May 1, The Guns That Tamed the West
The story of how Colt, Remington, and Smith & Wesson became the weapons that truly won the West.
May 2, Bloody Dodge City
The myths and realities of the lawmen, outlaws, ladies of the evening, and famed gun-slinging confrontations that made Dodge City the archetypal Old West town.
May 3, The Texas Rangers
History of the frontier's most feared and fearless lawmen, who combed the wide-open spaces of Texas to track down some of the Old West's most vicious criminals. A Texas Ranger could "ride like a Mexican, trail like an Indian, shoot like a Tennessean, and fight like the very devil." Formed by Stephen F. Austin in 1826 to protect American settlers in the Texas territory, later the Rangers turned to upholding the law and catching train robbers.
May 4, Legendary Cowboys
The story of the West's most famous cowboys and their world of stampeding cattle, blazing gunfights, and dangerous days on the range.
May 7, Crazy Horse
The true story of Crazy Horse, the legendary warrior, mystic, and martyr who led the Sioux to victory over General Custer at Little Bighorn.
May 8, Legends & Folklore of the Old West
Legendary figures and tales of the romantic Old West come alive through the use of film clips, photos, drawings, and reenactments. Includes portraits of Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, train robber Jesse James, and Geronimo.
May 9, Chief Joseph & the Nez Perce War
Account of the remarkable struggle of the Nez Perce Indians to remain free and protect their culture. Ordered off their land, the tribe was led by Chief Joseph on an arduous journey to find sanctuary in Canada. Their incredible spirit and dignity won them many supporters.
May 10, Wild Bill Hickok
Tale of the legendary James Butler Hickok: lawman, scout, frontiersman, gunslinger, and professional gambler. Follows his exploits through the gold rush fields of Deadwood, South Dakota, to the fateful day in 1876, when he drew the infamous "dead man's hand".
May 11, Wild West Shows
A tribute to Buffalo Bill and the other colorful show folk whose Wild West shows entertained audiences around the world.
May 14, The Battle of the Alamo
Sweep aside the historical hype and confront the real facts and controversies surrounding Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, William Bennet Travis, and the Texan defenders of the Alamo. Why did they fight when defeat and death were certain? We examine the impulsive heroics, the fatal miscalculations, and the vain ambitions of three men out to carve their marks into American folklore.
May 15, Westward Ho! The Wagon Train
Recounts the lives of the men, women, and children who packed hopes, dreams, and pots and pans into the backs of rickety Conestoga wagons and trailblazed their way into Western lore.
May 16, Mountain Meadows Massacre
An investigation into the brutal murder of 128 westward-bound pioneers in southern Utah, and how Mormon leaders conspired to keep the horrible crime secret.
May 17, Empire Builders
Story of how four obscure men--Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins--found fame and fortune as railroad builders.
* May 18, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid
The real-life adventures of the man who considered himself the smartest, funniest, and most popular outlaw in the West, and his ladies' man sidekick.
May 21, The James Gang
The tale of the James boys, disenchanted Confederate soldiers whose daring bank and train robberies made them the most notorious outlaws of the American West.
May 22, Trailblazers & Scouts
A fond look back at Kit Carson, Jim Bridger, John Wesley Powell, and the other mountain men, trappers, and pathfinders who blazed the trail westward for starry-eyed pioneers to follow.
May 23, The Lincoln County War
The bloody story of a murder in a sleepy New Mexican town that led to five days of violence and sealed the fate of Billy the Kid.
May 24, The Cattle Barons
The colorful story of how cattle barons rose to power by controlling vast ranches that were larger than some states.
May 25, The Mystic Navajo
The tragic story of the U.S. government's campaign against the Navajo in the 1860s. Includes the activities of Kit Carson, who killed or rounded up every adult Navajo, and sent 8,000 on a forced march to a New Mexico reservation. Thousands died along the way.
May 28, The U.S. Civil War out West
A vivid documentary about one of the rarely told stories of the Civil War--the bloody battles between North and South that took place west of the Mississippi.
May 29, Indians and the Army
The absorbing story of Native-American turncoats--tribesmen who became scouts for the U.S. Army and were called "wolves for the blue soldiers"
May 30, The Law from behind the Tin Star
What kind of man would be a lawman in the lawless West? Here are the motivations and sometimes-questionable methods of the people who wore a badge and tried to civilize the wild frontier.
May 31, Boom Towns to Ghost Towns
The saga of mining and cattle towns in the new frontier, which thrived for a time, but went bust when economic conditions changed.
June 1, Notorious Robberies
A look at how the men who robbed stagecoaches, trains, and banks planned and pulled off their crimes.
June 4, Sitting Bull and the Great Sioux Nation
The mighty Sioux Nation roamed the Great Plains led by their spiritual leader, Sitting Bull. A powerful medicine man who guided his people to numerous victories over the U.S. Cavalry, he foresaw the Battle of Little Big Horn. A year before the massacre, he urged his followers to change their way of fighting. The new tactics brought them victory over Custer. We examine the visionary leadership of the great battle-tested chief in his bloody struggle for survival against white man's encroachment.
June 5, Fathers of Texas
The sagas of Sam Houston and Stephen Austin, leaders of the revolt against Mexico and founders of the state of Texas.
June 6, Famous Forts and Outposts
Story of the wood and stone forts where pioneers found refuge during the great westward migration of the 19th century. Features such famed outposts as Bent's Old Fort, Forts Union, Laramie, Phil Kearny, and Robinson.
June 7, The Donner Party
From hell and back, the saga of what a group of settlers had to endure on the way to the Promised Land. Kenny Rogers hosts.
June 8, The Pinkertons
Founded in Chicago in the 1850s by Allan Pinkerton, the Pinkerton Agency developed methods for tracking down counterfeiters and bank robbers. During the Civil War, its detectives protected Abraham Lincoln, forming the basis for what would become the Secret Service. Later, the private national detective agency helped track down criminals like Jesse James and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, who eluded state, local or railroad authorities.
June 11, Buffalo Bill & His Wild West
Meet the real Buffalo Bill and discover how his traveling show--with its colorful collection of cowboys, Indians, and even Annie Oakley--influenced the modern perception of the "Old West"
June 12, Indian Weapons & the Warrior Societies
Examines the evolution of Native-American weapons from simple food procuring tools to dangerous weapons.
June 13, Headline Hunters of the Old West
The story of how newspapers sensationalized coverage of the West to win readers. Includes accounts of how reporters twisted the facts of the Indian Wars, and how dime novels made Calamity Jane into a Black Hills' beauty and James Butler Hickok into Wild Bill.
June 14, The Rush for Gold
The real story of how gold made millionaires of a few, but spelled disaster for most of the fortune seekers who were lured to the hills.
June 15, Custer and the 7th Cavalry
The saga of one of the most hotly debated events in American history: the massacre of General Custer and over 250 of his soldiers by Sioux warriors at Little Bighorn. Focuses on Custer, the man. Was he a bold hero or egotistical renegade?
June 18, Outlaws: The Ten Most Wanted
Separates fact from fiction about Jesse James, John Wesley Hardin, Billy the Kid, and the Wild West's other most notorious gunslingers. Here are the gruesome truths, exaggerations, and outright lies about their lives.
June 19, The Lewis and Clark Expedition
The story behind the most important voyage of discovery in American history--the journey of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to chart the vast, unknown West from 1803-1806.
June 20, Great Cheyenne Nations: Most Feared of All
The Cheyenne Nations' warriors were the most feared American Indians of the 19th century. Split apart by both the fur traders' desire for buffalo hide and the white settlers' westward expansion along the Oregon Trail, their life quickly turned into a perpetual fight for survival (part 1 of 2)
June 21, Great Cheyenne Nations: The Fight to Survive
Starved by the buffalo hunters' greed and driven from their homeland, the southern Cheyenne struggled to maintain peace on the plains. But for Colonel John Chivington, there could be no peace until every Native American was wiped out.
June 22, Stagecoach and the Pony Express
Follows the riders and drivers who galloped through Indian attacks and stage robberies to forge a communication and travel link between America's east and west.
June 25, The Mexican War
In 1845, with Manifest Destiny his top priority, President James Polk annexed Texas from Mexico, sparking a two-year battle between the two countries.
June 26, The Indian Agents
Were they well-meaning missionaries or political appointees betraying the people they were sent to protect? The story of the impact agents had on reservation life.
Tuesday, September 25 - Sitting Bull and the Great Sioux Nation
The mighty Sioux Nation roamed the Great Plains led by their spiritual leader, Sitting Bull. A powerful medicine man who guided his people to numerous victories over the U.S. Cavalry, he foresaw the Battle of Little Big Horn. A year before the massacre, he urged his followers to change their way of fighting. The new tactics brought them victory over Custer. We examine the visionary leadership of the great battle-tested chief in his bloody struggle for survival against white man's encroachment.
Wednesday, September 26 - The Johnson County War
The bloody saga of the battle between the cattle barons and the homesteaders that raged in Wyoming in 1892. The cattle ranchers went on a rampage and hired mercenaries to kill anyone who stood in their way before the army was called in to restore order
Thursday, September 27 - The Northern Frontier: Canadian West
Story of the pioneers who tamed one of the continent's most forbidding territories. Chronicles the exploits of James Douglas, who brought law and order to the mining boomtowns of British Columbia, and Louis Reil and Gabriel Dumont, who in 1885, started a personal civil war that almost split Canada in two
Friday, September 28 - Quanah Parker: The Last Comanche
Chronicle of the last Comanche leader to surrender his tribe to white authorities. Parker later became a cattle rancher and court judge.
Saturday, September 29 - Crazy Horse
The true story of Crazy Horse, the legendary warrior, mystic, and martyr who led the Sioux to victory over General Custer at Little Bighorn.
* Trivia note: The History Channel says Butch Cassidy made about $120,000 robbing trains, while Paul Newman made over $750,000 playing Butch Cassidy
