Legends of the Old West

Captain Jack Hays, Samuel Walker and a company of rangers fight a small battle with Comanches that has a big impact on history of the American West. The United States goes to war with Mexico and General Zachary Taylor enlists the help of the Rangers. The U.S. army marches into Mexico and the Rangers lead the charge from the Battle of Palo Alto to the Battle of Monterrey. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com

After the Texas revolution and the Great Comanche Raid, a Tennessean named John Coffee Hays rises to prominence as the commander of the Texas Rangers. Hays, along with captains Ben McCulloch, Samuel Walker and "Bigfoot" Wallace fights bandits in the Nueces Strip and Comanches on the frontier. The rangers are on the front lines as Mexico sends hundreds of troops into Texas. Texas responds by sending the rangers to Mexico on the disastrous Mier Expedition.

They wore no uniforms. They implored no dress codes. But the men of the "spy companies" or "mounted volunteers" were easily recognized by their gruff appearance, superior horses and array of weapons. In the years between the Texas revolution and the American Civil War, these men became officially known as the Texas Rangers. Legendary commanders led the Rangers through battles with Comanches, bandits and the Mexican army. Welcome to Season 5: Texas Rangers.

The final episode of our three-part series on the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Former Chief Operating Officer Leroy Shafer tells a great story about the Jackson 5 (1:58) and then we hear from Robert Earl Keen (4:08) and Lyle Lovett (15:31). The two legendary Texas musicians talk about the Rodeo, music, songwriting, books, horses and much more. For more details, visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com and www.rodeohouston.com 

The second episode of our three-part series on the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo focuses on the rodeo. Catherine Schultz, Managing Director of Sports and Events Presentations, talks about the unique features of the Rodeo (1:57). Then five-time world champion steer wrestler Luke Branquinho discusses a range of topics, from the need to keep the cowboy culture alive, to his first experience at RODEOHOUSTON, to the time a steer almost ripped his pants off, and more (14:08).

The first of three special episodes that go behind the scenes of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. We learn about the history and agricultural mission from President and CEO, Joel Cowley (3:05); we hear about the army of volunteers from Chairman of the Board, Jim Winne (24:57); and we finish with the story of George Strait's legendary 1983 performance, as told by former Chief Operating Officer, Leroy Shafer (35:42).

The army is shocked by Fetterman's Fight. The following spring, Red Cloud resumes his attacks and politicians in the east are stunned by his ability to keep a multi-tribal coalition in place for two fighting seasons in a row. They see no end to the bloodshed, so they finally agree to Red Cloud’s demands. A Native American army forces the United States to sue for peace for the first and only time in its history. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com

After months of continuous attacks by Red Cloud’s forces, Crazy Horse argues the time is right for an all-out assault. It is winter 1866 and the small army outpost is virtually isolated on the High Plains. On December 21, Crazy Horse lures American soldiers into a trap and Red Cloud unleashes his war party… For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com

In the summer of 1866, an untested colonel leads a battalion of infantry onto the High Plains. His mission is to open the Bozeman Trail and build a series of forts in the Powder River Country. Red Cloud issues a declaration of war to protect his cherished hunting grounds and begins a campaign of harassment that takes a heavy toll on on the soldiers. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com

After hearing the story of the Sand Creek Massacre, Red Cloud makes his first coordinated attacks on army outposts on the High Plains. In response, the U.S. Army sends thousands of troopers in pursuit of Red Cloud. They surprise him in his camp, but then the soldiers learn the hard lessons of a fighting season on the frontier. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com

Red Cloud rises from an obscure child with an alcoholic father to war chief of the Oglala band of the Lakota. As white civilization begins to destroy the Lakota way of life, he calls for war. But older chiefs urge patience. Then the Sand Creek Massacre happens and the march toward war begins.

Red Cloud was the most feared and respected war chief on the northern plains in the 1860s. He watched the Lakota way of life crumble as the American nation expanded west. He built an unprecedented Native coalition. In 1865, he began to fight back. In 1866, he declared war.

Season Three Finale... Three years after the Northfield raid, Jesse assembles a new gang to resume his career as a robber, but he quickly spirals downward into paranoia and suspicion. One by one, the new gang members fall as the law closes in on Jesse. A young man named Robert Ford brings the story to an end, and truly launches the legend. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com

The Northfield raid was a disaster, and now the surviving members of the James-Younger gang face a desperate struggle to escape Minnesota. Hundreds of men chase them through the countryside until the outlaws are forced to make hard choices about their futures. They display extraordinary stamina as they outrun nearly all of the lawmen on their trails. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com

The story of the catastrophic Northfield Raid begins... the James-Younger gang travels to Minnesota hoping for an easy score. Instead, they get shot to pieces by the townsfolk of Northfield while attempting to rob the First National Bank. It's the turning point for the gang. In the aftermath, nothing will be the same. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com