Dr. History's Tales of the Old West

By Dr. Ken Turner

Society & Culture Education History

What's Dr. History's Tales of the Old West about?

Dr. History's audio stories of the Old West. Stories of Cowboys, Indians, Mountain men, pioneers, the Oregon Trail, miners, cattle drives, stagecoach and bank robbers, the cavalry, outlaws and lawmen, some famous and some you have never heard of. From the Custer Battlefield to the Klondike to Indian battles to buried treasure and lost mines to the early explorers. I love telling true stories that shaped the old west.

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Sheep in the Old West

09.19.2023

Columbus, Cortes and other explorers brought sheep to the Americas. The California gold rush miners needed food; sheep was the answer. "Uncle Dick" Wootton bought 9,000 sheep, after a fight with a Ute Chief and crossing the Sierra Nevadas he ...

Dr. History's Tales of the Old West episodes:

09.19.2023 Sheep in the Old West Columbus, Cortes and other explorers brought sheep to the Americas. The California gold rush miners needed food; sheep was the answer. "Uncle Dick" Wootton bought 9,000 sheep, after a fight with a Ute Chief and crossing the Sierra Nevadas he ...
09.12.2023 Tom Fitzpatrick, The Legend of Broken Hand He was leader of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. He stared down a grizzly bear, recovered stolen horses from Shoshone Indians, escaped from some Gros Ventre warriors, escaped from Blackfeet warriors. Later he guided wagon trains and was an agent ...
09.05.2023 Buffalo Bill's Mining Adventure He made a lot of money with his Wild West Shows, but always seemed to be short on money. He thought mines would be easy money, it wasn't. He poured a lot of money into several mines, none of which ...
08.29.2023 Steamers on the Colorado In 1852 the first attempts to transport goods up the Colorado River to Fort Yuma failed. Capt. George Johnson succeeded with the General Jesup, then added a second stern-wheeler. He discovered the Colorado River could be navigated 400 miles upriver ...
08.22.2023 Ivy Baldwin He taught himself to walk the high wire and hired on with a circus. His career took him around the world riding hot air balloons, walking tightropes, parachute jumps and high diving into nets. He was shot down in a ...
08.15.2023 Saddle Mountain's Lost Mine A cry for help caused Harry Penol to find Frank Fosterson, trapped under a ton of rock. Penol carried him to Salmon Idaho, but it was too late. Before Fosterson died he told Penol there were five sacks of gold ...
08.08.2023 Leadville’s Ice Palace Once the richest mining town, the boom didn’t last. The citizens decided to build an ice palace to make money. Under one roof, an ice-skating rink, two ballrooms, a band, a restaurant, food concessions, paintings, sculptures, curling contests, speed skating, ...
08.01.2023 The Children’s Blizzard The blizzard of 1888 struck in the afternoon while children were still in school. Some miracles occurred that saved lives. Unfortunately, over 200 people perished. Seven year old Martha tells her story of survival and the tragedy of the death ...
07.25.2023 Shoshone Riverboat on the Snake 1866, the 136 foot long, 300 ton stern wheeler steamboat, the Shoshone, was built near Fort Boise. The owners wanted to supply men and goods to the gold fields. Hells Canyon proved hazardous, but she made it to Lewiston and ...
07.18.2023 Virgil Earp Virgil joined a posse in Prescott, Arizona. He helped take down two outlaws with sharpshooting from his Winchester rifle. That was the beginning of his experience in law enforcement. A year later he rose to fame with his brothers in ...
07.11.2023 Leadville Marshal Marty Duggan Muliti-Millionaire and Mayor of Leadville, H. W. Tabor, only hired Marshals who lived by his rules until he hired Marty Duggan. He arrested one of the Mayor's cronies and threatened Tabor to put him in jail for attempted bribery. Duggan ...
07.04.2023 History of Patriotic Songs The story behind the songs, "God Bless America," "My Country Tis of Thee," "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "Hail Columbia" and "The National Anthem." As we sing our National Anthem we can picture Francis Scott Key on board the ...
06.27.2023 Hiram Vasquez Kidnapped at age four, he lived among the Shoshone Tribe and was a favorite of Chief Washakie. He learned how to hunt with bow and arrow and took part in their rituals. At age nine he was reunited with his ...
06.20.2023 Lewis and Clark -- Return Journey March 1806 the Corps headed up the Columbia River. The Skillets, Shahaptian Tribes, Walla Wallas and Nez Perce all helped until they crossed the Bitteroots and Rockies. The expedition continued to explore on their way arriving in St. Louis September ...
06.13.2023 Lewis and Clark at Fort Clatsop They just missed a trading ship for the return trip. Fort Clatsop was a fifty by fifty foot stockade with seven cabins. They had shelter and plenty of game to hunt. They learned how to make moccasins, buckskin clothes and ...
06.06.2023 Lewis and Clark to the Pacific The Pacific Plateau System of trade among tribes was effective for tribes from the Rockies to the Pacific coast. It was the end of the trail, but Lewis and Clark found the Pacific coast to be a cold, wet place. ...
05.30.2023 Lewis and Clark on the Columbia After 3714 miles they reached the Columbia River. The faced miles of dangerous rapids and had to portage around some while riding through others in their dugout canoes. They met different tribes that were harvesting salmon that could be processed ...
05.23.2023 Wetxuiis Wetxuiis lived among the whites, so when Lewis and Clark stumbled upon some Nez Perce, she convinced Chief Twisted Hair that they were good people and should not be killed. The near starved and exhausted expedition was fed camas and ...
05.16.2023 Ezra Meeker Ezra and wife Eliza were part of the 1852 emigration to Oregon Territory. In 1906, 76 year old Ezra retraced his Oregon Trail journey with oxen and a covered wagon. He placed historical markers on his route. In 1910 he ...
05.09.2023 The Art of Hanging They tried to be humane in legal hangings. The rope had to be 1 and 1/2 inches thick, soaked, dried, and softened. There was a formula with the weight of the victim to show how far he was to be ...
05.02.2023 Mail Order Brides Too many single men in the West and too many single Women in the East. The answer was personal ads in newspapers. It was a leap of faith. Most wrote letters for one or two years, but usually married within ...
04.25.2023 A Strange Bullfight Joe Wolf was a promoter and con man. He advertised a great Spanish bullfight complete with the world’s greatest bullfighter, Cavlos Garcia, a lady bullfighter, Cazadoro fighting bulls and a sharp shooter. At showtime, there was no lady bullfighter, only ...
04.18.2023 Egypt, Jordon and Israel - Part Two The Qumran Caves contained the Dead Sea Scrolls. Masada’s defenders committed suicide rather than be taken Roman prisoners. A beautiful valley where David killed Goliath. And Jerusalem where Jesus walked, the synagogues where He taught, His tomb after the crucifixion, ...
04.11.2023 Egypt, Jordon and Israel - Part One The trip of a lifetime, Cairo and the pyramids, the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, King Tut’s mummy, the temples of Ramses the II, the Nile River, the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee and of course Jerusalem ...
04.04.2023 Chief Young Man Afraid As successor to his father, he had more influence and authority than any living Sioux Chief. In 1895, the most powerful leaders were Crazy Horse, Red Cloud and Young Man Afraid. On several occasions he prevented conflicts between the military ...
03.28.2023 Death of Wild Bill Hickok He arrived in Deadwood as a prospector, but soon turned to gambling. At the No.10 Saloon, he didn’t take his usual stool at the card table. Jack McCall had lost big to Wild Bill the night before. Without warning, he ...
03.21.2023 Doctor Finfrock He began his practice at Fort Halleck as post surgeon, Dakota Territory. He cared for soldiers, emigrants, scouts, freighters and locals. He developed an amputation method called “disarticulation,” amputating the limb at the joint. A strong advocate for clean water ...
03.14.2023 Good Samaritans of the Plains The Potawatomi’ left their reservation to hunt buffalo to prepare for a hard winter. After a successful hunt they camped near a small new community of freed slaves who were destitute, no food or shelter. They fed the people, helped ...
03.07.2023 James Beckwourth Born into slavery, once free he headed west. He joined the Rocky Mountain Fur Company along with Hugh Glass and Jim Bridger. He married a Crow woman and lived with the Crow band for several years. He was in California ...
02.28.2023 Mohave Runners Young Mohave boys were encouraged to race each other to prepare to be a runner. The runners enabled small bands to communicate and trade with each other. They could run 100 miles in 3 hours, 200 miles in 24 hours, ...
02.21.2023 Law and Disorder Marshal Dyer charged the government for cows and seed potatoes, the prisoners did the work, then sold it back to the government. Sheriff Johnny Behan testified against the Earps. Pinkerton Detective Tom Horn was caught robbing a faro game eventually ...
02.14.2023 Killer Mine Almy coal Mine Number 5 had water, methane gas, explosive dust and the danger of cave-ins and fire. Although they used the most modern safety equipment at the time, in 1895 two explosions destroyed equipment and instantly killed sixty-two miners. ...
02.07.2023 Big Nose George A robber and killer, he was caught and after three attempts he was finally hung. His remains were found in 1950 in a whiskey barrel. His fame came from the fact that his skull and “strange” shoes are in one ...
01.31.2023 Steamboat the Unrideable Black with white tufts of hair at the bottom of his legs, Steamboat was a magnificent horse. So powerful at unloading riders, they called him the “Outlaw Horse.” Some say his image is on the Wyoming license plate. One of ...
01.24.2023 Jackson Hole Wyoming Native Americans lived there for thousands of years. Mountain men, trappers and fur traders followed by “Bachelor settlers” prospectors, immigrants, runaways, and refuges from the law. The last of the old west, these people endured hardship but used the natural ...
01.17.2023 Rattlesnake Bites Native Americans rounded up rattlesnakes, put them in a pen, then prodded them to strike a piece of liver to inject the venom. They pushed their arrow and lance tips into the liver to get the poison. There were many ...
01.10.2023 Native American Origins The Native Americans all knew where they came from as these stories passed down from generations. There is a strong spiritual bond with the “Creator”, “The Master of Life”, the “Great Spirit” or “Wakan Tanka”. Most tribes believed their land ...
01.03.2023 Lean John’s Ride The fifty soldiers at Fort Hill in Los Angeles were surrounded by five hundred native Californians. Lean John was chosen to ride for help. A horse was shot out from under him, he still rode over 500 miles, in five ...
12.27.2022 Gate 67 A Christmas Message. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
12.20.2022 Christmas Memories Pioneer Christmas was a special occasion, trees were decorated with popcorn, pinecones and ribbons. All gifts were handmade, Christmas eve was spent going to church, Christmas day was a day of good food and spending time with family and friends. ...
12.13.2022 Christmas in the Yukon In 1894 Emilie Tremblay was living with her husband in a one room sod-roof cabin in the Yukon. As the only woman, she decided to make Christmas dinner for the local miners. Stuffed rabbit, roast caribou, beans, potatoes, sourdough bread ...
12.06.2022 Deadman's Bar Three German prospectors claimed to have a good gold find on the Snake River near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. They conned John Tonnar into funding the venture and being a partner. There were arguments, the three miners were found dead. Tonnar ...
11.29.2022 Island Park Gold Caches Hidden in Targhee National Forest is stolen treasure, buried by the outlaws who usually came to a bad end. Jim Locket and his gang were all caught and paid the price after burying their loot. A young man buried his ...
11.22.2022 King Hill Nellie Burgess drew on forty acres along the Snake River and called it the Rainbow Ranch. She planted a garden and trees, hauling water by bucket from the river. Along with the other homesteaders, they built a church and improved ...
11.15.2022 The Castle Gate Payroll Robbery Butch Cassidy carefully planned the robbery, arranged for horses and supplies and with help from other gang members made his escape from a sympathetic posse. He even rescued a stray dog. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
11.08.2022 The Tukudeka Indians Also called the "Sheepeaters." They lived high in the Rockies, were excellent hunters, well dressed and fed. They were a peaceful tribe, but became extinct due to smallpox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
11.01.2022 Jake Herman, Rodeo Clown Jake was a failure at being a rodeo star, so decided to be a rodeo clown. He had a trick mule, dog and skunk and once butted heads with a bull which left both knocked out. He brought a lot ...
10.25.2022 Bill Miner Known as the Grey Fox, he had a habit of always getting caught when he committed a crime. He also managed to escape from prison several times, but eventually died in prison. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
10.18.2022 Oregon's Johnny Appleseed They said Henderson Luelling was crazy to think he could take a heavy wagonload of fruit trees to Oregon. He made the trip, started the Luelling and Meek Nursery and sold grafting shoots all over Washington, Oregon, and California. Learn ...
10.11.2022 Ostrich Ranches Because of a huge demand for feathers, Arizona ranchers imported ostriches in 1883. They were cheap to raise, ate less and produced $30 a year in income. The feathers were cut and sold at a huge profit until it became ...

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