The Savage West

Send a text John C. Fremont & The California and Oregon Trails (1841 – 1845): As the fur trade collapses, mountain men push into Oregon, carrying violence and disease in their wake. California, thinly held by a faltering Mexican government, stands exposed—vast, remote, and still largely unknown. Into this shifting frontier rides John C. Frémont, an obscure topographical engineer with powerful...

Send a text John Sutter & the Land of Squatters (1836 - 1841): As new waves of settlers trickle into the west, California is propelled to the brink of chaos. Amid horse raids, propaganda, and ambition, the narratives of Texas' revolt and California's vulnerability collide. John Sutter, a Swiss immigrant, dares to carve out an empire in the volatile Sacramento Valley, while tensions b...

Send a text Two Decades of the Don (1821 - 1836): In the wake of Mexico's newfound independence, California finds itself at a crossroads. The dismantling of the missions leaves Native Americans facing a precarious future, while the California Dons ascend to prominence, and the archetype of the American Cowboy takes root. The groundbreaking journey of a mountain man across the Sierras interwea...

Send a text The Pacification of Alta California (1769 – 1821): As Spain's hold weakens, Alta California stands at a crossroads, with missions burgeoning and San Francisco coming to life. Amidst this era of change, what propels these pioneers into the heart of the unknown, and what are the stakes? This episode ventures into perilous sea voyages, shipwrecks that scar the coast, and pivotal enco...

Send a text The Age of Discovery (1400 - 1769):   Spanish conquistadors meet the advanced native civilizations of the Americas, leading to a clash akin to an invasive species disrupting a longstanding ecosystem. Tens of millions will perish before the dust settles. As English colonization builds, powerful new threats will set the stage for the birth of a city that will become the heart of the Mani...

Send a text Preview of The Savage West Podcast and Season 1, "A Port at the Edge of the World," which focuses on the colonial evolution of San Francisco through the discovery of gold in California in 1848. Apple Podcasts Spotify