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The Wild West Extravaganza

The Wild West Extravaganza

The Wild West Extravaganza is a weekly history podcast that explores the real-life people and events from the Old West. Each episode brings to life the legendary outlaws, gunfighters, lawmen, cowboys, and Native Americans who shaped the frontier. From iconic figures like Billy the Kid, Jesse James, and Doc Holliday to overlooked tales of shootouts, cattle drives, and rowdy towns like Deadwood, there"s no shortage of stories to tell. So saddle up, dust off your boots, and let"s hit the trail!

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All Episodes

16:06

Billy Bastards: Did Billy the Kid Have Children?

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/10/08

In July of 1881, Billy the Kid was shot and killed by Pat Garrett in a darkened bedroom at Fort Sumner, New Mexico. He was just twenty-one years old, possibly younger, and had spent the better part of three years among the young women of Fort Sumner, earning a reputation as something of a ladies' man. That same year, rumors swirled that Paulita Maxwell, the teenage sister of the man in whose bedroom Billy died, was carrying the Kid's child. More than a century later, a book by Elbert Garcia would

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57:57

Slavery or States Rights? What Really Caused the...

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/10/01

Was the Civil War fought over slavery or states' rights? Today we’ll examine the primary sources: the secession declarations of South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, and Texas, the ordinances of the other Confederate states, Alexander Stephens's Cornerstone Speech, Jefferson Davis's own words to the Confederate Congress in 1861, and Lincoln's letters on slavery and the Union. We'll also discuss the Corwin Amendment, the Crittenden Compromise, the tariff argument, why poor Southern farmers enlisted,

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97:55

Did Custer Deserve to Die?

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/09/10

Did Custer deserve to die at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and did the Lakota steal the Black Hills? In this reaction episode of the Wild West Extravaganza, we’ll dig further into the history behind the Great Sioux War of 1876. Topics include the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, the Black Hills gold rush, Ulysses S. Grant's secret White House meeting, the Watkins report, the December 1875 ultimatum, and the 1980 Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Sioux Nation. We also cover the Crow, Cheyenne,

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17:15

Fat Alice & the Battle of the Bordellos

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/08/26

In the spring of 1886, two El Paso madams went to war over a young prostitute named Bessie Colvin, and by the time the smoke cleared, one of them was shot in her privates and the other was under arrest for attempted murder. This is the story of Alice Abbott, the six-foot-tall brothel operator known as Fat Alice, and her rival across the street, Etta Clark, better known as Etta the Grasshopper. We cover how prostitution actually worked in the Old West, from the crib girls at the bottom to the saloon

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29:32

A Short History of Dodge City

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/08/13

Dodge City, Kansas, earned its reputation as the wickedest little city in America in just a single year, back when it was still a lawless buffalo camp with no sheriff, no judge, and nothing more than a hole in the ground for a jail. In the years that followed, Texas cattle replaced the buffalo and transformed Dodge into the Queen of the Cowtowns. And the lawmen who kept a lid on the violence, like Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson, went on to become some of the most famous names of the Old West. Also

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24:41

Calamity Jane

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/08/06

Calamity Jane might be the most famous woman to ever come out of the Old West. According to the legend, she scouted for the Army, rode for the Pony Express, fought hostile natives, and married Wild Bill Hickok. The only problem is almost none of that is true. Join me as we dig into the real Martha Jane Canary. We'll discuss her tumultuous childhood, the truth about her romance with Wild Bill (and why she's really buried beside him at Mount Moriah), her work for Al Swearengen at the Gem Theater,

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20:18

Drugs in the Old West

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/07/30

DISCLAIMER: This video is a historical documentary about medicine, pharmacy, and substance use in 19th-century America. It is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing in this video promotes, encourages, or provides instruction for the use of any illegal substance. Many of the substances discussed were legal during the period covered but are now controlled substances. They caused enormous harm, addiction, and loss of life, both then and now. This channel does not condone or

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20:08

Sheriff John Larn & the Tin Hat Brigade

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/07/23

John Larn had all the appearances of a respectable man. He owned a ranch, married into one of the most powerful families in Shackleford County, and was even elected as Sheriff. But behind the badge, Larn was a cold-blooded killer and cattle rustler who robbed his neighbors blind and murdered anyone who got too close to the truth. Join me today as we examine the life of John Larn. From his mysterious beginnings in Alabama and alleged murders in Colorado and New Mexico, to the infamous Bush Knob

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33:15

Reno Hill: Surviving the Little Bighorn

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/07/09

The Battle of the Little Bighorn didn't end when George Armstrong Custer fell. Four miles to the south, the surviving seven companies of the 7th Cavalry, under Major Marcus Reno and Captain Frederick Benteen, were pinned down on a barren hilltop and fighting for their lives. A battle that would result in two days of thirst, sniping, desperate charges, and over two dozen Medals of Honor. We’ll also discuss Dr. Henry Porter's makeshift field hospital, the rescue by General Terry and Colonel Gibbon,

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9:34

Fix Bayonets: Colonel Chamberlain & Little Round Top

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/07/03

On July 2nd, 1863, a college professor from Maine named Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain found himself holding the far left flank of the entire Union Army on a rocky little hill called Little Round Top. Out of ammo, out of options, and almost out of men, he made a decision that would echo through history: fix bayonets and charge. This is the story of that stand and why I keep it in my back pocket for when things get rough.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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51:01

Custer's Last Stand: Hero or Fool?

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/06/25

The Battle of the Little Bighorn is one of the most famous and most misunderstood events in American history. On June 25, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and roughly 210 men of his immediate command were wiped out along a ridge in southeastern Montana by a massive village of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho fighting under Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. But how did Custer really die? Did he go down fighting, was he killed trying to reach the river, or did he take his own life to

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23:02

Billy the Kid, Brushy Bill, & the NYPD

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/06/04

Did the NYPD prove that Brushy Bill Roberts was Billy the Kid using forensic technology? Short answer: no. Not the NYPD, not the FBI, not the CIA, and not Interpol. No official agency has ever conducted a forensic photo comparison or any kind of investigation into whether Brushy Bill Roberts was Billy the Kid. So where does the claim come from? Most of the time, it traces back to the documentary "Billy the Kid: The Silver City Photo," produced by Dan Edwards, and featuring an NYPD detective named

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18:06

We Hang Horse Thieves: The Truth About Frontier Justice

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/05/28

How many people were legally hanged for stealing horses in the Old West? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? Join me today as we bust one of the most enduring myths of the American frontier. Despite what Hollywood and dime novels would have you believe, there was never a time in the Old West when stealing horses was legally punishable by death. Not in Texas, not in Arizona, not anywhere west of the Mississippi. We'll dig into the Espy File (the gold standard for documenting legal executions in American

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26:31

Print Olive: Man Burner

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/05/21

Imagine being wrapped alive in a freshly butchered cowhide, tied to a tree, and left to bake in the Texas sun. The old timers called it the death of skins, and according to legend, it's exactly what Texas cattleman Print Olive did to a pair of rustlers in 1876. But that's nothing compared to his actions a few years later, which earned him the nickname Man Burner. Print Olive was a man of many hats: Confederate. Cattle baron. Vigilante. Convicted murderer. One of the largest ranchers in all of

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52:54

Richard "Two Gun" Hart (ENCORE)

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/05/14

Enjoy this encore presentation of Richard "Two Gun" Hart. New episodes continue next week! By the mid-1920s, Al Capone was the undisputed kingpin of Chicago and was feverishly working to expand his empire. The only thing standing in the way of his ambitions was an overzealous Nebraska lawman known as Richard “Two Gun” Hart. The mysterious Hart claimed to be half Native American and appeared like something straight out of a Hollywood Western. Still, he was said to be both fearless and incorruptible,

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22:39

The Outlaw Burt Alvord: From Arizona to the Amazon

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/04/30

In September of 1899, Constable Burt Alvord deputized a group of his closest friends and rode out in pursuit of a gang of train robbers. The only problem is that the men he deputized were the same ones who pulled off the robbery. Not only that, but the mastermind behind the entire affair was none other than Constable Alvord himself. But that's just the beginning. Once apprehended, Alvord escaped jail over Tombstone not once but twice. He’d go on to assist Arizona Ranger Burt Mossman in capturing the

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29:21

Henry Newton Brown: The Lawman Who Robbed a Bank

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/04/23

Henry Newton Brown was an orphan from Missouri who rode with Billy the Kid during one of the bloodiest range wars in American history. He helped ambush Sheriff William Brady, fought Buckshot Roberts at Blazers Mill, survived the Battle of Lincoln, and fled New Mexico as a wanted fugitive. And then, against all odds, he became one of the most respected lawmen in all of Kansas. As city marshal of Caldwell, Brown cleaned up a town that had already buried three marshals before him. The grateful citizens

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111:35

Outlaws, Lawmen, & Forgotten Killers of the Old West...

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/04/16

Join me as we examine five of the most dangerous and overlooked figures in Old West history. First up is Jesse Evans, the New Mexico outlaw who rode with Billy the Kid, helped spark the Lincoln County War, and then vanished without a trace. Next is Nate Champion, the cowboy who stood alone against fifty hired killers during Wyoming's Johnson County War. After that, we cover Billy Brooks, the buffalo hunter turned lawman turned horse thief who killed or wounded at least fifteen men across Kansas

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16:55

Climax Jim: Arizona's Slipperiest Outlaw

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/04/09

Rufus Nephew, better known as Climax Jim, was a cattle rustler, serial jail breaker, and possibly one of the most entertaining characters you'll ever come across in Old West history. Born in Washington, D.C., in 1876, he somehow ended up in Arizona as a teenager, riding for the infamous Hash Knife Cattle Company, where he earned his nickname after chewing through 12 pounds of Climax tobacco in under a month. What followed was a long and not particularly successful career of stealing cattle, getting

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20:37

Champ Ferguson | Rebel Butcher

The Wild West Extravaganza ·

2026/04/02

Kentucky-born Confederate guerrilla Champ Ferguson used the chaos of the Civil War to settle personal grudges along the Tennessee border, racking up a body count that included his own neighbors and dozens of wounded soldiers. As one of only three people executed for war crimes, Ferguson went to the gallows unrepentant, calling himself a rebel to the last and asking to be buried in "good rebel soil.” Who was the REAL Champ Ferguson? True Southern patriot or just another homicidal maniac who used the

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