My great+ grandfather was a friend of Wild Bill’s. My grandfather carried the news of the Wounded Knee Massacre and was paid several hundred dollars for it. He was married to my grandmother Emma who was Oglala Lakota, they had a ranch and a store on the Pine Ridge reservation. He started out when he was young as a cattle driver in Dodge City, became a scout for General Crook, fought Crazy Horse (who is a cousin of another grandfather of mine) he arrived at the battle of the Little Bighorn after it had happened. He was most definitely part of the old Wild West. His name was Richard (Dick) Clancy Stirk. He told the story of how he and Wild Bill were in a bar in Cheyenne, a “tough” came in yelling that he was “looking for Wild Bill,” well Bill calls out, “here I am,” then the tough turned around and ran right back out.
Crazy how history is in memories still in the states. We don't even know much about our deep history is in the UK.. Stonehenge anyone?..Druids ?... But I suppose it's our shared history in the old countrys so you can puzzle it out with us.
Hickok, Theodore Roosevelt, Wyatt Earp, John Wayne, and many more. Way too many to count. I love history and there are so many people, men and women, I would love to just have a conversation with.
I was in Deadwood last year. I am not a biker, but one of my daughters dates a biker and so I bought a Motorcycle in order to join her in riding. This is what took me to Deadwood. It is right next to Sturgis and we went there for the rally. Today, Deadwood is a long row of gift shops, a few bars and a LOT of Harley Davidson displays. There are signs here and there letting you know about spots where Wild Bill stood and did this and that. But on the whole, it is very much a Biker sort of town. It's not my scene, personally, but most of the people are actually very nice and I had a good time there. Next up: "Jack" is no one's real name, unless their parents are illiterate. "Jack" is always a nickname for John.
My Great Grandfathers name was Jackson as was my Great Great Grandfather (who died as a confederate soldier). My father’s name was Jack as was his first born, my oldest brother. None were illiterate. All were/are educated. My brother is literally a retired “rocket scientist” (Aero Space Engineer) during the early space race and many advance black programs thereafter. No John’s in my family, not one.
I listen to these too fall asleep. But I can't with your voice. Sounds like I'm listening to Kenny Powers giving me an awesome history lesson lol it would be picture if you just sweared more like him haha. Gotta save these for cooking, driving, runs and ask the active stuff. Ain't no way I can sleep thru this lol. Keep it up
I just discovered your channel last night. I am a history scholar myself, currently working on my master's degree. In my historiography course discussion board, I had written about making written history entertaining while still being true to the evidence. One of my classmates asked how I planned on doing that....Well....THIS STYLE RIGHT HERE IS HOW! I have now watched several of your videos and I absolutely LOVE this channel! I plan on passing the link along to as many of my classmates as I can. THANKS for having quality scholarship AND quality entertainment value as well!❤
Great video, kept me interested right to the end! Enjoyed your style of narration too. The film "Wild Bill" with Jeff Bridges as Hickok in the 90's sparked my interest in Wild Bill. The man was a colorful character for sure. I've been around and done many things in my time, but I think Hickok did far more in his 39 years than I have in 60.
"John Wesley Hardin, a man so mean he once shot a man for snoring..." Remember those Time Life Legends of the West book series, commercials back in the late 70s/ early 80s? Haha
I watched a documentary on Wild Bill, and the documentary implied heavily that the incident that broke Wild Bill and lead to his life going in a downward spiral was the night when he tragically killed his own deputy, a close friend, by mistake. The documentary said that afterwards, Bill's conscience tormented him after that, and he never recovered from the fact that he not only killed an innocent man, but also a friend, which seems to be in keeping with Bill's character, as the documentary said that Bill was "a righteous man of justice," especially when you consider how he stood up for a young Bill Cody when the latter was being bullied by teamsters, and in that same documentary, a historian described Bill this way: "Wild Bill Hickok was so pretty that it hurts. He was truly a compassionate man, he was a decent man, his eyes would reflect that compassion. But if you ever challenged him, he could stare down a rattlesnake." As far as Wild Bill's rough tactics as a lawman, especially his seemingly "shoot first and ask questions later" policy, which would probably never fly at all in today's world, I think especially for his time they were necessary, as Wild Bill was up against very dangerous men who wouldn't hesitate to kill him, and that's why he wouldn't hesitate to do the same.
i heard it was 70 yards conservative, it was measured!! and it was a heart shot. Bill practiced everyday, and he had accurate ammo from a long barrel, with i believe 36 cal full jacket, pointy copper head type rounds, with extremely quality guns, constantly maintained, properly oiled, elbow grease etc...i even heard he used to blow into each chamber before inserting a round. When asked why he did this, he said - '' i have to be sure when i pull''... What does this all mean? something scary - that mid-chest shot at about 210ft UNDER PRESSURE was not luck!!! p.s. i also believe bill did not start these type fights, he had a magnanimous friendly nature with a great sense of humor, i believe he had a stead fast conviction even to a fault of finishing these fights tho. All in all his living legend was earned thru his natural actions not self promotion that much i really believe. He used to make fun of himself telling ridiculous story's - like the 100 Indians chasing him, on horse back while he only had 2 six shooters, he said i shot 12 of them dead, then while everyone listening at a card game, while on edge said o.k. but then what happened with the 80 some odd Indians, bill said... ''they killed me'' - while the room busted out laughing. lol... thats not a man trying to self promote. so i kinda like him.
The Tutt shooting would have been with Wild Bill's.36 Navy Colts. He would have been using loose powder and ball. Cartridge conversions weren't available for this gun until several years after the shootout. Likewise, jacketed bullets were not available. I'm not sure if he would have blown on his revolvers, it would have made sure no embers remained before reloading with loose powder. That is also a trick used today by BP shooters to help keep the fouling soft, making each shot more consistent . It would have made sense to blow in the barrel/chambers for safety in quick reloads. He supposedly shot every day to ensure he had fresh loads, loads with loose powder could get contaminated over the course of a day.
@robertpaulson6391 conical bullets with nitrated paper cartridges were common by the time of the shooting, they were used extensively for pistol ammo in the civil war. But you are right, no copper jackets back then, just solid lead
hello josh, i joined about a min ago, i told you my intent on supporting your channel, so i can't talk the talk and not get with the walk!! - So i'm in, glad to be a member my buddy, i'm proud of the kick ass work you do daily...tku josh.
I got 3/4 of the way through the Spotify copy of this before realizing I watched them all already. But, if it gets my boy paid or more eye balls I'm here for it.
Peter pelican 😂 reminds me of my buddy Peter pappas, whenever I’d go to Peter’s house as a teenager my dad would ask if I’m going to Peter pappas’ pizza party. Little did my dad know, I was going to Peter pappas’ pizza and pot party 😂
I grew up in Fairbury, NE (pronounced “Fair-Berry” btw). My parents live about 2 miles from Rock Creek Station. It’s not north of town, it’s east, about 5 1/2 miles. It almost burned down this last summer! Everyone here believes McCanles was the aggressor, fwiw. He showed up angry and spoiling for a fight.
Just stumbled upon your channel the other night, Its quickly turned into my go to channel to listen too while getting ready for bed at night! Awesome story telling..and loving it!
I found you by accident, and I absolutely love your style of narration. While I love history, I had never been particularly interested in the Wild West. You make it interesting. Thank you!
I couldn't let the setup for the Hickok/Davis shoot out go by without commenting on the distance between the two men was 75 yrds . (= 3/4 the distance on a football field.) This is a hard shoot for today's men shooting modern 6 shooters and one handed to boot. I don't know Davis's gun cleaning routine but I do know of Bill's daily routine of emptying both of his Navy Colt 36 caliber revolvers and replacing totally with fresh powder and caps. There was no fancy way to emptying ones pistols but to go out back of the hotel take aim at whatever you see and shoot at the target. Bill used this time to understand how his faster 36 cal rounds would drop slower at these distances because they were faster getting to the target than the heavier and larger rounds. Wild Bill knew at 75 yards he would have to aim a foot over Davis's head to get the bullet to hit his heart. It seemed Bill had practiced this shot his whole life for this one show-down. Even knowing this it's a little nerve wracking when someone is shooting back. He must have had ice water running through his vanes to hold steady and shoot. Reports said Davis's bullets were hitting in front of Bill as Bills first and only shot pierced Davis's heart. I own 2 navy 44spl open-tops revolvers to acknowledge Wild Bill's planning ahead of time & just how all this was going down. Remember Bill stopped Davis at 75 yours away = 450 feet. Davis was guessing while Wild Bill had this shot in his pocket. Oddly, Colt would soon market case cartridges the next year leaving the old "Open-Top" black powder frame for 18 months before adding the now traditional top strap to their pistols. Of all the gun play that happened during the old west, this true tail of Wild Bill getting his grandfathers watch back is my favorite one.
Bill went back to Niagara area primarily to follow a very talented dance tightrope walker Bill had serious love for...but when he saw the lady never wanted to move back west,left her&moved back&sadly to his demise.
Not that McCall didn’t have it coming but something occurred to me. If the original trial was considered illegitimate because it happened in a territory outside of the United States, then how exactly was McCall tried in another court for a crime that would have been considered to have been committed in a foreign land? How would a U.S. court have had jurisdiction?
I appreciate the focus on digging up less known info and trying to figure out the truth about the wild west. Good content, not boring (unless you ask the mrs). Keep up the good work!
Have to say "Jolly foul-mouthed" Josh these longer episodes are in my opinion much more entertaining. Do understand that it's way more work than usual. Once in awhile these long episodes would be great!! 🐴🐎🐴 Yeeeeeehhaaaaa
I am distantly related to a shootist named John King Fisher aka King Fisher. From what I have read he was everything that people said he was either it good or bad. He was supposed to be a deadly shot with two pistols at once. My dad had letters that his great grandmother had from family members talking about him and some of the things he had done.
@@rooteddwellingsMaybe but I believe he actually lived in Texas. From my understanding he was a farmer (short time) and that's where his wife and kids lived. He evidently died in a gun fight from a podcast about him.
Just keep on putting out good stories and I'll keep my subscription. Enjoy your show very much. You tell a story well. At least you can pronounce rivers, names of towns and people 's names compared to other ones it's been my misfortune to listen to. Keep it up. Great show.
I'm a big fan of your Narratives Josh! Especially the one on Ned Christie the Cherokee outlaw, we share a lot of similar suspicions about how he was just a convient scapehoat.
😂 dam Sam, I still haven't figured out how many Pickled Peppers did Peter Piper picked ! 😂 You are the best storyteller and historian this side of the Pecos 😂 I didn't know Wild Bill was all over the midwest, Kansas 'n Missouri, were I stem from. 😮 Shawnee, Independence, Sedalia and very possible he crossed our land in south KC if he was involved with Russell 'n the Pony Express. Also a wagon master, he may have known my Great-grandfather! Love it 😊
I live in Oklahoma. My grandfather had several uncles who came here with his father from Virginia in around 1895. All of them had nicknames and most ended up on their grave markers . Nick Names were Sol, Mose, Gator, and Boss these are the onesI can remember. 😂
Much enjoyed this one Josh. I learned more than a few facts as opposed to all the myths.Not an expert, but I have been in the medical field for much of my life. Back then most had access to and used what we consider "Hard Drugs" it was cheap, plentiful and of course legal. Mr. Hickok likely was a self medicated soul. He would have been cognitive of the fact it would make him most venerable, in a sense, he would not have been an "addict" per say. My guess would be on occasion... As you are fond of sayin' who knows? Thanks for making my days tolerable. Loved me some Deadwood. I busted a gut at your need a smoke after reading what Mrs. Custer had to say.
I'm only a few minutes in, but after reading your comment, I'm curious if I'll hear something about Hickok that I read in a book I have published in the 1950's. The book I have says that his original moniker was quite derogatory and that he despised it. Because he had a rather large nose, he was known, in his younger years, as "Duckbill" Hickok. This being the reason for him growing out his magnificent mustache.
On his physique described by Libby Custer she must have had something of an interest at looking at handsome men,&even said of Gall,a Sioux warrior who was partly involved in Custer s last stand,as a very handsome redman.
I heard that Bill Hickok did not want to injure his face because he was considered quite the Ladies Man. And they said he had a motto that stated he was not the kind of Marshall to Buffalo a man that Abilene had a shooting Marshall. The man that created a row might very well die because of it.
Bill s favourite&most accurate was the 36 Navy,but did have those dragoons.Bill triple checked his Navy s before he left his house to face anyone perchace
Seems like Buffalo Bill said the first time he went on stage, and saw the size of the audience, he was so terrified he would rather have faced 100 wild indians.
Just wanted to point out the cards you have showing is NOT the "Dead Mans Hand" the hand he was holding wasn't just aces and eights it was the black aces the black eights and the ten of diamonds
The adams apple will twitch if someone is all amped up right before they move. Bouncing you watch it because if you swing at that moment, they're folded. It's probably something similar. 1:20:52
Wild Bill was what you would call a “HD”, “Butcher”, “Three Gun”, “Three Legs”, etc. Thus, James was packing steel even when his pistols were in his room. That is the reason the ladies thought he was such a hunk of burning love.
