
Ep. 25: Thinking About Big History in One Western Place
From Gunfighters by MeatEater
April 7, 2026 · 52 min · Season 1
About this episode
A road trip with Steven Rinella explores 13,000 years of change in the High Plains region.
A road trip with Steven Rinella across the High Plains to the Blackwater Draw Unesco Site on the border of Texas and New Mexico leads to an assessment of 13,000 years of change in one western environment, where people have practiced every kind of life way from hunting elephants to turning the plains into cotton fields and oil country. Subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts. YouTube , Spotify , Apple , iHeart , Pandora , Amazon . MeatEater on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , Youtube , and Youtube Clips Check out more MeatEater's American History audio originals " The Long Hunters " and " Mountain Men " Subscribe to The MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop MeatEater Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
People in this episode
Guest: Steven Rinella
Topics covered
- history
- environment
- hunting
- agriculture
- cultural change
Keywords
- Big History
- Western environment
- hunting elephants
- cotton fields
- oil country
Mentioned in this episode
Places: High Plains, Blackwater Draw Unesco Site, Texas, New Mexico
More episodes of Gunfighters
- Ep. 38: The River That Flowed From Nowhere, Part I · July 21, 2026 · 58 min
- Announcing: Blood Trails, Paradise Prison · July 16, 2026 · 1 min
- Ep. 37: The Wolf Returns to the West · July 14, 2026 · 1h 1m
- Ep. 36: Down the West’s Grandest Canyon · July 7, 2026 · 57 min
- Ep. 35: How the Endangered Species Act Saved the West and America · June 30, 2026 · 56 min
- Ep. 34: Big Bend and the Deserts of the West · June 23, 2026 · 55 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Gunfighters podcast page.