Big Nose George: The Wyoming Outlaw Turned Into Shoes | America's Strangest True Crime Story episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 12, 2026 · 47 MIN

Big Nose George: The Wyoming Outlaw Turned Into Shoes | America's Strangest True Crime Story

from The Strange History Podcast · host Strange History

What really happened to Big Nose George? In one of the strangest true crime stories in American history, notorious Wyoming outlaw George Parrott attempted to derail a Union Pacific train, murdered two railroad detectives, escaped justice—until an angry mob took matters into their own hands. But his story didn't end with his execution. In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, we uncover the bizarre and thoroughly documented tale of the outlaw whose body became one of the most infamous medical curiosities in the American West. Learn how frontier physician Dr. John Eugene Osborne studied George's brain, removed portions of his skin, and had them tanned into leather that was crafted into a pair of shoes and a medical bag. Those shoes were later worn by Osborne after he became the Governor of Wyoming, creating one of the most unbelievable moments in American history. We'll explore the violent days of the Wyoming Territory, the failed Union Pacific train robbery near Medicine Bow, the murders of railroad detectives Robert Widdowfield and Henry "Tip" Vincent, the Rawlins lynching, Victorian-era medical science, the controversial theories of criminal anthropology, and the extraordinary artifacts that still survive today at the Carbon County Museum. Was this science? Revenge? Frontier justice? Or simply one of the strangest chapters in American history? Join Amy as she dives deep into the true story of Big Nose George—a tale filled with Wild West violence, historical mystery, medical oddities, and unbelievable facts that sound too bizarre to be true...except they are. If you love strange history, true crime, Wild West legends, forgotten American history, and the bizarre stories your history teacher never told you, this is an episode you won't want to miss.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-strange-history-podcast--5773362/support.🎧 The Strange History Podcast Love bizarre true stories, forgotten scandals, and history’s most unhinged moments?Submit your ideas for The Strange History PodcastFollow The Strange History Podcast wherever you listen and never miss an episode. 🔗 Listen & Subscribe:Apple PodcastsSpotifyiHeartRadioAudibleNew episodes regularly. History gets weird here.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 12, 2026

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Big Nose George: The Wyoming Outlaw Turned Into Shoes | America's Strangest True Crime Story

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