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How Denver Destroyed the Musgrove Gang

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One of the most gripping chapters of Colorado’s frontier past was the rise and violent fall of L.H. Musgrove and his ruthless gang of horse thieves, highwaymen, and killers. From Edward “Heartless” Franklin holding off 17 U.S. soldiers, to Sanford Duggan’s desperate escape attempts, to the daylight lynching that shocked early Denver, this episode dives deep into the real story behind the West’s most dangerous outlaws.
I uncover how L.H. Musgrove built his operation, how his men terrorized Colorado and Wyoming, and how a city finally snapped — delivering its own brand of frontier justice beneath the Larimer Street bridge.

If you love Wild West history, vigilante justice, outlaw legends, and deep-dive storytelling, you’re in the right place.

Listen to the full podcast on Spotify, I have an 8-part Series on both Bass Reeves & Joe Meek available:
https://open.spotify.com/show/1EgStxXLcoJQpkmDZ8ijGt?si=fc3aeca6a8614fe0

Sources for this Episode;
Hands up; or, Thirty-five years of Detective Life in the Mountains and on the Plains
Cook, David J.; Cook, John W., Colorado-Henkle Collection
https://archive.org/details/handsuporthirtyf00cook/page/112/mode/2up

https://www.reporterherald.com/2017/11/25/musgrove-gang-meets-its-end/
Article by Kenneth Jessen

https://www.reporterherald.com/2017/11/18/larimer-countys-musgrove-gang/
Article by Kenneth Jessen

https://files.arapahoeco.gov/Sheriffs%20Office/Our%20Agency/history/A%20Message%20to%20Outlaws.pdf?t=202312051818230&t=202312051818230

https://jvlbell.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Volume-63.pdf
The Colorado History Gazette

History of Larimer County, Colorado
By Ansel Watrous, 1911
https://archive.org/details/cu31924028878936/page/n113/mode/2up


Sources for Photos

Fort Steele
CC 4.0; Wyatt Perry

Fort Saunders
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/fort-saunders-kansas/

Denver, circa 1860-70
Western History and Genealogy Dept., Denver Public Library, at photosales@denverlibrary.org

Old Overland Hotel
Golden History Museum and Park
https://goldenhistory.pastperfectonline.com/photo/223192ED-CD28-497B-9AB2-692956613940
Category
Highway Men
Tags
LH Musgrove, Edward Franklin, Sanford Duggan
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