The Wild West Extravaganza The Wild West Extravaganza

John “Liver Eating” Johnson was the inspiration behind 1972’s Jeremiah Johnson but the real man’s life was even more extraordinary than portrayed on film. Johnson/Johnstone was a sailor, soldier, fur trapper, prospector, scout, Indian fighter, and lawman. Sometimes a good guy, sometimes a bad guy, and always larger than life. Dubbed "Liver-Eating" due to a chilling tale of vengeance, he allegedly killed Crow warriors and consumed their livers, but are these stories true? Later in his life, Johnston assumed the role of constable in Coulson, Montana, and served as a town marshal in Red Lodge. However, his journey came to an end in 1900 when he passed away in a veteran's hospital in Los Angeles. Decades later his remains would be relocated to Cody, Wyoming, where they now rest alongside other legendary figures of the Old West. 
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Top of FormCheck out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/
 
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The Never Ending Lives of Liver-Eating Johnson by D.J. Herda – https://www.amazon.com/dp/1493074423?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=1493074423&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin
 
Crow Killer, New Edition: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson by Thorpe, Bunker, & Bender – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FIYWNIY?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=B01FIYWNIY&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.2H6WTE0CNW87P&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin
 
Mountain Man by Vardis Fisher - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0893012513?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=0893012513&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.2H6WTE0CNW87P&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin
 
The Avenging Fury of the Plains by Dennis J. McLelland – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T8THVDS?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=B08T8THVDS&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin
 
Liver-Eating Johnston: The Dust Never Settles On A Legend by Dennis J. McLelland – https://www.amazon.com/dp/1694786447?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=1694786447&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin
 
I Buried Hickok: The Memoirs of White Eye Anderson – https://www.amazon.com/buried-Hickok-memoirs-White-Anderson/dp/0932702074/ref=sr_1_1?crid=37PK7ONM1TY1Q&keywords=i+buried+hickok&qid=1686027582&s=books&sprefix=i+buried+hickok%2Cstripbooks%2C156&sr=1-1
 
My Life As An Indian by James W. Schultz – https://www.amazon.com/dp/0486296148?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=0486296148&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin
 
My Sixty Years On The Plains – https://www.amazon.com/My-Sixty-Years-Plains-Trapping/dp/1695768930/ref=pd_bxgy_vft_none_img_sccl_2/131-5929166-2843024?pd_rd_w=aMzMc&content-id=amzn1.sym.26a5c67f-1a30-486b-bb90-b523ad38d5a0&pf_rd_p=26a5c67f-1a30-486b-bb90-b523ad38d5a0&pf_rd_r=2G4YK0C7TGNVQGY20DW5&pd_rd_wg=VSzZE&pd_rd_r=d6dd0333-1490-4b37-bdbd-2e7d55ba1e1e&pd_rd_i=1695768930&psc=1
 
Liver-Eating Johnson’s Hawken Rifle and Bowie Knife - https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/outdoors/2017/09/12/legend-liver-eating-johnson-keeps-getting-taller/657762001/
 
 Dorman Nelson Website - http://johnlivereatingjohnston.com/
 
EHUNTR Podcast - https://hodwxv.podbean.com/
 
Chief Joseph & the Nez Perce War - https://www.wildwestextra.com/chief-joseph-the-nez-perce-war/

On September 4th, 1886, the mighty Apache leader Geronimo surrendered to the U.S. Army. The last American Indian warrior to formally surrender to the United States. And with him, so went the Indian Wars. The buffalo were gone, the railroads and churches were here to stay, and the wild west was – for the most part – over. But what if I were to tell you that not all of the Apache surrendered and that there were a few holdouts that not only continued to live free but continued to make war with their enemies as well? For the next 45 years! This is the true story of the last of the free and wild Apache.
 
Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/
 
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Time Magazine article from 1929 on Francisco Fimbres - https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,738252,00.html
 
White Chief May Have Led Last of the Free Apache into 20th Century | Santa Fe New Mexican - https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/trail_dust/white-chief-may-have-led-last-free-apaches-into-20th-century/article_34e715fd-fb8c-534d-a437-c51256507e54.html
 
Mexicans Recall Last Apaches Living in Sierra | Seattle Times - https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19970907&slug=2558969
 
A Savage Land | Thesis by Margery Hunt Watkinson - https://keep.lib.asu.edu/items/158479
 
The Last Apache “Broncho” | Thesis by Leah Candolin Cook - https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=hist_etds
 
Meet the Geronimos | Indian Country Today - https://ictnews.org/archive/meet-the-geronimos-descendants-talk-about-living-with-the-legacy
 
The Last Free Apaches | Cowboys & Indians Magazine - https://www.cowboysindians.com/2016/02/the-last-free-apaches/
 
Tribe by Sebastian Junger - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1455566381?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=1455566381&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.371PYP4VWVHQJ&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_qv_asin
 
Streets of Laredo by Larry McMurtry - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0684857537?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=0684857537&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.2H6WTE0CNW87P&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_qv_asin

Just a few days following the death of Billy the Kid a newspaper out of Las Vegas, New Mexico reported that they had, in their possession, the notorious bandit’s severed trigger finger. Others claimed to have Billy’s skull, and clumps of his hair, and one scoundrel was even peddling a skeleton he declared to be the recently deceased Billy Bonney. How true were these claims? Was Pat Garrett telling the truth when he declared that Billy the Kid was buried fully intact at Fort Sumner? And is Bonney still resting at Fort Sumner undisturbed? And how do we know where he’s actually buried, anyway? 
 
Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/
 
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The Mysterious Journey of Billy the Kid’s Trigger Finger | Robert J. Stahl - https://truewestmagazine.com/article/the-mysterious-journey-of-billy-the-kids-trigger-finger/
 
The Finger of Billy the Kid | Mark Lee Gardner - https://youtu.be/rAPV_19dKMI
 
The Earth is All That Lasts | Mark Lee Gardner - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062669907?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=0062669907&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_qv_asin

Tascosa, Texas, in those turbulent times of the 1880s, epitomized lawlessness and chaos. It was a place where legends were born, and outlaws roamed freely. The echoes of Billy the Kid's footsteps still reverberated through its dusty streets, mingling with the shadowy presence of Dave Rudabaugh, John Selman, Henry Newton Brown, Charlie Siringo, and countless other fabled figures who had left their indelible mark on the annals of the Old West. And by the time of the “Big Fight” aka the Gunfight at Jenkins Saloon, Tascosa was still as wild as ever.  The LS Ranch, located on the outskirts, harbored a band of ex-Rangers whose reputations preceded them. These LS boys were known for their heavy-handedness and soon were bestowed with the moniker of barroom gladiators. It all came to a head on the fateful day of March 21st, 1886. It was then that Ed King, a bona fide barroom gladiator, rendezvoused with his paramour and dance-hall gal, Sally Emory, just beyond the threshold of Jenkins Saloon. Unbeknownst to King, Sally’s ex-boyfriend was waiting. Also mentioned in this episode: Tascosa’s Boot Hill, Hogtown, the music of Charley Crockett, and a saloon girl with a heart of gold by the name of Frenchy McCormick.
 
Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/
 
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Charley Crockett | Paint it Blue - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abf8hijakx8

Al Swearengen was the notorious owner of Deadwood’s Gem Theatre, which quickly became one of the boom town's most popular entertainment venues. Swearengen’s business practices, however, were far from ethical. He coerced desperate women into becoming prostitutes, often through bullying and physical violence, and wasn’t exactly gentle with the menfolk, either.
Despite the Gem Theater burning down in 1879 as part of a larger fire that destroyed much of Deadwood, Swearengen was undeterred. He rebuilt the Gem even bigger and better than before only to have it burn again 5 years later.  
Once again, Swearengen rebuilt the Gem, but you can’t stop what’s coming. After a series of setbacks and lawsuits, the theatre caught fire a final time, under somewhat mysterious circumstances.
Swearengen eventually left Deadwood for Colorado, but his body was found near a streetcar track in Denver a few years later. The cause of his death was never determined, leaving open the possibility of foul play.
 
Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/
 
Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/
 
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Jim Bridger Part 1 - https://www.wildwestextra.com/jim-bridger-ashleys-100/
 
Wild Bill Hickok Part 1 - https://www.wildwestextra.com/wild-bill-hickok-part-one/
 
Deadwood’s Al Swearengen by Jerry Bryant - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1560377232?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=1560377232&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_qv_asin
 
Deadwood Saints and Sinners by Jerry Bryant - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1560376465?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=1560376465&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_qv_asin
 

You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your family. An old adage that the 33rd President of the United States Harry S. Truman knew all too well. Every family has that one black sheep, right? In the case of the Trumans, that shameful distinction fell on James John Chiles, aka Jim Crow Chiles, Harry’s Uncle by marriage; a violent Missouri Bushwhacker who fought alongside Bloody Bill Anderson and Jesse James described by author David G. McCullough as universally hated and the stuff of children’s nightmares. And believe it or not, Chiles got the nickname Jim Crow due to his talent as a dancer. Minstrel dancing, to be precise. 
Apparently in the 1830s and 1840’s there was a popular white entertainer by the name of Thomas Dartmouth Rice who performed a song-and-dance routine in blackface while mimicking African Americans. The persona he put on during his act was known as Jim Crow. Rice went on tours all over the country, even in England, and it wasn’t long before “Jim Crow” was just a common phrase used to describe all white comedians who did these degrading black-face type performances. And of course, years later the term would be adopted as the identifier for laws reinstating white supremacy in the South.
And evidently, Truman’s uncle was one hell of a Jim Crow dancer. Not exactly the type of association you’d want to have as a politician, right? Even in 1945 when Truman was elected. Oh, and don’t worry – it gets much worse. Uncle Chile’s comedy routine was the least of the future President’s worries.
Who was Jim Crow Chiles? A true menace to society or just a poor misunderstood soul just dancing away his sorrows? How did he fall in with Bloody Bill Anderson and William Quantrill? And did he really serve with General Shelby’s Iron Brigade?
 
Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/
 
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Bloody Bill Anderson | The Wild West Extravaganza - https://www.wildwestextra.com/bloody-bill-anderson-the-missouri-bushwhackers/
 
Woe to Live On by Daniel Woodrell - https://archive.org/details/woetoliveon0000wood/page/n7/mode/1up
 
Ride With The Devil clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2Yc2RUw2WE
 
Truman by David McCullough - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0671456547?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=0671456547&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin
 
Quantrill in Texas by Paul Peterson - https://www.amazon.com/dp/158182582X?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=158182582X&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin
 
Missouri Outlaws by Paul Kirkman - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1625859155?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=1625859155&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin
 
Hat Creek Audio - https://hatcreekaudio.com/