Weapons From The Frontier You Don’t See Every Day | Planet Tyrus

On this episode of Planet Tyrus, Tyrus sits down with self-taught historian & anthropologist Jeff Hengesbaugh, a lifelong collector of frontier artifacts whose collection has supplied props for major productions (including America Primeval). Jeff shares the wild story of traveling 3,000 miles on horseback from the outskirts of Phoenix to British Columbia using mountain-man style gear, learning survival the hard way: lost horses, scarce water, hunger, and changing ecosystems. You’ll also see hands-on artifacts in-studio including historic rifles and a special gift.

00:00 Jeff’s historic Fox News entrance

01:20 Jeff’s “extreme history” life + movie prop collection

03:50 The 3,000-mile horseback journey to British Columbia

7:16 Water, hunger, horses, and survival lessons

17:26 The lost Hawken rifle + why it mattered in the West

22:59 Proving it’s a Hawken

24:56 The Jim Beckwourth connection + signature discovery

35:36 Tyrus holds Beckwourth’s rifle

39:42 Flintlock vs percussion & why the Hawken changed everything

55:05 Skunk hat + piñon coffee wrap up