In 1879, Dodge City balanced laughter and bloodshed—where pranks, politics, and pistols shaped the legend of the frontier. Sheriff Bat Masterson could be both trickster and lawman, turning riots into jokes one day and leading armed posses the next.

This episode of Steel and Silk: The Life of Bat Masterson follows Bat from the prank-filled streets of Dodge to the cannon standoff of the Royal Gorge War, where he commanded gunmen in a railroad battle for empire. It traces his near-death alongside Wyatt Earp, his clash with the Wolf of the Washita, his escort of imprisoned Cheyenne chiefs, and finally, the bitter election defeat that ended his time as sheriff.

By twenty-six, Bat had seen Dodge City turn from loyalty to betrayal. Defeated at the polls but undefeated in spirit, he left the badge behind and rode into a new life—wher ...