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Vintage Western Radio · solgoodmedia.com

Texas Rangers - Death Shaft

April 7, 2026·30 min·1 clip
A Bureau of Mines inspector and a mine owner discover a skeleton with a bashed-in skull and a freshly switched padlock in an abandoned West Texas mine shaft.
The story opens with talk about Willie and the value of his mine. At the store, a man says Willie has been bragging too much. He says he set Willie straight and sent him on his way. That lines up with what Ms. Madden already said. They ask for directions to Willie's place. The route runs north off the road ahead, about five miles out. A dry creek marks where to leave the first trail. Another trail climbs the side of the canyon. The second trail leads straight toward Willie's mine. The country is rough, and the horses have their work cut out. Across the canyon sits Blaisdell's mine. Ahead, they spot digging and a shack built from cast-off material. Galvanized iron, car paper, cardboard, and other junk hold the place together. A stovepipe sticks up through the middle of the roof. Smoke drifts from it, so Willie should be inside. The yard is crowded with barbed wire, tin cans, keys, and bottles. The door stands open. Inside looks like the outside, only more so. A movement in the bushes breaks the stillness. They call out to Willie, and the welcome sounds about as warm as the country.

As heard by us

A skittish miner, a rough trail, and a shack that gives the story its tension.

It opens on Willie, a skittish miner whose claim has already set talk moving with a mine broker. From there, the episode keeps a lean, steady pace: directions are laid out, the trail turns north off the road, a dry creek and canyon bend guide the way, and Willie’s shack comes…

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Why you'd press play

Follow the sheriff from a mine store to a canyon hideout.

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