Weapons From The Frontier You Don’t See Every Day | Planet Tyrus
Weapons From The Frontier You Don’t See Every Day | Planet Tyrus  
Podcast: Planet Tyrus
Published On: Tue Dec 30 2025
Description: 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices