Rattlesnake Dick
January 14, 2020
A handsome, brilliant well dressed gentleman, he had lots of friends and was very good at robbing Wells Fargo stagecoaches. Like most in his career, two well placed bullets ended his career.
Idaho Bill
January 7, 2020
He claimed to be friends with Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill, Pawnee Bill, Billy the Kid and others. A natural showman, he never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Stagecoaches and Robbers
December 17, 2019
Hundreds of stages were robbed from 1856 to 1916, most did not yield much treasure. Travelers suffered extreme heat or cold and dust over rough roads. As many as 21 people crowded inside and on top for long trips.
Chumash Indians
December 10, 2019
Possibly the oldest tribe in California, with plenty of food, they had time for games, music, religious festivals, arts and crafts. They invented and built plank canoes which allowed them to travel and trade with other tribes.
Sharpshooters
December 3, 2019
Ad Toepperwein, probably the greatest marksman of all time, traveled the country putting on exhibitions with his wife, Plinky. His greatest achievement, shooting for ten days, 72,500 targets made of 2 1/4 inch wood blocks, 7 hours a day, 68 1/2 hours, missing only 9 targets.
The Sheepeaters
November 26, 2019
This isolated distinct tribe lived a peaceful happy life high in the Rocky Mountains. Expert arrow makers, they excelled at tanning hides and making clothes, they traded with other tribes and mountain men. Smallpox took it’s toll leaving few Sheepeaters.
Jesse and Frank James
November 19, 2019
After riding with Quantill’s guerrillas and Bloody Bill Anderson, it was an easy step for the brothers to start a life of crime. Were they heroes or cold blooded murderers? Jesse was killed, Frank became an honest citizen.
Baseball in the Old West
November 15, 2019
In 1869 the Cincinnati Red Stockings took the Transcontinental Railroad to California to play the local teams. By the mid-1880s baseball teams spread over much of the West.
Curse of the Lost Creek Mine
November 6, 2019
Peter Slumach, a Salish Indian, found gold worth millions, but was hung for murder. The curse claimed the lives of some who found the gold and many more who didn’t. According to Indian legend, only one with Indian blood can claim the gold.
Geronimo - The Later Years
October 30, 2019
The once proud leader of the Apaches was reduced to selling his autograph and at 76, being "displayed" as dangerous. He died from pneumonia in 1909, not living long enough to see his people return to their homelands.