death in the west

D.B. Cooper 50th Anniversary Episode

December 6, 2021 DITW Bonus Material!, Episodes, Season Two 00:29:46

Before season two kicks off in earnest on 1/4/22, here’s a quick primer into the legendary case that will be part of our focus during the upcoming series. Fifty years ago this week, on 11/24/1971, a man calling himself “Dan Cooper” hijacked a Northwest Orient flight from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon and demanded a $200,000 ransom from the airline. What happened next would make the mystery man–who would be remembered as “DB Cooper”–an iconic figure in the outlaw history of the west and inspire half a century’s worth of investigation and speculation: he jumped.

Episode 10: Butte/America

December 18, 2020 DITW Episodes, Season One 01:04:27

In the final episode of season one, we examine Frank Little’s legacy a century after his death and hear the theories of his murder from leading experts. Plus, one final trip to Butte, Montana, as locals grapple with the mining town’s past, present and future.

For episode transcripts, go here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14CGmKknaov2o9UNejGp20XpOYWOGVnF7. 

Episode 9: Why Copper is Red

December 8, 2020 DITW Episodes, Season One 01:07:37

In episode nine, after two years interviewing experts and sifting through the evidence, we present our best theory of who killed Frank Little. We also spend some quality time with the rogues gallery of crooked cops, seedy businessmen, company gunmen, corporate lawyers and patriotic vigilantes who’ve been linked to the murder over the years.

For episode transcripts, go here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14CGmKknaov2o9UNejGp20XpOYWOGVnF7. 

Episode 8: Theories

December 1, 2020 DITW Episodes, Season One 00:58:20

In episode eight, we begin to comb through the many theories surrounding Frank Little’s unsolved murder and meet some of the case’s most colorful researchers. Plus, after Little’s death, the federal government cracks down on the IWW.

For episode transcripts, go here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14CGmKknaov2o9UNejGp20XpOYWOGVnF7. 

Episode 5: The Message

October 27, 2020 DITW Episodes, Season One 00:49:33

In episode five, Montana’s Copper Kings do battle in court, the state legislature, the press and even the underground tunnels of Butte’s mines. Frank Little assumes a leadership role during the IWW’s free speech fight in towns across the West.

For episode transcripts, go here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14CGmKknaov2o9UNejGp20XpOYWOGVnF7. 

Episode 4: A Western War

October 20, 2020 DITW Episodes, Season One 00:47:39

In episode four, a brazen bombing kills Idaho’s ex-governor, and the ensuing rift in the labor movement puts Frank Little on a collision course with history. Plus, Zach and Leif go 100 feet down a mine called Orphan Girl to see what life was like for Butte, Montana’s underground workers.

Episode 2: Poisonville

October 6, 2020 DITW Episodes, Season One 00:40:19

In episode two, the wildest city in the West gives Frank Little a grand funeral, but making the man a martyr leaves his real life largely unexplored. Meanwhile, what do a high-powered corporate attorney, a thuggish police detective and a hook-handed gunman have in common? They’ve all been implicated in Little’s murder over the years.

For episode transcripts, go here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14CGmKknaov2o9UNejGp20XpOYWOGVnF7. 

Episode 1: 3-7-77

September 29, 2020 DITW Episodes, Season One 00:41:28

In episode one, we re-open the case of Frank Little, a union organizer whose brutal unsolved murder shocked the nation during the tumultuous summer of 1917. Our team travels to the mining city of Butte, Montana and reconstructs the night of the crime, including using vintage maps to pinpoint the secluded site of Little’s murder.