Henry Plummer is one of the most controversial figures in Old West history. Was he really the Outlaw Sheriff of Bannack — a lawman secretly leading a gang of road agents, robbers, and killers across the Montana gold fields? Or was he a flawed but innocent man, hanged without a trial by the Montana Vigilantes during one of the most debated episodes of frontier justice?In this episode, we follow the life of Henry Plummer from his early years in Maine, to the California Gold Rush, Nevada City, Bannack, and the violent world of the 1860s mining camps. We examine the accusations that Plummer led the so-called "Innocents," a supposed gang of road agents connected to robberies, murders, stagecoach attacks, and disappearances around Bannack and Alder Gulch. But we also look at the other side — the lack of hard evidence, the questionable confessions, the vigilante accounts, and the possibility that Plummer was wrongly executed.This episode explores the full story of Henry Plummer, the Montana Vigilantes, Erastus “Red” Yager, George Ives, Boone Helm, Clubfoot George Lane, Buck Stinson, Ned Ray, and the violent struggle between law, crime, and vigilante justice in the American frontier. Was Henry Plummer truly a criminal mastermind, or did the vigilantes hang a sheriff and then write the story that made it justice?Comment below after watching: was Henry Plummer guilty, innocent, or somewhere in between? I am genuinely curious of y'alls opinion on this!Wild West Deep Dives is a Top 50 History Podcast in the United States. Thank you all for helping make that possible — your support, comments, shares, and subscriptions mean more than you know. Y'all are absolutely amazing!!#HenryPlummer #OutlawSheriff #OldWestHistory #WildWest #MontanaVigilantes #BannackMontana #WesternHistory #FrontierJusticeSources for Episode;Henry Plummer https://historynet.com/henry-plummer/Henry Plummer – Sheriff Meets a Noose https://www.legendsofamerica.com/mt-henryplummer/ The Mysterious Henry Plummer By Maurice E. Smith https://historynet.com/the-mysterious-henry-plummer/ The Vigilantes of Montana By Thomas Josiah Dimsdale & Alva Josiah Noyes https://archive.org/details/vigilantesofmont01dims/page/20/mode/2up?q=Plummer Vigilante Days and Ways; The Pioneers of the Rockies By Nathaniel Pitt Langford https://archive.org/details/vigilantedaysan00unkngoog/page/316/mode/2up?q=helm

In this episode of Wild West Deep Dives, we explore the dark and disturbing legend of Boone Helm — the outlaw remembered as one of the most feared names of the American frontier.Born in Kentucky, raised on the Missouri borderlands, and driven west by violence, Boone Helm’s life became a trail of murder, robbery, survival, and infamy. From the California gold fields to Oregon, from the frozen wilderness near Fort Hall to the mining camps of Florence and Virginia City, Helm’s name became tied to some of the most chilling stories in Old West history.Known as the “Cannibal Outlaw,” Boone Helm was accused of killing, robbing, and even eating the men who traveled beside him. But where does the truth end and the legend begin?This is the story of Boone Helm — murderer, thief, road agent, and one of the darkest legends of the American West.I also want to take a moment to say thank you. Wild West Deep Dives recently reached the Top 50 History Podcasts in the United States, and that is only possible because of everyone who listens, shares, comments, and supports the show. I started this with a microphone, a computer, and a love for telling history, so to see it reach that level is truly unbelievable. Thank you all for being part of it.#WildWestDeepDives #BooneHelm #CannibalOutlaw #OldWest #WildWest#AmericanWest #OutlawHistory #WesternHistory #OldWestOutlaws #VirginiaCity #MontanaHistory #FrontierHistory #TrueWest #HistoryPodcast #DarkHistorySources; Levi Boone Helm – Murderer, Cannibal & Thief By Emerson Hough, 1907 https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-boonehelm/ Jack Gallager – Deputy Sheriff Hanged https://www.legendsofamerica.com/jack-gallager/ Photo of Jack Gallager’s HeadstoneKentucky Cannibal in Cariboo; A Story of the Killer Boone Helm By Ron Young https://www.barkerville.com/vol10/boonehelm.html Vigilante Days and Ways; The Pioneers of the Rockies By Nathaniel Pitt Langfordhttps://archive.org/details/vigilantedaysan00unkngoog/page/74/mode/2up?q=helm

John Selman killed John Wesley Hardin—but that’s not the whole story.Before Hardin was shot inside the Acme Saloon, another man had already been killed. And before a year had passed, Selman would be dead as well. What happened in El Paso in 1895 wasn’t just a single act of violence—it was part of a chain.In this episode, we break down the full story of John Selman: lawman, outlaw, and one of the most controversial figures of the Old West. From cattle rustling and the Lincoln County chaos to the killing of Hardin and Selman’s own violent end, this is the complete, fact-driven account.If you enjoy detailed, research-based Old West history, be sure to subscribe to Wild West Deep Dives for more episodes like this.#JohnSelman #JohnWesleyHardin #WildWestDeepDives #oldwesthistory #westernhistory #gunfighters Sources for Episode;John Selman – Wicked Lawman and Vicious Outlaw Legends of America https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-johnselman/ The Life and Legacy of John Henry Selman: Outlaw to Lawman By; Leon C. Metz https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/selman-john-henry Dead Right: The Lincoln County War By C. R. Caldwell https://books.google.com/books?id=HSysw_UbEIQC&pg=PA240#v=onepage&q=selman&f=false ‘He was bad’: A brief sketch of J.W. Hardin’s eventful career By Trish Long: El Paso Times https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/history/2025/08/21/john-wesley-hardin-meets-his-fate-shot-by-john-sellman/85740459007/