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.

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False Summits: A History Podcast about the American West

Dangerous Dandy Ben Thompson

August 01, 2025 • Mason Orlando - Jess Leigh - Marcelo Aguilar • Episode 34

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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 gambled and shot his way into the History Books.

#WesternHistory #KansasHistory #TexasHistory #OutlawHistory #LawmanHistory #BenThompson #TrueWesternhistory #Gunfighter #FalseSummitsPod

Sources:

Time to Die

By Thomas C. Bicknell and Chuck Parsons

https://truewestmagazine.com/article/time-to-die/

BEN THOMPSON 1843-1884: OLD WEST GUNFIGHTER AND AUSTIN CITY MARSHALL

By Matt Braun

https://knottingley.org.uk/history/ben_thompson.htm

The Life and Legacy of Ben Thompson: Gunfighter and Lawman

By: Tom Bicknell and Anne Beck

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/thompson-ben

The Life of John Wesley Hardin