The American Southwest

I am joined by Author Brad Kelly to discuss his incredible book The Earthen Dark. We also discuss archaeology, anthropology, Man Corn, Chaco Canyon, the Maya, all the fun stuff under the earth, and more.

After a few rewrites and edits, I have finally finished the third and final episode in the series over Confederate Treasure. Instead of telling the rest of the Rebel Gold story like I had planned, I decided to summarize a few parts without ruining it. I briefly talk about Bob’s adventures with the Wolf Map treasure of Oklahoma and the Lost Dutchman Mine in Arizona before imploring listeners to purchase Rebel Gold and reading it. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a ton of fun information and tantalizing clues, but after a discussion with author Warren Getler, I have decided not to ruin the book. I end the episode with two very recent finds in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The Ohio Treasure was probably buried by the not assassinated Jesse James. Both are probably KGC related.

This is Part 2 of 3 in the series over buried Confederate Treasure. I open the episode with Bob Brewer’s adventures in Arkansas as he continues to uncover clues and even more treasures. I then tell the complete history of Jesse James before diving into the theory that he faked his death and lived a very long life while burying treasure throughout the nation for the KGC.

This is the first of three episodes over the Quest for Confederate Treasure which follows Bob Brewer as he hunts for Rebel Gold. I open the episode with Bob Brewer and his upbringing in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas where he learns of his family’s ties to buried treasure. I then move to the complete history of the Knights of the Golden Circle from their beginning to the time they go underground after the Civil War. This episode takes place entirely in the East and South but by the third episode, we will be in the American Southwest as we follow Bob’s hunt for Confederate Treasure into the Superstition Mountains. The journey to those desert peaks is thrilling and almost unbelievable.

This episode opens with an outline of Aaron Burr and his Conspiracy to form a new Empire. I then continue the adventure of Zeb as he travels from Presidio Carrizal through the interior of New Spain (Mexico), through Texas, and finally back to the US. There are many adventures and intrigue along the way. I close the episode with the fate of the main cast: the men Pike was forced to leave behind, Wilkinson, Doc Robinson, and Pike. I also talk about the adventure’s lasting impact.

This is Part Three of a Four Part Series over the Explorer and Spy Zebulon Montgomery Pike. In this episode, Pike and his men get escorted from their stockade on the Conejo River down to Santa Fe where they meet the governor. Along the way they stop at many a pueblo and town which Pike describes in detail. From Santa Fe, the group rendezvous with Robinson before heading to Old Mexico. There’s intrigue, political discussions, Apaches, and more as they travel on the Royal Road.

In this episode, Pike and his men leave the Pawnee village and traipse through the Great Plains until they reach the Arkansas River where Lt. Wilkinson and a few other soldiers will take canoes down to Louisiana. Meanwhile, Pike will reach the Mexican (Rocky) Mountains where he will attempt to climb Pike’s Peak before finding the headwaters of the Arkansas and Platte Rivers. But as winter settles in and his men’s strength weakens, he fatefully decides to cross the Sangre de Cristos in an attempt to find the “Red River”. We know though, that he was headed for the the Rio del Norte (Rio Grande) the entire time in an effort to get captured by the Spanish and escorted through New Mexico and New Spain.

In this episode I cover the rising tensions between the United States and Spain after Jefferson’s acquisition of the Louisiana Territory which nearly brought us to war with the Catholic Kingdom. Zebulon Montgomery Pike is selected by the Governor of Upper Louisiana Territory, US General, and Spanish spy James Wilkinson to explore the Great Plains & find the headwaters of the Arkansas River. This mission is a ruse though, and the real plan was for Zeb to get captured by the Spanish and be given a tour of the province of New Spain before being escorted back to Louisiana. This episode covers the first leg of this journey as Pike and his men escort Osage Indians from St. Louis to their lands in Kansas via various rivers. Pike will then head north towards the Pawnee where high tensions between the White and the Red man almost reach a deadly crescendo.

New Interview Episode is out! Bandy and I talk about his awesome novella Rumorosa, a must read. We also discuss the American Southwest in writings and art. We talk about Apaches, California, the Vietnam War, Cormac McCarthy, King of Dogs, our glorious Public Lands and how we must protect them, the Civil War in the Southwest, and everyone’s favorite topic: Man Corn.

Rambo & I discuss his new book Hollywood Samizdat, a collection of stories from his time in Hollywood. We also discuss fly fishing, the decline of LA & the business, the managerial elite, winter sports, New Mexico and the Mountain West, Mormons, helicopter rides, movies, rock climbing, and more.

The incredible author George R Matthews and I discuss his most recent book over Billy the Kid. He clears up some things, corrects some of my series, and we have a great conversation.

This is the eleventh and final episode over Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War. In this Episode, Billy travels from Mesilla to Lincoln before being put up in the Lincoln County House’s Jail. He’s not there long though, before he makes his most famous jailbreak. After returning to Fort Sumner, Billy is eventually hunted down by Pat Garrett yet again. I finish the episode with the rest of Pat Garrett’s life, as well as the remaining living participants of the story I’ve told thus far. Stay tuned for my interview with author George R Matthews who wrote the greatest book over Billy and the war that has yet been published.

This is the tenth episode of eleven that will discuss Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War that took place in New Mexico. In this episode, Billy the Kid, Billy Wilson, Rudabaugh, and Tom Pickett are taken from Stinking Springs to Fort Sumner before heading to Las Vegas and then to Santa Fe. There is a tense moment on the train platform in Las Vegas. The men are interviewed by various newspapers. The Governor still ignores Billy & his pardon as the men sit in the Santa Fe jail. Finally, Billy’s taken to Mesilla to sit in the corrupt Judge Bristol’s court. I end the episode with the court hearing, the verdict, and the sealing of Billy the Kid’s fate.

This is the ninth episode of eleven that will discuss Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War that took place in the 1870s in New Mexico. I open the episode with Pat Garrett’s life and background before catching up to the story of Billy the Kid. A Secret Service agent is sent at the behest of Dolan and the House to New Mexico to investigate Billy’s new friends and the noose around our hero’s neck tightens. Billy does ultimately break bad when he murders a man in cold blood which results in two ex-Regulators dying, and eventually, Billy getting arrested by Pat Garrett.

This is the eighth episode of eleven that will discuss Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War that took place in the 1870s in New Mexico. In this episode, what’s left of the Regulators get in a shootout with the Apache as they attempt to steal horses which will result in the death of an Indian Agent, although, not at the hands of the Regulators. The Regulators eventually flee Lincoln for Fort Sumner and elsewhere. And they do so just in the nick of time as Lincoln County once again erupts into chaos from Selman’s Scouts. Also in this episode, a new Governor arrives in New Mexico with the intent of quelling the unrest in the nation’s largest county. Billy buries the hatchet with the House mere moments before an egregious murder which forces Billy to flee yet again. Court comes back into session. Promises will be broken. Billy flees yet again. And Billy kills a drifter in self defense. It’s a packed and frustrating episode. If things had gone as planned, Billy the Kid would have probably been writing his own dime novels or tell all books at a ripe old age.

This is the seventh episode of eleven that will discuss Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War that took place in the 1870s in New Mexico. This episode is the culmination of the troubles in Lincoln County which results in the Five Day War also known as The Big Kill. McSween & the Regulators return to Lincoln Town to occupy it while Peppin & his deputies are away. Upon the laws return, Peppin summons Dudley & the Army who turn the tables against the Regulators with their Howitzer, Gatling Gun, and Troopers which results in death and destruction.

This is the sixth episode of eleven that will discuss Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War that took place in the 1870s in New Mexico. In this episode the tables are turned against McSween and the Regulators even after their decisive victory in court. The Governor gives more illegal proclamations, the Regulators lose their badges, the army pursues them, skirmishes occur, the Ring tightens its grip on Lincoln County, and the House goes all out against our heroes.

This is the fifth episode of eleven that will discuss Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War that took place in the 1870s in New Mexico. In this episode I go over the long and storied history of Regulators before and after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and how the name made it out to the rugged men of the American Southwest. I then recount the sporadic violence that culminates in the assassination of the corrupt Sheriff Brady in the street of Lincoln. Shortly afterwards, the Regulators hunt down one of Tunstall’s killers in a scene later known as the Fight at Blazers Mill which sees the leader of the Regulators killed. The episode ends with a legal battle at the District Court of Lincoln County where things do not go as one would imagine.

Author Andrew Edwards & I discuss his incredible novel King of Dogs: Life is the Training Ground for Death. We also discuss writing, our literary influences, the American Southwest, The Pacific Northwest, hunting, a little history, his future novels, the Old Glory Club, and more.

This is the fourth episode of eleven that will discuss Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War that took place in the 1870s in New Mexico. In this episode, I discuss the violent history of Lincoln County since its establishment after the Civil War. I then return to the story where we see the future Regulators, including Billy the Kid, gain badges and hunt down Tunstall’s killers. But immediately, Billy the Kid gets arrested by the corrupt Sheriff Brady. After being released, the future Regulators posse up yet again and successfully apprehend a few of the murderers, which leads to the killing of three men. The Governor and the military eventually get involved at the behest of the Santa Fe Ring and the McSween faction’s back gets put up against the wall.

In this episode I discuss Lincoln the town, Billy the Kid again, the growing feud, crooked Sheriff Brady, the Boys, McSween, and Tunstall. There is legal wrangling, posses formed, and the murder that starts the fire.

This is the second episode of eleven that will discuss Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War that took place in the 1870s in New Mexico. This episode introduces Tunstall, Brewer, & McSween as well as Murphy, Dolan, & Riley of the “The House.” The episode opens with a theft of horses that will soon propel the town and county of Lincoln into war. Billy the Kid plays only a minor role in this episode but his actions firmly place him on the side of the future Regulators.

This is the first episode of eleven that will discuss Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War that took place in the 1870s in New Mexico. It will be an in-depth look into the myth and legend of Henry McCarty who became one of the country’s most feared outlaws. Obviously I will correct a lot of inaccuracies and exaggerated stories about the young outlaw who I grew to truly like and sympathize with… right up until I couldn’t. This episode will explore his early life and his family’s move from Indiana to Kansas and finally to New Mexico. Henry McCarty will get into some trouble in Silver City before heading west to Arizona. It’s in those rough and tumble deserts where the Kid will steal his first horse and have his first kill.

Colonel Charles Askins lived the life of a Wild West Desperado with one foot on either side of the law as if he’d been born in the 19th instead of the 20th Century. He shot his first man at 12 as he was growing up in western Oklahoma but his adventure only started there. Askins was a National Forest Ranger, he had scrapes with Apaches, he was a Border Patrol Agent along the Rio Grande, he was a champion shooter, a soldier in North Africa & Europe during WWII, and he may have been the first man on the planet to kill with a .44 Magnum while he was in Vietnam. Karl Dahl, a good friend and an incredibly smart man, dives into the true life of one of the last Wild West men to have ever lived.

After two and a half years of learning even more about the Anasazi through books, lectures, and by visiting even more sites, I have gained new insight into the people of the Four Corners that so fascinate the world. In this episode I offer extensive evidence for the direct influence of Mesoamericans in relation to the Chaco Canyon Anasazi. I cover Teotihuacan, the Toltecs, the Feathered Serpent Cult, the Maya, the Caddo, Cahokia, and of course, the Anasazi. I discuss the Great Houses, a new theory on kivas, the pole flying Voladores ceremony, fertilizer in Chaco Canyon, Macaws, turquoise, Human Sacrifice, the Feathered Serpent Quetzalcoatl, Our Lord the Flayed One Xipe Totec, and obviously, Man Corn. Aka, Cannibalism. But that just scratches the surface of this nearly five hour episode. I weave the tale from Mesoamerica, to the Four Corners, and then over to the Mississippi River Valley before bringing it all back to the American Southwest. Platform mounds, temples, the Toltec tecpatl heart carving knife, shields, chocolate, and more help connect the dots between the various North and Central American cultures. I present evidence of a lot of violence, a lot of connection, and a lot of theories as I paint the complete picture for y’all of the Chacoan Anasazi of the American Southwest.

Special Guest Chris Ryland Jr. talks about his song Ballad of a Man Killer Lion

In May of 1885, Geronimo and over 140 Chiricahua Apaches broke out of the San Carlos Reservation in a final gasp of the long lasting Apache Wars of the American Southwest. For the next 16 months the US Army under Crook and then General Miles will hunt the renegades down through mountains, canyons, and deserts. Countless innocents, soldiers, and Chiricahuas will perish as the Army and their Apache Scouts chase the hostiles through New Mexico, Arizona, Sonora, and Chihuahua. Tom Horn, Al Sieber, General Crook, Bourke, Chihuahua, Nana, Naiche, and Geronimo feature heavily in this episode. As well as new players like Lawton, Crawford, and Davis. This episode is a frustrating and sad saga but it brings about the official end to my Apache Series. This episode was originally a Subscriber only episode in my series over the Western legend Tom Horn but since he participated so heavily in ending the threat of Geronimo and his hostile renegades, I thought it would be a good final episode over the Apache Series for all listeners.

Friend & fellow podcaster The Paranormalist joins me on the show and we talk about aliens, UFOs, skin walkers, giant serpents, our own encounters with the paranormal, what causes the Southwest to be so strange, and a whole lot more. It’s a very fun interview episode, especially if you like the weird and the spooky. Suspend your disbelief and join us.

This episode covers the end of the Civil War in the Southwest as the Rebels Retreat completely out of New Mexico. It covers the low morale of the Confederate Troops, Sibley’s woes, the final battle in the Territory at Paraje, eighteen-year-old Felix Robert Collard’s odyssey through the Jornada del Muerte, the troubles with the locals, and more. I then finish the series with a brief background of myself before I read the short story Confederate Jasmine from V.N. Ebert’s Georgia Buddha in its entirety.

This is the Tenth Episode over the Civil War in the American Southwest. In this very short episode, Carleton’s California Column of Fedrals invades Arizona to repel the Confederate Empire’s westward expansion. The Great Flood of 1862, The Skirmish at Stanwix Station, and the Battle of Picacho Peak are all discussed in this episode over the Civil War in the Southwest.

This is the ninth episode in the series over the Civil War in the Southwest. After yet another hollow victory at Glorieta Pass, the Confederate Soldiers realize they had no choice but to retreat. At first they retreat to Santa Fe but before long they head further south to Albuquerque. They then retreat even further south along the Rio Grande to Peralta where the last major military engagement between the two sides occur in New Mexico. After the draw at the Battle of Peralta, the Rebels continue their retreat towards Mesilla with the Yankees shadowing their every move from the other side of the mighty river. Eventually, the Confederates faced a dilemma: fight the Yanks at a place called the Narrows or attempt a 100 mile march through the Magdalena and San Mateo Mountains which are just west of Fort Craig. That long march has become known as Coopwood’s Gamble. Please excuse my voice in this episode. I was sick for a week and a half during the holiday season but once I recovered, I lost my voice. A week later it still has not came back to me 100%. I couldn’t wait any longer to record, though.

This is the eighth episode in the series over the Civil War in the American Southwest. In this episode the battle of Apache Canyon, Glorieta Pass, & Chivington’s actions at Johnson’s Ranch are discussed in detail. There are heroics, harrowing deaths, exciting charges, & more. But in the end, the Rebel’s hopes for an Imperial Confederacy in the west are turned to ashes after yet another hollow victory.

This is the seventh episode in the series over the Civil War in the American Southwest. In this episode the Rebels ride into Tucson and declare it as the westernmost city of the Confederate Empire as Baylor invades Mexico to give the Apaches “hot pursuit”. Meanwhile, Sibley walks north and takes Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The taking of Santa Fe marks the only time the Rebel forces of the Confederate States of America occupy the capitol of a Union Territory in the entire Civil War. The Army of New Mexico then prepares to use a three pronged attack against Fort Union. Captain Sherod Hunter, Baylor’s resignation after an international incident, The Colorado Volunteers, and the hardships of the Rebels long march north are all discussed.

This is the 6th episode in the series over the Civil War in the Southwest. In this episode, The Confederates march on Fort Craig before the first major engagement in New Mexico during the Civil War occurs: The Battle of Valverde. I go over in detail the exciting and heart rending Confederate victory on the Rio Grande.

This is the 5th Episode in the series over the Civil War in the Southwest. In this episode, Baylor goes after the Apaches in the west. Specifically, Mangas Coloradas and Cochise as they escalate their fight against the White Eyes and the Arizona Guards. Meanwhile, the battle of Alamosa gives Baylor some hope. Unfortunately, rumors swirl of a three pronged Fedral invasion of Mesilla and Fort Fillmore. Over in Texas, Baylor raises his three armies and they eventually march west to New Mexico. I cover Baylor’s murder of a journalist, the commanders of Sibley’s Brigade’s, and the status of the other Western Territories in regards to their rumors of joining the Rebellion.

This is the fourth episode in the series over the Civil War in the Southwest. In this episode, Baylor and his Texans march north toward Fort Fillmore to take the Fedral post by surprise, but his plans are thwarted. Instead, he marches to the Confederate aligned town of Mesilla. Eventually, Yankee Major Lynde attempts to take the town from the Rebels but is repelled which ultimately leads to his stunning surrender in the high desert heat after abandoning the Fort completely. The hopes and dreams of a Confederate Empire in the Southwest become real as the area of southern New Mexico and modern day southern Arizona are declared the Confederate Territory of Arizona by Governor Baylor.

This is the third episode over the Civil War in the American Southwest. This episode covers the Texan Santa Fe Expedition of 1841 to take the New Mexican land from the Rio Grand eastward, the hostilities between Texas and the Federal Government that almost led to the Civil War before the Compromise of 1850, and the hopes of the future Confederacy in the American Southwest. It also covers the secretive Knights of the Golden Circle and their dreams for a slave empire in the Americas. I also cover Union Commander Canby, Confederate Commander Baylor, and a slew of other characters who will impact the war in the American Southwest. Towards the end of the episode The South and Texas secedes from the Union and the latter begins preparations for battle in New Mexico. This is the third and final introductory episode before the Civil War actually begins.

This is the second episode over the Civil War in the American Southwest. This episode covers the biography and views of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America. I also discuss Southern Democrat Warhawks and their desire to expand American Manifest Destiny throughout the Northwestern Hemisphere. It also goes into deep detail over the ties between the Southern United States and the Napoleonic Emperors of France. I also discuss at length how the Southern Jeffersonian Democrats wanted to rid themselves of the menace of England’s constant meddling. Also mentioned are the American filibusters in Nicaragua and the Yucatan, the US Camel Corp, and Jefferson Davis’ hope of a second American Revolution. This is the second of three introductory episodes before the Civil War actually begins.

This is the first episode over the Civil War in the American Southwest. This episode covers the initial rift in the new United States of America between Democrats and Federalists and their diplomatic desires to be closer to either France or England. It also covers the question of slavery among the Founding Fathers, England’s constant meddling in the US, the War of 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte and his commanders’ influence on the new Republic, and John C Calhoun. This is the first of three introductory episodes before the Civil War actually begins.

This is the fourth episode in the series over the Apache Indians in the American Southwest. This episode covers the immediate consequences of the “cutting of the tent” and the murder of Mangas Coloradas by the US Army. Cochise, betrayed and angered by the death of his family, friends, & father-in-law goes on the warpath and punishes any and all White Eyes (and Mexicans) that he encounters. This obviously leads to far-reaching consequences for both the Americans and the Apaches of the American Southwest.

In the 1880s Apache Country, below the Mogollon Rim of Arizona a combination of events involving cattle rustlers, sheep herders, outlaws, cowboys, sharp shooters, Mormons, mountain lions, Confederates, half Indians, hooded vigilantes, lawmen, and Wild West legends culminated in the largest, most violent, and most unbelievable vendetta, feud, and range war in all of American history. This is the story of the Pleasant Valley War aka the Graham Tewksbury Feud aka the Tonto Basin War that would consume over 50 victims. It’s cinematic, heroic, tragic, and often times unbelievable. It’s filled with out of this world characters, important themes, and jaw dropping, melodramatic, heartbreaking Wild West anecdotes.