Drift & Ramble Podcast

A slight diversion this episode as we present the story "Alphabet" written by Leslie McMurtry with original music by Katherine Seaton and narration by Sarah Golding.

It took a lot of talent to drive a stage coach. Bandits, bad weather, lame horses and broken wheels were only half the battle. Just imagine how cranky customers could get bouncing around the countryside in wooden coach! One driver handled the task with such skill that they became a western legend during their own lifetime. But it was only after One Eyed Charley that real history was made.

Say what you will about Squirrel Tooth Alice. She may have been the west's best known soiled dove, but she was also a business owner, a mother and proud proponent of Prairie Dogs. Special thanks to Rhiannon McAfee of Rex Rivetter Private Eye and to Austin Beach, Drew Profit and Mike Janson of Broken Bard Productions for appearing in this episode. Thanks to Chris Enss and the book Wicked Women. Visit this link to learn more: https://www.amazon.com/Chris-Enss/e/B001H6IQ8E/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

Some of you all were kind enough to contact me about doing more episodes. It really touched me to know how many people wanted to hear more of our little show. I figured, I may as well come clean about how I left things and let you know some new episodes are coming.

What did gold prospecting and hat making share in common in the days of the old west? Answer: Quicksilver! There was a reason that people used to say "mad as a hatter" to describe someone with mental illness. In this episode we venture close to madness and one possible cause for the odd behavior of our fictional friends Lester Creek and Bradford Miller.

Robert wrote, cast, directed and produced this entire episode and there's a lot of talented people to thank for their part in putting this story together. Thanks to Greg McAfee, Commodore James, Pete Lutz, Ben Stevens, Alex Gilmour, Boyd Barrett, Karl A. Nordman, Lisa Rost-Welling, and Lonesome Heights (Be sure check out his page and video of the music he sent us!) And be sure to listen to check out the podcast American West History & Lore for more stories of the American West!

Confederate Captain John S. Mosby never went to West Point but that didn't stop him from becoming one of the foremost experts on Guerrilla warfare during the Civil War. Mosby's midnight raid on Fairfax became the stuff of legends and it ruined military careers for many Union officers but what happened to $350,000 worth of gold, silver and other valuables that was said to have been stolen during the raid? It would be worth over $6 million dollars today.

Buffalo Bill Cody is best remembered as a showman and perhaps the "P.T. Barnum" of the West. But there's more to his story. Aside from being a legend in his own time, he influenced America in some surprising ways and left a lasting legacy in the way we remember the West.

This minisode is a fictional story about 3 gold prospectors. It is a story based on the moral: "the true value of money is in it's use." Written and performed by Steve Blizin. All rights reserved.

It's Egg Nog Season! So, we started a new show called the Nog Blog where Cheryl and I discuss viscosity, rum and other important considerations in choosing your Egg Nog accessories. Oh, sure there's a smidge of Drift & Ramble stuff in here but when it's Egg Nog season, things get weird for a reason.

In this special Halloween episode, we explore the legend of the Navajo Skin Walkers. A subject that many feel is taboo even to speak about today. What we find out is creepy - and perhaps a little more than we wanted to know. This episode is brought to you by Rex Rivetter: Private Eye.

The guys from Audioblivious Productions go on an epic road trip to the Superstition Mountains to look for gold and the Lost Dutchman Mine. Native American folklore says this area could be cursed and may even be the gateway to the underworld. It's just a legend. What could go wrong?

A slight departure from our usual format, Cheryl and I meander through some trivial tidbits from the Wild West including Saloons, The evolution of the Wagon and the strange case of Samuel Colt's lost shipment of six guns. There's even deleted scenes and a ghost story or two!

Annie Oakley rose from abject poverty to become an American icon. She not only bested men in a sport once dominated by them, she went on to prove she was as tough and determined off stage, as she seemed to be while performing. Check out the inspiring story of this woman's rise to fame.

In this first ever edition of "Unscripted," Steve suffers from production burn out and Cheryl wants to become a muse. Things get weird but it's definitely not the Old West. Our regular programming will return shortly!