Shootout on the Juneau Wharf

08/07/2025 7 min Temporada 2025 Episodio 250708

Listen "Shootout on the Juneau Wharf"

Episode Synopsis

On July 8, 1898, one of the Wild West’s most infamous con men met his end not in a saloon or a courtroom, but on a weathered dock at the edge of Skagway, Alaska. Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith had made a career out of charming suckers and swindling prospectors, running everything from fake lotteries to rigged card games. He called himself a protector of order, but the people of Skagway saw through the illusion. When Soapy’s gang robbed a returning miner of his gold, the town finally had enough. What followed was a tense standoff between vigilantes and outlaws that exploded into a deadly shootout on the Juneau Wharf. This episode of Dave Does History dives deep into the man, the myth, and the final moments that ended a criminal empire with a crack of gunfire. It's a true tale of greed, grit, and a town that decided to fight back.