Shootout on the Juneau Wharf

On July 8, 1898, one of the Wild West’s most infamous con men met his end not in a saloon or a courtroom, but on a weathered dock at the edge of Skagway, Alaska. Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith had made a career out of charming suckers and swindling prospectors, running everything from fake lotteries to rigged card games. He called himself a protector of order, but the people of Skagway saw through the illusion. When Soapy’s gang robbed a returning miner of his gold, the town finally had enough. What followed was a tense standoff between vigilantes and outlaws that exploded into a deadly shootout on the Juneau Wharf. This episode of *Dave Does History* dives deep into the man, the myth, and the final moments that ended a criminal empire with a crack of gunfire. It's a true tale of greed, grit, and a town that decided to fight back.