Born in 1801, Thomas Long 'Peg Leg' Smith was a fearless mountain man with undeniable courage and and strong wilderness skills; but he was also an accomplished horse thief that liberated horses from California ranches and sold them to traders in Santa Fe. But more, he was such a famous liar that a contest created over 100 years ago still seeks the best tall-story-tellers of today.   Come meet one of the most colorful characters ever to cross the Colorado River.

The Shoshone and Paiute Natives watched as Spanish Traders brought horses to the Valley. American mountain men were early explorers who also passed through on their way to the southern settlements or back to Santa Fe and the United States.  It was the 49er gold and silver seekers that changed the valley forever, and a lost wagon train that sealed the identity of this odd expanse of land, so deadly dry it earned the name Death Valley.  

Wildly beautiful, strange, remote, awe-inspiring - Death Valley deserves these accolades, and more. Nothing is on a small scale here; extreme is the name of the game.  Colors are brighter . The mountains are higher, the valleys are deeper, the temperature is hotter, the vegetation is sparser - whatever a desert can do, Death Valley does it better, bigger, and more passionately.  The human story of Death Valley is just as intense.   Part 1 of 2 parts - come explore with us!

The ghost town of Bodie is one of the best preserved western boom towns left.  It's the bones of history kept in a state of arrested decay by the park rangers and volunteers.  In its time, it was one of the most exciting mining camps in the west, but a dangerous place with a violent history of gunfights and gamblers, ladies of the evening, and all the trappings of western lore.  Come explore the history of this town with us.

The story of Bass Reeves, an African-American born in slavery, that became a federal Marshal who brought in 3,000 outlaws to meet justice in Judge Isaac Parker's court (the famous hanging judge).  His unique abilities and exploits make him a hero of the old West.  She. historians have suggested he was the model for the mid-20th century radio and TV show, The Lone Ranger.  

With this podcast we shift gears - we learn about some of the characters that made up the West. And were they ever characters!  Strong minded, willful, determined men and women, they were Native Americans, Englishmen, Spanish, Africans - the American west, perhaps surprisingly to some, was a very democratic place.  First up is Shorty Harris, a prospector that wandered the Mojave Desert and Death Valley to find gold and other valuable minerals.  

Monument Valley and the nearby Navajo lands are magnificently beautiful, and culturally important.  Sadly, Covid 19 has badly impacted the Navajo people and travel is discouraged at present.  How it came to infect the people of the reservation is sad, but also a lesson in history how the European dispora unknowingly severely impacted the natives of the Americas. 

This episode takes us to the west side of Navajo Land and the Hopi Reservation.  We learn what we can expect to see and the courtesies expected of visitors to the tribal lands, and what  not to bring , where to go, and where not to go on the reservation.   

The Navajo were exceptional warriors in the early 1800s, keeping the Spanish and the Mexican governments out of their territory.   Kit Carson and the US military waged war against them and succeeded where Mexico and Spain had not.  Over time the Navajo adapted to the new social order and found a place in American society while maintaining their identity as Navajo.  

Following Interstate 40 - old Route 66 - across Northern Arizona is for travelers on a schedule. The stops along the way give a sample of what lies beyond the interstate.  We'll look beyond the highway in the next episodes, but old Route 66 is still a fun and interesting road trip.