One of the most gripping chapters of Colorado’s frontier past — the rise and violent fall of L.H. Musgrove and his ruthless gang of horse thieves, highwaymen, and killers. From Edward “Heartless” Franklin holding off seventeen U.S. soldiers, to Sanford Duggan’s desperate escape attempts, to the daylight lynching that shocked early Denver, this episode dives deep into the real story behind the West’s most dangerous outlaws.

We uncover how Musgrove built his operation, how his men terrorized Colorado and Wyoming, and how a city finally snapped — delivering its own brand of frontier justice beneath the Larimer Street bridge.
If you love Wild West history, vigilante justice, outlaw legends, and deep-dive storytelling, you’re in the right place.

Sources;

Hands up; or, Thirty-five years of detective life in the mountains and on the plains by Cook, David J.; Cook, John W., Colorado-Henkle Collection https://archive.org/details/handsuporthirtyf00cook/page/112/mode/2up

https://www.reporterherald.com/2017/11/25/musgrove-gang-meets-its-end/

Article by Kenneth Jessen

https://www.reporterherald.com/2017/11/18/larimer-countys-musgrove-gang/

Article by Kenneth Jessen

https://files.arapahoeco.gov/Sheriffs%20Office/Our%20Agency/history/A%20Message%20to%20Outlaws.pdf?t=202312051818230&t=202312051818230

https://jvlbell.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Volume-63.pdf

The Colorado History Gazette

History of Larimer County, Colorado

By Ansel Watrous, 1911

https://archive.org/details/cu31924028878936/page/n113/mode/2up

Sam Sixkiller was more than just a lawman. He was a symbol of justice on the violent frontier of Indian Territory. In this episode, we dive deep into the life of the legendary Cherokee officer whose reputation for courage, discipline, and fairness made him one of the most respected figures of the Old West.From his early service as a Lighthorseman, to his rise as the first captain of the U.S. Indian Police, to the deadly dangers he faced each day on the streets of Muskogee, this video explores the real story behind the man who helped bring law and order to a land filled with outlaws, smugglers, and killers. We’ll walk through his battles, his leadership, and the tragic ambush that took his life on Christmas Eve in 1886.If you’ve never heard of Sam Sixkiller, prepare for a story that deserves to stand alongside the greatest lawmen in frontier history.#Sam Sixkiller #Cherokeelawman #IndianTerritory #U.S.IndianPolice #OldWestHistory

Laramie, Wyoming wasn’t always the quiet frontier town it’s remembered as — it began in blood, corruption, and chaos. This episode dives into the violent rise and fall of “Big Steve” Long, a deputy marshal who turned law enforcement into organized terror. Alongside his half-brothers Ace and Con Moyer, Long ruled early Laramie from their saloon, the “Bucket of Blood,” extorting ranchers, robbing miners, and gunning down anyone who stood in their way. But when the town finally fought back, justice came on a rope.Discover the true story of how Laramie’s lawless beginnings nearly destroyed it before order ever took hold.#OldWest #WildWestHistory #SteveLong #Laramie #WyomingHistory #Outlaws #Lawmen #WildWestDeepDives #WesternHistorySources for Research;https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-stevelong/ https://www.visitlaramie.org/listing/bucket-of-blood-saloon/258/https://wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/kid-hell-wheels-laramie-railroad-arrivedhttps://www.wyoachs.com/people/2018/3/2/laramie-mayor-former-sheriff-both-die-with-boots-off-despite-vigilante-history Judy Knight ArticleFor Photos;Steve Long Hanging Alonehttps://digital.denverlibrary.org/nodes/view/1115831 Denver Public Library Special Collections

Amos Chapman was one of the most remarkable scouts of the American frontier — a man who bridged two worlds. Born to a white father and a Cheyenne mother, he served as an interpreter, messenger, and warrior through some of the most turbulent years of the Indian Wars. This episode dives into Chapman’s incredible bravery at the Battle of Buffalo Wallow during the Red River War — an act that earned him the Medal of Honor — and his life afterward as a respected interpreter and advocate for peace on the plains.From near-death on the Texas frontier to his later years in Oklahoma, Chapman’s story reveals the courage, loyalty, and complexity of a man who stood between cultures at a turning point in American history.#WildWest #AmosChapman #IndianWars #FrontierHistory #MedalOfHonor #BuffaloWallow #WildWestDeepDivesJoin the Wild West Deep Dive Membership Family! For just $1, you'll get access to bonus episodes like the First Stagecoach Robbery in US History & the recently released Hunnewell Gunfight! I appreciate y'alls support!Sources;https://dc.swosu.edu/westview/vol5/iss2/8/ Amos Chapman, Son of Western Oklahoma by Tena Baileyhttps://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/buffalo-wallow-fight Hugh Allen Anderson Articlehttps://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/redriver/battles.html Battles of the Red River War: Archeological Perspectives on the Indian Author; J. Brett Cruse https://books.google.com/books?id=vRNpDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/chapman-amos Article by Hugh Allen Anderson on Amos Chapmanhttps://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=62310 Historical Markerhttps://dc.swosu.edu/westview/vol5/iss2/8/ Amos Chapman, Son of Western Oklahoma by Tena Baileyhttps://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/buffalo-wallow-fight Article by Hugh Allen Anderson on the Battle of Buffalo Wallowhttps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5PEyAAAAIBAJ&pg=1318,772690&dq=amos-chapman&hl=en Article by Elmo Scott Watson, titled ‘Stories of Great Scouts… Scout Called “Tam-e-yukh-tah” (Cut-Off Leg)’For PhotosFort Dodge https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-fortdodge/ Chief Stone Calf https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1622278/ Red River War https://www.legendsofamerica.com/tx-redriverwar/ Buffalo Wallow Battle Monument Photo credit; Pi3.124Dixon Saving Amos https://www.historynet.com/olive-dixon-widow-billy-dixon/ Battle Buffalo Wallow Monument HMdb.org PhotoID=266497Amos & Mary’s Grave HMdb.org PhotoID=229855Amos Chapman Historical Marker Photo by Don Morfe https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=62310

William “Brazen Bill” Brazelton was one of the boldest and most enigmatic outlaws of the Old West—a masked highwayman who single-handedly robbed stagecoaches across Arizona and New Mexico in the late 1870s. A towering figure with a calm voice and iron nerve, he struck alone near Wickenburg, Silver City, and Tucson, armed with both pistol and rifle in one hand—a signature move that unnerved everyone who faced him. Before his life of crime, he briefly posed as a showman in Prescott, Arizona, claiming he would “swallow a wagon wheel” before vanishing with the ticket money, earning him his first nickname.His luck ran out in August 1878 when Sheriff Charles Shibell’s posse tracked him by a single twisted horseshoe print to a mesquite bosque along the Santa Cruz River near Tucson. Refusing to surrender, Brazelton went for his gun and was cut down in a storm of Winchester fire. His body was brought back to town, photographed upright with his mask and rifle, and displayed as proof that the Territory’s most feared outlaw was finally dead. That haunting image—and tales of his ghost, El Tejano, still riding the desert—cemented “Brazen Bill” Brazelton’s place among the most enduring legends of the American frontier.#BrazenBillBrazelton #OldWestOutlaw #WildWestHistory #StagecoachRobberies #ArizonaLegends #FrontierJustice #WildWestDeepDivesSources for PhotosPoint of Mountain Benchmark Photo by Michael 🌵 WilliamsBrazen Bill’s Unique Stance Photo by Nick Brumby Westerns https://nickbrumbywesterns.com/brazen-bill-brazelton/ Sources for Researchhttps://www.legendsofamerica.com/william-brazelton/ https://truewestmagazine.com/article/the-man-who-swallowed-a-wagon-wheel/https://truewestmagazine.com/article/brazen-bill-shot-to-blazes/ https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn82014896/1878-08-30/ed-1/?sp=2&q=coach+nine+robbed&r=0.08,0.662,0.393,0.25,0 Arizona citizen (Tucson, Pima County, A.T. [i.e. Ariz.]), August 30, 1878https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn84024827/1902-08-03/ed-1/?sp=6&q=Arizona+coaches+Mexico+New+nine+robbed&r=0.036,0.223,0.549,0.261,0 (5) Bisbee daily review (Bisbee, Ariz.), August 3, 1902. John Clum interview.https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn82014896/1877-09-29/ed-1/?sp=2&q=robbed+stage&r=0.309,0.551,0.381,0.181,0 Arizona citizen (Tucson, Pima County, A.T. [i.e. Ariz.]), September 29, 1877https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn82014896/1878-08-16/ed-1/?sp=3&q=masked+robber&r=0.172,0.553,0.374,0.178,0 Arizona citizen (Tucson, Pima County, A.T. [i.e. Ariz.]), August 16, 1878

Marion Hedgepeth – known as The Handsome Bandit – was one of the most charming and dangerous outlaws of the Old West. A master train robber with style and precision, Hedgepeth rode with some of the most feared bandits of his time. But in a shocking twist, his tip to authorities would help capture one of America’s most notorious serial killers — H.H. Holmes, the “Devil in the White City.”After prison, Hedgepeth tried to go straight, working as a shoemaker and Pinkerton informant. Yet his old ways caught up with him, and the legend of The Handsome Bandit came to a tragic end.This is the incredible true story of crime, betrayal, and redemption — the outlaw who helped catch a killer.#OldWest #OutlawStories #WildWestHistory #MarionHedgepeth #HandsomeBandit #TrainRobberies #HHHolmes #TrueCrimeHistory #AmericanWest #WildWestDeepDives #WesternLegends #LawmenAndOutlaws #19thCenturyAmerica #PinkertonDetectives #truehistory Sources;https://www.legendsofamerica.com/marion-hedgepeth/ https://truewestmagazine.com/article/last-of-the-fast-guns/ Article by Ron Soodalterhttps://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/nation-world/1996/05/26/the-bad-doctor/50650073007/ Dave Ivey Articlehttps://truewestmagazine.com/article/marion-hedgepeth-crosses-tracks-with-serial-killer-h-h-holmes/ Mark Boardman Articlehttps://www.biography.com/crime/hh-holmes https://archive.org/details/holmespitezelcas00geye/page/46/mode/ The Holmes-Pitezel case; a history of the greatest crime of the century and of the search for the missing Pitezel children by Geyer, Frank P; Lawrence J. Gutter Collection of Chicagoana (University of Illinois at Chicago) ICIU, 1896MARION HEDGEPETH'S LETTERhttps://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=RLRP18911119.2.9&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- Rensselaer Republican Article, 19th November, 1891.https://newspaperhub.mnhs.org/?a=d&d=sppp18911203.1.1&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN-robbery-------sppp18911203---- St. Paul Pioneer Press Article, 3 December, 1891https://www.newspapers.com/image/457546007/ The San Francisco Examiner, 11 Feb, 1892Grady, David P. (July–August 1996). The Debonair Killer. American Cowboy Her Sacque of Sealskin: A Chapter of Western Bandit History. Vol. 20. Express Gazette. 1895.https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-globe-democrat-marion-columbus/164499381/?utm St. Louis Globe-Democrat, History of Glendale Robbery

They called him The Black Fox. The Calico Cowboy. A name whispered through saloons and frontier towns — branded as a rustler, an outlaw, and a gunslinger who roamed the borderlands between Texas, Mexico, and Colorado.For over a century, the legend of Isam Dart has been told as that of a notorious outlaw gunned down by the infamous Tom Horn. But what if that story — the one printed in dime novels, repeated in old newspapers, and echoed in Western lore — was never true?In this episode, we dive deep into the real life of Isam Dart — not the outlaw myth, but the man himself. A Black cowboy, horseman, and rancher whose skill, reputation, and integrity made him one of the most respected figures in the high country of Brown’s Park, even helping in the capture of Harry Tracy. His life was shaped not by crime, but by hard work, resilience, and the struggle to survive in the frontier.And Thank You to the incredible research and insight from Dan Davidson, Paul Knowles, Bob Silbernagel, and the team at the Museum of Northwest Colorado in Craig, we can finally separate the legend.

#WildWestDeepDives #IsamDart #BlackCowboys #TomHorn #WesternHistory #ForgottenWest #ColoradoHistory #WildWest #FrontierLegends #MuseumOfNorthwestColorado

Isam Dart Licenses

The Battle of Palmito Ranch

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/palmito-ranch-battle-ofTwo Bar Ranch Brown’s ParkJon Roanhaus, CC; 4.0Sand HillsChris Light, CC; 4.0Ora Haleyhttp://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/horndart.htmlJoe Davenporthttps://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/bub-meeks-and-wild-bunch-winchesterElroy P. Philbrickhttps://wyomingcowboyhalloffame.org/inductee_cowboys/elroy-p-philbrick/Hahns Peakhttps://nwcoloradoheritagetravel.org/hahns-peak-colorado/Isam Dart SourcesThe Legendhttps://www.legendsofamerica.com/isom-dart/https://www.legendsofamerica.com/anne-bassett/https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/isom-dart-1849-1900/Article by Richelle Rawlings-Carrollhttps://www.reporterherald.com/2022/02/21/a-look-at-black-history-black-cowboy-isom-dart-killed-by-assassin-tom-horn/Article by Kenneth JessenThe Truthhttps://www.gjsentinel.com/news/western_colorado/black-cowboy-demeaned-by-fictional-representation/article_51322eb2-b44f-11eb-aa56-efc799cf8b9c.htmlArticle from Bob Silbernagelhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJCg2GTEZoADan Davidson, Isam Dart Historian, Museum of Northwest ColoradoAspen Daily Chronicle Article 30th April 1890Link; https://www.ppc-historicnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=ADC18900930.2.21&srpos=1&e=-------en-20-ADC-1--img-txIN%7CtxCO%7CtxTA-Isam+DArt-------0------

Thank you everyone for their recent support! Y'all are amazing and as always, this has been an amazing series, I've had an amazing time researching and producing it! I hope y'all enjoy it!

In this final part of our Joe Meek series, we follow the legendary mountain man turned frontiersman through the final chapters of his remarkable life. We’ll revisit the shocking Whitman Massacre of 1847 and Meek’s harrowing journey to Washington, D.C., where he carried word of the tragedy to the federal government. From his days in the fur trade to his later years as a lawman and political leader in Oregon, Meek’s story captures the transformation of the American West itself — from wilderness to statehood.

Joe Meek’s life spanned the full arc of the frontier. He began as a trapper and hunter in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains and ended as a founder and statesman helping to shape Oregon’s future. Brash, humorous, and fiercely independent, Meek embodied both the untamed spirit and the hard-won progress of the 19th-century West. His legend stands as a bridge between the era of mountain men and the birth of the American Northwest.

Check out the Wild West Deep Dives Youtube and always become a member of the family! For just $1, you'll get access to bonus content like the Hunnewell Gunfight!