Hope everyone had an amazing 4th of July! Happy 250th!

In 1863, Colorado Territory was gripped by fear.A series of brutal killings spread across the mountain roads, mining camps, ranches, and lonely settlements of southern Colorado. The killers became known as the Bloody Espinosas — Felipe Espinosa and those who rode with him — and for a time, soldiers, posses, and lawmen could not stop them.Then Fort Garland sent for Tom Tobin.Tobin was a mountain man, scout, tracker, and frontier survivor whose life had already carried him through the Santa Fe Trail, Taos, Bent’s Fort, the Taos Revolt, and the dangerous borderlands of New Mexico and Colorado. But his most famous hunt came when he was called to track down Felipe Espinosa and bring an end to one of the darkest chapters in Colorado’s territorial history.In this episode, we dive into the story of the Bloody Espinosas, the fear they created across Colorado, the failed attempts to stop them, and the forgotten tracker who finally ended their reign of terror.This is the story of Tom Tobin: the forgotten mountain man who hunted the Bloody Espinosas.#TomTobin #BloodyEspinosas #WildWestHistory #OldWest #AmericanWest #WesternHistory #ColoradoHistory #MountainMen #FrontierHistory #WildWestDeepDives #FortGarland #KitCarson #TrueWest #HistoryPodcast #OutlawHistory #AmericanHistory #WesternLegends #forgottenhistory Sources for Episode;https://www.metismuseum.ca/media/document.php/14662.Thomas%20Tate%20Tobin.pdfhttps://santafetrail.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Thomas-Tate-Tobin.pdf THIS MAN HUNTED DOWN THE FIRST KNOWN SERIAL KILLERS OUT WEST (3) By; Daniel Sanchez-Leonetti https://historynet.com/this-man-hunted-down-the-wests-first-known-serial-killers/Espinosa Murders Colorado Encyclopedia https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/espinosa-murders Man Hunter Tom Tobin was Kit Carson III’s ‘Other’ Celebrated Grandfather By Gregory Lalire https://historynet.com/man-hunter-tom-tobin-was-kit-carson-iiis-other-celebrated-grandfather/ Tom Tate Tobin – Exploring & Scouting in New Mexico & Colorado https://www.legendsofamerica.com/tom-tobin/ Famous Men of the Santa Fe Trail By Colonel Henry Inman, 1897 https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-santafetrailfamousmen/#tom-tobin

In this episode, we’re breaking down Lawmen: Bass Reeves and comparing the TV series to the real history behind one of the most legendary lawmen of the American West.I really enjoyed the series. It was entertaining, well acted, beautifully shot, and had some incredible moments. If you’re wondering how much of it actually happened, the answer is: some of it did, a lot of it didn’t, and the real Bass Reeves, in my opinion, was even better. The show takes plenty of creative liberties, adds fictional characters, changes real events, and builds a dramatic storyline around Bass Reeves that often goes far beyond the historical record.That being said, the show was not trying to be a documentary, and there are several real events from Bass Reeves’ life woven throughout the series. In this episode, I’ll be breaking down what Lawmen: Bass Reeves got right, what it changed, what it left out, and what appears to be completely fictional.We’ll cover Bass Reeves’ Civil War years, his escape into Indian Territory, Judge Isaac C. Parker, Fort Smith, the outlaws he chased, the murder trial over the death of his cook, and the fictional storylines created for the show.If you want the full historical deep dive, check out my 8-part Bass Reeves series, where I cover his entire life from start to finish.All clips used in this video are from the Paramount+ television series Lawmen: Bass Reeves.#BassReeves #LawmenBassReeves #WildWest #WesternHistory #OldWest #TrueStory #ParamountPlus #Netflix #AmericanWest #historydeepdive 00:00 Intro01:55 Episode 113:32 Episode 217:03 Episode 322:25 Episode 428:27 Episode 533:15 Episode 637:40 Episode 742:57 Finale

Simon Kenton is one of the great frontier names that deserves to be remembered far more than it is. Born in Virginia in 1755, Kenton was still a teenager when one violent moment changed the course of his life. Believing he had killed a man in a jealous fight, he fled west, took on the name Simon Butler, and stepped into the dangerous world of the early American frontier.

What followed was one of the most remarkable lives of the frontier era. Kenton became a hunter, scout, spy, soldier, guide, and survivor. He served during Lord Dunmore’s War, helped defend Boonesborough, saved Daniel Boone’s life during a Shawnee attack, fought in the American Revolution, endured captivity and torture, ran the gauntlet multiple times, and came within moments of being burned alive.

Later, he would fight through the Northwest Indian War, cross paths with Tecumseh, serve in the War of 1812, and live long enough to see the violent frontier of his youth become farms, towns, roads, and memory.

And yet today, Simon Kenton is often overshadowed by men like Daniel Boone & Davy Crockett. In this episode, we dive into the life, legend, hardship, and legacy of Simon Kenton — the runaway boy who became one of the toughest and most respected frontiersmen of early America.

A huge thank you to Jim Cornelius from the Frontier Partisans Podcast and Frontier Partisans website. Jim’s work was a massive help in putting this episode together, and if you enjoy deeply researched frontier history, I highly recommend checking out his work.

Frontier Partisans website: https://frontierpartisans.com

Frontier Partisans Trading Post, including merchandise and books: https://frontierpartisans.com/trading-post/

I also want to thank and credit Peter Kelly from The Woodland Escape, whose Simon Kenton storytelling helped shape parts of this episode, along with Waypoint Survival and Frontier Quest for their excellent videos demonstrating the underground fire method connected to Kenton’s frontier skills.

The Woodland Escape:

https://www.youtube.com/c/thewoodlandescapeWaypoint Survival:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQVNnhMNVeE&t=784s

Frontier Quest:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlmPZVAblaI

#SimonKenton #FrontierHistory #AmericanFrontier #WildWestDeepDives #DanielBoone #DavyCrockett #Tecumseh #LordDunmoresWar #WarOf1812 #KentuckyHistory #OhioHistory #EarlyAmericanHistory #AmericanRevolution #FrontierPartisans #oldwesthistory

Additional Sources;

Simon Kenton – Frontiersman and Soldier, Legends of America https://www.legendsofamerica.com/simon-kenton/

Simon Kenton: Frontiersman, Soldier, Spy, By Mark Wilcox https://emergingrevolutionarywar.org/2020/04/08/simon-kenton-frontiersman-soldier-spy/