The Wild West Extravaganza

The Wild West Extravaganza
  • 4.8 (822)
  • 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. 1d ago

    A Short History of Dodge City

    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 discussed are Dora Hand, Bill Tilghman, Clay Allison, Charlie Bassett, Ed Masterson, Luke Short, Mysterious Dave Mather, the Dodge City War, and the infamous Long Branch saloon.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

    A Short History of Dodge City

  2. Aug 6

    Calamity Jane

    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, friendship with Buffalo Bill Cody, and a ton more! The myth cast Canary as a buckskin heroine, but the actual evidence makes her much more interesting.   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

    Calamity Jane

  3. Jul 30

    Drugs in the Old West

    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 promote illegal drug use of any kind. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, help is available through the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357, a free, confidential, 24/7 resource.   This is a documentary-style look at pharmaceutical use on the American frontier. We cover the history of morphine and the hypodermic syringe, the myth of the Civil War Soldier's Disease, the real history of opium dens in mining towns like Virginia City, the first anti-opium laws in American history, and the truth behind certain movies like Tombstone and Wild Bill. We also dig into the history of cocaine in patent medicine, whether cowboys really smoked cannabis, Quanah Parker and his advocacy of peyote, Doc Holliday’s use of laudanum, and how Bayer marketed heroin as a cough remedy in 1898.   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

    Drugs in the Old West

  4. Jul 23

    Sheriff John Larn & the Tin Hat Brigade

    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 Massacre of 1873. We’ll also take a look at his rise through the vigilante group known as the Tin Hat Brigade, and his bloody partnership with John Selman, the gunman who would later kill John Wesley Hardin.   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

    Sheriff John Larn & the Tin Hat Brigade

  5. Jul 9

    Reno Hill: Surviving the Little Bighorn

    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, and the burial of the dead. Then we dig into the reckoning: the Reno Court of Inquiry, Frederick Whittaker's crusade to blame Custer's subordinates, the surrenders of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, and the 1980 Supreme Court case and the billion-dollar settlement the Lakota still refuse to this day.   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/   Custer’s Last Stand! https://www.wildwestextra.com/custers-last-stand-hero-or-fool/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Reno Hill: Surviving the Little Bighorn

  6. Jul 3

    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

    Fix Bayonets: Colonel Chamberlain & Little Round Top

  7. 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

    Custer's Last Stand: Hero or Fool?

  8. 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

    Billy the Kid, Brushy Bill, & the NYPD
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4.8
out of 5
822 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
    233
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    ©2026
  • Show Website
    The Wild West Extravaganza

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