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A slight diversion this episode as we present the story "Alphabet" written by Leslie McMurtry with original music by Katherine Seaton and narration by Sarah Golding.

It took a lot of talent to drive a stage coach. Bandits, bad weather, lame horses and broken wheels were only half the battle. Just imagine how cranky customers could get bouncing around the countryside in wooden coach! One driver handled the task with such skill that they became a western legend during their own lifetime. But it was only after One Eyed Charley that real history was made.

Say what you will about Squirrel Tooth Alice. She may have been the west's best known soiled dove, but she was also a business owner, a mother and proud proponent of Prairie Dogs. Special thanks to Rhiannon McAfee of Rex Rivetter Private Eye and to Austin Beach, Drew Profit and Mike Janson of Broken Bard Productions for appearing in this episode. Thank you to Chris Enss for her book Wicked Women. To see all of Chris's western work, visit this link: https://www.amazon.com/Chris-Enss/e/B001H6IQ8E/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1  

Some of you all were kind enough to contact me about doing more episodes. It really touched me to know how many people wanted to hear more of our little show. I figured, I may as well come clean about how I left things and let you know some new episodes are coming.

What did gold prospecting and hat making share in common in the days of the old west? Answer: Quicksilver! There was a reason that people used to say "mad as a hatter" to describe someone with mental illness. In this episode we venture close to madness and one possible cause for the odd behavior of our fictional friends Lester Creek and Bradford Miller.

Wild Bill Hangs Up His Badge by Robert Tinsley. Robert wrote, cast, directed and produced this entire episode and there's a lot of talented people to thank for their part in putting this story together. Thanks to Greg McAfee, Commodore James, Pete Lutz, Ben Stevens, Alex Gilmour, Boyd Barrett, Karl A. Nordman, Lisa Rost-Welling, and Lonesome Heights (Be sure check out his page and video of the music he sent us!) And be sure to listen to check out the American West History & Lore podcast for more stories of the American West!

Confederate Captain John S. Mosby never went to West Point but that didn't stop him from becoming one of the foremost experts on Guerrilla warfare during the Civil War. Mosby's midnight raid on Fairfax became the stuff of legends and it ruined military careers for many Union officers but what happened to $350,000 worth of gold, silver and other valuables that was said to have been stolen during the raid? It would be worth over $6 million dollars today. 

Buffalo Bill Cody is best remembered as a showman and perhaps the "P.T. Barnum" of the West. But there's more to his story. Aside from being a legend in his own time, he influenced America in some surprising ways and left a lasting legacy in the way we remember the West.

This minisode is a fictional story about 3 gold prospectors. It is a story based on the moral: "the true value of money is in it's use." Written and performed by Steve Blizin. All rights reserved.

It's Egg Nog Season! So, we started a new show called the Nog Blog where Cheryl and I discuss viscosity, rum and other important considerations in choosing your Egg Nog accessories. Oh, sure there's a smidge of Drift & Ramble stuff in here but when it's Egg Nog season, things get weird for a reason.

In this special Halloween episode, we explore the legend of the Navajo Skin Walkers. A subject that many feel is taboo even to speak about today. What we find out is creepy - and perhaps a little more than we wanted to know. This episode is brought to you by Rex Rivetter: Private Eye.

The guys from Audioblivious Productions go on an epic road trip to the Superstition Mountains to look for gold and the Lost Dutchman Mine. Native American folklore says this area could be cursed and may even be the gateway to the underworld. It's just a legend. What could go wrong?

A slight departure from our usual format, Cheryl and I meander through some trivial tidbits from the Wild West including Saloons, The evolution of the Wagon and the strange case of Samuel Colt's lost shipment of six guns. There's even deleted scenes and a ghost story or two!

Annie Oakley rose from abject poverty to become an American icon. She not only bested men in a sport once dominated by them, she went on to prove she was as tough and determined off stage, as she seemed to be while performing. Check out the inspiring story of this woman's rise to fame. 

In this first ever edition of "Unscripted," Steve suffers from production burn out and Cheryl wants to become a muse. Things get weird but it's definitely not the Old West. Our regular programming will return shortly!

In this second part of our two part series, we follow the final days of the Po8. Black Bart eluded detectives for 8 years and during his crime wave, he continued to taunt the men who pursued him. When he was finally caught, he patiently served his time. But upon his release from prison, the man mysteriously disappeared. Did he continue his life of robbery? The mystery may never be solved.

Black Bart, the "Po8" may have been the West's most polite bandit. In this true crime story from the pages of history, you'll learn how Black Bart robbed 28 stage coaches but never took a dime from the passengers. He never fired his weapon during his eight year crime spree and he left poems at a few of his crime scenes. Who was this masked man and why did he hate Wells Fargo so? We'll answer these questions in this two series. This episode is part one. 

Pearl Hart, the "Lady Bandit" loved the bad boys. She married one and they attended the World's Fair where she became enamored with strong women of the west like Annie Oakley. Inspired, she robs a stage coach and becomes one of the most infamous shady ladies of the old west.  

The story of Geronimo is one of outrage and honor, of revenge and deceit and it's a story of how the man became an inspiration even after his death. Told in his own words, thanks to a superintendent of schools and the president of the united states, it's an amazing journey into the mindset of this Apache medicine man who some believe, held supernatural powers. 

In 1860 a man takes a photo of an empty chair. When he develops the picture, there is a ghostly image of a young boy in the frame. How did it get there? And who is this ghastly specter? Within a year, Spirit Photography becomes a lucrative business and the master of this odd profession is William Mumler. In this strange story of spooky photos, we look at the champions and foes of spirit photography.