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The Wild West Extravaganza

Nate Champion's Last Stand

The Wild West Extravaganza

Wild West Josh

Education, History

4.8833 Ratings

🗓️ 12 March 2026

⏱️ 18 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On April 9th, 1892, one man stood alone against 50 hired killers in the wilds of Johnson County, Wyoming. His name was Nate Champion, and what he did over the next twelve hours would go down as one of the greatest last stands in the history of the Old West. Champion was a Texas cowboy who had worked his way north, earned a reputation as a top hand, and made the mistake of filing a claim on land that Wyoming's powerful cattle barons considered their own. When he dared to start a ranch and organize an independent roundup, the Wyoming Stock Growers Association put his name at the top of a kill list. The WSGA was one of the most powerful organizations in territorial Wyoming. Senators, judges, lawmen, and even the acting governor were members. They controlled the roundups, rigged the courts, and when that was not enough, they hired mercenaries to do their dirty work. And it was these mercenaries who surrounded Champion’s cabin on that April morning. What they failed to consider, however, was the mettle of the man inside. Pinned down and outnumbered, Champion fought back for twelve straight hours. And in the middle of the firefight, he picked up a pencil and started writing, documenting the attack in real time as bullets tore through the walls around him. Today, we not only celebrate the life (and death) of Nate Champion, but we take a look at what happens when ordinary people decide to stand up to concentrated wealth and political corruption. Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/   Buy Me A Coffee!  https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Check out the website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Join Patreon for ad-free bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Frank Canton & the Johnson County War - https://youtu.be/psestaX_qqY?si=uFzNouxA-lBkRzN9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

On June 18, 2023, Ocean Gate's Titan submersible imploded during an expedition dive to the Titanic,

0:08.7

killing all five on board, including Ocean Gate founder and CEO Stockton Rush.

0:14.4

Numerous industry experts and employees from within Ocean Gate itself had warned Rush of impending doom,

0:20.5

citing safety concerns and a lack of testing.

0:23.6

His hubris, ego, and reckless desire for innovation over all else cost him his life, and that of four others.

0:30.6

The catastrophic destruction of the Titan submersible sent shockwaves through the ocean exploration industry that are still being felt

0:38.0

today.

0:39.5

The Ocean Gate Titan Submersible, a preventable tragedy, a two-part series available now on shipwrecks

0:45.5

and sea dogs.

0:46.8

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

0:51.1

On the morning of April 9, 1892, a small army of mercenaries surrounded a cabin up in Johnson County, Wyoming.

0:58.4

Would-be assassins were financed by wealthy cattle barons, outfitted with brand new weapons, and promised $5 per day, long with a $50 bounty for every man they killed.

1:08.0

And the very first name on their list, a holed up in that cabin I just mentioned,

1:12.0

was 34-year-old cowboy Nate Champion. One man all alone against 50 hardened killers. And what happened

1:19.6

over the course of the next 12 hours would go down as one of the greatest last stands in all

1:23.8

of the Old West. One made all the more remarkable, considering the champion,

1:28.0

remained calm enough to grab a pencil and document the attack,

1:31.7

even as his cabin was riddled with bullets.

1:35.0

More on that in just a moment, but first, just to put things into context,

1:39.0

let's go ahead and take a look at what was happening up there in Wyoming

1:41.6

that ultimately led to such a lopsided standoff.

1:45.8

You see, the cattle industry experienced one hell of a boom following the Civil War.

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