Acclaimed storyteller and local historian Bil Lepp travels off the beaten path across the country to discover the truth behind mysteries and legends of American history.
EPISODE 1
Billy the Kid's Great Escape
Images of the Wild West are inscribed in the American DNA. We've been raised on tales of cowboys with great nicknames dueling it out and then riding off into the sunset. We've consumed so much fiction about the Wild West, it's time to get down to the facts. In search of the truth, Bil Lepp, puts Billy the Kid's famous escape to the test, attempts Annie Oakley's most difficult shot and investigates the validity of the "Tombstone Thunderbird."
EPISODE 2
Steel Drivin' John Henry
Great American folk tales have been passed down for generations, often through word of mouth. While many of the stories snowball into legends over the years, most contain at least a kernel of truth. Bil tries to find that truth as he explores the claim that John Henry out-drilled a steam-powered drill, uncovers if Johnny Appleseed is truly responsible for all our delicious apples, and checks if a mythical cowboy really rode a cougar and wielded a rattlesnake as his lasso.
EPISODE 3
The Real Houdini
Bil pursues the truth around America's most iconic stunts by pulling his very own Houdini, testing if it's possible to survive a plunge over Niagara Falls.
EPISODE 4
Remember the Alamo
Bil aims to answer why exactly we remember the Alamo, how Davy Crockett really died, and if Civil War soldiers were healed by an angel's glow.
EPISODE 5
Hamilton vs Burr
Bil gets his hands dirty to figure out what got the Hatfield's and the McCoy's so worked up, if Hamilton really wasted his shot at Burr, and what actually happened at the O.K. Corral.
EPISODE 6
Secret History of the Bowie Knife
Bil separates fact from fiction surrounding the legendary Bowie Knife, attempts to outshoot Abe Lincoln, and unloads the Colt 45 origin story.
Bil Lepp
David Larzelere