A Promise Across The Plains

A Promise Across The Plains

From Wild West Podcast by Michael King/Brad Smalley

April 22, 2026 · 24 min

About this episode

The episode explores the life of Charles Goodnight, a significant figure in Texas Panhandle history, through the lens of a promise made to a dying friend.

Send us Fan Mail A man rides east through New Mexico with a coffin in his wagon, charcoal packed tight to fight decay, because his dying friend asked for one last mercy: don’t bury me in a foreign place. That single promise opens the door to the full, complicated life of Charles Goodnight, one of the most important names in Texas Panhandle history and a key figure of the American cattle frontier. We trace Goodnight’s rise from a hard-schooled teenager on the edge of the Brazos Bottoms to a T...

People in this episode

Hosts: Michael King, Brad Smalley

Topics covered

  • Texas history
  • cattle frontier
  • Charles Goodnight
  • American West
  • personal stories

Keywords

  • Charles Goodnight
  • Texas Panhandle
  • cattle frontier
  • New Mexico
  • American history

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Texas Panhandle, New Mexico, Brazos Bottoms

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