Ranking ‘76:The American West

We explained the rounds but what is The West? Do you not remember what your middle school teacher told you (probably) over a decade ago. This episode, we discuss a very brief 30min history what shaped the west. From the Pilgrims to the post Civil War.
 
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Biography number one starts with one of the biggest names in The West! spoiler....that beer went unfinished...
 
Sourcing
Main Source- Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride by Michael Wallis
Secondary source- The West of Billy the Kid by Frederick Nolan
 
Documentaries 
Watch Billy the Kid | American Experience | Official Site | PBS
Gunslingers (AHC)  Episode 2. Billy the Kid - The Phantom of Lincoln County
Billy the Kid - Legend of the Wild West - YouTube
 
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He was a Jayhawk, a spy, a lawman, a showman and a gambler. What didn't this man do but more importantly, where does he rank?
Sourcing
1. Wild Bill: The True Story of the American Frontier's First Gunfighter by Tom Clavin
2. Wild Bill Hickok: The Man and His Myth by Joseph Rosa
 
Documentaries Watched
Gunslingers AHC- Marksman... Marked Man
 
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Daniel Boone was a man. YES A BIG MAN and one of the O.G.'s of opening The West. Where does he stack up against Billy and Wild Bill?
 
Sorry, not sorry getting that song stuck in you head. You're welcome!
 
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Sourcing:
Daniel Boone: The Life and Legend of an American Pioneer by John Mack Faragher
 
Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America's First Frontier by Bob Drury, Tom Clavin
 
The Taking of Jemima Boone: Colonial Settlers, Tribal Nations, and the Kidnap That Shaped America By Mathew Pearl
 

Our first Indigenous Person and is the first of 2 episodes because these two are impossible to talk about without talking about the other. How does he do in the shadow of his older brother, Tecumseh?
 
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Sourcing
Tecumseh: A Life by John Sugden
Tecumseh and the Prophet By Peter Cozzens
http://www.fantasy-epublications.com/shawnee-traditions/Genealogy/Tecumseh_Family/Lineage.html
Thinking and Believing: Nativism and Unity in the Ages of Pontiac and Tecumseh
PBS "We Shall Remain" episode "Tecumseh's Vision"
 

We just reviewed his brother. Does Tecumseh live up the hype? Does he outscore his brother?
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Sourcing
Tecumseh: A Life by John Sugden
Tecumseh and the Prophet By Peter Cozzens
Thinking and Believing: Nativism and Unity in the Ages of Pontiac and Tecumseh
PBS "We Shall Remain" episode "Tecumseh's Vision"

She wore a lot of hats, couldn't stay in one place and was a lot of fun to be around but who was Martha Cannary AKA "Calamity Jane"
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Sourcing
Calamity Jane: The Woman and the Legend by James D. McLaird
The Autobiography of Calamity Jane by Herself
 
Legends of American Article
Black Hills visitor Article
Spearfish Area Historical Society Article

We are using this off week to read Calamity Jane's (very) short autobiography. The link to the LibriVox recording is here 
 
If you are interested in more Free Public domain audiobooks, you can find them in your phone's store or visit them at LibriVox | free public domain audiobooks
 
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Hundreds of written and film works have used Jesse James as the ultimate outlaw. Does he live up to the hype as we discuss (and cower from) Jesse James. 
 
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Sourcing
Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War by TJ Stiles
Jesse James: Legendary Rebel and Outlaw by J Dennis Robinson
True West Article : Jesse James: The Birth of a Killer
Centralia Massacre By Claire Wolnisty
True West Artile Jesse James Vs Joseph Witcher

As we approach the siege of the Alamo ending on March 6th, we cover probably the most famous name to enter the missionary.... a place he may not have known the name of. What made his name famous in the Jacksonian Era? Does he live up to his grand 1950's theme song?
 
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Sourcing:
Three Roads to the Alamo by William C. Davis
David Crockett: Lion of the West by Michael Wallis
An Autobiography of Davy Crockett

James Bowie is not someone you want to get in a fight with. He is the 2nd of the big 3 defenders of the Alamo we are covering, and he comes will a really big knife.... Listen as we cower from James Bowie. 
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Sourcing:
Three Roads to the Alamo by William C Davis
 
Internet Articles
Feud with Norris Wright- Bowie Knife Fighters. blogspot.com
Sandbar Fight- Legends of America
 The San Saba Mine- TSHA Online
James Bowie- TSHA Online
 

We have reached the Alamo and are talking about the man in charge.  He enters a 26 year old rising star and is expected to hold the makeshift garrison against the Mexican Army with 2 more famous names. How does he do? 
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Sourcing: 
Three Roads to the Alamo by William C Davis
Anahuac Disturbances
Travis's involvement

Surprise! On this off week, we are taking a some time to talk about what stuck out to us from the last 10 episodes and plus our brand new Wordpress site! you can visit it here! 

Red Cloud was a force on the Great Plains through the 1850 and 1860, thought the US Government didn't have him listed as a leader. He then forced The US to do something no other Native leader was able to do.
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Sources
Chief Red Cloud 1822-1909 by Judy Monroe Peterson
The Heart of Everything That Is by Bob Drury & Tom Clavin
Oglala Lakota Chief Red Cloud by William Sanford
 The Encyclopedia of the Great Plains
Gratten Massacre
Red Cloud's War
Fetterman Fight
 

We react and review an life altering treaty for the Sioux and tribes on The Great Plains. What's in it and just how much do the Americans want the tribes to farm?
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If you have not heard the name John Wesley Hardin, you will not forget him after this! He has been described as the "Worst in the West" and "Was easily the deadliest gunfighter of all time.” what did he do that was so bad? 
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Sourcing
A Lawless Breed: John Wesley Hardin, Texas Reconstruction, and Violence in the Wild West
The Life of John Wesley Hardin by Himself
Stutton-Taylor Feud
Killing of Charlie Webb
 Newspaper reporter “W. A. F.”, of the Galveston Weekly.

Hell on Wheel fans will recognize her right away. Eva Oakes is based on Olive Oatman. The blue tattoo was Olive's most identifiable feature but there are loads of questions on how she got it, how she felt about it and just who controlled her life. She has a story different from any other we will cover, join us as we discuss Olive's life. 
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Sourcing
The Blue Tattoo by Margot Mifflin
Olive Oatman: Captivity of the Oatman Girls
California Historical Society Quarterly Vol. 41, No. 4 (DECEMBER 1962)
 

*Listener Discretion Advised*
Born in Illinois and moving with her family to California to help her ailing mother, Sarah Graves fates meets the Donner Party and after taking bad directions struggle to survive. Join us as we review and rank the Donner Party!
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Sourcing
The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party by Daniel James Brown
Desperate Passage: The Donner Party's Perilous Journey West by Ethan Rarick 
PBS Documentary - Donner Party- 1992
Forlorn Hope Expedition-Finding the lost trail of the Donner Party
 

Tom Horn is one of the most divisive men we will cover. A respectable military career and a..... not so respectful job after his military days. his fate rests in the hands of a murder of a 14-year-old and a power struggle between the state of Wyoming and wealthy cattle ranchers who dominate the state. 
 
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Sourcing
Tom Horn in Life and Legend by Larry D. Ball
Tom Horn: Last of the Bad Men by Jay Monaghan
Life of Tom Horn: Government Scout and Interpreter by Himself
History.net Article

"The Long-Haired Hero of the Shenandoah" certainly stayed busy for the first 25 years of his life. Listen and see just how far the combination of luck and fortitude can take a man. We also introduce Jimmy!
 
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Sourcing
Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America by TJ Stiles
Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors
The Civil War: An Illustrated History by Geoffrey C. Ward , Ric Burns and Ken Burns

So, it turns out you can only rush into so many fights before you pay the price. Custer is fresh off the Civil War and has no place to put all his ego. What could go wrong?
 
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Sourcing
Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America by TJ Stiles
Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors
The Civil War: An Illustrated History by Geoffrey C. Ward , Ric Burns and Ken Burns

Crazy Horse is a giant in American West history but other than the name, the monument or that he was at the Little Big Horn he is a hard man to track down and talk about. He is our 2nd figure we are covering as we march toward The Battle of the Little Big Horn on June 25th. 
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Sourcing
The Journey of Crazy Horse by Joseph M. Marshall III
The First Sioux War: The Grattan Fight and Blue Water Creek, 1854-1856 by Paul Norman Beck
THE BATTLE OF BLUE WATER
Crazy Horse, Ta-sunko-witko
The Heart of Everything That Is by Bob Drury & Tom Clavin
Gratten Massacre Article
 

we have reached the man who gets credit for killing Custer at the Little Big Horn. How did he reach that point, how did his life change after? Join as us we talk.... Sitting Bull!
 
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Sourcing
Sitting Bull by Bill Yenne
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
The Heart of Everything That Is by Tom Clavin and Bob Drury
The Journey of Crazy Horse by Joseph M Marshall III

"Little Sure Shot" is the best shootist we will likely cover. Born to a destitute family in Ohio, Annie Oakley becomes a nationwide celebrity and secret heartthrob of thousands of men who watched her. 
 
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Sourcing
Annie Oakley by Shirl Kasper
Annie Oakley, Woman At Arms: A Biography by Courtney Ryley Cooper