Dr. History's Tales of the Old West

Before fences, line riders were to keep cattle from wandering. Some ranchers spent thousands to build board fences to preserve their breeding stock. Joseph Glidden invented barbed wire. Ranchers were skeptical, but eventually accepted it as a less expensive way to control cattle. Trouble was coming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cattlemen discovered that the Northern Plains could support raising cattle. Most winters cattle could survive on the nutritious grass. Immigrants on the Oregon Trail traded two worn out cattle for one healthy animal. Cattlemen wintered the worn-out animals in Montana, then returned with healthy cattle to trade with the immigrants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoice...

Joe Justin started repairing boots, then making his own. His wife Annie developed a self-measuring kit for mail orders. John Stetson mass produced hats, “Boss of the Plains” was a favorite. Immigrant Levi Strauss imported clothing, he joined with Jacob Davis to use copper rivets to reinforce their pants, which became the “501.” Early trousers were made of wool or canvas. Frontier dress with fringe...

Millions of acres of prairie was ideal for raising cattle. Richard King and John Chisum had the largest ranches with thousands of cattle and horses. New homesteaders lived in one room shacks or dugouts until they could build a proper ranch house. A ranch with a good water supply was essential. The rancher had to design his own brand and how to mark his cattle with a "wattle" and an earmark. Learn...

The best known Kansas cattle towns were Abilene, Dodge City and Wichita. The towns boomed with the arrival of the herds. Cowboys were ready for new clothes, a hot bath and entertainment. Some lost their wages and headed back to Texas, most were wiser, moral and honest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sir Earnest Shackelton made three expeditions to the Antarctic. His ship, the Endurance, was crushed in the sea ice on his third voyage. He sailed to Elephant Island and left 22 of his men to shelter until he could make his way back. He sailed 800 miles in a small whaling boat to South Georgia Island to a whaling station. After four and a half months he was able to rescue his men left on Elephant...

We had an amazing trip to Chile and on to King George Island in the Antarctic. Whales, seals, penguins and beautiful icebergs. We were in the area where Sir Earnest Shackleton’s crew spent time on Elephant Island before being rescued. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After striking it rich in Virginia City, Montana, Story financed the first cattle drive from Texas to Montana in 1866. He faced all the dangers and struggles of moving cattle through Indian territory to bring Texas longhorns and Texas cowboys to the miners in Montana. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Obsidian Cliff in Yellowstone Park is the largest deposit of obsidian in North America. Native Americans have used this for thousands of years for scrapers, spears and arrow heads. More than two dozen tribes would peacefully gather obsidian in this war free zone. Pieces of this obsidian has been found as far as the East coast and central America. Knapping, the process of making arrow heads is stil...

Easterners wanted stories and pictures of the old west, but cameras were heavy and difficult to use. William Jackson took thousands of pictures, most important, of Yellowstone. Soloman Butcher took pictures of the pioneers. Albert Bierstadt’s paintings were in museums. Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell became the most famous painters and sculptors of the west, because of detail and they fo...

His parents were freed slaves so George could travel anywhere. He worked for the Hudson's Bay Company in the Rocky Mountains. He tried farming but was drawn to Oregon, sold his farm and joined a wagon train. Upon arriving, he found that blacks were not allowed to settle in Oregon. He moved to the Puget Sound where he helped other settlers. He played a big role in securing the territory for the Uni...

Fifty-five-year-old Anna DeGraf climbed the rugged Chilkoot Pass. She was looking for her son. With her sewing machine, she made clothes and tents. She spent 20 years on the Last Frontier. Harriet Pullen was a cook in Skagway. She made apple pies for the miners. She used her horses to start a freighting company hauling miners supplies. She established a luxury hotel and died in Skagway. Learn more...

Belinda Mulrooney created an empire in the Yukon. Her supplies required 30 trips over the Chilkoot Pass. She built a hotel with great food, as good as any in the states. Her hotel was the first property with electricity, she brought in telegraph and telephones, formed a water supply company and provided goods and services for the miners. She partnered with miners and became wealthy, until she got...

Chasing Yukon gold, one in ten were women. Some with husbands or on their own. They climbed the Chilkoot or White Pass Trails enduring cold, wet conditions and meager rations. They staked or leased claims. Some found riches but also started schools or businesses while raising children. They helped establish more than a community, they created civilization in the wilderness. Learn more about your a...

After the journey, the Spauldings established their mission in Lapwai, in what is now North Idaho. Eliza was well liked and respected by the Nez Perce. Henry, however, was not well liked, even resorting to whipping those who didn't obey. The Whitmans established their mission near present day Walla Walla. Narcissa did not like the always present Cayuse in her home. The influx of immigrants brought...

The future missionaries made it to a rendezvous on the Green River. The Native Americans were amazed at seeing their first white women. They now faced the most difficult part of the journey. Across southern Idaho, to Fort Boise, then Blue Mountains and on to Fort Walla Walla. Now they were ready to establish their missions. Next week, part three, the tragedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

Narcissa wanted to be a missionary, as did Marcus, so they got married more as a business agreement. The same with Henry and Eliza Spaulding. They joined forces to travel to the Oregon territory to preach to the Nez Perce and Flathead Indians. The first white women to make the trek on what would be the Oregon Trail.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Idaho lumberjacks sent logs down the rivers, but one log could cause huge jams. Dynamite worked, but was dangerous. Ephraim Shay invented a small railroad engine that effectively pulled log laden rail cars. John Dolbeer invented the steam driven "donkey engine" for extracting logs. Simon Benson invented the first successful method for floating log rafts to San Diego. Learn more about your ad choic...

Skidroads, log chutes and flumes were used to transport lumber to the mills and to market. Skidroads used oxen to pull tons of huge logs. Chutes were long troughs made of wood. John Cook's chute sent logs at 90 miles an hour, sizzling when they hit the water. Flumes with water were as long as 54 miles. Brave souls occasionally rode in special boats down the flume, not all of them made it. Learn mo...

Lumber was in huge demand in California and came from Maine until they realized there were thousands of acres on the west coast. Lumbermen used different methods to fell trees, all involved heavy dangerous work. By 1859 millions of board feet were produced on the west coast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He had it all, 50,000 acres in California, cattle, sheep, horses, acres of wheat. He needed lumber, so joined with James Marshall to build a sawmill. When Marshall found some shiny stones, it was the end for Sutter. With the gold rush he lost all his employees, his land was overrun with gold seekers, his cattle scattered and crops trampled. He died a poor man. Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Virginia City Montana was the site of the first glove prize fight and lasted 26 rounds. In 1867 Con Orem fought Jimmy Dwyer in a bare knuckles fight. They fought into the night and was to resume the next morning, but Orem was unconscious. When G. Ward and John Gallagher fought a 105-round bout, it ended in tragedy. Gallagher’s left arm was broken, but he continued to fight. In the 105th round, War...

Every home had a variety of remedies. Some were herbs, others were store-bought. Whiskey was taken straight or mixed with herbs, used internally or externally. Snake, skunk, goose, wolf or bear oil were claimed to cure rheumatism. In the Civil War, maggots probably saved lives by digesting infected wounds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Col. James Bowie was too sick to command the troops at the Alamo, so Col. Travis took over. Historians have debated how he died. Some say he died by suicide, others that he died fighting a Mexican officer, or that he was captured and killed. Some say he was shot while on the rampart. Joe, the only survivor, said Travis fired his double-barreled shotgun and immediately fell to enemy fire.  Learn mo...

Tired of beans, new restaurants opened in Tombstone Arizona. Nellie Cashman opened the Russ House with 600 diners on opening day. Quong Kee was considered the best cook in Arizona, opened the Can Can Restaurant and Hindquarter Cafe. Menus would rival some of the best restaurants of today. Oregon Trail food included bacon, bread, rice, coffee, pies, soup, hard tack dried meat and fresh game. Learn...