80 episodes

The Wild West Extravaganza is a history podcast that delves into the fascinating and often tumultuous world of the American Old West. From famous outlaws like Billy the Kid and Jesse James to lawmen like Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok to trailblazing pioneers and frontiersmen, this podcast tells the true stories of the real-life characters who shaped this iconic period in American history. So, saddle up and discover the true history of the American frontier – the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s a journey you don’t want to miss.

The Wild West Extravaganza The Wild West Extravaganza

    • History
    • 4.8 • 274 Ratings

The Wild West Extravaganza is a history podcast that delves into the fascinating and often tumultuous world of the American Old West. From famous outlaws like Billy the Kid and Jesse James to lawmen like Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok to trailblazing pioneers and frontiersmen, this podcast tells the true stories of the real-life characters who shaped this iconic period in American history. So, saddle up and discover the true history of the American frontier – the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s a journey you don’t want to miss.

    Liver Eating Johnson

    Liver Eating Johnson

    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. 
    Top of Form
    Top of FormCheck 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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    Book Recommendations! https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d
     
    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/

    • 1 hr 17 min
    The Last Wild Apache

    The Last Wild Apache

    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/
     
    Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/
     
    Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest
     
    Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/
     
    Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra
     
    Merchandise! https://www.teepublic.com/user/wild-west-extravaganza
     
    Book Recommendations! https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d
     
    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

    • 43 min
    Billy the Kid's Trigger Finger

    Billy the Kid's Trigger Finger

    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/
     
    Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/
     
    Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest
     
    Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/
     
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    Book Recommendations! https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d
     
    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

    • 17 min
    The Big Fight at Jenkins Saloon

    The Big Fight at Jenkins Saloon

    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/
     
    Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/
     
    Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest
     
    Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/
     
    Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra
     
    Merchandise! https://www.teepublic.com/user/wild-west-extravaganza
     
    Book Recommendations! https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d
     
    Charley Crockett | Paint it Blue - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abf8hijakx8

    • 21 min
    Al Swearengen & the Gem Saloon

    Al Swearengen & the Gem Saloon

    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/
     
    Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest
     
    Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/
     
    Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra
     
    Merchandise! https://www.teepublic.com/user/wild-west-extravaganza
     
    Book Recommendations! https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d
     
    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
     

    • 46 min
    Jim Crow Chiles | The Dancing Missouri Bushwhacker

    Jim Crow Chiles | The Dancing Missouri Bushwhacker

    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/
     
    Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/
     
    Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest
     
    Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/
     
    Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra
     
    Merchandise! https://www.teepublic.com/user/wild-west-extravaganza
     
    Book Recommendations! https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d
     
    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/

    • 23 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
274 Ratings

274 Ratings

-ZFG- ,

Bloody Beaver Actual

If you love American history or just great storytelling this is the pod for YOU!

TheWarthog ,

I love it

I found WWE on YouTube. For a second I almost turned it off as most things in YT with static pictures are things you either have to read or just plain bad. Man am I let it play. I’ll often let a YT video plan in the background while I’m working and this channel quickly became my go-to. I love the matter of fact reporting if facts along with personal opinion thrown in. I also love the often dark humor.

I eventually changed to the podcast to save battery life, and since I have a little time off I can use my earbuds and not be seen as the antisocial person that I basically am. I’ve never signed on for a Patreon account, but this will be my first to get the old content. Another thing that’s not worthy is that when he says to shoot him an email, he will get back to you.

Keep it up Josh. I love the podcast. Keep hating on those Okies too. The best thing to come out of Oklahoma is I35. Just kidding. I love southeast Oklahoma.. Some of the most beautiful country you’ll ever see.

Smnumber1 ,

not boring

very well researched and entertaining. never had an interest in wild west history until now

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