Join us as we continue the saga of Thomas Leforge—Horse Rider—on *The Big Fat Podcast*, digging deeper into his life at the Absarokee Crow Agency. Episode 10, Part 2 of 2 in our "They Gazed on the Beartooths" series, explores Chief Blackfoot’s enigmatic burial, the Crow’s shift to farming, and the artifacts that whisper of a frontier in flux. From Mexican Joe Creek to the scouts’ road to Little Bighorn, we uncover Stillwater County’s ties to a pivotal American tale, in partnership with the Museum of the Beartooths. Like, subscribe, and share to keep these stories alive!

Thank You to Penny Redli, Executive Director - Museum of the Beartooths

https://www.museumofthebeartooths.com

**Chapter Timestamps:**

00:00 Introduction: Back at Absarokee Agency

01:00 Chief Blackfoot: A Psychic’s Tale

07:00 Absarokee Unveiled: Building a New Agency

14:00 Adobe Bricks: Crafting History by Hand

17:00 Teacher’s Scalping: A Crow Classroom Clash

22:00 Mexican Joe Creek: A Name Born in Battle

27:00 Shane Family: Roots of a Crow Legacy

33:00 Crow Scouts Enlist: The Road to Little Bighorn

44:00 Artifacts Unearthed: Beads, Buttons, and Bones

57:00 Leforge’s Fate: Survivor’s Guilt and Beyond

1:01:00 Fort Custer: A Post-Battle Outpost

1:08:00 Wrap-Up: A Living History in Stillwater

Saddle up for a wild ride into Montana’s untamed past with Thomas Leforge, a white man who became "Horse Rider" among the Crow. On The Big Fat Podcast, we trace his journey from a settler’s son to a Crow warrior, charging through militia mutinies, vision quests, and the thunderous Battle of Pryor Creek. Episode 9 Part 1 of 2 about Thomas Leforge, in our "They Gazed on the Beartooths" series, uncovers a frontier life woven with courage, kinship, and chaos, in partnership with the Museum of the Beartooths. Like, subscribe, and share to keep these epic tales galloping!

Thank You to Penny Redli, Executive Director - Museum of the Beartooths

https://www.museumofthebeartooths.com

**Chapter Timestamps:**

00:00 Introduction: A White Crow Indian’s Tale

01:00 Thomas Leforge: From Ohio to Montana

07:00 Militia Days: Rough Riders of 1867

14:00 You Should Know: The Wild West’s Lawless Edge

17:00 Adoption by the Crow: Becoming Horse Rider

20:00 Mitch Boyer: A Frontier Friend

25:00 Mission Creek: First Crow Agency Under Siege

29:00 Dead Indian Drippings: A Gruesome Meal

34:00 Relocating the Agency: Stillwater Bound

39:00 Battle of Pryor Creek: Warriors Prepare

46:00 The Daring Line: Horse Rider’s Challenge

53:00 Victory March: Return to Absaroka

58:00 Second Crow Agency: A New Home Unveiled

Dive into the dusty streets of Park City, Montana, where a simmering feud over irrigation water turned deadly on a quiet July morning in 1953. On The Big Fat Podcast, we peel back the layers of a gritty tale—Walter Caine, a rancher with a .45 revolver, and Lester Lesher, his neighbor, clashed in a fatal showdown on a football field. Part of our "They Gazed on the Beartooths" series, this episode unearths journals, news clippings, and a community shaken by vengeance, in partnership with the Museum of the Beartooths and sponsored by Pinnacle Property of Montana. Like, subscribe, and share to keep Montana’s raw history alive!

Thank You to Our Sponsor: Pinnacle Property of Montana

Donna West, Owner/Broker

https://www.pinnacleproperty.com

Thank You to Penny Redli, Executive Director - Museum of the Beartooths

https://www.museumofthebeartooths.com

**Chapter Timestamps:**

00:00 Introduction: A Quiet Morning Turns Deadly

01:00 Park City, 1953: The Journals of Finch Brown

06:00 Ranchers and Roots: Caine and Lesher’s Lives

10:00 Masonic Ties: Brotherhood Before Bloodshed

14:00 July 11, 1953: Shots at Dawn

19:00 You Should Know: Irrigation Wars of the West

21:00 The Scene: A Body by the Ditch

25:00 Coroner’s Inquest: Witnesses Speak

30:00 Guilty Plea: Second Degree Murder

35:00 Sentencing: 15 Years for Caine

42:00 Aftermath: A Farm Auctioned, A Man Unraveled

50:00 Jovene Vodka: A Distillery Detour

57:00 Reflections: Stillwater’s Hidden Histories