This Week in the West

🤠 This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 32: John Wayne

📢 Episode Summary: This week’s episode of This Week in The West rides into history with the larger-than-life story of John Wayne and his special connection to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. We take listeners back to 1965, when "The Duke" led a grand opening parade through downtown Oklahoma City, drawing a crowd of more than 100,000. Riding atop a white horse, ...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️Episode 31: Audie Murphy

📢 Episode Summary: This week on This Week in The West, we saddle up with the extraordinary story of Audie Murphy—a humble Texas farm boy who became the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II and then a bona fide Hollywood cowboy. We share the gripping tale of Murphy’s Medal of Honor heroics on the battlefield, his unlikely rise to Western stardom, and how his lega...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️Episode 30: Robert Lougheed and Prix de West

📢 Episode Summary: In this episode of This Week in The West, we pay tribute to Western artist Robert Lougheed on the anniversary of his passing in 1982. Known for his authentic depictions of animals and landscapes, Lougheed’s legacy lives on through his contributions to both commercial illustration and fine art—most notably, his pivotal role in founding the Pr...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 29: J.R. Simplot

📢 Episode Summary: This week on This Week in The West, we go to high desert of southern Idaho to remember one of the American West’s most influential—and unlikely—business pioneers: J.R. Simplot, the self-taught farm boy who became the “Potato King.” On the anniversary of his death, we trace Simplot’s incredible rise from a 14-year-old school dropout experimenting with potato st...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 28: BOB WILLS

📢 Episode Summary: On this week’s episode of This Week in The West, we celebrate the life and legacy of Bob Wills, the King of Western Swing. Broadcasting from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, the show takes listeners deep into the roots of a musical style that shook up the 1930s and beyond. Wills and his Texas Playboys blended country, jazz, blue...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 27: Myrtis Dightman

📢 Episode Summary: In this week’s episode of This Week in The West, we celebrate the 90th birthday of rodeo legend Myrtis Dightman, a man who broke barriers as the first Black cowboy to compete at the highest levels of bull riding. Known as the “Jackie Robinson of bull riding,” Dightman’s courage and talent paved the way for future generations of Black rodeo athletes, inspiri...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 26: Foghorn Clancy

📢 Episode Summary: In this episode of This Week in The West, we share the remarkable story of Frederick Melton "Foghorn" Clancy, a cowboy whose booming voice made him one of rodeo's most iconic announcers. Born in 1882 in Alabama and raised in Texas, Clancy began working ranch jobs young and initially dreamed of being a rodeo champion. After a short-lived bronc riding career, ...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 25: Willa Cather

📢 Episode Summary: In this episode of This Week in The West, we journey to the sweeping prairies of Nebraska to explore the life and legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather. Born in Virginia in 1873 and later raised in Red Cloud, Nebraska, Cather was profoundly shaped by the open landscapes and resilient immigrant communities of the Great Plains. Her formative years...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 24: The Virginian, Owen Wister & Joel McCrea

📢 Episode Summary: On this week’s episode of This Week in the West, we tell the story of The Virginian, the groundbreaking Western novel that became a cultural touchstone, a movie classic, and a symbol of frontier justice. Seth Spillman takes us back to the turn of the 20th century, when Owen Wister—plagued by illness—traveled West for healing and...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 23: Frank “Pistol Pete” Eaton

📢 Episode Summary: This week on This Week in the West, we saddle up with the unforgettable tale of Frank “Pistol Pete” Eaton, the real-life cowboy behind one of college sports’ most iconic mascots. Known today for his likeness on the sidelines of Oklahoma State games, Eaton’s life was anything but a cartoon. Born into tragedy and raised with a mission of vengeance, ...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 22: J.K. Ralston

📢 Episode Summary: On this week's episode of This Week in the West, we spotlight the life and legacy of J.K. Ralston, a celebrated Western artist born March 31, 1896, in Montana. Raised on the frontier by a family that chased gold across the West before settling near Choteau, Ralston lived the cowboy life before ever picking up a paintbrush. Though he spent his early years ridin...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 21: SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR

📢 Episode Summary: This week on This Week in The West, we honor the life and legacy of Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court. Raised on a cattle ranch in Arizona, O’Connor’s Western upbringing instilled in her the resilience and determination that would define her groundbreaking legal career. From her early struggles finding ...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 20: Alice Greenough Orr

📢 Episode Summary: On this week’s episode of This Week in the West, we meet Alice Greenough Orr, a Montana ranch girl who became the First Lady of Rodeo. While performing in Spain, Alice found herself in a bullfighting arena where the matador had failed to finish the job. The restless crowd grew impatient—until Alice stepped forward, jumped onto the still-angry bull, and ...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 19: Mari Sandoz

📢 Episode Summary: This week’s episode of This Week in the West tells the story of Mari Sandoz, who was no stranger to hardship. Growing up on the harsh Nebraska prairie, she endured physical and emotional struggles that shaped her perspective and writing. Despite her father’s lifelong discouragement, a dying request from him set her on a path to become one of the most important ...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 18: Charles Goodnight

📢 Episode Summary: This episode of “This Week in the West” explores the life and legacy of Charles Goodnight, a legendary cattleman and trailblazer born on March 5, 1836. From his early years in Texas to his role in the Texas Rangers and the Goodnight-Loving Trail, Goodnight made a lasting impact on the American West. He was instrumental in the development of cattle drives,...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 17: Salvatore “Sam” Lucchese

📢 Episode Summary: When Salvatore Lucchese and his family arrived in America in 1883, they had the knowledge of shoemaking, and not much else. 

More than a century later, “Sam” has a legacy - Lucchese Bootmaker, one of the most well-known and respected brands for cowboy boots. 

In our podcast this week, we tell the story of Sam’s journey to Texas from Italy and how b...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 16: Edward Curtis

📢 Episode Summary: This episode of This Week in the West explores the life and legacy of Edward Curtis, a photographer whose work documented Native American cultures in the early 20th century. Curtis’ career took a defining turn when he photographed Princess Angeline, the daughter of Chief Seattle. This led to his lifelong mission of capturing images of Indigenous people before...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 15: Pawnee Bill

📢 Episode Summary: This episode of This Week in The West explores the life of Gordon William Lillie, better known as Pawnee Bill, a showman and entrepreneur who helped shape the mythology of the American West. Born in 1860, Lillie worked with the Pawnee tribe before joining Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show as an interpreter. He later created his own show, blending entertainme...

🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 14: Edward Fitzgerald Beale

📢 Episode Summary: On this week’s episode of This Week in the West, we learn about Edward Fitzgerald Beale, a 19th-century adventurer, war hero and trailblazer whose exploits helped shape the American West. 

From serving as a spy for President James K. Polk during the Oregon boundary dispute to rallying reinforcements in the Mexican-American War alongside Kit Carson,...