This Week in the West

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 80: Jim Shoulders, the Babe Ruth of Rodeo 📢 Episode Summary: This episode of This Week in The West explores the life and legacy of rodeo legend Jim Shoulders, often called the “Babe Ruth of Rodeo.” Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 13, 1928, Shoulders grew from a city kid with dreams of cowboy life into one of the most dominant athletes in rodeo history. The episode follows his humble beginnings, including his first rodeo win at age 14 in Oilton, Oklahoma, and the determination that launched a championship career. Listeners will hear how Shoulders transformed professional rodeo through toughness, consistency and unmatched competitive success. Over his career, he earned 16 world championships, including titles in bull riding, bareback bronc riding and all-around competition. The podcast also examines the dangerous nature of rodeo in the mid-20th century, when competitors endured serious injuries with little medical support or safety equipment. Through quotes from friends, family and Shoulders himself, the episode paints a vivid picture of a cowboy whose grit helped define an entire era of the sport. The episode also highlights Shoulders’ lasting influence beyond competition. After retiring from riding, he became a respected stock contractor and helped develop legendary bucking bulls like Tornado. His fame also carried into Western fashion and advertising, including work with Wrangler and helping design the iconic Cowboy Cut jeans. The podcast closes by reflecting on Shoulders’ enduring legacy through honors at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, the National Rodeo Hall of Fame and the PBR Ring of Honor. 🔍 What You’ll Learn: How Jim Shoulders rose from a teenage rodeo competitor in Oklahoma to become one of the greatest champions in rodeo history What professional rodeo was like during the rough-and-tumble 1940s and 1950s, before modern safety standards and training methods How Shoulders influenced Western culture beyond rodeo through livestock breeding, advertising partnerships and the development of Wrangler Cowboy Cut jeans 👥 Behind the Scenes Host: Seth Spillman Producer: Chase Spivey Writer: Mike Koehler 🔗 Further research: Oklahoma Historical Society Interview with Jim Shoulders, 1970: https://youtu.be/WRRPRuMqRZ4?si=o7pvP6MDhweBKCXG Oklahoma Hall of Fame entry on Jim Shoulders: https://www.oklahomahof.com/hof/inductees/shoulders-jim-1976 New York Times Obituary of Jim Shoulders: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/22/sports/22shoulders.html 📬 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: www.thecowboy.org 📖 Read Our Blog: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/blog/ 📩 Email: [email protected] 📲Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ncwhm/ 📷Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nationalcowboymuseum ❎X/Twitter: https://x.com/ncwhm 💼LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-cowboy-&-western-heritage-museum 🗺️ Visit Us: The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK, 73111. See us on the map 🎟️: You can now buy tickets to The Cowboy online, go to https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/tickets/ 💡 Support Us:🏅Become A Member of the Museum: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/support/memberships/ 🛒Shop at Persimmon Hill, our Museum store: https://persimmonhillstore.com/ 🎧 Listen & Subscribe: 🔹 Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-the-west/id1776228708 🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2KYmd2BumVtQVH1ez1Cr2U 🔹YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFoE2kU21JpX9T6W9NonXuD9UapS1TsmN 🔹Podbean: https://thisweekinthewest.podbean.com/  ⭐ If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to rate & review!

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 79: The Monumental Effort to Create the Transcontinental Railroad  📢 Episode Summary: This episode of This Week in The West commemorates the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The story opens at Promontory Summit in Utah Territory, where the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads met in a historic moment symbolized by the driving of the golden spike. What had once seemed impossible—a rail connection spanning the continent—became a reality, marking a turning point in American history. The episode explores the immense challenges behind the railroad’s construction. From the granite walls of the Sierra Nevada to the vast and unforgiving Great Plains, thousands of laborers—many of them Chinese immigrants, Irish workers, Civil War veterans and formerly enslaved men—endured brutal conditions to complete the line. The project was driven forward by the Pacific Railway Act signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, but it came at a cost, including the disruption of Native American lands and the near destruction of the American bison. Finally, the episode examines the profound impact of the railroad on the nation. Travel time across the country shrank from months to about a week, transforming commerce, communication and daily life. The railroad helped establish time zones, fueled economic growth and shaped settlement patterns across the West. Its influence reached into industries like cattle ranching and inspired artists such as Albert Bierstadt, whose work captured a landscape in transition. The legacy of the transcontinental railroad remains deeply woven into the story of the American West and the themes explored at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. 🔍 What You’ll Learn: How the transcontinental railroad was planned, funded and ultimately completed at Promontory Summit in 1869 The human story behind the railroad, including the diverse workforce and the कठिन and dangerous conditions they endured The lasting impact of the railroad on American life, from economic growth and time zones to Western expansion and cultural change 👥 Behind the Scenes Host: Seth Spillman Producer: Chase Spivey Writer: Mike Koehler 🔗 Further research: PBS’ American Experience documentary on the Transcontinental Railroad: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/tcrr/ The Transcontinental Railroad and the Asian-American Experience: https://postalmuseum.si.edu/the-transcontinental-railroad-and-the-asian-american-story How the Transcontinental Railroad changed America forever: https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0n4kjvh/watch 📬 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: www.thecowboy.org 📖 Read Our Blog: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/blog/ 📩 Email: [email protected] 📲Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ncwhm/ 📷Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nationalcowboymuseum ❎X/Twitter: https://x.com/ncwhm 💼LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-cowboy-&-western-heritage-museum 🗺️ Visit Us: The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK, 73111. See us on the map 🎟️: You can now buy tickets to The Cowboy online, go to https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/tickets/ 💡 Support Us:🏅Become A Member of the Museum: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/support/memberships/ 🛒Shop at Persimmon Hill, our Museum store: https://persimmonhillstore.com/ 🎧 Listen & Subscribe: 🔹 Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-the-west/id1776228708 🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2KYmd2BumVtQVH1ez1Cr2U 🔹YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFoE2kU21JpX9T6W9NonXuD9UapS1TsmN 🔹Podbean: https://thisweekinthewest.podbean.com/  ⭐ If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to rate & review!