The Mad Wild West Podcast

Mike Runion
  • 4.8 (14)
  • History
  • Updated Monthly

Some stories refuse to stay buried. Welcome to The Mad Wild West, where true Old West stories come back to life. Through firsthand accounts, historic newspapers, journals, and eyewitness stories, we uncover forgotten Old West history, Wild West history, and Arizona history. Experience Wild West outlaws, real gunfights, frontier murders, Apache Wars, gold discoveries, hangings, rough frontier towns, strange mysteries, and authentic 1800s newspaper headlines and ads. Broadcasting from Wickenburg, Arizona — World Headquarters of The Mad Wild West Podcast.

  1. 1d ago

    They Thought He Was Finished | Pursuit of the Apache in the Old West

    They thought he was finished. Wounded and surrounded on the Arizona frontier, survival would come down to what happened in the final desperate moments. In Episode 36 of The Mad Wild West, we return to the American frontier for “Pursuit of the Apache,” a bloody Old West story of pursuit, violence and survival. But first, we open the newspapers of the 1800s to discover what people living in the Wild West were actually reading. This week's frontier news brings reports of fighting in Arizona Territory, soldiers killed in battle, men pursued across the frontier, a mysterious missing 14-year-old girl, an earthquake in California, officers dismissed from the Army for drunkenness and misconduct, and the heartbreaking story of a dead Gettysburg soldier discovered clutching a photograph of his three children. And then there's the wounded man whose attackers apparently believed their bloody work was nearly finished. They were wrong. These aren't Hollywood Westerns. They're the violent, strange, tragic and sometimes unbelievable stories found in the newspapers and histories of the American frontier. Welcome to Episode 36 of The Mad Wild West. Some stories refuse to stay buried. The West still has stories to tell. Wild West history | Old West stories | Apache history | Arizona history | American frontier | Arizona Territory | Apache Wars | Indian Wars | frontier violence | Old West newspapers | forgotten history | Western history | true Wild West stories

  2. Sep 10

    Murder, Money & Brothels of the Wild West

    What really happened after dark in the Wild West? Step inside the brothels, dance halls, gambling houses and crib districts of America's frontier towns through the words of people who actually saw them. We walk down Leadville's notorious Chestnut Street, enter a Virginia City hurdy-gurdy house, meet women dealing monte in Nevada and wander through Butte's underworld, where tiny one-room cribs sat beneath the glow of colored glass. Then the story turns deadly. We follow Sheriff Henry Plummer through violence, murder allegations and the world of houses of ill fame before his story ends beneath a gallows. And we'll hear the brutal account of five road agents facing five nooses—including one condemned man's unforgettable final request. Plus News of the Day and an authentic advertisement from the Old West. These aren't Hollywood stories. They're drawn from historic books, eyewitness accounts and records left behind by people who experienced the frontier. Some stories refuse to stay buried. The West still has stories to tell.

  3. Aug 26

    Ancient Mounds, a Cave Mummy & a Deadly Ride West

    Before one nineteenth-century traveler could reach St. Louis and join a wagon train headed into the American West, he encountered stories and discoveries almost too strange to believe. In this episode of The Mad Wild West, we follow the beginning of his journey through accounts of mysterious ancient mounds in Ohio, unusual human remains, and the strange female mummy discovered deep inside Mammoth Cave. Then the story takes a deadly turn when a doctor and his companion race through the wilderness to save a dying man—only to face tragedy, dangerous water, exhaustion, and a pack of hungry wolves. These accounts come from the writings and beliefs of a nineteenth-century traveler. Some of his conclusions remain controversial and would be challenged by modern archaeology, but his firsthand descriptions provide a fascinating look at how early Americans understood the mysteries they encountered. The journey west has only just begun. Broadcasting from Wickenburg, Arizona—the World Headquarters of The Mad Wild West Podcast. Some stories refuse to stay buried. #WildWest #AmericanHistory #MammothCave #AncientMounds #FrontierHistory #WesternPodcast #MadWildWest

  4. Jul 11

    The Adventures Of John Young: Murder, Scalps & Survival

    In the News of the 1800s a massive earthquake, a Chief visit, shot in a bedroom and more. In the main story - a dove's death saved the scalps of men. The sad death of an Indian girl and the tragic end to a squaw fight.

  5. Jun 8

    The Terrible Death Of Two Scouts

    In the news of the Mad Wild West, a man dies of more than blood loss. A list of men wanted. In the main story, we hear about the hunt for two missing scouts who left a military camp to deliver a message and other items to another camp. What the Army wagon train turned search team learns about the two scouts' fate shakes them to their core.

  6. Apr 18

    The Babbs Ranch Massacre and the Ride for Her Life!

    In the Headlines we learn the history of the Pima Indians and the praise for a Sheriff carrying out his duties in the Mad Wild West. In the main story, we meet a woman who escapes her captives after brutality on her family, only finding herself racing on a horse across the prairie alone in one of the longest recorded rides in the shortest time to regain her freedom.

  7. Mar 14

    The Fight For Life At Pawnee Rock

    Hear the deadly news stories of the 1870's in the Mad Wild West. Then dive to the main story that Kit Carson tells of two friends who fight for their lives at Pawnee Rock and how a Chief left their lives up to the Great Spirit by letting one of them run the knife gauntlet against his warriors.

  8. 11/30/2025

    Deadly Times in the Arizona Territory

    Death and gold go hand in hand in the Arizona Territory. From the news of Apache attacks to one mans friend drowning and his secret gold stash hideout went to his watery grave with him. Come listen to even more dangers that unfold on this Mad Wild West episode.

See All (35)

4.8
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Some stories refuse to stay buried. Welcome to The Mad Wild West, where true Old West stories come back to life. Through firsthand accounts, historic newspapers, journals, and eyewitness stories, we uncover forgotten Old West history, Wild West history, and Arizona history. Experience Wild West outlaws, real gunfights, frontier murders, Apache Wars, gold discoveries, hangings, rough frontier towns, strange mysteries, and authentic 1800s newspaper headlines and ads. Broadcasting from Wickenburg, Arizona — World Headquarters of The Mad Wild West Podcast.

Information

  • Creator
    Mike Runion
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Mike Runion
  • Show Website
    The Mad Wild West Podcast

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