AZ: The History of Arizona podcast

After teenager Billy Graham is gunned down, his family opts for extreme retribution.

The disappearance of Old Man Blevins begins a spiral of violence, starting with the party searching for him having a deadly encounter with the Tewksburys.

In February 1887, we have the first fatality in the Pleasant Valley War, as a nameless shepherd will fall victim to the larger conflict around him of cattlemen versus sheepherders and Grahams versus Tewksburys.

Before gunplay became involved, the Grahams and the Tewksburys would square off in the court, with each side accusing the other of being lying, stealing, no-good ruffians.

After a violent confrontation in Pleasant Valley over cattle rustling, ranch owner James Stinson tries to be a little sneakier.

In the 1870s, a new spot in one of Arizona's most isolated corners suddenly opened up for American colonization. Among the few daring souls that would try their hand at ranching in this place known as Pleasant Valley were two families - the Tewksburys and the Grahams.

Sorry to say that real life (and a suddenly real first baby) managed to delay our return to podcasting by a week!

As we look at the commercial forces of late 19th-century Arizona, we have to talk about the ecological and economic disaster that was the cattle boom and bust of the 1880s and 1890s. And ostriches. We definitely have to talk about ostriches.

For Halloween, we again take a tour of the mysterious, strange, creepy and spooky to be found in Arizona.

If you got a fancy new railroad, why would you not tell the Pope about it?

All throughout the 1880s, Prescott had one great fear. Then in 1889, because of Phoenix, it came true.

Because any truly epic story needs a correspondingly grand conclusion.

The Apache Wars came to an end on September 4, 1886. But, as with everything else in the 25-year conflict, the road to this ending would not be straight or smooth. And it would prove to not be a happy ending for the Chiricahua.

It’s time for Geronimo to try and strike a deal - first with the Mexicans, then with the Americans - but he quickly finds out that he is far from being able to set his own terms. (Note: I lost my voice about halfway through my recording sessions, so apologies that the ending sounds worse than the beginning!)

In July 1886, General Miles settled on a multi-prong strategy to deal with the Chiricahua. And one of those prongs involved Geronimo, two scouts, and an Army officer who was doing his best not to be involved.

The summer of 1886 would prove to be a disheartening campaign season for both the renegade Chiricahua and the Army soldiers tasked with finding them.

Let’s meet the next contestant in our long-running game of ‘Who Will Catch Geronimo?'

With the arrival of two items of bad news, the Apache Wars changed in an instant. And that means it’s time to say good bye to the Gray Fox himself, General George Crook.

In March 1886, General George Crook and Geronimo would negotiate for the last time. Raised tempers, impatience and a whole lot of liquor would ensure this meeting was not the end Crook hoped it was.

Bad luck is everyone in the story of the Apache Wars, but the most tragic example might be that of Captain Emmett Crawford on January 11, 1886.

We turn our attention back to Geronimo as he, Nana, Naiche, Chihuahua, and Chihuahua’s brother, Ulzana, each in turn decide to take the offensive and raid into Arizona and New Mexico. Meanwhile, top Army officials consider how to handle the Chiricahua Apache once and for all.

Captain Davis and Lieutenant Davis must deal with hostile terrain and hostile Mexicans while trying to hunt down hostile Apache. And, just for fun, we will throw in some more Davises to boot.

General Crook and his troops find out the hard way that, in this case, the sequel is truly not as good as the original.

With Geronimo and others on the loose, Chiricahua unity fracturing, public opinion turning, and the Army unable to win the chase to the border, Crook prepares to wage a second, harder campaign down in Mexico.

Illegal tiswin brewing, an inexperienced officer, an unsent telegram, Geronimo’s paranoia, and a not-so-white lie will bring everything spiraling downward for the Chiricahua Apache at Turkey Creek.

The Chiricahua Apache’s new home was idyllic, but problems with illicit moonshine would make sure that everyone was always just a little bit on edge.

In our 100th episode, things are a little tense at San Carlos. A new leader among the Chiricahua is pushing the limits, the Apache want to move some place better, the military commander and Indian Agent are at each other’s throats, and two over-eager custom officials almost blow Geronimo finally turning himself into Crook.

In the fall of 1883, Crook and other Americans had two questions on their minds: What the heck was up with the Apache still in Mexico and where the heck was Charley McComas?

Crook managed to get hundreds of Chiricahua from Mexico back to the reservation in Arizona … only to be told that the Indian Agent didn’t want to lift a finger to help them.

Crook and his scouts have a travel montage, while Geronimo’s Power grants him a remarkable vision. These two threads will converge high in the Sierra Madres, where the Chiricahua Apache will make a fateful choice.

History sometimes turns on very small hinges. In this case, it was the seemingly innocuous decision of a man named Peaches that would help determine how the next chapter of the Apache Wars would play out.

Organizational shakeups in 1882 returned General George R. Crook to Arizona. He had big plans for how to bring the Apache to heel, but first, it was time to put right everything down at San Carlos.

As the Apache sought refuge in Mexico, they kept finding ambushes laid out for them. At a certain point, they decided to set up a snare all of their own.

In which Geronimo, Juh, and Naiche decide that since they broke out of San Carlos, every other Chiricahua Apache had to do it too - and they wouldn’t take no for an answer.

The U.S. Army's overreaction to a growing religious movement among the various Apache bands would lead directly to the second breakout of the notorious Geronimo.

19th-century American politics is a pretty interesting subject as is, but there are some examples, such as Arizona’s 13th Territorial Legislature, that shows you just how funny, corrupt, and farcical it can really be.

In 1882, Wyatt Earp was out for vengeance. This final chapter in the saga of the gunfight will lead everyone, including the Town of Tombstone, to their appointments with destiny.

It turns out that the Gunfight at the OK Corral solved nothing. And that was meant bad news for the Earps.

Rebroadcasting this episode. Hopefully now you'll get the full story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, in more ways than one!

The time has come to finally talk about the main event. But find out why there really isn’t any such thing as the Gunfight at the OK Corral.

Tensions finally reach the boiling point in October 1881, something that a late night card game was not able to stop.

Because what would a good Old West gunfight story be without political intrigue, a stolen election, and an old-fashioned love triangle? Also …let’s throw in some stolen mules while we’re at it.

Wyatt Earp didn’t march down to the O.K. Corral by himself. So it’s time to introduce the other characters in our rapidly unfolding drama.

He is one of the most legendary lawmen of the Old West, but both his flaws and virtues have been greatly exaggerated over the years. It’s time to separate legend from reality as we introduce Wyatt Earp.

When it comes to one of the most famous shoot-outs of the Old West, what better backdrop could there be than the dirty, chaotic, violent, booming town of Tombstone?

Mormon settlement was going swimmingly in northern and southern Arizona, until their embracing polygamy threatened to have them driven from the territory.

It’s all about names when it comes to the successful Mormon settlements in northern Arizona. As a benefit, we get to cover the infamous story behind one of the most colorful town names the state has to offer.

For the Mormons trying to settle along the Little Colorado River in the 1870s, their faith would be tried by the harsh realties of life on the dry, windswept Colorado Plateau.

Like the Catholics friars of old, Mormon missionaries sought converts among Arizona’s tribes. And two big names among them made lasting contributions to the history of the northern reaches of the state.