Chronicles of the Old West

Chronicles of the Old West is one of the newest frontier history podcasts, but it's already showing the kind of quality that earns a perfect 5.0-star rating (albeit from a small pool of 6 reviewers so far). Iron Troubadour Media produces a narrative show focused on the true stories of the American frontier -- the people, places, and pivotal events that defined the era. The current season features a multi-episode biography of Bat Masterson, and that serialized format is the show's biggest strength. Rather than cramming a frontier legend into a single 30-minute slot, each arc unfolds across several 35-to-45-minute episodes. That gives the producers room to build context, explore the social and political landscape around their subjects, and avoid the kind of oversimplification that plagues quick-hit history podcasts. With only 18 episodes released so far, the back catalog is manageable enough to catch up in a weekend. The show covers legendary Native leaders and frontier battles alongside forgotten figures whose stories rarely get told. The production is clean, the pacing is deliberate, and there's a clear ambition to be thorough rather than flashy. It's early days for this podcast, but the foundation is strong. If you like your frontier history told in long-form narrative arcs with genuine attention to overlooked perspectives, Chronicles of the Old West is worth following from the ground floor.