On April 9th, 1892, one man stood alone against 50 hired killers in the wilds of Johnson County, Wyoming. His name was Nate Champion, and what he did over the next twelve hours would go down as one of the greatest last stands in the history of the Old West. Champion was a Texas cowboy who had worked his way north, earned a reputation as a top hand, and made the mistake of filing a claim on land that Wyoming's powerful cattle barons considered their own. When he dared to start a ranch and organize an independent roundup, the Wyoming Stock Growers Association put his name at the top of a kill list. The WSGA was one of the most powerful organizations in territorial Wyoming. Senators, judges, lawmen, and even the acting governor were members. They controlled the roundups, rigged the courts, and when that was not enough, they hired mercenaries to do their dirty work. And it was these mercenaries who surrounded Champion’s cabin on that April morning. What they failed to consider, however, was the mettle of the man inside. Pinned down and outnumbered, Champion fought back for twelve straight hours. And in the middle of the firefight, he picked up a pencil and started writing, documenting the attack in real time as bullets tore through the walls around him. Today, we not only celebrate the life (and death) of Nate Champion, but we take a look at what happens when ordinary people decide to stand up to concentrated wealth and political corruption.
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Frank Canton & the Johnson County War - https://youtu.be/psestaX_qqY?si=uFzNouxA-lBkRzN9
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