Nothing affected settlement of the American West more than construction of the transcontinental railway that connected the Wild West to the civilized East. We spotlight tools as well as techniques used to build tracks, bridges, and tunnels through mountains of solid granite. We also explore technology developed to make trains less vulnerable to bandits and train wrecks--better tracks and rails, arming mechanics with guns, and use of the telegraph as a warning system. Keith Carradine narrates.

During the 1800s, the road west in America was a dangerous path into the unknown. As pioneers headed toward a new life, they faced unpredictable weather, uneven trails, and sometimes unforgiving Native Americans. Remarkable feats of engineering, such as blasting mile-long tunnels or building a bridge to span 300 feet across a mighty river, helped tame the frontier. Host David Carradine discovers the amazing advances made by settlers and the technology they used to help them on their journey into the vast wilderness.

A no-bull episode that roams the range, hunting for the gritty truth behind the Old West's most enduring figure. Host Keith Carradine examines the cowboy's trade tools--from saddle to spurs--and undergoes the dangers of a cattle drive.

In the Wild West, no single lawman could possibly stop a gang of desperate outlaws. Host David Carradine recreates stories of the bravest and most brutal hoodlums that ever roamed the rowdy and reckless western wilderness. From the stagecoach bandits of gold-rush California to the bloody scalp-hunters of the Southwestern border, we explore the various personalities, motives, and crimes of each gang. And we examine the sophisticated arsenal that these desperadoes employed to pull off their criminal capers, including the 1841 Mississippi Rifle, the Remington Model 8 Semiautomatic, bulletproof vests, and the deadly Arkansas Toothpick--a long, heavy, balanced dagger synonymous with the American frontier.

The frontier was full of rivers that needed taming and mountains begging to be blasted--and our forebears hoisted a hefty bag of tools to help them do it all. But of course, no one expected a frontier so dangerous--or so tempting! Trains, ships, towns--nothing could stop our expansion, until those technological monsters started biting back. Even then, we didn't always learn, and sometimes, it took massive disasters to teach us some very tough lessons. In this episode, we'll see how man's folly, pride, and stupidity led to some of the Wild West's worst catastrophes.

Featuring expert demonstrations, we focus on technologies used by the U.S. military after the Civil War in the western frontier, and show how some of the greatest advancements laid the groundwork.

In the wilds of the American West, average citizens often stepped into the fray to keep their towns from being taken over by society's dregs. It seemed like pickpockets and pimps rolled into main street the moment gold was struck.

The trek west was a dangerous one--if the elements didn't get you, disease, hostile people, starvation, and accidents of all kinds could. There were no 911 calls at the time. Hospitals were few and far between. Chances of recovering from illness or mishaps were slim or none. This episode takes a look at how settlers met their deaths. Technology, in particular, played a hand. The reaper, for example, was responsible for the passing of many. As it sped up harvesting, it increased the speed at which farm workers were maimed--or worse. Then there were trains, wild animals, and "friendly" innkeepers, who in the end, weren't so nice.

Nothing affected settlement of the American West more than construction of the transcontinental railway that connected the Wild West to the civilized East. We spotlight tools as well as techniques used to build tracks, bridges, and tunnels through mountains of solid granite. We also explore technology developed to make trains less vulnerable to bandits and train wrecks--better tracks and rails, arming mechanics with guns, and use of the telegraph as a warning system. Keith Carradine narrates.

During the 1800s, the road west in America was a dangerous path into the unknown. As pioneers headed toward a new life, they faced unpredictable weather, uneven trails, and sometimes unforgiving Native Americans. Remarkable feats of engineering, such as blasting mile-long tunnels or building a bridge to span 300 feet across a mighty river, helped tame the frontier. Host David Carradine discovers the amazing advances made by settlers and the technology they used to help them on their journey into the vast wilderness.

A no-bull episode that roams the range, hunting for the gritty truth behind the Old West's most enduring figure. Host Keith Carradine examines the cowboy's trade tools--from saddle to spurs--and undergoes the dangers of a cattle drive.

In the Wild West, no single lawman could possibly stop a gang of desperate outlaws. Host David Carradine recreates stories of the bravest and most brutal hoodlums that ever roamed the rowdy and reckless western wilderness. From the stagecoach bandits of gold-rush California to the bloody scalp-hunters of the Southwestern border, we explore the various personalities, motives, and crimes of each gang. And we examine the sophisticated arsenal that these desperadoes employed to pull off their criminal capers, including the 1841 Mississippi Rifle, the Remington Model 8 Semiautomatic, bulletproof vests, and the deadly Arkansas Toothpick--a long, heavy, balanced dagger synonymous with the American frontier.

The frontier was full of rivers that needed taming and mountains begging to be blasted--and our forebears hoisted a hefty bag of tools to help them do it all. But of course, no one expected a frontier so dangerous--or so tempting! Trains, ships, towns--nothing could stop our expansion, until those technological monsters started biting back. Even then, we didn't always learn, and sometimes, it took massive disasters to teach us some very tough lessons. In this episode, we'll see how man's folly, pride, and stupidity led to some of the Wild West's worst catastrophes.

Featuring expert demonstrations, we focus on technologies used by the U.S. military after the Civil War in the western frontier, and show how some of the greatest advancements laid the groundwork.

In the wilds of the American West, average citizens often stepped into the fray to keep their towns from being taken over by society's dregs. It seemed like pickpockets and pimps rolled into main street the moment gold was struck.

The trek west was a dangerous one--if the elements didn't get you, disease, hostile people, starvation, and accidents of all kinds could. There were no 911 calls at the time. Hospitals were few and far between. Chances of recovering from illness or mishaps were slim or none. This episode takes a look at how settlers met their deaths. Technology, in particular, played a hand. The reaper, for example, was responsible for the passing of many. As it sped up harvesting, it increased the speed at which farm workers were maimed--or worse. Then there were trains, wild animals, and "friendly" innkeepers, who in the end, weren't so nice.

Nothing affected settlement of the American West more than construction of the transcontinental railway that connected the Wild West to the civilized East. We spotlight tools as well as techniques used to build tracks, bridges, and tunnels through mountains of solid granite. We also explore technology developed to make trains less vulnerable to bandits and train wrecks--better tracks and rails, arming mechanics with guns, and use of the telegraph as a warning system. Keith Carradine narrates.

During the 1800s, the road west in America was a dangerous path into the unknown. As pioneers headed toward a new life, they faced unpredictable weather, uneven trails, and sometimes unforgiving Native Americans. Remarkable feats of engineering, such as blasting mile-long tunnels or building a bridge to span 300 feet across a mighty river, helped tame the frontier. Host David Carradine discovers the amazing advances made by settlers and the technology they used to help them on their journey into the vast wilderness.

A no-bull episode that roams the range, hunting for the gritty truth behind the Old West's most enduring figure. Host Keith Carradine examines the cowboy's trade tools--from saddle to spurs--and undergoes the dangers of a cattle drive.

In the Wild West, no single lawman could possibly stop a gang of desperate outlaws. Host David Carradine recreates stories of the bravest and most brutal hoodlums that ever roamed the rowdy and reckless western wilderness. From the stagecoach bandits of gold-rush California to the bloody scalp-hunters of the Southwestern border, we explore the various personalities, motives, and crimes of each gang. And we examine the sophisticated arsenal that these desperadoes employed to pull off their criminal capers, including the 1841 Mississippi Rifle, the Remington Model 8 Semiautomatic, bulletproof vests, and the deadly Arkansas Toothpick--a long, heavy, balanced dagger synonymous with the American frontier.

The frontier was full of rivers that needed taming and mountains begging to be blasted--and our forebears hoisted a hefty bag of tools to help them do it all. But of course, no one expected a frontier so dangerous--or so tempting! Trains, ships, towns--nothing could stop our expansion, until those technological monsters started biting back. Even then, we didn't always learn, and sometimes, it took massive disasters to teach us some very tough lessons. In this episode, we'll see how man's folly, pride, and stupidity led to some of the Wild West's worst catastrophes.

Featuring expert demonstrations, we focus on technologies used by the U.S. military after the Civil War in the western frontier, and show how some of the greatest advancements laid the groundwork.

In the wilds of the American West, average citizens often stepped into the fray to keep their towns from being taken over by society's dregs. It seemed like pickpockets and pimps rolled into main street the moment gold was struck.

The trek west was a dangerous one--if the elements didn't get you, disease, hostile people, starvation, and accidents of all kinds could. There were no 911 calls at the time. Hospitals were few and far between. Chances of recovering from illness or mishaps were slim or none. This episode takes a look at how settlers met their deaths. Technology, in particular, played a hand. The reaper, for example, was responsible for the passing of many. As it sped up harvesting, it increased the speed at which farm workers were maimed--or worse. Then there were trains, wild animals, and "friendly" innkeepers, who in the end, weren't so nice.