The fictional dates of Tales of Wells Fargo

In "Red Ransom" 8 February 1960, someone fears an Indian attack on the town and another Fetterman Massacre, but doesn't speak of another Little Bighorn.

So "Red Ransom" might be after news of the Fetterman Massacre of 21 December 1866 reached the area about January 1867, and before news of the Little Bighorn on June 25-26, 1876, reached the area in early July 1876.

I thought that I heard Hardie say that they would take their prisoner to Tuscon, which is Tuscon, Arizona. And they mentioned taking the morning stage to Prescott, which is Prescott, Arizona.

So the Apaches should have been members of some Western Apache group living in Arizona. Since these Apaches have been at peace for a while the episode should be years after the Fetterman Massacre in 1866.

Separate wars with the different western Apache groups started in the early 1860s and were inherited by General James Carleton in 1862. Carleton launched a partially successful campaign against the western Apaches in 1964-65 that failed to end the war, allegedly ordering his troops to exterminate the western Apaches. Certainly J.P. Dunn, in Massacres of the Mountains, 1886, claimed that the US government tried extermination of the Apaches for some time. It has been claimed that the western Apaches thought the Americans wanted to exterminate them but didn't have the power to.

In 1871-72 the US government sought peace with the western Apaches. Envoys Vincent Collyer and General O.O. Howard negotiated treaties and established reservations for all the western Apaches except for the Tontos, who were crushed by General Crook in 1872-73. Then the Apaches realized that the Americas did have the power to exterminate them but didn't want to.

So the fictional date of "Red Ransom" might be either sometime in spring 1873-June 1876, between peace with the western Apaches in Arizona and Custer's Last Stand, or else sometime after 1886 when the last of the occasional outbreaks by small Apache groups ended. Or else in some era of a totally fictional wild west.

Note that episode 23 of season three, "Lolo Montez", 16 February 1959, should happen both a few years before Lola Montez died in 1861 and also after railroads first reached Arizona in 1879 - which is impossible. I can't help wondering if the writer got it backwards and thought it should happen after 1861 and before 1879 instead of before 1861 and after 1879.

The thirteenth episode of the fifth season, "Escort to Santa Fe", 19 December 1960, happens on April 14 & 15, 1865.

"John Wesley Hardin", 30 September 1959, the fourth episode of the second season, should happen sometime between January 27, 1873 and February 26, 1873.

"Two Cartridges", 16 September 1957, the second episode of the second season, should be after Deadwood was founded in early 1876, and also while there is peace with the Sioux Indians, and so after about September, 1877.

"The Break", 19 May 1958, the thirty seventh episode of the second season, happens just after Jesse James is shot, which was on April 3, 1882 in real life, so it might also happen in April 1882 in the fictional universe of Tales of Wells Fargo.

"Belle Starr", 9 September 1957, the first episode of the second season, has Jim Hardee arrest Belle Starr and take her to "Hanging Judge" Isaac Parker who sentences her to prison. Actually Belle Starr was arrested by Deputy US Marshall Bass Reeves in 1883, and sentenced to prison by Judge Parker, which strongly suggests that that "Belle Starr" should happen in 1883. Hardee kills outlaw Blue Duck in the episode, even though Blue Duck died of natural causes in 1895.

"White Indian" 22 September 1958, involves Tommy Macrea, who was 4 years old when sent by train to Dodge City and then by stagecoach to meet his parents, but never made it, and was raised by Indians for 15 years. Since the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway reached Dodge City in September, 1872, "The White Indian" should happen in or after September, 1887 - possibly many years after 1887.

"The Sooners", 3 March 1858, begins shortly before the Oklahoma Land Rush on April 22, 1889, as Hardie says in his opening narration. "Sooners" were criminals who sneaked into the land rush zone ahead of time, thus literally "jumping the gun", and thus had an unfair advantage to stake their claims to be best land ahead of everyone else.

Later in the episode a calendar showing the month of December is glimpsed, so "The Sooners" could last from April to December of 1889.

In any case "The Sooners" begins 24 years after "Escort to Santa Fe", making it amazing how little Jim Hardie seemed to age between the two episodes.