The Wild West Extravaganza

By The Wild West Extravaganza

What's The Wild West Extravaganza about?

True tales from the Old West! Gunfighters, outlaws, lawmen, frontiersmen, and Native Americans – the real people and events that shaped the American frontier.

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The Wild West Extravaganza episodes:

05.01.2024
Legends of the Wild West | Outlaws, Gunfighters, & Lawmen
There is no new episode this week. Instead, I thought I'd share a compilation of previously released material. In this collection of true stories from the Old West, we’ll discuss Comanche Jack Stilwell, his heroics during the Battle of Beecher...
04.24.2024
John Colter | The First Mountain Man
Considered by many to be the first Mountain Man, John Colter first came west with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. When they head back to civilization, Colter instead chooses to stay behind. He’d live with the Crow tribe and go...
04.17.2024
Lewis & Clark | The Journey's End (Part 6)
Today, we’ll follow the Lewis and Clark Expedition as they return to civilization. We’ll also discuss the lives of a few key figures post-expedition. What ever happened to Sacagawea? What about her son, Pomp? How about George Drouillard? Finally, we’ll...
04.10.2024
Lewis & Clark | The Blackfeet (Part 5)
In July of 1806, Captain Meriwether Lewis and three of his companions had a violent confrontation with the Blackfeet, resulting in at least one dead warrior. This encounter would lead to strained relations between the United States and the Blackfeet...
04.03.2024
Lewis & Clark | York & Fort Clatsop (Part 4)
Despite being a slave, York enjoyed unprecedented freedom during the Lewis and Clark expedition. Unfortunately, this would not last, and once back in Missouri, York returned to a life of bondage. Unlike the other men of the Corps of Discovery,...
03.27.2024
Lewis & Clark | The Shoshone (Part 3)
In the spring of 1805, the Lewis and Clark expedition departed from the Mandan and followed the Missouri River west into Montana. They would need to cross the Rocky Mountains before the snow began to fall, and to that, they...
03.20.2024
Lewis & Clark | Sacagawea & Daniel Boone (Part 2)
One aspect of the Lewis and Clark expedition that’s often overlooked is that much of their success hinged largely on the good graces of the various Indigenous people on whose land they were crossing. Today, as we follow the expedition...
03.13.2024
Lewis & Clark | The Corps of Discovery (Part 1)
In the Spring of 1803, the United States acquired the Territory of Louisiana, a largely uncharted tract of wilderness stretching from Canada all the way down to New Orleans, over 800,000 square miles that, as the maps were concerned, remained...
02.29.2024
Introducing American Criminal
From Airship, the studio behind American Scandal, American History Tellers, and History Daily, comes a new true crime history podcast that takes you inside the minds of some of our most notorious felons and outlaws, exploring the dark side to...
02.15.2024
Claude Dallas | Killer Cowboy
They say Claude Dallas was the last of the Mountain Men; A modern-day cowboy and fur trapper just living life on his terms. A throwback to the Mountain Men like Jim Bridger, Jed Smith, and Kit Carson. The only thing...
02.07.2024
Black Cowboys
In this collection of true stories from the Old West, we’ll discuss Bass Reeves, one of the first black deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi. We’ll also take a look at the opposite end of the spectrum with Cherokee Bill...
01.31.2024
Legends and Outlaws | An Old West Marathon
In this collection of true stories from the Old West, we’ll discuss George Parrot, aka Big Nose George – a lesser-known outlaw who had a noose around his neck more times than you'd believe. And that’s just half the story!...
01.24.2024
John Wesley Hardin's Final Stand (Part 4)
John Wesley Hardin killed his first man at the age of 15, and for the next decade, he would continue to kill. The exact number of victims is unknown, but it’s estimated that anywhere from twenty to forty men fell...
01.17.2024
The Sutton-Taylor Feud | John Wesley Hardin (Part 3)
The Sutton-Taylor feud was one of the deadliest of the Old West. On one side you had the Taylor clan – descendants of Virginian Josiah Taylor, who settled near Cuero in DeWitt County. Tough-as-nails patriarchs Pitkin and Creed, along with...
01.10.2024
John Wesley Hardin vs Wild Bill Hickok (Part 2)
John Wesley Hardin – the Old West gunfighter who not only faced down Wild Bill Hickok but also gained infamy for (allegedly) shooting a man merely for snoring! Join me as we examine both of these incidents, as well as...
01.08.2024
The Tall Tales of Jim Bridger | Interview with Rib Hillis & Paul Epstein
Join me in a discussion with actor Rib Hillis and producer Paul Epstein as we discuss the upcoming premiere of INSP’s The Tall Tales of Jim Bridger! As a fur trapper, legendary mountain man Jim Bridger explored the entire distant West...
01.03.2024
John Wesley Hardin: Dark Angel of Texas (Part 1)
In November of 1868 – at just the tender age of fifteen – John Wesley Hardin killed his first man. And, a few weeks later, he’d kill yet again; this time three soldiers who came looking for him. Fearing a...
12.27.2023
Wyatt Earp In His Own Words
Today we hear from the legendary Wyatt Earp, in his own words, as he dispenses sage advice on the art of gunfighting. We’ll also examine the legitimacy of these statements. The passages quoted are from Stuart Lake's biography Wyatt Earp...
12.20.2023
A Blood Meridian Christmas Miracle
Uncover the dark history of the Yuma Crossing and the infamous John Joel Glanton's reign of terror. Learn how Glanton's brutality led to a massacre that sparked the Yuma War and a tense standoff on Christmas Day 1851. Lieutenant Amiel...
12.13.2023
Wooden Leg | Life After Custer
On June 25th, 1876, George Armstrong Custer rode into battle for the last time. He and his troops faced an overwhelming force of Lakota and Cheyenne along the banks of the Little Bighorn, and before the sun sank into the...
12.06.2023
Wooden Leg & the Battle of Little Bighorn
“All around, the Indians began jumping up, running forward, dodging down, jumping up again, down again, all the time going toward the soldiers. Right away, all of the white men went crazy. Instead of fighting us, they turned their guns...
11.29.2023
Soapy Smith | King of the Frontier Con Men
“It’s just as easy to make big money as little money. In my profession, a hundred dollars is just chicken feed. We think in thousands, not tens. Experience has taught me that it is as easy to separate a sucker...
11.22.2023
Harry Tracy | Desperado (Part 2)
This is Part 2 and the final installment in the series on Harry Tracy. In the previous episode we discussed Tracy's early life, his various scrapes with the law, and his dramatic prison escape. On today's episode we'll follow Tracy...
11.17.2023
Billy the Kid (COMPILATION)
In the summer of 1881, Billy the Kid was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett. The lawman had been on the hunt ever since Billy broke out of jail in Lincoln and finally caught up to the bandit at...
11.15.2023
Harry Tracy | The Last of the Wild Bunch (Part 1)
Considered by some to be the last of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch, Harry Tracy blasted his way out of prison in the summer of 1902. What followed was one of the most desperate man hunts in all of U.S. history....
11.08.2023
Bass Reeves | Lawman (Part 2)
Make no mistake about it, the exploits of escaped slave-turned-lawman Bass Reeves are legendary. Described in the papers of his day as a holy terror and one of the greatest manhunters to ever grace Indian Territory, Bass Reeves served as a...
11.01.2023
Bass Reeves | Lawman (Part 1)
Make no mistake about it, the exploits of escaped slave-turned-lawman Bass Reeves are legendary. Described in the papers of his day as a holy terror and one of the greatest manhunters to ever grace Indian Territory, Bass Reeves served as a...
10.21.2023
This is NOT Doc Holliday
There are many purported photos of the legendary Doc Holliday but only two are authenticated. This is a VISUALY DEPENDENT episode. Check the video out here: https://youtu.be/FvIDvi5NdMo?si=P1mn9Byw4Lte9Vun Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me!...
10.16.2023
Uncontacted
There’s just something about uncontacted tribes that’s always piqued my curiosity. Perhaps you’ve heard of Ishi, who, as the last of his people, emerged from California’s Sierra foothills in the summer of 1911. It’s estimated that Ishi was around 50...
10.11.2023
Wild Bill Hickok
James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok was the epitome of the Wild West. Soldier, spy, scout, gambler, lawman, and yes – gunfighter. Friends with other Old West legends like Buffalo Bill Cody, Kit Carson, Calamity Jane, and George Armstrong Custer, Hickok...
10.04.2023
Johnny Ringo's Mysterious Fate
The mysterious, oftentimes sullen gunfighter Johnny Ringo celebrated July 4th, 1882, by going on a bender. And judging by the liquor bottles stashed in his saddlebags he wasn’t planning on the festivities ending any time soon. Few days later Ringo...
09.27.2023
Texas Rangers vs Comanche | The Battle of Antelope Hills
In early 1858, John “RIP” Ford led a detachment of Texas Rangers, along with their Native American allies, on a punitive expedition deep in the heart of Comancheria. Their mission was to catch the Comanche unaware and prove that they...
09.20.2023
John Selman Sr | Killer with a Badge
In the summer of 1895 John Selman Sr gunned down John Wesley Hardin. Considered one of the deadliest shootists of the Old west, Hardin killed his first man at the tender age of fifteen. In the decade that followed dozens...
09.13.2023
Devil Canyon Shootout
In the spring of 1905, a couple of down-and-out cowboys robbed a dice game in Winslow, Arizona. What followed was a literal pursuit to hell, a bloody gunfight, and an Old West Lazurus rising from the grave for one final...
09.06.2023
Ed Scarborough | The Skunk Fighting Arizona Ranger
Ed Scarborough cut his teeth chasing outlaws like Black Jack Ketchum when he was still a teenager. He’d go on to become a deputy sheriff, constable, Arizona Ranger, and according to those who knew him, Ed was born to a...
08.30.2023
Wyatt Earp vs Comanche Jack
Comanche Jack Stilwell worked as a teamster on the Santa Fe Trail, hunted buffalo on the southern plains, and participated in the famous Battle of Beecher Island – all before the age of 19 years of age. Jack continued scouting...
08.29.2023
On The Warpath | My Sixty Years on the Plains
War is hell. I know that sounds cliché but there’s a simple, irrefutable truth in that short yet powerful statement, one that is unchanging through time. Although our modern weapons may not be the same now as they were in...
08.28.2023
Harriet Tubman | Her Half of History
This bonus episode comes to us from Lori Davis and her excellent podcast Her Half of History. Brand new episode of The Wild West Extravaganza still scheduled for Wednesday but I thought I'd go ahead and share this as well....
08.22.2023
Was Billy the Kid's Death a Hoax?
How can we be so certain that Pat Garrett really killed Billy the Kid? Today we take a look at all of the evidence – the eyewitness accounts, official documentation, coroner’s jury report, etc. – all proving that Billy did...
08.16.2023
Pat Garrett | Murder (Part 5)
From investigating the Fountain disappearance to working as Sheriff of Dona Ana County, and appointed as the Collector of Customs by Teddy Roosevelt himself, Pat Garrett seemed to be living up to the notoriety gained from killing Billy the Kid....
08.09.2023
Pat Garrett | The Vanishing of Albert Jennings Fountain (Part 4)
In February of 1896, Albert Jennings Fountain and his 8-year-old son Henry vanished off the face of the earth, never to be seen again. The pair had been travelling near the present day white sands missile range in New Mexico when...
08.02.2023
Pat Garrett | The End of the Kid (Part 3)
Pat Garrett, along with deputies John W. Poe and Kip McKinney, make one final push into Fort Sumner in search of Billy the Kid. In doing so, they immortalize themselves. Also discussed in this episode is whether or not Pat...
07.26.2023
Pat Garrett | Pat vs Billy the Kid (Part 2)
Pat Garrett is now the Sheriff of Lincoln County and he’s got one job – to put an end to his old friend, Billy the Kid. And you better believe he wastes no time in starting on the hunt. Aiding...
07.19.2023
Pat Garrett | Origin Story (Part 1)
On the night of July 14th, 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett killed Billy the Kid. In doing so he not only helped create a legend, but he also ensured that his legacy would forever be intertwined with that of the notorious...
07.12.2023
Scalping & Trading | My Sixty Years On The Plains
Who invented scalping? The Native Americans? Or did the Europeans introduce the atrocious behavior to the New World? The answer – like much of history – is complicated. In this latest installment of My Sixty Years, we join the young...
07.02.2023
Old Solitaire | My Sixty Years On The Plains
Before he became known as Old Bill Williams, the gaunt and scarred Mountain Man was a Methodist preacher who attempted to bring the gospel to the Osage people. Bill lived among the Osage, married into the tribe, helped them negotiate...
06.28.2023
The Plainsman W.T. Hamilton | My Sixty Years On The Plains
In the year 1842, a sickly 19-year-old named William T. Hamilton embarked on a journey to the Rocky Mountains accompanied by famed frontiersman Old Bill Williams. Over the course of the next several decades, Hamilton worked as a fur trapper,...
06.20.2023
The Execution of Cherokee Bill (Part 2)
This is part 2 in a two-part series. Please check out the link below for the first installment. And please check out the book Cherokee Bill: Black Cowboy Indian Outlaw by Art Burton! Cherokee Bill, notorious outlaw of the Indian Territory,...
06.13.2023
Cherokee Bill (Part 1)
Despite his young age, Cherokee Bill’s boldness and audacity surpassed that of many outlaws on the Western frontier, making him a truly exceptional badman. What set Bill apart, first and foremost, was his status as an African American residing in...
06.06.2023
Liver Eating Johnson
John “Liver Eating” Johnson was the inspiration behind 1972’s Jeremiah Johnson but the real man’s life was even more extraordinary than portrayed on film. Johnson/Johnstone was a sailor, soldier, fur trapper, prospector, scout, Indian fighter, and lawman. Sometimes a good...

What's The Wild West Extravaganza about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Wild West Extravaganza episodes:

Legends of the Wild West | Outlaws, Gunfighters, & Lawmen

John Colter | The First Mountain Man

Lewis & Clark | The Journey's End (Part 6)

Lewis & Clark | The Blackfeet (Part 5)

Lewis & Clark | York & Fort Clatsop (Part 4)

Lewis & Clark | The Shoshone (Part 3)

Lewis & Clark | Sacagawea & Daniel Boone (Part 2)

Lewis & Clark | The Corps of Discovery (Part 1)

Introducing American Criminal

Claude Dallas | Killer Cowboy

Black Cowboys

Legends and Outlaws | An Old West Marathon

John Wesley Hardin's Final Stand (Part 4)

The Sutton-Taylor Feud | John Wesley Hardin (Part 3)

John Wesley Hardin vs Wild Bill Hickok (Part 2)

The Tall Tales of Jim Bridger | Interview with Rib Hillis & Paul Epstein

John Wesley Hardin: Dark Angel of Texas (Part 1)

Wyatt Earp In His Own Words

A Blood Meridian Christmas Miracle

Wooden Leg | Life After Custer

Wooden Leg & the Battle of Little Bighorn

Soapy Smith | King of the Frontier Con Men

Harry Tracy | Desperado (Part 2)

Billy the Kid (COMPILATION)

Harry Tracy | The Last of the Wild Bunch (Part 1)

Bass Reeves | Lawman (Part 2)

Bass Reeves | Lawman (Part 1)

This is NOT Doc Holliday

Uncontacted

Wild Bill Hickok

Johnny Ringo's Mysterious Fate

Texas Rangers vs Comanche | The Battle of Antelope Hills

John Selman Sr | Killer with a Badge

Devil Canyon Shootout

Ed Scarborough | The Skunk Fighting Arizona Ranger

Wyatt Earp vs Comanche Jack

On The Warpath | My Sixty Years on the Plains

Harriet Tubman | Her Half of History

Was Billy the Kid's Death a Hoax?

Pat Garrett | Murder (Part 5)

Pat Garrett | The Vanishing of Albert Jennings Fountain (Part 4)

Pat Garrett | The End of the Kid (Part 3)

Pat Garrett | Pat vs Billy the Kid (Part 2)

Pat Garrett | Origin Story (Part 1)

Scalping & Trading | My Sixty Years On The Plains

Old Solitaire | My Sixty Years On The Plains

The Plainsman W.T. Hamilton | My Sixty Years On The Plains

The Execution of Cherokee Bill (Part 2)

Cherokee Bill (Part 1)

Liver Eating Johnson