Ricky's Historical Tidbits Podcast

In October 1850, California celebrated statehood while cholera moved through its ports, rivers, and boomtowns. In Sacramento, the disease emptied streets, overwhelmed a makeshift hospital, killed hundreds, and helped turn one physician into a pioneer of public health. Picture this: you have just completed the worst road trip of your life, except much of it happened on foot. It is 1850. You crossed...

Picture Sacramento in the summer of 1850. Gold was just struck up in the hills, thousands of hopefuls were flooding in every single month, and you had managed to put up a simple wood-frame house on a muddy patch of ground near the river. It was nothing fancy—just rough boards and a leaky roof—but you built it with your own hands. As far as you were concerned, it was yours. Then one afternoon, the...

Imagine you’re a banker in San Francisco in 1872. You survived the Gold Rush. You made good money off the Comstock silver boom. Everybody in town thinks you’re one of the sharpest guys in California. Then one night, two rough-looking prospectors walk into a mine broker’s office with a leather sack full of uncut gems. “Diamonds,” they say. “From a field out West. Can’t tell you where.” Within two y...

In 1875, a San Francisco saloon owner threw a free birthday party for 100 strangers. By morning, every single one of them was unconscious, loaded into cargo nets, and sold to three ships bound for China. This is the story of Shanghai Kelly — the man who turned kidnapping into an industry. From the trapdoors of the Barbary Coast to a Supreme Court ruling that said shanghaied sailors didn't deserve...

Seven Men, a Railroad, and a Broken Promise Let me tell you a story. You are standing in a wheat field in California’s San Joaquin Valley in 1880. It is hot, dusty, and tense, and about twenty of your neighbors are riding toward a little farmhouse to “talk things out” with a U.S. marshal. Thirty seconds later, seven men are on the ground. Newspapers would call it a massacre. Railroad defenders wou...

In the summer of 1898, a beautiful box of chocolate creams arrived on a quiet porch in Dover, Delaware. What looked like a sweet gift turned into one of the most shocking crimes in American history. This is the unbelievable true story of Cordelia Botkin — the jealous mistress who turned the U.S. Postal Service into a murder weapon. From a steamy San Francisco affair to a deadly package that travel...

The Runaway Train That Killed a Governor’s Wife… and the Railroad Cover-Up That FollowedIn January 1883, the Atlantic Express rolled backward down the Tehachapi grade with no engines attached. It hit 70 mph, flew off the tracks, and plunged 75 feet into a ravine. Five cars burst into flames. Fifteen people died — including former California Governor John G. Downey’s wife Maria, who had always been...

Joshua Abraham Norton was a wealthy merchant who lost everything in a 1852 rice gamble. Most people would have disappeared into the shadows, but Joshua did something much more interesting: he walked into a San Francisco newspaper office and declared himself Emperor of the United States. And the crazy part? The city actually went along with it. In this episode, we’re looking at the life of one of N...

In the late 1800s, California depended on winter. Before refrigeration, the state relied on natural ice cut from frozen ponds in the Sierra Nevada. For a few short weeks each year, men in places like Boca and Truckee harvested blocks up to sixteen inches thick, stacked them forty feet high in sawdust-lined icehouses, and shipped them by rail across the West. That ice kept Comstock Lode miners aliv...

In 1904, one of the most shocking murder trials in California history unfolded in the quiet foothill town of Auburn. Four members of the Weber family were dead. Their home was burned to the ground. And at the center of it all stood a young man named Adolf Weber. This episode of Ricky’s Historical Tidbits dives deep into the true story of the Auburn family murders, the sensational trial that follow...

In this episode of Ricky’s Historical Tidbits Podcast, dive deep into the shocking history of bull and bear fights in 1850s California—how they started, where they happened, and why they eventually disappeared. Through vivid storytelling, follow an eight-year-old boy witnessing his first fight, feel the tension of the crowd, and experience the brutality of the final showdown. Then of course I'll s...

You’ve heard of Billy the Kid and Jesse James, but have you ever heard of Elfego Baca? This guy didn’t just survive one of the most insane shootouts in Wild West history—he went on to become a sheriff, a lawyer, and somehow got mixed up with Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution. From taking on Texas cowboys to representing revolutionaries and stealing Villa’s prized rifle, Elfego lived a lif...

Get ready to saddle up for one of the most jaw-dropping outlaw stories from the Wild West that you’ve probably never heard of— Hank Vaughan . He wasn’t just some two-bit criminal. No, this guy was a horse-rustling mastermind , a daredevil gunslinger , and somehow, he managed to cheat death more times than should be humanly possible. In this episode, I take you through Hank’s chaotic life —from his...

In this episode of Ricky's Historical Tidbits, we will explore the surprising story behind the California Camel Experiment and its connection to the Virginia City Camel Races. From the mid-19th century trials of camels in the American Southwest to the whimsical camel races in Nevada today, I'll take you on a journey through this quirky slice of history. Learn about the ambitious camel experiment,...

“Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.” “Carpe Diem” “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old time is still a-flying; And this same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying.” What do all of these sayings have in common? They can describe the city in California nearby Sacramento that boomed for just a month. The people knew it wouldn't last, but at the time Sacramento was uninhabitable so...

Queho was and is known for being Nevada's first serial killer who was never caught. To read click this link This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rickymortensen.substack.com

Butch Cassidy is a famous outlaw so this episode I share the story of one of his “Wild Bunch” a guy known as News Carver To read the Article version Click here This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rickymortensen.substack.com

Calaveras County in Northern California Absolutely loves frogs, they are obsessed. Frog murals, frog statues, frog plaques, a frog walk of fame and of course they have the annual Jumping Frog Jubilee where they have the annual Jumping frog competition. So why is Calaveras County, Angels Camp in particular, frog obsessed? To the point there was a court case that went to the Calaveras Supreme Court...

Yankee Jim was the victim of mistaken identity, there were two criminals back in the early 1850's known by the name Yankee Jim. Both were tall, both were criminals but one more so than the other. Nowadays most don't know there were two and make the same mistake the court in San Diego made and combine the two men into one. Intrigued? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with...

Could I have stumbled upon THE John from the Irish folk song John Kanaka? Come along with me and learn the story of a Kanaka who was never supposed to be and his adventures in California. Prefer to read? Click here Sponsor links below Hawaiian State - Book 1 Hawaiian Legacy - Book 2 Hawaiian Legend - Book 3 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get a...

Get ready to challenge everything you thought you knew about one of California's most notorious outlaws...Joaquin Murrieta, the infamous figure known as the 'Robin Hood of the El Dorado.' Join me and delve deep into the dusty archives of history, to uncover the truth behind Murrieta's notorious exploits and separate fact from fiction. This episode will challenge long-standing myths and unearth the...

Do you ever think about how animals are relocated? I'm sure you've seen a horse in on of those trailers on the road or put your dog on a plane but I'm talking about wild animals. Like Beavers. Idaho has quite the story about relocating a bunch of beavers after World War Two and I will tell you that story. Sponsor Hawaiian State - Book 1 Hawaiian Legacy - Book 2 Hawaiian Legend - Book 3 This is a p...

Living on the west coast in the United States you might think that to see Civil War artifacts, you gotta head on down to the South where it was fought or go to a museum. What if I told you there are some Civil War Cannons in plain sight in Northern California? But before I tell you about that… This is sponsored by The Hawaiian State book series by Joseph Chamberlain. This historical fiction series...

My professional photographer Grandpa and I went out for a photography trip up at Mount Rainer here in Washington. As a history lover I always have my eyes set out to learn the local history around me and sure enough I came across something pretty interesting. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rickymortensen.sub...

In this episode, I will be telling you all about 5 different men, John Sutter, Sam Brannan, Sam Barlow, James Savage, and Doc Maynard. Each of these men made some kind of impact on the western United States. You can listen now but This episode will be premiering in all its glory on YouTube at 7.15pm tonight. on 2/21/24 each of the 5 will be posted as separate videos for you to share. The Blog Vers...