1836 Podcast

In 1938, the quiet town of Pocahontas became the center of one of America’s most shocking true-crime cases. When a skeleton was discovered beneath a storm cellar on the Hebner property, authorities uncovered a chilling story of deception, fraud, and murder. At the heart of it all was Cora Hebner—an intelligent, composed woman whose “lonely hearts” marriage scams had already left a trail of broken...

This episode of the 1836 Podcast, shares the story of Heck Thomas. Henry Andrew "Heck" Thomas was a legendary Old West lawman and United States Deputy Marshal based out of Fort Smith, Arkansas. He is credited with bringing order to the lawless "Indian Territory" and is most famous as one of the "Three Guardsmen," a trio of elite marshals who arrested or killed over 300 outlaws. #Arkansas #History...

Long before Arkansas was settled, ancient cultures left behind powerful traces of their lives—painted and carved into stone across the Ozarks. This episode of the 1836 Podcast shares about prehistoric rock art, known as pictographs and petroglyphs, found in places like Petit Jean Mountain and beyond. From mysterious symbols and human figures to sunbursts and animal forms, these markings reveal a d...

In 1978, law student turned drug trafficker Larry Porter Chism, of Forest City, Arkansas, pulled off one of the boldest escapes in American history. From a supervised bowling alley outing in Tennessee, he shot a guard, hijacked a small Cessna plane, and forced it toward his Arkansas hometown. After an emergency crash landing near Marianna, a high-speed chase through the Ozarks ended with the FBI a...

This episode of the 1836 Podcast continues the Counties of Arkansas series by profiling Carrol County. From its early days as Osage hunting grounds to pioneer settlement in the 1830s, this frontier county faced isolation, Civil War guerrilla conflicts, and the loss of land to form Boone County. The county seat moved from Carrollton to Berryville, while the 1879 discovery of healing springs transfo...

On March 16, 1899, in the heart of Hot Springs, Arkansas, a deadly power struggle over illegal gambling and graft exploded into one of the bloodiest gunfights in American history. Police Chief Thomas Toler and his officers clashed with Sheriff Bob Williams and his deputies on Central Avenue. In a chaotic shootout that left five men dead—including the police chief himself—lawmen turned their guns o...

This episode of the 1836 podcast, continues the Governors of Arkansas series, by profiling Richard C. Byrd (c.1805–1854), an early Arkansas political leader who briefly served as acting governor in 1849 during a key transitional moment in the state’s history. Born in the Mississippi Territory (present-day Alabama), he moved to Arkansas in 1826, where he built a life as a merchant and farmer before...

Jacob Conrad Yoes, known as "Black Jake" for his jet-black hair or "Big Jake" for his imposing build, was born December 3, 1839, in rural Washington County, Arkansas, to a German-descended Methodist minister father and pioneer family in the Ozark Mountains. Leaving home at 17 with just $2, he worked lead mines in Missouri, married Mary Ann Reed in 1858, and later served as a Un...

This episode of the 1836 Podcast continues the Counties of Arkansas series, profiling Calhoun County — a quiet, deeply rooted corner of south-central Arkansas shaped by timber, tradition, and resilience. From Native American mound sites and frontier settlement to Civil War disruption, Reconstruction, the timber boom, and the tragic Hampton Race War of 1892, we trace the county’s layered past. We e...

This episode of the 1835 Podcast shares the complex and controversial life of Albert Pike. Pike passed Harvard's exams at 16 but headed west instead—enduring a brutal 1831 trek to Santa Fe before settling in Arkansas in 1832. He taught school, edited newspapers, married well, built a grand Little Rock home, became a leading lawyer for Native tribes, published frontier poetry, fought in the Mex...

This episode of the 1836 Podcast continues the Governors of Arkansas series by profiling the state's third governor, Thomas Stevenson Drew. Join us as we explore the humble yet resilient life of one of Arkansas’s early political figures. Born in 1802 in Tennessee, Drew arrived in the Arkansas Territory as a young man, supporting himself as a traveling peddler, schoolteacher, and farmer before...

This episode of the 1836 Podcast, shares the story of Peter Caulder, a free Black man, a War of 1812 veteran, and a frontier settler who spent more than thirty years building a life in northern Arkansas. After helping establish Fort Smith, Caulder chose to remain in the Arkansas Territory, where he legally acquired land, raised a family, and became part of the Ozark frontier along the White River....

This episode of the  1836 Podcast  continues the Arkansas Counties series by exploring the history of  Bradley County, Arkansas . From its early settlement and Native American roots to its growth through agriculture, timber, and local industry, we trace the county’s past and the people who shaped it—including  Captain Hugh Bradley , the man it was named after. A must-listen for Arkansas history en...

Have you ever walked across a stone dam at Devil’s Den, hiked trails at Mount Nebo, or stayed in Mather Lodge at Petit Jean? Then you’ve already seen the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Arkansas—even if you didn’t know its name. During the Great Depression, the CCC gave thousands of young men a job, skills, and purpose while transforming Arkansas’ parks, forests, and roads. From buildin...

This episode of the 1836 Podcast uncovers the overlooked Arkansas connections that helped shape the rise of Wild Bill Hickok—revealing how a quiet Ozark town left its mark on an American legend. Long before he became a Wild West icon, Hickok rode into the remote Ozarks and spent time in Yellville, Arkansas, where he crossed paths with Confederate veteran and gambler Dave Tutt. Their unlikely frien...

This episode of the 1836 podcast, shares the hidden history of the New Madrid Fault and how it reshaped Arkansas and the Mississippi River Valley. In 1811–1812, a series of massive earthquakes shook the early United States, formed new lakes, and even caused parts of the Mississippi River to run backward. Today, scientists warn that another major quake could strike again. This episode explores what...

On this episode of the 1836 Podcast, the Arkansas Governors Series continues with Acting Governor Samuel Adams. In 1844, self-taught Arkansas planter Samuel Adams unexpectedly became acting governor for just six months after Archibald Yell resigned to join Congress. Amid drought, economic hardship, and personal illness, the 38-year-old Democrat continued policies on roads, education, and fiscal di...

Dive into one of America's bloodiest and most forgotten family feuds – the Tutt-Everett War (also known as the Marion County War) in 1840s Arkansas Ozarks. What started as fierce political rivalry between Democratic Everetts and Whig Tutts (allied with the Kings) exploded into years of brutal violence: saloon brawls, ambushes, assassinations, and even martial law declared by the governor. From...

As 2025 draws to a close, join us for a special year-in-review episode of the 1836 Podcast! Let's count down the Top 10 episodes of 2025, ranked by analytics from YouTube, Spotify, and other platforms based on views, listens, and downloads. Whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or you’re just discovering the show, this recap is the perfect way to relive the year’s biggest highlights o...

On March 5, 1959, a fire raged through the locked dormitory at Arkansas’s Negro Boys Industrial School. 69 Black boys, aged 13–17, were trapped—doors padlocked from outside, windows covered in heavy iron mesh, no fire escapes or alarms. 21 boys died. 48 survived, many badly burned after clawing through screens with bare hands. This preventable disaster stemmed from chronic neglect, racial disparit...

This episode of the 1836 Podcast, continues the Governors of Arkansas series by profiling the state's second governor, Archibald Yell. Join us as we explore the remarkable life of one of Arkansas’s most dynamic early leaders. Born in 1797 on the Tennessee frontier, Archibald Yell fought alongside Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans, rose to become Arkansas’s second governor, represente...

This episode of the 1836 Podcast shares the explosive true story of Ned Christie: a Cherokee national councilman turned fugitive who, in 1892, made his defiant last stand against a large Arkansas posse of US Marshalls, armed with guns, a cannon, dynamite, and a thousand-dollar bounty. Follow his five-year war against Judge Parker’s court—from the controversial and disputed killing that branded him...

This episode of the 1836 Podcast continues our Counties of Arkansas series by profiling Boone County. Boone County whispers tales of hideouts, heists, and heroes—where pioneer grit and outlaw legends forge a legacy as rugged and resilient as the land itself. From Jesse James hideouts and the notorious Henry Starr bank robbery to the roar of devastating great floods, ties to the Mountain Meadows Ma...

This episode of the 1836 podcast, shares the tale of Jesse James in Arkansas. From his very first stagecoach robbery on the Malvern-Hot Springs road in 1874 to vanishing into the Ozark Mountains with the help of Confederate kin and allies like Belle Starr and Cole Younger, Jesse James treated Arkansas like a second home. Hear about his documented heists in Malvern and Bentonville, the family ties...

This episode of the 1836 Podcast launches the Inaugural Arkansas Governor series, profiling James Sevier Conway, Arkansas’s first governor. From frontier surveyor to architect of early statehood, discover his contributions, challenges, and legacy, including Conway County and the city of Conway. A compelling dive into Arkansas’s formative years! Like, Share and Subscribe for more Arkansas history,...