The Wild West Extravaganza

The Wild West Extravaganza
  • 4.8 (746)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

The Wild West Extravaganza is a weekly history podcast that brings the real stories of the Old West and American frontier to life. Each episode explores the legendary outlaws, gunfighters, lawmen, cowboys, Native Americans, and frontiersmen who shaped the West. From iconic names like Billy the Kid, Jesse James, and Geronimo to overlooked tales of shootouts, cattle drives, and wild frontier towns, this podcast delivers the drama, grit, and historical truth of Western history. Discover the legends and forgotten figures that defined the American West.

  1. Doc Holliday | The Early Years

    3D AGO

    Doc Holliday | The Early Years

    Doc Holliday was a gambler, a consumptive, a deadly shootist, and an educated Southern gentleman. He was feared across the frontier, respected by some, hated by many, and remembered as one of the most complicated figures in all of the Old West history. Join me today as we explore Holliday’s early life. We’ll examine the pivotal experience that caused him to head West, his relationship with Big Nose Kate, the famous Ed Bailey stabbing, and his initial meeting with Wyatt Earp. Also discussed are Fort Griffin, Doc’s first gunfight, and Bat Masterson. Legends & Outlaws Calendar!  https://wildwestcalendar.com/   Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/   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   Brothers of the Gun by Mark Lee Gardner - https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/brothers-of-the-gun-wyatt-earp-doc-holliday-and-a-reckoning-in-tombstone/54865966/?resultid=c66674b8-5fa2-4725-a87f-a9a9d5b1db77 - edition=72796348&idiq=83903309   Wyatt Earp by Casey Tefertiller - https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/wyatt-earp-the-life-behind-the-legend_casey-tefertiller/326182/?resultid=15195d83-4434-487b-a9bc-4b6d8389b6e1 - edition=4449348&idiq=417441   Doc Holliday by Gary L. Roberts - https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/doc-holliday-the-life-and-legend_gary-l-roberts/386997/?resultid=7de0cf10-a07b-49d6-85ea-4c492ecc7f57 - edition=4234423&idiq=4416867 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    34 min
  2. PTSD in the Old West

    12/23/2025

    PTSD in the Old West

    Did PTSD exist in the Old West, and if so, did it contribute to the violence of the frontier? Join me as we explore how trauma affected soldiers and civilians alike long before the condition had a name, from Civil War veterans suffering from what was once called soldiers’ heart or Da Costa’s syndrome to rising rates of alcoholism, domestic violence, and institutionalization across the United States. Using historical research, homicide statistics from frontier towns like Dodge City and San Francisco, and modern scholarship, we’ll examine whether PTSD was a driving force behind Old West violence or one factor among many. And stick around to the end for another listener Q&A! We’ll discuss Brushy Bill Roberts, Doc Scurlock, Henry Plummer, and the Montana vigilantes, along with reflections on notable Western films and books.   National Center for PTSD - https://www.ptsd.va.gov/   Legends & Outlaws Calendar!  https://wildwestcalendar.com/   Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/   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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    32 min
  3. Old Man Clanton & the Red Sash Cowboys

    12/17/2025

    Old Man Clanton & the Red Sash Cowboys

    We’ve all seen Tombstone, but how much do you really know about the origins of the Clantons? Or to be more specific, how much do you know about the family patriarch, Newman “Old Man” Clanton? Is it true he was really the meanest of the Cochise County Cowboys? Join me today as we trace Old Man Clanton from Tennessee to Arizona. We’ll discuss his association with other bandits like Curly Bill Brocius and John Kinney, his alleged atrocities on the Mexican border, and finally, his untimely demise in Skull Canyon. And yes, we’ll also take a look at whether or not the Cochise County Cowboys really wore those red sashes. Make sure you stick around to the end for a little bonus Wild West Q&A. We’ll talk about everything from Billy the Kid’s lost guns to the weird story behind the Oklahoma panhandle and even the missing intro music!   Legends & Outlaws Calendar!  https://wildwestcalendar.com/   Homicide Rates in the Old West | OHIO - https://cjrc.osu.edu/research/interdisciplinary/hvd/homicide-rates-american-west   Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/   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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    34 min
  4. Rube Burrow: The West's Most Dangerous Train Robber

    12/03/2025

    Rube Burrow: The West's Most Dangerous Train Robber

    Rube Burrow began as an honest cowboy and farmer with every intention of living a simple life. Born in Alabama in 1855, he built a family and worked the land until sickness, failed crops, and tragic loss pushed him past the breaking point. From his early train robberies in Texas to long months hiding in the Alabama backwoods, this is the complete story of Burrow’s rise and fall. His robberies, escapes, disguises, and shootouts, as well as the people who helped him, the lawmen who hunted him, and the choices that led to his violent demise. Was Rube Burrow a tragic figure crushed by hardship, the Robin Hood of Alabama, or simply a dangerous outlaw?   Legends & Outlaws Calendar!  https://wildwestcalendar.com/   Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/   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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    54 min
  5. The Old West: When Did It Begin & When Did It End?

    11/26/2025

    The Old West: When Did It Begin & When Did It End?

    When did the Old West truly begin, and when did it finally come to an end? Some trace the Wild West’s start to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, while others think it was much late,r as cowboys started trailing herds out of Texas. As for the end, many point to 1890, when the U.S. Census Bureau declared the frontier closed and Wounded Knee marked the last big clash between the Indigenous and the U.S. Army. But where does the true lie? Did the Old West really begin with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, or was it much earlier when the acquisition of the horse forever changed the landscape of the Great Plains? And if the Old West was over by 1890, then why did stagecoach robberies and gunfights continue well into the early 1900s? Also discussed are Apache raids from the 1930s, the Billy the Kid wannabe John Miller, Billy Dixon, Clay Allison, my favorite drink of choice, and much more! Legends & Outlaws Calendar!  https://wildwestcalendar.com/   Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/   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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    46 min
  6. Ordinary People Who Became Old West Legends (ENCORE)

    11/19/2025

    Ordinary People Who Became Old West Legends (ENCORE)

    When most folks think about the Old West, they almost immediately envision daring lawmen and bloodthirsty outlaws. But did you know that the frontier was filled with ordinary people who also lived truly extraordinary lives? Today, we’ll shine a light on four such characters. First up is the legendary fur trapper, James Beckwourth. Born a slave, Beckwourth trapped beaver with Kit Carson and Jim Bridger, fought battles from Florida to Montana, and rose to become a leader of the Crow Nation, only to meet a mysterious end in the wilderness. Next, we’ll turn to William Bigfoot Wallace, a Texas giant who survived a Mexican prison, battled Comanche warriors, and helped shape Texas history from the Revolution all the way to the dawn of the automobile. But was Bigfoot Wallace truly a hero, or is there a darker side to his legend? I’ll also share my personal take on mixing history and politics, no holds barred. After that, we follow buffalo hunter and frontier scout, Billy Dixon. Outnumbered 20 to 1 at Adobe Walls, Dixon made the shot of the century, dropping a mounted warrior from nearly 1,500 yards with a Sharps rifle. He went on to become one of only eight civilians in U.S. history to receive the Medal of Honor for heroism under fire. Finally, meet the one and only Stagecoach Mary Fields, born a slave but remembered as one of the wildest (and toughest) women in the Old West. Stagecoach Mary drank hard, fought harder, and conquered everything from Montana blizzards to packs of wolves, yet she still found time to hand out candy and babysit the local kids, including one who’d become a Hollywood legend.   Legends & Outlaws Calendar! https://wildwestcalendar.com/   Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/   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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 57m
  7. Dan Bogan: The West’s Most Elusive Fugitive

    11/14/2025

    Dan Bogan: The West’s Most Elusive Fugitive

    At just 21 years old, Dan Bogan was already facing a death sentence. After a drunken rampage in Texas ended in murder, he and his partner were found guilty and ordered to hang, but Dan wasn’t the type to go quietly. In a chaotic courtroom escape, he grabbed a guard’s pistol, fired wildly, and leapt to freedom out of a second‑story window. From there, his life turned into pure frontier legend. Using aliases like Bill Gatlin and Bill McCoy, Bogan drifted through the roughest corners of the West, cowboying, picking fights, and causing trouble from the Texas Panhandle to Wyoming. He crossed paths with Pat Garrett and the Pinkertons, dodged more than one noose, and earned a reputation for being as unpredictable as he was dangerous. But even with detectives on his trail and a thousand‑dollar bounty on his head, Dan Bogan always managed to slip through the cracks. And to this day, his fate remains a mystery.   Legends & Outlaws Calendar - https://wildwestcalendar.com/   Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/   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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    24 min
  8. Bounty Hunters of the Wild West: Fact or Fiction?

    11/07/2025

    Bounty Hunters of the Wild West: Fact or Fiction?

    Did Bounty Hunters really exist in the Old West, or is that just another invention of Hollywood? The truth is a lot more complicated than the movies make it seem. Law enforcement in the Old West was patchwork at best, often made up of part-time sheriffs, underpaid marshals, and ramshackle jails. With courts just as unreliable, ordinary citizens and private companies like Wells Fargo began offering cash rewards for outlaws. These rewards gave rise to a system of bounties that blurred the line between justice and profit. But the iconic lone gunman chasing fugitives for money? That’s mostly fiction. In reality, bounty collection was done mostly by deputy U.S. marshals, sheriffs, or detectives from agencies like the Pinkertons and Wells Fargo. Figures such as Charlie Siringo, Bass Reeves, and Pat Garrett did collect bounties, but as part of their official duties, not as freelance bounty hunters. Even the few who did, like Jack Duncan of Texas, earned little compared to the risks they faced. Legends & Outlaws Calendar! https://wildwestcalendar.com/ Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/ 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    21 min
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4.8
out of 5
746 Ratings

About

The Wild West Extravaganza is a weekly history podcast that brings the real stories of the Old West and American frontier to life. Each episode explores the legendary outlaws, gunfighters, lawmen, cowboys, Native Americans, and frontiersmen who shaped the West. From iconic names like Billy the Kid, Jesse James, and Geronimo to overlooked tales of shootouts, cattle drives, and wild frontier towns, this podcast delivers the drama, grit, and historical truth of Western history. Discover the legends and forgotten figures that defined the American West.

Information

  • Creator
    The Wild West Extravaganza
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    208
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    ©2025
  • Show Website
    The Wild West Extravaganza

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