Americanwest Podcasts

One of the most dangerous jobs in Oklahoma Territory is that of a U.S. Marshal. After the Doolin-Dalton Gang robs a series of trains, Deputy Marshal Chris Madsen and his posse fought in deadly shootouts to stop the gang once and for all. There were casualties on both sides, but Madsen and the marshals prevailed. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episo…

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 started chasing bandits across Oklahoma Territory. Join Black Barrel+ for a…

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 Do…

Henry Thomas, Jr., better known as Heck Thomas, was a young lawman in Georgia before he caught what he called “a severe case of Texas fever.” He became an express messenger on a railroad and then a self-made detective. He squared off with notorious outlaws like Sam Bass and the Lee Brothers, and earned a reputation that led him to Oklahoma Territor…

In Tombstone, Arizona, events lead Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. And then Wyatt and Doc seek further justice on the outlaws who attack Wyatt’s brothers. Wyatt’s posse ends up in Colorado where Bat Masterson intervenes to save their lives. And then Wyatt, Bat and several more lawmen from the old days return to Dodge…

After a shocking murder in April 1878, another murder rocks Dodge City in October. Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and an all-star posse attempt to bring the killer to justice. A year later, Wyatt and Bat leave town for good. Bat gambles in Colorado, but he soon joins Wyatt in Tombstone, Arizona. But Bat’s time in Tombstone is brief, as he finds himself …

Wyatt Earp meets Doc Holliday while trailing outlaws to Texas. In Dodge, Bat Masterson takes a new law job and his older brother, Ed, becomes town marshal. But Ed’s life is in danger. In the first six months, he finds himself in two gunfights, and the second has tragic consequences. Join Black Barrel+ for bingeable seasons with no commercials: blac…

Wyatt Earp crisscrosses the West as a stagecoach driver, a teamster and a lawman. He experiences tragedy and triumph, and he builds a reputation as a relentless lawman. By the summer of 1876, he and his friend Bat Masterson are on patrol in Dodge City with an all-star cast of legendary lawmen. Join Black Barrel+ for bingeable seasons with no commer…

Bat Masterson hunts buffalo in western Kansas. He fights in the Second Battle of Adobe Walls. He plays a key role in an Army rescue mission. He meets his lifelong friend, Wyatt Earp. And the journeys of both young men lead them toward an up-and-coming cowtown called Dodge City. Join Black Barrel+ for bingeable seasons with no commercials: blackbarr…

An update on the schedules for Legends of the Old West and Infamous America for the second half of 2022… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Black Barrel Media

In Arizona Territory, Peart Hart’s adventures escalated and intensified. She robbed a stagecoach, tried to outrun the law, escaped from jail, and ended up in the notorious Yuma Prison. Her exploits made headlines across the country, but her fame was fleeting in the waning days of the Old West. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable s…

Peart Hart faced extreme trauma as a young girl and eventually ran away from home with her sister. They crisscrossed the East Coast and Midwest of America and committed petty crimes and minor burglaries. They landed in jail and spent time in reformatories. By the time Pearl was in her 20s, she made a decision: she needed to make a new life in The W…

Belle and her husband Sam Starr stole horses and cattle, and worked with the outlaw network that was organized by Sam’s father. They faced justice in the courtroom of “Hanging Judge” Isaac Parker, but then resumed their outlaw lifestyles. Belle’s husband met a violent end, and her own death remains controversial to this day. Join Black Barrel+ for …

Belle Starr grew up in Missouri during the Civil War and acted as a spy for Quantrill’s Raiders. Her husband and brothers embraced the outlaw lifestyle and became affiliated with Jesse James and the James-Younger Gang. Slowly but surely, Belle gravitated toward the outlaw trail herself. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons:…

Olive Oatman endured a long, difficult wagon trip with her family from Illinois to Arizona Territory. Her wagon train was attacked by Apaches and she spent five years as a prisoner of the tribes of the Southwest. Near the end of her captivity, she was given the distinctive tattoos that made her famous. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bi…

Mary Fields was a former slave who became the caretaker of a convent in Ohio before rushing west to help save the life of her closest friend. In Montana, she became a legendary stagecoach driver for the U.S. postal service and a towering figure in the town of Cascade. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.suppor…

Every weekday host Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back in time to explore a momentous moment that happened ‘on this day’ in history. Whether it’s to remember the tragedy of December 7th, 1941, the day “that will live in infamy,” or to celebrate that 20th day in July, 1969, when mankind reached the moon, Histor…

Henry Plummer becomes the sheriff of Bannack, Montana, but many believe he also runs a gang of killers and thieves. Before long, powerful men organize and authorize crews of vigilantes who systematically hang their enemies. Henry Plummer, the sheriff of Bannack, is first on the hit list, and his story ends in mystery. Was he an upstanding sheriff o…

In the wake of a deadly shootout near Nevada City, town marshal Henry Plummer kills a man whom he suspects is a danger to his wife. Plummer claims self defense, but a jury believes otherwise. Plummer lands in notorious San Quentin prison. After a short stint, Plummer begins a new life on the outlaw trail, a life that leads him to Idaho Territory an…

Henry Plummer moves from New England to California and completes an improbable rise from failed miner to successful businessman to town marshal. But Plummer soon fears the powerful men of Nevada City, California as well as the rising threat of vigilante violence. And then the threat becomes reality during a deadly shootout between lawmen, outlaws, …

The Texas Rangers arrest John Wesley Hardin and drag him back to Texas to stand trial for murder. Hardin goes to prison, suffers family tragedies during his sentence, and prepares for a new career as a lawyer. After his release, he moves to El Paso and becomes entangled with some shady characters, and the entanglement leads to the end of John Wesle…

It’s a city that shouldn’t exist. An oasis in the desert, a mirage — it’s a city of buzzing neon, flowing fountains, and fortunes made and lost. A city of hedonism: concerts, casinos, showgirls, and all-you-can-eat buffets. But how did Vegas become “Sin City”? A place that promotes a fantasy of adult freedoms: a vacation from boundaries, rules, acc…

On a return trip from Louisiana, John Wesley Hardin nearly dies after a shootout in Trinity City, Texas. He surrenders to law enforcement, but then escapes from jail. He helps kill a county sheriff and then a deputy sheriff, and the murder of the deputy changes Hardin’s life. He flees Texas and starts a new life in Florida. But the Texas Rangers ar…

After a slew of murders in Texas, John Wesley Hardin flees the state. He joins a cattle drive to Kansas and lands in Abilene where Wild Bill Hickok is the marshal. Hardin allegedly kills vaqueros and Native American warriors along the way, and then kills a man in town who reportedly snored too loud. But Hardin also finds true love and appears to se…

John Wesley Hardin was the son of a Methodist preacher who grew into one of the most prolific killers in American history. He killed his first man at the age of 15. By 18, he’d killed Union soldiers, Texas State Police officers, and more than one civilian — at least, that’s what the legend says. With Hardin, there is always a fine line between fact…