The Wild West Extravaganza

The Wild West Extravaganza
  • 4.5 (40)
  • History
  • Updated Semiweekly

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!

  1. Fix Bayonets: Colonel Chamberlain & Little Round Top

    5 hrs ago

    Fix Bayonets: Colonel Chamberlain & Little Round Top

    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

    10 min
  2. You Might Also Like: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    5 hrs ago ·  Bonus

    You Might Also Like: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    Introducing Layla Taylor EXCLUSIVE: The Truth She's Finally Ready To Share from On Purpose with Jay Shetty. Follow the show: On Purpose with Jay Shetty In one of her most honest conversations yet, Layla Taylor reflects on the quiet journey of becoming herself. She opens up about coming out as bisexual, navigating faith, identity, single motherhood, and the weight of growing up feeling like she had to fit into everyone else's expectations. Rather than focusing on the hardships alone, this episode explores what happens when you stop living in survival mode and finally choose authenticity, self-worth, and the freedom to define your own life. In this episode you'll learn: How to Stop Living for Other People's Approval How to Finally Embrace Your Authentic Self How to Leave a Toxic Relationship Without Regret How to Find Yourself After Divorce and Heartbreak How to Be Comfortable Being Alone for the First Time How to Turn Your Hardest Experiences Into Strength The greatest freedom comes from embracing yourself with honesty, letting go of the expectations that no longer serve you, and trusting that growth often begins on the other side of fear. Your story doesn't have to be perfect to be meaningful, it just has to be yours. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty JAY’S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe   Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast  What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 00:48 Coming Out for the First Time 02:45 Stop Living for Other People 03:48 Choosing to Be Yourself 06:33 Understanding Your Sexuality 07:56 Why We Need to Talk About Sex 10:08 Why I Became Mormon 12:50 The Need to Fit In 15:12 How My Kids Changed Me 16:53 Becoming a Mom at 19 18:15 Why I Chose Marriage 19:53 Inside a Toxic Relationship 21:04 Learning to Know Your Worth 23:24 Starting Over as a Single Mom 25:54 My Lowest Point 27:31 Learning to Date Again 29:05 Finding Yourself in Solitude 30:32 The Conversation Women Need to Have 33:08 Why Sex Education Matters 36:26 Letting Go of Perfection 36:59 Accepting Who You Are 38:51 Facing Your Biggest Fear 39:40 Dating Women for the First Time 41:07 The Reality of Parenting 43:00 Raising Mentally Healthy Kids 44:16 Healing Low Self-Worth 46:41 Using Your Platform for Good 47:58 Opening Your Heart Again 49:03 If You're Afraid to Come Out 52:30 Layla on Final Five  Episode Resources: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/laylaleannetaylor  TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@laylaleannetaylor See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

  3. Custer's Last Stand: Hero or Fool?

    Jun 25

    Custer's Last Stand: Hero or Fool?

    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 avoid capture? And did the warriors who killed him even know who he was? Also discussed is the entire chain of events that led to Custer's Last Stand, from the Lakota claim to the sacred Black Hills and the broken Fort Laramie treaties, through Sand Creek, Red Cloud's War, and the Black Hills gold rush, to the three-column campaign of 1876.   00:00:00 Introduction
 00:00:39 The Lakota and the Black Hills
 00:03:51 Sand Creek and Red Cloud's War
 00:06:25 The Black Hills Gold Rush
 00:09:56 The 1876 Campaign Begins
 00:22:34 The Battle Begins: Reno's Charge
 00:28:30 Custer's Last Stand
 00:36:25 How Did Custer Really Die?   Check out the website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Buy Me A Coffee!  https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Join Patreon for ad-free bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/   Wooden Leg Part 1 - https://www.wildwestextra.com/wooden-leg-the-battle-of-little-bighorn/   Wooden Leg Part 2 - https://open.spotify.com/episode/1yiQvAJE0q7ODJN3cBl8GU? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    51 min
  4. Billy the Kid, Brushy Bill, & the NYPD

    Jun 4

    Billy the Kid, Brushy Bill, & the NYPD

    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 Michael Furia. That’s what we’ll be discussing today, taking a look at what Detective Furia actually did, what he did not do, and why a confident opinion about an old photograph is not the same thing as a forensic identification. Along the way, we get into why facial recognition software doesn’t work on 19th-century tintypes, what the NYPD's own policy says about photo matches (spoiler: a match is only an investigative lead), and how a tool like Civil War Photo Sleuth really operates. We also identify one of the six photographs for who it actually is, a Rough Rider named William Dibrell Wood, a real and well-documented man who was most definitely NOT Brushy Bill Roberts. Wild West Quiz - https://wildwestquiz.com/   Check out the website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Buy Me A Coffee!  https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Join Patreon for ad-free bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/   Silver City Photo Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4A1OMB238s&t=1398s   Detective Furia Billy the Kid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-m-AJ5G0Tg   Forever West YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ForeverWestPodcast   Corey Recko: http://www.coreyrecko.com/   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    23 min
  5. We Hang Horse Thieves: The Truth About Frontier Justice

    May 28

    We Hang Horse Thieves: The Truth About Frontier Justice

    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 history), the brutal English Bloody Code inherited by American colonies, the concept of "pious perjury," and why Western juries, much like their English counterparts, flat out refused to convict when they felt the punishment didn't fit the crime. We'll also discuss why the famous Arizona law making train robbery a capital offense only resulted in a single execution, how the cattle barons of the Johnson County War weaponized lynch mobs against innocent homesteaders like Ella Watson, and why guys like Doc Middleton, arguably the most prolific horse thief of all time, walked away with only a few years behind bars.   Wild West Quiz - https://wildwestquiz.com/   Check out the website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Buy Me A Coffee!  https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Join Patreon for ad-free bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    18 min
  6. Print Olive: Man Burner

    May 21

    Print Olive: Man Burner

    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 Nebraska. He also may have inspired Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove. Also discussed are Doc Middleton, King Ranch, Kansas quarantine laws, and a little-known cow town called Trail City.   Wild West Quiz - https://wildwestquiz.com/   Check out the website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Buy Me A Coffee!  https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Join Patreon for ad-free bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    27 min
  7. Richard "Two Gun" Hart (ENCORE)

    May 14

    Richard "Two Gun" Hart (ENCORE)

    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, going down in history as one of the most effective Prohibition Agents of all time. But Richard Hart harbored a dark secret that even his wife and children were unaware of. It turns out that the straight-shooting lawman and the notorious gangster were connected in more ways than one. Check out the website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Buy Me A Coffee!  https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Join Patreon for ad-free bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    53 min
  8. The Outlaw Burt Alvord: From Arizona to the Amazon

    Apr 30

    The Outlaw Burt Alvord: From Arizona to the Amazon

    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 notorious bandit Augustine Chacon, rob a gold mine deep in the heart of Sonora, allegedly attempt to fake his own death, and then disappear into the Amazon. Also discussed are Cochise County Sheriff John Slaughter, legendary lawman Jeff Milton, and an outlaw known as Three-Fingered Jack Dunlap.   Check out the website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Buy Me A Coffee!  https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Join Patreon for ad-free bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    23 min
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4.5
out of 5
40 Ratings

About

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!

Information

  • Creator
    The Wild West Extravaganza
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    229
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    ©2026
  • Show Website
    The Wild West Extravaganza

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