Porter Rockwell is arrested for the attempted murder of Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs, and Rockwell rots in jail for nearly a year. After a perilous journey to his new home in the Mormon settlement of Nauvoo, Illinois, Rockwell is reunited with the head of his church, Joseph Smith. But the reunion doesn’t last long. The LDS church suffers a devastating tragedy that requires a change of leadership.   Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable...

In the 1830s, Porter Rockwell and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints – commonly known as the Mormons – battle locals and militias in Missouri. Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs is determined to push the Mormons out of his state, and he succeeds at a bloody cost. After the Mormons move to Illinois, Porter Rockwell returns to Missouri to fulfill a prophecy to kill Governor Boggs.   Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable...

Orrin Porter Rockwell is born into an era of religious fervor in the eastern United States. His family soon becomes close with the Smith family, and Porter becomes the youngest convert to Joseph Smith’s new religious movement, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Saints immediately meet resistance to their ideology and they move west to Ohio and then Missouri. In Missouri, they begin years of conflict with the locals.   Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable...

In November of 1892, the final showdown arrives. The U.S. Marshals assault Ned Christie’s cabin and end Ned’s resistance. The marshals and the general public believe a murderous outlaw has been brought to justice. But as the years pass, newspapers and historians revisit the saga known as “Ned Christie’s War” and begin to separate fact from fiction. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Noiser+ for ad-free episodes...

After the raid by Deputy U.S. Marshal Heck Thomas, Ned Christie builds a fortified cabin that is designed to withstand future attacks. He maintains his innocence in the case of the murder of Deputy U.S. Marshal Dan Maples, and he does not intend to surrender. He continues his defiance, but he also starts to believe that the end is near…   Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join   Apple users join Noiser+ for ad-free episodes and...

When a deputy U.S. marshal is murdered in the Cherokee capital, a respected Cherokee statesman named Ned Christie becomes the prime suspect. Newspaper stories portray Ned as a ruthless outlaw who commits every crime in the book, but are the stories accurate? As the pressure mounts to bring Ned Christie to justice, legendary Deputy U.S. Marshal Heck Thomas is dispatched to confront the elusive fugitive.   Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons:...

After the historic success of the Big Springs robbery, Sam Bass returns to Texas. He builds a new gang and continues his robbery spree. But now that he is a wanted criminal in Texas, he is hunted by the Texas Rangers. The Rangers track him to the town of Round Rock where they engage him in the final confrontation.   Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join   Apple users join Noiser+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons. Click the...

Sam Bass and his business partner, Joel Collins, travel to Deadwood to find their fortunes, but their attempts to make legitimate money end in failure. They believe they have choice but to embrace the outlaw life. They assemble a crew and start robbing stagecoaches… only to discover that they’re miserable stagecoach robbers. But when they reach the peak of desperation, they decide to rob a train. And in the process, they become historically lucky.   Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and...

Sam Bass began life as a typical farm boy in the midwestern United States. But as he grew older, and experienced more than his fair share of family tragedy, he dreamed of becoming a Texas cowboy. After a detour through Mississippi, he made it to Texas and started living his dream. He experienced exactly one cattle drive to Kansas before he decided there must be easier ways to make money.   Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons:...

Join us for two upcoming events in 2024 about Chris’s book, “The Summer of 1876” February 2, 2024 – 2:00-3:00pm presentation 3:00pm Book Signing Scottsdale, Arizona Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West Presentation and Book Signing **FREE to the public March 9-10, 2024 Tucson, Arizona Tucson Festival of Books March 9, 4:00pm - 5:00pm “Into The Sunset” panel discussion *Book signing after the panel March 10, 1:00pm - 2:00pm “The West in Fact and Fiction” panel discussion *Book...

Difficult times are ahead for Buffalo Bill Cody in the final years of his life. He helps found the town of Cody, Wyoming, but its creation, and other investments, lead to dire financial trouble. Bill’s marriage falls apart in a public scandal and he experiences more personal tragedy as he also witnesses America’s evolution from the Old West to the Gilded Age. In the end, his impact is incomparable. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons:...

Buffalo Bill Cody takes his popular Wild West production to Europe for years of tours and performances for royalty and the average fan alike. But as the production experiences unprecedented success abroad, tension builds at home in America between Native American societies and the U.S. government. The Ghost Dance movement gains momentum and leads to tragedies at Sitting Bull’s home and Wounded Knee. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons:...

Buffalo Bill loses his best friend, Texas Jack, but he discovers a path toward resurgence in the entertainment business. A Fourth of July party evolves into the life-changing production that will be called Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. The spectacle’s initial success prompts Bill to hire Annie Oakley and Sitting Bull, and Bill embarks on a 20-year career as the most famous showman in the world. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons:...

Buffalo Bill and Texas Jack quickly become rich and famous actors, but they continue to head west between tours to act as hunting guides and scouts for the Army. In the summer of 1876, the Army enlists the help of both men in the aftermath of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Buffalo Bill survives his soon-to-legendary fight with Cheyenne warrior Yellow Hair, but loses his old friend Wild Bill Hickok to the lawlessness of Deadwood. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable...

Buffalo Bill Cody and his friend/idol Wild Bill Hickok become scouts for the Army after the Civil War. Cody and the Fifth Cavalry fight Cheyenne chief Tall Bull and his Dog Soldiers. And then Cody meets two men who will change his life: Texas Jack Omohundro and Ned Buntline. Texas Jack saves Bill’s life during a battle with Native American warriors, and then the two friends take the plunge into acting in Ned Buntline’s play. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons:...

William Cody experiences more than his share of grief at a young age: by the time he is 18 years old, he’s lost three family members and has been forced to grow up fast. He sees some of the violence of Bleeding Kansas, then much more in the Civil War, and then marries the love of his life. He finds his calling as a buffalo hunter and earns his world-famous nickname in the process. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users...

A father and his daughter go missing in Labette County, Kansas in late 1872. A neighbor searches for them, and he never comes home. His wife sounds the alarm. Search parties descend on the Bender farm. The Benders are long gone, but the victims of their murderous deeds remain. Local authorities hunt for the Bender clan, but justice proves elusive. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free...

In 1870, a “family” called the Benders moves to Labette County in southern Kansas. There are four people in the group, but no one in the area fully understands the relationship between them. They build a small cabin near a well-used trail and offer the space as an inn for travelers. Before long, strange activities and criminal acts are reported at the Bender cabin. And then, travelers go missing. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons:...

WARNING: This episode contains descriptions of cannibalism. The Donner Party experiences the worst case scenario. They’re starving and living in crude shelters. A small group begins the trek over the mountains to find help, but it loses members along the way. The people who remain trapped near Truckee Lake become increasingly desperate. But early in the new year of 1847, rescue parties start to arrive at the camps near the lake. The rescuers can hardly believe the conditions of the camps and...

The Donner Party faces another punishing trip across a desert before it finally reaches the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the border between Nevada and California. The party has lost a ton of time, but the travelers still believe they can make it over the mountains and into central California before winter. They make it as far as Truckee Lake – now Donner Lake – before they become trapped by blizzards. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons:...

The Donner-Reed caravan passes the halfway point of its journey to California, and now the real problems begin. After meeting legendary mountain man, Jim Bridger, the caravan chooses to take an unproven road across central Utah. They believe it is a shortcut which will save them hundreds of miles. It turns out to be a disaster, and the trip across the Great Salt Lake Desert leads to a heartbreaking decision. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons:...

In 1846 in Springfield, Illinois, the Donner family teams up with the Reed family to form the core of a caravan that will travel to the rich farmland of California. The problem is, they’re already late. They soon discover that they’re among the very last travelers to begin the journey to the West, and the hardships begin almost immediately. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes,...

Black Barrel Media and QCODE proudly share a preview of Mission History, a podcast that chronicles the tales of legendary military leaders, epic campaigns, and covert missions that remained hidden for years.  The first season journeys through the American Revolutionary War and pays homage to some of the elite soldiers on both sides of the conflict. It traces the origin from protests to rebellion to revolution. It illuminates the strategies of the leaders from both sides, the commanders on...

Noiser presents a brand-new podcast: Real Survival Stories. Hosted by John Hopkins, the show brings you astonishing tales of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary survival situations. In this taster episode, we meet Matt Lewis - a rookie sailor who goes looking for adventure... and finds it. Joining the crew of a deep sea fishing trawler, Matt is on board as the vessel sails out of Cape Town. But far out in the South Atlantic, a polar storm will catch them all unawares. Battered by giant...