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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 caravan of one hundred and sixty wagons, carrying food and clothing for the Indians.

Prepare to be transported across the historic Santa Fe Trail, witnessing the remarkable buffalo herds, confronting the daunting politics of the era, and meeting legendary Indian chiefs like Satanta and Black Kettle. Our journey is further enriched by meeting key figures like Colonel Leavenworth and Major Windcoupe. We're issued an order from General Sherman that puts us in a tight spot, but that's just the start of our challenges. We feel the tension of an embargo on trading with the Indians, and the thrill of escaping a wildfire, as we camp near the Medicine Lodge Treaty council grounds.

Next, we traverse the early Kansas Trails and delve into the Indian Wars, guided by Michael King's illuminating book. Hear firsthand accounts from bullwackers, Indian fighters, and freighters who journeyed the Santa Fe Trail. Get to know the Cheyenne Indians, understand the Kansas expansion and explore legendary events like the Battle of Beecher Island. All this and more, as we navigate through the riveting tales of the Wild West. Don't miss out on this engrossing adventure and the chance to reassess the history as we know. Click here to purchase the book Trails, Forts Treaties & Indian Wars. 

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 Promise a journey back in time with us as we unlock the forgotten narratives of Forts Mann and Atkinson, the guardians of the Santa Fe Trail. These key outposts, established in the mid-19th century, played a significant role in the American westward expansion. Yet, the pivotal role of Fort Dodge in securing the frontier has been largely untold. We'll reveal how this fort, nestled along the Arkansas River, was involved in major campaigns to quell the unrest on the plains and facilitated the flourishing commercial frontier. Despite its significant contributions, learn why Fort Dodge was sidelined in the historic preservation movement and its true importance never thoroughly examined.

On this fascinating journey, we are joined by Deb Goodrich, an expert with intimate knowledge of this historical era. Deb will captivate you with tales from the Battle of Solomon Fork and insight into the intriguing life of Jeb Stewart, immortalized by Errol Flynn in the movie Santa Fe Trail. We'll also talk about significant upcoming events like the 200th anniversary of the Santa Fe Trail and the planned docudrama project, Contested Plains, a story about the German family massacre in 1874. And, get a peek into award-winning filmmaker Ken Spurgeon's role in this exciting project. Get ready to traverse the annals of American military history as we uncover the untold stories of the early forts along the Arkansas River.

As a special guest, we invite Deb Goodrich to join us in an in-depth discussion of some stories related to the early forts along the Arkansas River. Books by Deb Goodrich

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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 forts to the Medicine Lodge location. While on this journey from Fort Harker, Dixon experiences a cholera epidemic and then joins a train of wagons from Fort Hayes to Fort Wallace. While at Fort Wallace, Dixon and his friend Frickie meet a journalist named Henry M. Stanley. Stanley, then working as a special correspondent for the Saint Louis Daily Democrat, provides a character description of each Medicine Lodge Peace Commission member. 

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Get ready for a no-holds-barred journey into the heart of the American frontier. We'll be tracing the footsteps of Major General Winfield S Hancock and his sizable force as they ventured into the volatile landscape of 1867 Kansas. A land where settlers, travelers, and Native American tribes clashed, and tension was as tangible as the dust underfoot.

Our guide through this historical odyssey? Edmund Guerriere. A French trader by profession, a Cheyenne Indian by birth, and a survivor of the horrific Sand Creek Massacre. Edmund's compelling narrative paints a vivid picture of the expedition to Fort Larnad, the dramatic confrontations with the native tribes along the Pawnee River, and his encounters with fascinating characters like the iconic California Joe and Wild Bill.

And hold on to your seats as we recount the nerve-jangling night when Edmund entered the Cheyenne camp under Hancock’s orders to interpret and mediate. Feel your heart pound as we spin the tale of the ensuing confrontation, the tribe’s dramatic exodus, and Custer’s frantic, but ultimately futile, attempt to capture the fleeing tribes. As the show closes, you will be left with an unforgettable image of Edmund's encounter with a Cheyenne warrior, a poignant reminder of the human drama that unfolded on the plains of Kansas during this tumultuous period..” You can purchase the book Trails, Forts, Treaties and Indian Wars at Amazon.com

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Tantalizing tales of the Old West await you! We've got a chilling yarn about a frontier town shooting, an adventure-filled journey to Dodge City, and a violent encounter in a dance hall. This episode takes you on a journey back in time, recounting stories of courage, friendship, lawlessness, and the brutal realities of frontier life.

Our first narrative tells the story of a senseless killing and the daring pursuit of justice that follows. Listen as we recount the captivating tale of Mike Bailey, shot in cold blood by McCluskey, and the thrilling showdown at Tuttle's Dance Hall. Then, saddle up as we take you along the buffalo-filled trail to Dodge City, a lawless frontier town teeming with larger-than-life characters, including the quick-drawing and lethal Billy Brooks. Hold on tight as we end with a nail-biting encounter in a dance hall, where bullets fly and lives hang in balance. Get ready for a wild ride through the untamed West, where danger lurks at every corner and only the brave survive!

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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 chosen a dancehall life. A relationship builds between them, and Billy helps run the Bull's Head Saloon, co-owned by his brother Ben Thompson and Phil Cole. However, after a gunfight ensues between Bill Hickok and Phil Cole leaving Cole, dead Billy leaves Abilene on a cattle drive back to Oklahoma.  Elizabeth and Billy soon join up with Ben Thompson, Texas Billy's brother in Ellsworth, Kansas. However, the story spins out of control after Billy Thompson is arrested on June 30, 1873, by John Morco for carrying a weapon in town limits. Soon after Billy's arrest, a disagreement breaks out between Marco and Billy Thompson, leaving Sheriff Chancey Whitney dead in the streets of Ellsworth, Kansas. 

The story written by Mike King provides the actual accounts of a twenty-five-year relationship between a gambler and a well-known prostitute as they travel through Dodge City and into a new settlement named Hide Town, Mobeetie, Texas, where Bat Masterson is shot. 

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 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 possible Indian uprising. You can purchase the book by clicking on the link Return of the Great Hunters: Tales of the Frontier. 

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 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 a fierce thunderstorm. The story narrated by Brad Smalley describes how the lightning is so intense that it starts a buffalo stampede. The story concludes by unfolding how the hunters escape the running buffalo and how Billy Dixon losses his mules in the river. 

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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 First Battle of Adobe Walls is retold in its entirety of the November 25, 1864 battle between the United States Army and American Indians. Plummer tells how the Kiowa, Comanche, and Plains Apache tribes drive from the battlefield a United States Expeditionary Force lead by Kit Carson. You can purchase the book by clicking on the link Return of the Great Hunters: Tales of the Frontier. Learn more about this episode at Wild West Podcast Facebook Page. 

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Billy Dixon and a company of fifty hunters travel south on the Jones and Plummer Trail past the Cimarron River and out into Indian Territory.  When the expedition reaches Adobe Walls Creek, Billy Dixon, Tyler and Masterson decide to explore an old abandoned trading post. When the three explorers reach the old trading post they discover an old Ute drawing to help them unearth the story of the Battle of the Adobe Walls. The story written by Mike King and narrated by Brad Smalley becomes the first lesson in engaging warfare with the Plains Indians.

In 1843, the trading firm of Bent, St. Vrain & Company established a log structure trading site on what is now known as Bent Creek in Hutchinson County Texas. In 1845, they replaced the log structure with an adobe brick 80 feet square single-entrance fort, with walls that rose 9 feet. The fort was closed in 1848 due to Indian depredations. In 1849, William Bent blew up the remains of the fort and departed the panhandle of Texas.

You can purchase the book by clicking on the link Return of the Great Hunters: Tales of the Frontier. Learn more about this episode at Wild West Podcast Facebook Page. 

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If you'd like to buy one or more of our fully illustrated dime novel publications, you can click the link I've included.