Blood and Dust : Wild West True Crime

No other historical figure from the 'Old West' has stirred up more controversy and eluded historians and biographers more than William H. Bonney, alias Billy the Kid. This young man, in his short life, has established his place in history and legend. Who was Billy the Kid? How did he become a legend? "I don’t blame you for writing of me as you have. You had to believe other stories, but then I don’t know if any one would believe anything good of me anyway.” ~ Billy the Kid’s comment to a Las Vegas Gazette reporter (December, 1880)

It's Doc Holliday. There's no introduction needed.

It's Doc Holliday. There's no introduction needed.

Olive Oatman was an American woman celebrated in her time for her captivity and later release by Native Americans in the Mojave Desert region when she was a teenager. While traveling from Illinois to California, her family was attacked by a small group from a Native American tribe. They clubbed many to death, left her brother Lorenzo for dead, and enslaved Olive and her younger sister Mary Ann, holding them captive for one year before they traded them to the Mohave people, where they were well treated. While Lorenzo exhaustively attempted to recruit governmental help in searching for them, Mary Ann died from starvation and Olive spent four years with the Mohave. Five years after the attack, she was repatriated into American society. The story of the Oatman Massacre began to be retold with dramatic license in the press, as well as in her own memoir and speeches. Novels, plays, movies, and poetry were inspired, which resonated in the media of the time and long afterward. She had become an oddity in 1860s America, partly because of the prominent blue tattooing of her face by the Mohave, making her the first known white woman with Native tattoo on record. Much of what actually occurred during her time with the Native Americans remains unknown.

Olive Oatman was an American woman celebrated in her time for her captivity and later release by Native Americans in the Mojave Desert region when she was a teenager. While traveling from Illinois to California, her family was attacked by a small group from a Native American tribe. They clubbed many to death, left her brother Lorenzo for dead, and enslaved Olive and her younger sister Mary Ann, holding them captive for one year before they traded them to the Mohave people, where they were well treated. While Lorenzo exhaustively attempted to recruit governmental help in searching for them, Mary Ann died from starvation and Olive spent four years with the Mohave. Five years after the attack, she was repatriated into American society. The story of the Oatman Massacre began to be retold with dramatic license in the press, as well as in her own memoir and speeches. Novels, plays, movies, and poetry were inspired, which resonated in the media of the time and long afterward. She had become an oddity in 1860s America, partly because of the prominent blue tattooing of her face by the Mohave, making her the first known white woman with Native tattoo on record. Much of what actually occurred during her time with the Native Americans remains unknown.

Olive Oatman was an American woman celebrated in her time for her captivity and later release by Native Americans in the Mojave Desert region when she was a teenager.While traveling from Illinois to California, her family was attacked by a small group from a Native American tribe. They clubbed many to death, left her brother Lorenzo for dead, and enslaved Olive and her younger sister Mary Ann, holding them captive for one year before they traded them to the Mohave people, where they were well treated. While Lorenzo exhaustively attempted to recruit governmental help in searching for them, Mary Ann died from starvation and Olive spent four years with the Mohave. Five years after the attack, she was repatriated into American society. The story of the Oatman Massacre began to be retold with dramatic license in the press, as well as in her own memoir and speeches. Novels, plays, movies, and poetry were inspired, which resonated in the media of the time and long afterward. She had become an oddity in 1860s America, partly because of the prominent blue tattooing of her face by the Mohave, making her the first known white woman with Native tattoo on record. Much of what actually occurred during her time with the Native Americans remains unknown.

William Preston Longley (aka "Wild Bill" Longley) was known for his nasty temper, racist viewpoints, and murderous ways. He was rumored to have killed at least 32 people, mostly African Americans. Born on October 6th, 1851 and died by hanging on October 11th, 1878. Listen to Bill’s short lived life and ruthless ways in a post Civil War America.

Justin and Matt sit down and interview Haunted Bisbee and get to hear all kinds of awesome stories!!!Joey and Zandra moved to Bisbee in 2020 spontaneously. They only knew that it only took one short visit to fall head over heels in love with the city! That love story continued and the more they loved the place, the more they wanted to share it. They learned everything they could, and realized they wanted to start a tour of their own, with Zandra’s leadership as the tour’s rocket fuel. The only and best way to do it was to contact the city’s most famous historian, Francine Powers, the original Haunted Bisbee Ghost Tour Guide. Thus, the Haunted Bisbee Historical Tours was resurrected.

Charley Parkhurst, or also known as “One-eyed Charley” or “Six horse Charley”, was a famous stage coach driver during the gold rush of California and lived a pretty exciting life. Charley retired from stage coach driving once the railroad started cutting into the business. He then retired in California and died 15 years later on December 18, 1879. It was then discovered that Charley was in fact a female and at one time, bore one child. It was also concluded later that in 1868, she may have been the first person of the female sex to vote in a presidential election in California.

Born to slave parents in 1838 in Crawford County, Arkansas, Bass Reeves would become the first black U.S. Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi River and one of the greatest frontier heroes in our nation’s history. Over the 35 years that Bass Reeves served as a Deputy United States Marshal, he earned his place in history by being one of the most effective lawmen in Indian Territory, bringing in more than 3,000 outlaws and helping to tame the lawless territory. Killing some 14 men during his service, Reeves always said that he “never shot a man when it was not necessary for him to do so in the discharge of his duty to save his own life.”