has historical significance but has never been comprehensively …
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Cheyenne Exodus Part III: Raids on Sappa Valley
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The loss of horses and supplies at Punished Woman's Fork left the Indians in need of replenishment. Their path of flight took them through the Republican and Solomon River tributary system in northwest Kansas. The area which the Cheyenne crossed in Northwest Kansas had a dense settler population. There were slayings and robbery in southwest Kansas …
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Cheyenne Exodus Part II: Battle of Punished Women’s Fork
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After the Northern Cheyenne departure from the Darlington Reservation on September 9, and the battle of Turkey Springs, they traveled north into Kansas territory. They customarily convoyed as a tightly formed military group with 92 men, 120 women, 69 boys, and 79 girls. They could find no Buffalo or game to hunt, so they relied on stealing. Raiding…
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Cheyenne Exodus 1: Battle of Turkey Springs
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In episode one, the Northern Cheyenne are escorted to the Darlington Reservation in Indian territory by way of Fort Dodge to Camp Supply, reaching the Cheyenne-Arapaho reservation on August 5, 1877. After reaching the reservation at Fort Reno, they were placed under the supervision of superintendent John Miles. The Northern Cheyenne noticed how pov…
In remembrance of the September 16, 1868 battle between the Forsyth Scouts and the Native American Dog Soldiers Wild West Podcast proudly presents the Schlesinger Account of Beecher Island. This podcast is an excerpt from Mr. Sigmund Schlesinger diary. It contains an original account of Beecher's Island's defense from one of the participants' stand…
Fort Dodge was a pivotal fort during the Indian campaigns of 1867-69 and 1874-75. The Wet and Dry Routes of the Santa Fe Trail met here; the Fort Hays-Fort Dodge Trail ended here, and the Fort-Dodge-Fort Supply Trail began here. Millions of pounds of armaments and supplies were shipped south in trains of as many as 270 wagons. Fort Dodge was consid…
In part two of Trail to Medicine Lodge provides a first-hand experience of a young freighter named Billy Dixon. Dixon describes his journey southward from Fort Harker to Fort Larned and across the Arkansas River to Medicine Lodge. During the trip, Dixon describes the sights along the Santa Fe Trail while traveling with the peace commission and a ca…
Welcome to Wild West Podcast, a time in early Kansas history when forts were the sentinels along the Santa Fe Trail to protect onward travelers of a westward expansion. In this new series entitled Fort Dodge the Sentinel to the Cimarron, we will explore the historical timeline of the Forts along the Arkansas River Valley. In today's podcast, we wil…
Part one of "Trail to Medicine Lodge" describes the reasons behind forming a peace commission to end the war with the Plains Indians while describing the Medicine Lodge location in Kansas. The story progresses as Billy Dixon, a hired freighter for the Medicine Lodge expedition, explains firsthand what it was like to move freight from the trailhead …
Wild West Podcast proudly presents Hancock's War, The Edmund Guerrier Story an unprecedented season of violence on the plains of Kansas. Settlers, overland travelers, and railroad construction crews in post-Civil War Kansas were becoming increasingly uneasy due to numerous Indian raids. The Cheyenne, Sioux, Arapaho, and Kiowa warriors had become so…
The Tale of Two Gunfights and One Crazy Mule is an authentic story base on the first-person account of Emanuel Dubbs. Emanuel Dubbs's story takes place on August 20, 1871, when he arrives in Newton, Kansas. The story opens when Dubbs and his wife enter town-witnessing excitement in the streets. Dubbs takes it upon himself to explore a recent Hyde P…
Wild West Podcast proudly presents "Texas Billy and Squirrel Tooth Alice." This true story begins in Abilene, Kansas, when Billy Thompson arrives after a long cattle drive from San Antonio, Texas. Billy Thompson, known as "Texas Billy," decides to take in an evening of entertainment and meets up with Elizabeth Haley, a young lady of 15 who has chos…
In part five “The Gathering Tribes” the Indians become aware of the Adobe Walls settlement and gather under the leadership of Quanah Parker to form a war party. Quanah Parker a Comanche war chief seeks the advice of a spiritual leader by the name of Isatai who holds a Sundance. Two members of the war party gathering escape to Fort Sill to warn of a…
In Part four “Prairie Thunder” the Buffalo Hunters from Dodge City establish a new settlement along Adobe Creek called Adobe Walles. The hunters are waiting for the big herds to arrive while Billy Dixon explores the territory for the movement of the spring buffalo herds. As the hunters are returning back to camp from a long days hunt they encounter…
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First Battle of Adobe Walls; Kit Carson Story
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Wild West Podcast proudly presents Utes Revenge, the First Battle of Adobe Walls in part three of Return of the Great Hunters. Forty buffalo hunters from Dodge City are camped out along the stake plains in the Texas Panhandle when George Plummer is invited to retell the story of the First Battle of Adobe Walls. In Episode Three: Utes Revenge the Fi…
