While Buffalo Roamed: The Wild West History of Colorado

Boulder City and Boulder Diggings are revealed and cover a large area (you'd be surprised).  From Gold Hill to Gregory's diggings encompass the norther portion of the mountain gold bonanza in 1859.   Deadwood, Greenhorn, Gamble Gulch / the Jefferson diggings, Lump Gulch, South Boulder Creek, the "Mountain House" (pie and coffee), first silver mine in Nebraska Territory?, and a toll road! John Quincy Adams Rollins and Rollinsville? - NOT YET Have fun, there's a lot of great bedrock in this show! I love you,  JB  

1859 Kansas Territory -  Descriptions from three journalists of the same scenes - rare and interesting ! The Gregory Diggings were visited by three journalists (June '59) - one of which is known to all - the other two will be... All had a hand in shaping our young country, albeit in different ways. When reading over these sections (while doing research) I thought it was so cool to read three versions of the same thing by great artists - which they indeed were!  Each with a light on what they thought pertinent.   Henry Villard (image on cover art) - Albert Deane Richardson - Horace Greeley Enjoy their genius, describing the cradle of future Colorado! Thank you, JB

Hi friends!  Today, continuing through the gold regions in late summer of 1859, we first discover Georgetown (Griffith Brothers).  Then, over the range to the South Park - bad news from the Arkansas, the Utes have murdered over a dozen in retaliation of the miners intrusion.   Description of the South Park and dawn of Georgetown, Colorado. Bayou Salado, Georgetown, Guanella Pass, THE South Park, Hamilton, Jefferson, Tarryall, Idaho Springs, Chicago Creek, and more! 1859 Packed show, Thank you for listening!

William Green Russell (image in cover art) has a HUGE plan to bring water from the snowy peaks, the continental divide, to Russell Gulch and beyond. The first "utilities" planned in the mountains. The Fall River Ditch Company, The Rocky Mountain Ditch Company, the first newspaper in MOUNTAIN CITY (edited by Thomas Gibson and "FRED"). Idaho Springs, Spanish Bar, Mountain City, Nevada, Fall River, Clear Creek, Denver, Golden, Russell Gulch and Central City 1859. Description of the area...and I finally find some GOLD.

James Beckwourth (cover art) , a freed slave (freed from his loving father) from Virginia, while part of a trapping expedition in the early 1820s, is captured by a band of Crow Tribal People while trapping in the wilds of modern Wyoming (within the boundaries the future Jefferson Territory). James is mistaken for a long lost son of the tribe, he joins the Crow Nation as a result - going along with this mistaken identity. As usual, a Beckwourth story always entertains, and his experiences add wonderful color to tribal life on the plains. Enjoy! And thank you for listening! JB

First Pistol Duel in Denver, 1859 (Park McClure and Richard Whitsett (cover art) fight for honor on the banks of Cherry Creek.   Achilles and Hector - David and Goliath - Park McClure and Dick Whitsett? Today, two 58ers have a private dispute and duel it out on the banks of Cherry Creek with 8" Navy Revolvers, at ten paces. How did we get here, where did the idea of an honorable and gentlemanly deadly duel come from? Today the duel, a few famous duels, the rules of the Duel (Code Duello 1777), then, Denver's first gentlemanly gunfight. Best wishes and thank you for tuning in! Further Reading: History of Colorado, Hall, 1889 History of Denver, Smiley 1901 The Holy Bible, Martin Luther Translation (family bible 1600s from Germany) The Iliad, Homer      

Desperate, lost and starving, Daniel Blue of Illinois prolongs his life by eating the flesh of his decaying friend and two brothers while traveling the Smokey Hill route to the Pikes Peak gold region in February of 1859. This story of disaster and privation is THE first hand account, written by the survivor - Daniel Blue. Alfred Packer is credited as the original "Colorado Cannibal", but this story takes place in future Colorado (Kansas Territory "K.T." at the time) fifteen years before Packer's accounts supposedly occurred. Listen carefully, for the story has some interesting... Listener Discretion Advised

A horror story on the Smokey Hill Trail - Deadly fire blows through mountains - The Boulder County Marshal Fire 2021/2022 - How to make Apple Cider Vinegar according to 1859 - Obituaries - Mountain Tour Listener Discretion Advised     While the miners mine in future Gilpin and Clear Creek Counties, a fire sweeps through the mountains killing 3 and their two animals.  Two men freeze to death on the plains, leaving evidence that in the next to last stage of hypothermia, the suffers feel so hot they remove their clothing.  A tornado rips through the plains killing one and sending loaded wagons skyward.      This episode, filled with primary information, is a collection of newspaper articles published between May and July of 1859 in the Rocky Mountain News.  Thank you for listening.  

The South Park Miner Ambush of 1859 LISTENER Discretion ADVISED Topics of this show include: suicide, homicide, human decay, dismemberment and terrible suffering.   Bent's Fort - La Junta Colorado - J.B. Kennedy S.D. (L.J.) Shank (Schank) William Slaughter (cover art) Christopher "Kit" Carson - Ute Tribal People - THE South Park of Colorado - Miners Ambushed - Mysterious Location - Murder/Suicide      Three miners embark on a prospecting tour of THE South Park.  Ute tribesmen in the area appear friendly, until they prove otherwise.  One man (William Slaughter) escapes, survives the trek back to the Gregory Diggings (Mountain City), and a party (of 100) is formed to bury the bodies and "chastise" the "Indians." Hear the rest of the story, and if  (the mysterious location) is found, please share it with me - I can be contacted through the link below.   Thank you! http://dasarowin67.podbean.com Rocky Mountain News William Slaughter pictured in E23 cover art.  

Gilligan's Island - Thank You - Spotify  - Mail vs. Express - Henry Allen wins "Mr. Auraria" - Denver City "Post Office" - Real Mail Arrives - Backwards Almost 700 miles and a month away from friends, family and business (the network connection) the frontiersmen men and women in western Kansas Territory just want a little "network" service (at a fair price...with regularity...like other Americans). Postage was 3 cents to get a letter 3,000 miles - so why did it cost 28 cents (11 dollars today) to mail a letter back home?  Find out by playing the episode... Thank you, Happy New Year!  

Big-time newsmen arrive to see the Pike's Peak gold fields for themselves.  They are asked to publish their findings "as they were seen", which the editors do. Horace Greeley (New York Tribune) Albert D. Richardson (Boston Journal) (cover art) Henry Villard (Cincinatti Commercial Gazette) I present...THE REPORT  

Mark Twain, Horace Greeley (cover art) and the Stage (intro) Horace Greeley and the stage line come to town.  Denver City gets a boost when the Leavenworth and Pike's Peak Express Company land in the new West Kansas town. Just after the first stage arrives, three important and trusted newspaper editors ride into town - to set the record straight.  Horace Greeley (the most famous visitor yet - and publisher of the New York Tribune), Henry Villard of the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette and Albert Richardson of the Boston Journal.   Does West Kansas impress or repulse?      

Back to the Rocky Mountains and gold.  The bonanza is on, riches for the quick, the latecomers want a fair chance.   Return of William Green Russell (cover art), the Russell diggings, first strikes, first laws of the Rocky Mountains, John Gregory, Dr. Casto, Defrees, routes to the mines, Horace Greeley Thank you for listening! JB  

A James P. Beckwourth (cover art) story for your entertainment, chosen at complete random to better your day.  It is a rather tame Beckwourth tale! This episode is a slice of life from the trappers who proceeded the gold hunters in western Kansas Thank you

Walt Whitman - Henry David Thoreau (cover art) - Horace Greeley - Arapahoe and Cheyenne - Man's Condition It's never enough is it?  Or, isn't it?  For the tribal people "it was enough", life, the pursuit of happiness.  For the white man, a different path perhaps. Do we know what we want, or have we proven so already, by our actions?     Happy Thanksgiving - JB

Alexander Hamilton (cover art) and Aaron Burr Duel - Thomas Jefferson - Constitutional Convention - First Politics and Government in Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory - The Jefferson Territory In this episode government and politics arrive at the center of the Pikes Peak Region - Denver and Auraria. County elections (March 28, 1859) and town elections (precincts) were held - all void and illegal, for the true authority was 600 miles away in Le Compton Kansas Territory.   After county and city elections, it is determined to create a new state (yes...that fast).  The idea of the Jefferson Territory is created and examined. Government and Politics: While Buffalo Roamed Thank you for listening - JB

Firearm (gun) Accidents 1859 - Frontier Weaponry - Mark Twain - Nevada Territory - Early Crime Scene Investigation by a 17 year old girl on the plains CSI - Sarah Herndon - Samuel Colt - Ethan Allan - The Pepper Box -  Why was it 3X more likely to die of accidental gun discharge in 1859 Kansas Territory (future Colorado) in the summer of 1859 than today?  On this episode, we hear about some deaths caused by accidental weapon discharge (true events) and discover why it was so much more common a fate in frontier K.T. (Kansas Territory).  Can it be blamed solely on the machinery , or simply human error...or all of the above? Thanks for tuning in! - JB

Gold Rush 1959 Colorado (Kansas Territory) - Georgia - GOLD - John Gregory (cover art) - Black Hawk, Colorado - Central City, Colorado - Gregory Road - Golden Gate Canyon Road  The Colorado Gold Rush begins (officially) with a huge gold discovery between modern Black Hawk and Central City, Colorado on May 10, 1859 when John Gregory returns to his hidden strike.  John is accompanied by Wilkes DeFrees and William Zeigler, they ascend Enter mountain (near Golden Gate Canyon Road - present day Golden, Colorado) creating a new path to the "Gregory Diggins".   This not only launches the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, but expedites any thoughts or talks of making this region a new and distinct territory. THE explosion occurs! JB

Introducing SEs (Special Episodes) - On off-Sundays I will release SEs when possible.  These "Specials" will be shows that do not fit in the timeline, or shows dedicated to further detail on a subject.  In other words, an episode labeled "SE" will not coincide (chronologically) with "Es" (regular episodes). I won't throw in a story from Arizona or France, but I have a few interesting stories that predate the timeline and add value to the larger saga. Thank you for listening, JB

A "lazy" Georgian (John H. Gregory - cover art), professional miner, hears about gold near Pike's Peak and arrives early in 1859.  The Georgian did not light the fuse of Colorado, but he placed the charge perfectly, the result and aftermath directly responsible for the West Kansas gold rush (Colorado gold rush) AND the expedited formation of the area from West Kansas Territory to Colorado.  This "lazy" man changes the whole game and puts this space we call Colorado today on the worlds' radar, the old west get a new hub - While Buffalo Roamed... This episode is part 1 of 2 Thank you- JB

How to Survive the Plains - Tribal Stories from Captain - Randolph Marcy (cover art) - The Prairie Traveler 1959 - Guns and Equipment - Native American Black Beaver - Rattlesnake Bit and Remedy? - Blackfeet Tribe - Denver and Auraria - William N. Byers     Two interesting guide books, one civilian and one military prove valuable sources for firsthand intelligence regarding heading west in 1859.  William Byers (future editor of the Rocky Mountain News) and General Marcy, Army western explorer both publish wonderful accounts that shed light on the character of the old west, the wild western frontier. Native American stories by Marcy included.   The pure dope, not a doctor's version of it.  HI, JB  

First Newspapers in Colorado - William N. Byers (cover art) - John L. Merrick - Cherry Creek Pioneer versus The Rocky Mountain News - Western Traveling Printers - 1440 Johnnas Gettenberg and the printing press (original internet) - Official Record Begins in Colorado   The first newspapers (yes! two newspapers with editors) arrive in Denver City, K.T. (Kansas Territory) not knowing of the other (at first).  John L. Merrick and William Newton Byers have come to the Pike's Peak Gold Regions to begin the permanent record.  A reward for the first paper printed is offered, TWO editors enter...ONE editor leaves.   Colorado's first "broadband connection"  

Authentic letters and articles from the original pioneers of Colorado (from and to the Old  West).  This episode brings color, detail, attitude, and life to the fifty-eighters and fifty-niners who have the honor of arriving in the Denver / Auraria (Colorado) region (Arapahoe County) FIRST.  Arguments, an invention, descriptions of the Wild West, slices of life - this is a great episode to dig into and "hear" the brave arrivals to the edge of western Kansas Territory. William Larimer Jr. - William Parsons - Henry Allen - John Scudder - Peleg Trip Bassett - A.O. McGrew (the wheelbarrow man) NON-POP History! 

Homicide - First Execution - First Capital Murder Case and Trial - Denver / Auraria - P.T. Bassett and John Scudder - John Scudder and Thomas Biencroff - New County Elections The first "legal" execution occurs in Auraria (now Denver) and a friendship ends in bloodshed, this episode details the first murders and trials in the western edge of the Kansas Territory.  John Stoefel is tried for capital murder, the first case of a people's court and execution at the future site of Denver.  Also, John Scudder shoots and kills his former friend P.T. Bassett - the trial and verdict surprising.  Justice in the old west? FRIENDS and Family  History of Colorado, Hall, 1889 Rocky Mountain News, July 11, 1859 History of Colorado, Smiley, 1901  

Two forgotten Native American legends - The Legend of the Manitou Springs - The Legend of the Maiden (Georgetown, Colorado) - Comanche - Ute (Utah)  Legends are fun and were an excellent way to pass on knowledge, particularly when the circumstances are other-worldly; unexplainable. The first tale explains the reason why the Shoshone and Comanche became separated and waged war on one another.  The second legend gives an explanation for a figure, a female figure, who seems to stand watch over Georgetown, Colorado.  The statue was observed daily in the frontier days, now, it's very rare to find a person who can locate it on Republican Mountain - but you will be able to after this show!   There is also a brief history of the Ute Nation and directions to find the mysterious maiden. Old West!

George Andrew Jackson (cover art) - Gold in Colorado - Idaho Springs - Hot Springs - Wolverine attack - Clear Creek - Chicago Creek The story of Colorado takes a turn, the first big discovery of gold in the mountains is made in current Idaho Springs, Colorado, near the confluence of Chicago and Clear Creeks.  A hot spring, several mountain lions, mountain sheep and a wolverine greet our hero.  A terrible fight and a treasure map! Places to know:  Floyd Hill, Evergreen, Bergen Park, Ute Trail, Jackson's Hill, Mother Cabrini Shrine, US40, I-70, Denver, Arapahoe City and Golden. The people to know:  George Andrew Jackson, Black Hawk (Jim Sanders), Tom Golden The co-stars:  Glutton (Carcajou) Mountain Lions - Mountain Lions Elk - Elk Tools of note (belt axe, belt knife and skinning knife)   Note:  Where's the mule in the story?  Every time I see this story exhibited, there is a mule.  There was no mule...sorry. J

Crossing the Plains - 58ers - Augustus Voorhees (cover art) - Jason Voorhees - Buffalo of the Plains - Rattlesnakes - Sioux - Comanche - Apache - Arapahoe - Bent's Fort - Pueblo - Cherry Creek Today we hear about the journey across the plains from a member of the Lawrence Party, Augustus Voorhees, by way of his journal entries beginning May 31, 1858.  These entries describe the scenery, interactions with the native inhabitants (many tribes) and the conditions of life on the Santa Fe Trail in 1858.   Back in Denver, a murder is committed, and the 58ers prepare for winter. This is a good chance to hear and learn of the pioneer traveler, for ion the coming episodes the country will be inundated with those who make this trek.    

William Larimer Jr (cover art) - Auraria - Denver City - Arapahoe City - Kansas Territory - Montana City - Colorado - William Greenberry Russell - Golden  The creation of Denver AND Colorado, three places to visit in Denver, the first towns of Montana City, Auraria, St. Charles and Arapahoe City - all  in contention for the county seat (Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory).  This is the dawn of Colorado, and now the story really begins! Denver City, Colorado, Montana City, Arapahoe City, Auraria Pike's Peak gold rush, Grant Frontier Park, Confluence Park, the saddest and loneliest historical marker ever!  

Murder on the Plains - Julia Archibald Holmes - Lawrence Party - Georgia Party - Leavenworth Party - Russell Party (William Green Russell cover art) - Gold - Garden of the Gods - Arapahoe County - Cherry Creek 1858 is a huge year for Colorado, this is the story of the early risk-takers, the fifty-Eighters, who arrived at future Denver in 1858 (lured by rumors of gold). First significant gold discovery - First attempted murder and trial - First summits of Pike's Peak by Anglos (men and a woman) - The Bloomer Girl - The Wheelbarrow Man - Garden of the Gods - First county officers arrive Thank you for listening, JB

Gold Panning in Colorado How Pioneers Found Gold - Gold Panning - Gold Falls From Heaven - Asteroids - Water is the Key After an unknown teamster finds gold in Cherry creek (modern downtown Denver), gold will be a driving force to this series - time to learn a little about GOLD. Basic gold prospecting (panning) and how the frontier miners found gold in the water and way up on mountainsides. placer gold and lode gold  Special thanks to: primalhousemusic, nickogloire, free_sound community and moodmode   JB

Captain Marcy's Disaster - Colonel Loring March - Frozen and Burned - Eating the Horses and Mules - Death on the Road - Utah The lonely gravesite of Michael Fagan marks the location of the Marcy / Loring march, in which a snowstorm killed 3, one man burned to ...   Thanks to DELOSound  JB

Fort Laramie - Bent's Old and New Forts  Jacques La Ramee (Laramie) William and Charles Bent (cover art) Oasis in the desert  A detail of two important forts, Fort Laramie and Bent's Fort(s).  Both vital to westward expansion, worth the drive and visit - hit both in a day if you can!   JB  

Kit Carson - Captain Bonneville - James P. Beckwourth (cover art) - Treaty 1851 - Arapahoe - Cheyenne - Ute - Trappers and Traders - Blood Meridian - Sioux - Snake  - Wyoming - Montana - Kansas Territory  Today we talk about the wild westerners that were here before the cowboys and lawmen -  Tribal People and the American Fur Trappers "The Other Guys" Cheyennes: Wah-ha-nis-satta, Voist-ti-toe-vetz,  Nahk-ko-me-ien,  Koh-kah-y-wh--est,  Arrapahoes: Bè-ah-té-a-qui-sah,  Neb-ni-bah-seh-it,  Beh-kah-jay-beth-sah-es, 

Setting the stage:  America looks west, Napoleon and Jefferson (Thomas Jefferson cover art), THE Free People, Oregon country, wars of the West, trappers, California and 49ers, camping for months, avoiding the mountains, terror in Utah (Mountain Medows Massacare). 1 of 2 There will be two episodes dedicated to a general background and history of the region before permanent settlement. Thank you, JB