The Wild West Extravaganza

The Wild West Extravaganza
  • 4.8 (827)
  • 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. Sep 10

    Did Custer Deserve to Die?

    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, Arapaho, Kiowa, and Arikara claims to the Black Hills, Red Cloud's War, the Grattan Massacre, Major Reno and Captain Benteen at the Reno Court of Inquiry, Bloody Knife and Gall, the jammed Springfield carbines, Custer's rumored presidential ambitions, the Washita, Sand Creek and Chivington, the Pawnee and Massacre Canyon, the Dakota War of 1862, and whether historians are biased about George Armstrong Custer and Native American history.   Custer’s Last Stand (Part 1) – https://www.wildwestextra.com/custers-last-stand-hero-or-fool/   Reno Hill: Surviving Little Bighorn (Part 2) - https://www.wildwestextra.com/reno-hill-surviving-the-little-bighorn/   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

    Did Custer Deserve to Die?

  2. Aug 26

    Fat Alice & the Battle of the Bordellos

    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 girls and the high-end parlor houses, along with the $10 weekly fine that conveniently went straight into the pockets of the El Paso police department.   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

    Fat Alice & the Battle of the Bordellos

  3. Aug 13

    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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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
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Hosts & Guests

4.8
out of 5
827 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
    235
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    ©2026
  • Show Website
    The Wild West Extravaganza

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