The Wild West Extravaganza

The Wild West Extravaganza
  • 4.8 (807)
  • 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. Billy the Kid, Brushy Bill, & the NYPD

    6d ago

    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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. Henry Newton Brown: The Lawman Who Robbed a Bank

    Apr 23

    Henry Newton Brown: The Lawman Who Robbed a Bank

    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 even presented him with a fancy Winchester as a token of appreciation. But barely a month after marrying his wife, Brown rode west to Medicine Lodge and attempted to rob the bank. Two men were killed, not so much as a single dollar was taken, and by later on that same evening, Brown was running for his very life from a mob of several hundred. Also discussed are the Lincoln County War, Billy the Kid, and Old West detective Charlie Siringo.   Buy Me A Coffee!  https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Check out the website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Join Patreon for ad-free bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Billy the Kid Series! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3yBXIa7ZuQ&t=5623s   Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    29 min
  7. Outlaws, Lawmen, & Forgotten Killers of the Old West (ENCORE)

    Apr 16

    Outlaws, Lawmen, & Forgotten Killers of the Old West (ENCORE)

    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 before meeting his end at the hands of vigilantes. Then we discuss Barney Riggs, the convicted murderer who earned a pardon from Yuma Territorial Prison, only to get into even more trouble back in Texas. And finally, we close things out with Old Man Clanton, the patriarch of the Clanton family, one of the key figures behind the Cochise County Cowboys in Tombstone, and the man whose crimes along the Mexican border made him one of the most feared men in all of Arizona Territory. This compilation is for all of you OTR truckers, shift workers, and insomniacs. 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 and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 52m
  8. Climax Jim: Arizona's Slipperiest Outlaw

    Apr 9

    Climax Jim: Arizona's Slipperiest Outlaw

    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 caught, and escaping from just about every jail in the Arizona Territory. Whether it was tunneling through adobe walls with everything from a pocket knife to a spoon, to routinely slipping out of shackles, or even making a getaway in his birthday suit, Jim was nothing if not clever. And, for the most part, he got away with it.   Buy Me A Coffee!  https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Check out the website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   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

    17 min
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4.8
out of 5
807 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
    226
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    ©2026
  • Show Website
    The Wild West Extravaganza

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