1836 Podcast

Henry Massie Rector, Arkansas’s 6th governor, rose from a tough frontier youth to lead the state into the Confederacy. Defeating the powerful political dynasty in 1860, he aggressively pushed secession, seized the Little Rock arsenal, and delivered a fiery response to Lincoln. His turbulent term ended in 1862, after which he served as a private in the militia before resuming farming and land battl...

On July 3, 1982, a bus takeover in Jasper, Arkansas became one of the state’s most unforgettable true crime tragedies. Keith and Kate Haigler, driven by extreme religious beliefs and their connection to Emory Lamb, held passengers on a Continental Trailways bus before the day ended in a deadly standoff on the Little Buffalo River Bridge. Available on all major platforms.  #arkansas #history #podca...

Discover the remarkable life of William Obadiah Wood, a Revolutionary War veteran who was born in North Carolina, fought in the Southern Campaign, and later settled in what is now Marion County, Arkansas. From the battlefields of Camden and Eutaw Springs to his final resting place in Layton Cemetery near Yellville, his story connects America’s founding era to the Arkansas frontier. Sources  Revolu...

Discover the remarkable true story of William Jackson Smart—the Civil War veteran, twice-widowed father of 14, and single dad whose quiet devotion inspired America’s Father’s Day. Born in 1842 in rural Arkansas, Smart fought on both sides of the Civil War before building a large blended family and raising his children with unwavering strength after losing two wives. His daughter Sonora’s love for...

This episode of the 1836 Podcast continues the Counties of Arkansas series by profiling Clark County. From its founding in 1818 as part of Missouri Territory and its naming after explorer William Clark, to the rise of Arkadelphia as the permanent county seat in 1842, discover the stories of early settlers like Jacob Barkman, the "Father of Clark County," river commerce, Civil War skirmis...

This episode of the 1836 Podcast shares the story of Ky Laffoon. Ky Laffoon was born in Zinc, Arkansas and became a golfer who rose to national prominence during golf’s Depression-era years. In this episode, we look at his early life, his rise in the game, his Ryder Cup appearance, his reputation as a gifted teacher and fiery competitor, and the lasting legacy he left behind.

This episode of the 1836 Podcast continues the Governors of Arkansas series, by profiling the 5th Governor of Arkansas, Elias Nelson Conway, who served as Governor of Arkansas from 1852 to 1860 — one of the longest and most impactful terms in the state’s early history. Born in Tennessee in 1812 and raised in Missouri, Conway arrived in Arkansas Territory as a young man and quickly rose through the...

This episode of the 1836 Podcast tells the powerful true story of seventeen-year-old Royle Bradford Luker from Plainview, Arkansas. A young sailor aboard the USS West Virginia, Royle was killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. For 84 years, his remains lay unidentified in an unmarked grave in Hawaii. Thanks to the tireless work of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agenc...

This episode of the 1836 Podcast tells the story of Denver “Bull” Randleman. Born in 1920 in Rector, Arkansas, Bull grew up during the Great Depression, dropped out of school to support his family, and later enlisted in the U.S. Army. He joined Easy Company, 101st Airborne, earning the nickname “Bull” for his massive build and deep voice. A natural leader praised by Major Richard Winters, he jumpe...

Hidden in the Ozarks near Eureka Springs lies the forgotten story of Dinosaur World, later known as John Agar’s Land of Kong—one of Arkansas’s strangest roadside attractions. Built in 1967 by eccentric entrepreneur Ola Farwell with the help of sculptor Emmet Sullivan , the park featured life-sized concrete dinosaurs, cavemen, and a towering 40-foot King Kong statue tied to Hollywood actor John Aga...

This episode of the 1836 podcast, continues the counties of Arkansas series, by profiling Chicot County. Chicot County, Arkansas, is a land shaped by water, history, and resilience. From the ancient formation of Lake Chicot—the largest natural lake in Arkansas and the largest oxbow lake in North America—to the rich Delta soil that fueled the Cotton Kingdom, this episode explores the county’s remar...

This episode of the 1836 Podcast continues the Arkansas Governors series by sharing the remarkable and complicated life of John Selden Roane — lawyer, soldier, duelist, and the youngest person ever elected Governor of Arkansas. From his early days in Tennessee to building a career in frontier Arkansas, Roane rose fast. He became Speaker of the Arkansas House, fought heroically in the Mexican-Ameri...

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...