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
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.
https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/what-to-do-in-chamonix-in-summer
The 1977 Yosemite Dope Lake incident by Hikerdelic
https://hikerdelic.com/blogs/news/the-1977-yosemite-dope-lake-incident
Photo: ...
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 citizen status. Eerily like the headlines of today, we will explore the motivations of those who created and carried out the constitutionally questionable act and the...
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 #Gunfigh...
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 promised it would not only yield treasures for the church to use in the end times, but also unearth lost relics that would unlock unknown dimensions of the Mormon faith. Ev...
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 Black Woman postal worker on one of Americas toughest routes through the Montana territory in the late 1890s.
#USHistory #MontanaHistory #WesternHistory #BlackHis...
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 southern pacific railroad man Edward Harriman to build the long-awaited line from San Diego to Yuma. What started as a practical idea, turned into battle against nature as construct...
🎙️ 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 explore the societal and economic conditions that made it possible for a secret terrorist group of the 1870s to be born again in 1916 as a fraternity— and how, by the 1920s, they seized p...
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 in Austin, Texas 🦎🔮
📍 Mason explores the quirky Desert View Tower in Jacumba, California 🏜️🌬️
📍 Jess ties it all together with the eerie tale of the infamous Clown Motel in Tonopah, N...
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 fear, politics, and the powerful cattle barons he once served? We examine facts, the confessions, and the myths that still spark debate over a century later. This epi...
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 Pinkerton detective, this episode lays the foundation for understanding how Tom Horn became both feared and respected across the American West.
#TomHorn #TrueCrimeHistory #OldW...
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 switched sides, driven by religious persecution, mistreatment, and solidarity with fellow Catholics. We explore their motivations, battles, and ultimate fate, sheddin...
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 provided historical details and characters—most notably the enigmatic Judge Holden. Chamberlains accounts would have an influence author Cormac McCarthy’s brutal philosophical mas...
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 injustices he faced, and his transformation into a legendary outlaw. Was he a ruthless bandit or a folk hero fighting for the oppressed? Did he ever exist? Take a listen a...
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 a western communities desperate for water in the early 1900s. According to him, his secret chemical compounds and techniques could bring rain to drought-stricken areas. One of h...
Mexican Repatriation Part II
In 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 and Mexico then and now.
Content warning: This podcast contains depictions of state-sanctioned violence.
Sources
Decade of Betrayal by Francisco E. Balderrama & Raym...
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 1939, somewhere between 300,000 and 1 million people—up to 60% of whom were U.S. citizens or legal residents—were forcibly expelled, many of them children.
Content...
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 vision, born out of a deep religious conviction, turned an isolated patch of land into a colorful beacon of creativity. Join us as we dive into his journey, the meani...
,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 abilities, but behind the scenes, he led a turbulent life marked by failure fraud, and a scandalous love life. Tune in for the wild story of one of Vaudeville’s mo...
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 at the Battle of San Jacinto to serving as the mayor of San Antonio, Seguín’s journey reflects the complex identity struggles of Mexican Texans. We discuss his contributions, ...
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 legends and conspiracy theories, especially after its creator, Luis Jiménez, tragically died when a piece of it fell on him. We dive into the history, artistic significance, and the m...
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