Join us this week as Marguerite shares the story of Charley Parkhurst was one of the toughest stagecoach drivers in the American West—a cigar-smoking, whiskey-drinking, foul-mouthed legend known as "One-Eyed Charley." But decades after earning a reputation for fearless driving through California's Gold Rush country, the biggest surprise came only after death. Born Charlotte Darkey Parkhurst in 1812, Charley spent most of life living as a man, mastering an occupation considered far too dangerous for women. In this episode, Marguerite takes us down the winding mountain roads of the Wild West to explore the remarkable life of a stagecoach driver who faced highway robbers, survived a devastating injury that cost an eye, and may have become the first person assigned female at birth to cast a vote in a California presidential election. Was Charley simply doing whatever it took to earn freedom and opportunity, or was there something deeper behind the identity carefully guarded for more than 30 years? Join us as we separate legend from documented history and uncover the extraordinary story of one of the Old West's most fascinating and misunderstood figures.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/menopause-is-murder--6789914/support.