False Summits: A History Podcast about the American West
The American West has been capturing the imagination for hundreds of years. Hollywood being one of its biggest promoters it gave it an almost mythical status in minds worldwide. Depicted as a rough and tumble place but with a bit of grit and termination on could achieve love and prosperity. Dose the realty hold up to the image? And if so, does it the same ring true today?
Dive into the blurry side of the American West with this darkly comedic history podcast. Join Mason Orlando, Jess Leigh, and Marcelo Aguilar as they explore the wild, weird, grim often terrifying events that create what the American West is today.
From bizarre outlaws and forgotten massacres to eccentric hermits and religious followers attempting to create utopia, this podcast takes a sharp, absurdist twist on Western American history. With a blend of dark humor, historical insight, and a dash of heathy commentary, each episode we cover weird, unsettling, and sometimes hopeful stories that may challenge your conception of the wild West.
Episodes
37 episodes
Dope Lake 77
Mason tells the tale of what happed when a plan with 6000 pounds of weed crashed in the mountains of Yosemite National Park in the late 1970s. Sources: The Legend of Dope Lake: by Greg Nichols of in Men’s Journal.
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Episode 36
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29:03
Operation Wetback
This week Marcelo takes us thru a dark chapiter in American History, the grotesquely named immigration law enforcement initiative “Operation Wetback” that used military style tactics to remove Mexican immigrants, often ignoring residential or c...
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Episode 35
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47:48
Dangerous Dandy Ben Thompson
This episode Mason tells the gang the story of gunman, gambler, and onetime lawman Ben Tompson. A contemporary of Bat Masterson and adversary of “Wild Bill” Hickok, learn how this native Englishman came to make the American South his home as he...
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Episode 34
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34:01
Bishop Koyle’s Dream Mine
In this episode, Mason tells the story of John Hyrum Koyle. A prominent member of the church of latter-day Saints whose prophetic dreams caused him and his believers to build a mine based on Koyle’s visions. Dubbed the Dream Mine, Koyle promise...
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Episode 33
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48:43
Stagecoach Mary Fields: 'Stagecoach Mary: The Saint with a Shotgun'
In this episode Marcelo tells the impressive the Story of “Stagecoach” Mary Fields. When it came to stagecoach driving, Mary, a hard drinking, cigar smoking, shotgun welding badass was in a league of her own and who later became America’s first...
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Episode 32
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44:33
The Impossible Railroad!!! The San Diego & Arizona Railway, Last Transcontinental Railway completed in the US!
Mason takes the gang on a ride through the history of the planning, construction, and operation of the only transnational railroad in North America. Learn about how San Diego City founder John D Speckles secretly conspired with sout...
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Episode 31
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1:02:08
Under the Shadow of the Hood: When Denver fell to the KKK
🎙️ This episode, we delve into a dark and unsettling chapter of Colorado history — the era when the Ku Klux Klan created a shadow government that infiltrated Denver’s City Hall and eventually reached the State Capitol.We ...
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Episode 30
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1:10:30
Weird Roadside Attractions of the West!! Vol I
In this episode, we’re taking a break from murderous outlaws and lawmen to bring you along to three strange roadside attractions in the West! 🛣️✨📍 Marcelo gives us the spooky scoop on the Museum of the Weird...
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Episode 29
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58:48
Tom Horn Part II – The Last Wicked Years!
In Part 2 of our two-part deep dive, we follow Tom Horn in the final violent years of his life—the killing of 14-year-old Willie Nickell and the subsequent trial that sealed Horn’s fate. Was he truly guilty, or the victim of a setup fueled by f...
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Episode 28
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52:23
Tom Horn Part I: He Had Black Shifty Eyes
In Part 1 of this two-part deep dive, we explore the early years of Tom Horn—a man whose life straddled the fine line between legend and infamy. From his humble beginnings in Missouri to his roles as a scout, interpreter, cowboy, and Pin...
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Episode 27
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1:05:45
Saint Patrick’s Battalion: Batallón de San Patricio
In this episode, Marcelo and the gang uncover the remarkable story of Saint Patrick’s Battalion, a group of mostly Irish, catholic immigrants who fought for Mexico during the Mexican American War (1846–1848). Led by John Riley, these soldiers s...
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Episode 26
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1:10:11
Samuel E. Chamberlain: The Man Who Lived Blood Meriden
In this episode, Marcelo leads gang to explore the exploits of Samuel E. Chamberlain’s tell all book My Confession: Chamberlain’s vivid, violent, and horrific memoir of his time as a soldier and drifter on the Texas-Mexico border provi...
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Episode 25
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1:32:14
Joaquín Murrieta: The Robin Hood of El Doradoe
In this episode, Marcelo tells the tale of Joaquín Murrieta, a Mexican-born 49er who became a symbol of resistance during the California Gold Rush. Dive in with us as we try to separate fact and folklore by examining his early life, the i...
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Episode 24
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49:17
Rainmaker Charles Hatfield and the Flood of 1916
In this episode, Mason tells the fascinating story of Charles Hatfield, a man who claimed to have the ability to make it rain. Known as the “moisture accelerator,” Hatfield’s alleged rain-making abilities had been sought after by ...
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Episode 23
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1:02:05
Mexican Repatriation Part II: The Devastating Inpact on Individuals and Communities
Mexican Repatriation Part IIIn this episode, Marcelo brings us the second part of his story on the US’s immigration policy of in early 20th Century and the effects it had on individuals, populations and the economy in both the US ...
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Episode 22
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46:01
Mexican Repatriation Part I: Scapegoating Turns Systematic Cruelty in Early 20th Century America.
In this episode, Marcelo takes the lead and shares the heartbreaking story of the US's Mexican Repatriation policies . Amid the Great Depression, lawmakers desperate to assign blame enacted harsh, exclusionary policies. Between the 1929 and&nbs...
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Episode 21
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1:43:42
Leonard Knight and Salvation Mountain
In this episode, the gang follows up on one of the subjects of our first episode and explores the fascinating story of Leonard Knight and his creation of Salvation Mountain, a vibrant, handmade monument found in slab city California. Knight’s v...
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Episode 20
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33:50
Alexander, The Man Who Knows!! : Early 20th Century Magician and Spiritualist
,In this episode, Jess takes the helm as the gang explores the life of Claude “Alexander” Conlin - Early 20th century magician, spiritualist, and “Master of Mentalism”. Cloaked as a mystic, Alexander dazzled audiences with his so-called psychic...
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Episode 19
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1:14:53
Texas Revolutionary: Juan Seguín
Texas Revolutionary: Juan Seguín. Hey Y'all!! In this episode, Marcelo takes the lead and explores with the gang the life of Juan Seguín, a Tejano leader who played a crucial role in the Texas Revolution. From fighting ...
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Episode 18
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58:15
Blucifer: Devil Horse of Denver International Airport
In this episode, Mason takes the reins and explores the eerie and controversial Blue Mustang, the 32-foot-tall, red-eyed, blue horse sculpture at Denver International Airport. Nicknamed Blucifer, this statue has sparked urban ...
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Episode 17
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24:19
The Wail of La Llorona: Origins of the Worlds SCARIEST Bedtime Story.
In part III of our Halloween Trilogy of Spooky History, Marcelo leads us in the moonlight to the riverbed as we dive into the chilling legend of La Llorona, Mexico’s infamous weeping woman. From its pre-Hispanic roots to colonia...
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Episode 16
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21:06
The LaFayette Vampire: High Plains Bloodsucker!!
In part II of our Halloween Trilogy of Spooky History, Jess leads us as we cracked the lid on the legend of the Lafayette Vampire, a mysterious figure linked to an unmarked grave in a local cemetery. Is it just folklore, or does s...
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Episode 15
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17:08
Aliens Zapped my Horse to Death!! : Snippy the Horse
In part I of our Halloween Trilogy of Spooky History, Mason takes leads us on trial of smalltown cosmic horror to tell the gang about a horse from Alamosa, Colorado, that died under strange circumstances. Its flesh was reportedly strippe...
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Episode 14
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16:07
Project Plowshare: The Time Nukes Were Used for Fracking in the Rocky Mountains!!
In this episode, Mason takes the gang underground to talk about Project Plowshare, the U.S. government's program to explore peaceful uses of nuclear explosions. Focusing on the test taking place in Colorado including Rulison (1969) and...
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Episode 13
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56:59
The North Butte Mining Disaster of 1917 Part III: A Strike Broken with Murder?
In part three, Mason wraps up our story of the 1917 Granite Mountain Mine disaster in Butte, Montana. In its wake, tensions between miners and the companies erupted. Workers demanded better safety and conditions however corporate and government...
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Episode 12
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1:09:03
