Hoax! – “The Wild West in Palisade, Nevada”

Podcast: Hoax!
Hosts: Dana Schwartz, Lizzie Logan
Release Date: September 29, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode of Hoax!, Dana Schwartz and Lizzie Logan dive into the story of Palisade, Nevada—the mining town that allegedly staged daily Wild West shootouts and spectacles to entertain unsuspecting train passengers. Was it real? Or is the entire story an elaborate piece of satire, a hoax layered upon a hoax? Through their witty, conversational style, Dana and Lizzie unravel not just the legend itself, but what it reveals about America’s hunger for sensational stories, the blurred lines between reality and fiction in the Wild West, and how hoaxes play upon what audiences want to believe.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Wild West as Constructed Myth

• Hollywood & Pop Culture: Lizzie opens by joking about her limited knowledge of the Wild West, referencing “Wild Wild West” (the song and movie), saloons, and Back to the Future 3 ([03:49–04:10]).
• The West as Entertainment: Dana explains how the idea of the “Wild West” was sensationalized even in its own time, through minstrel shows, dime novels, and stage performances ([05:06–08:04]).
  • Quote: “Even in the 1870s, the idea of the west as a piece of popular entertainment was being formed in real time.” —Dana ([07:23])
• Pop History Note: Lizzie brings up Bass Reeves, the Black U.S. Marshal who inspired the Lone Ranger myth, revealing the ways history has been whitewashed ([08:13–08:54]).

2. The Palisade, Nevada Prank

• Setting the Scene: Dana describes Palisade in the late 19th century as a sleepy mining town with far less excitement than the dime novels promised.
  • “To live there is mostly because you’re a miner working in mines 10 hours a day, six days a week...a lot of xenophobia...mostly boring work.” —Dana ([09:53–10:22])
• The Hoax Begins: Starting in 1868, trains stopping in Palisade would encounter staged shootouts, “murders,” and other acts of violence, exactly what passengers expected from the Wild West. The townsfolk, bored and seeking amusement, orchestrated these performances for passing tourists ([10:36–13:41]).
  • Quote: “Basically, the passengers on this train would stop...A scene out of a Wild west dime novel would happen.” —Dana ([11:22])
• No Financial Incentive: The performances were not for profit but simply for the townspeople’s and visitors’ amusement ([14:09]).

3. How the Hoax Worked

• Elaborate Staging: Actors (including hired Native Americans) were paid to participate. Animal blood, blanks, and melodrama completed the illusion.
  • Quote: “They used animal blood from the local slaughterhouse. They would load guns with powder but no ball...they just thought it was fun to trick city folks...” —Dana ([14:58])
• Repeated Acts: According to reports, the townsfolk staged as many as 1,000 such “shows”—one a day for three years ([15:42]).

4. The Satirical Twist: Was Even the Hoax a Hoax?

• Doubt Creeps In: The primary source for this legend is the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, a newspaper known for its satirical articles and with Mark Twain himself as a contributor ([21:19–22:16]).
  • Quote: “[Mark Twain wrote] feats and calamities that we never hesitated about devising when the public needed matters of thrilling interest for breakfast...a ghastly factory of slaughter, mutilation, and general destruction in those days.” —Dana reading Twain ([22:16])
• The Clues within Fake News: Twain’s hoaxes often included hints for locals to recognize the fabrication—but the Palisade story lacks these, leading the hosts to wonder about its authenticity ([25:48–27:11]).
• No Corroborating Evidence: Despite references in later histories, no contemporary letters or additional sources exist apart from the Territorial Enterprise ([27:11–27:54]).

5. Palisade’s Later “Appearance” & Perpetual Mythmaking

• Another Infamous Incident: In 1932, a sensational story emerged that two men carrying dynamite planned to assassinate President Hoover as his train passed through Palisade. The “heroic guard” later admitted he made the story up—revealing the town’s penchant (or reputation) for mythmaking ([35:27–38:23]).
  • Quote: “So it’s a town of liars...either they lied in that they put on shows of things that were fake, or they lied and that they lied about putting on shows.” —Lizzie ([38:23–38:34])

6. Why Do We Want to Believe?

• The Power of Confirmation: The hosts reflect on how hoaxes persist when they reinforce what people already think or hope is true, whether it’s city slickers wanting a “wild” west or towns craving excitement ([42:04–42:35]).
  • Quote: “...people do believe hoaxes when they reinforce what you already think.” —Dana ([42:04])
• Improv, Delight, and Community: Lizzie expresses her love for “let’s put on a show” narratives, drawing connections to modern flash mobs and improv everywhere, and imagining how fun it would be to stage such an act today ([13:41–17:09], [39:11–39:29]).

7. Meta-Hoax and the Movie Version

• The hosts joke about making a movie of the Palisade hoax—whether as a Judd Apatow ensemble comedy or a meta-version like A Bug’s Life ([41:14–43:01]).
• They ponder whether they would fall for such a stunt, emphatically agreeing they would both be delighted to witness and participate ([41:21–41:28]).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Even in the 1870s, the idea of the West as a piece of popular entertainment was being formed in real time.”
  —Dana Schwartz ([07:23])

• “Basically, the passengers...would stop in the 10 minutes that they would be stretching their legs, a scene out of a Wild West dime novel would happen.”
  —Dana Schwartz ([11:22])

• “I absolutely love this.”
  —Lizzie Logan, on discovering Palisade’s prank ([13:41])

• On Mark Twain’s satire:
  “We never hesitated about devising [feats and calamities] when the public needed matters of thrilling interest for breakfast...”
  —Dana reading Twain ([22:16])

• “So it’s a town of liars. Either they lied in that they put on shows of things that were fake, or they lied and that they lied about putting on shows.”
  —Lizzie Logan ([38:23])

• “...people do believe hoaxes when they reinforce what you already think.”
  —Dana Schwartz ([42:04])

• Meta Moment:
  “On Tumblr, the like ‘and then everyone clapped’ thing…writing little fictional stories that sort of reinforce what they think of the world and then they go viral and, like, it’s obviously fake, but you just kind of want to believe it’s real.”
  —Lizzie Logan ([41:45])

Important Timestamps

• 03:38 — Setup: Wild West myth in pop culture and history curriculum
• 05:06–08:04 — Rise of dime novels & Buffalo Bill’s Wild West
• 11:18–13:41 — Description of Palisade’s staged shootouts
• 14:09–15:47 — Mechanics and motivations behind the prank
• 21:19–27:11 — The satirical source of the story & Mark Twain’s hoax journalism
• 35:27–38:23 — The 1932 Hoover assassination attempt: another Palisade hoax
• 42:04 — Why we believe hoaxes (confirmation and expectation)
• 41:14–43:01 — Joking about the movie version and willingness to believe

Final Reflections

Dana and Lizzie expertly blend humor, skepticism, and genuine curiosity to dissect the story of Palisade, Nevada, ultimately leaving listeners pondering: Was the Wild West ever real, or was it always a performance—one as much for ourselves as any outsider? Whether or not Palisade ever staged such spectacles, the story’s endurance reveals just how much we crave wild tales that fit our beliefs and yearnings.

“It’s plausible… There’s no law that says we can’t believe it.”
—Dana Schwartz ([30:08])

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