Frontier Legends | Bass Reeves | 3
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Hello, American History Tellers listeners. The live show I've been telling you about for a few weeks has a new date, October 23rd at the Plaza Theater in Garland, Texas. This is my Days That Made America tour, a thrilling evening of history, storytelling, and music with me and a band live on stage. So if you're in the North Texas area or anywhere close, be sure to come out and see me live. And more shows will be announced soon, For information on tickets and upcoming dates, go to AmericanHistoryLive.com. That's AmericanHistoryLive.com. Come see my Days That Made America tour live on stage. Go to AmericanHistoryLive.com. A listener note. This episode contains outdated racial language presented in its original historical context.
Imagine it's a summer day in 1890, near Keokuk Falls in Indian Territory. You're the ringleader of a gang of outlaws, and the three of you are holed up in an abandoned log cabin. You're dealing a hand of cards, killing time until sunset when you plan to sneak onto a nearby ranch to steal their horses. You jump at the sound of a crash outside.
What was that?
You emerge from the cabin and squint into the afternoon sunlight. Twenty yards away, a ramshackle wagon has rolled into a shallow ditch. An ox stands nearby, flicking flies with its tail, while the driver climbs out of his seat and jumps to the ground.
You there, would you mind giving me a hand?
He's a tall black man, a poor tenant farmer by the looks of his faded overalls. You start walking toward him while glancing at your fellow outlaws.
Come on, boys. Let's help him out and be done with it.
The farmer nods his head in appreciation as you approach.
Thank you. I don't know what happened. The wheel just slipped off the road. It happens. The road's in an awful state out here.
You turn to your friends.
Jim, get behind the wheels. Bill, grab that rail. I'll take the wagon box. On three, we'll push.
You take your positions.
Ready? One, two, three!
You dig your boots into the dirt and push. The wheel shifts slightly, but remains stuck.
Again!
You shove your shoulder against the wagon box and push into it with all your strength. The wheel suddenly lurches free and rocks up onto level ground.
There she goes!
With a grin on your face, you turn around to find the farmer with a revolver in each hand. The barrel's pointed directly at you and your friends.
Put your hands up. What? Hey, just who the hell do you think you are? Name's Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal. I have warrants charging you men for robbery and murder.
Disbelief washes over you as you realize this was all a trap. You reluctantly put up your hands as he steps forward and starts patting you down for weapons. You've robbed banks, held up stagecoaches, and outrun posses across the territory. Yet somehow you've just been duped by a deputy in a two-bit disguise. But as you glance up, you catch a fierce glint in his eyes that tells you this is no ordinary lawman.
This Is Actually Happening is a podcast that features extraordinary true stories of life-changing events told by the people who lived them. In a special six-part series called AI, A New Kind of Being, This Is Actually Happening explores the powerful and unexpected ways artificial intelligence is changing human lives. Follow This Is Actually Happening wherever you get your podcasts.
The government gets a bad reputation, but did you know that the roads under your feet, the forecast on your phone, the letter in your mailbox, that's all government too? I'm Professor Lindsay Cormack, and I'm hosting a new podcast called Government That Doesn't Suck, alongside Professor Greg Jackson, who you may know from the hit podcast, History That Doesn't Suck. Each episode, we dig into the surprising story of an American institution, from the origins of the internet, to the National Park Service, to the GI Bill, and so much more. You'll hear the stories behind them, plus a conversation with an expert who knows it inside and out. This is the real history of how we built the country under your feet, and you'll never look at any of it the same way again.
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