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133 episodes
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The Wild West Extravaganza The Wild West Extravaganza
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- History
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4.8 • 451 Ratings
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True tales from the Old West! Gunfighters, outlaws, lawmen, frontiersmen, and Native Americans – the real people and events that shaped this iconic period of American history. Saddle up and discover the true history of the Wild West - the good, the bad, and the ugly.
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State of the Wild West Extravaganza
Thank you for all the well wishes! New content resumes next week!
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John Wesley Hardin | COMPILATION
In November of 1868 – at just the tender age of fifteen – John Wesley Hardin killed his first man. And, a few weeks later, he’d kill yet again; this time, three soldiers who came looking for him. Fearing a hangman’s noose, Wes struck first, dispatching two troopers with a shotgun and finishing the third with an old cap and ball colt. And you better believe the hits just kept on coming. Before it was all said and done, Hardin would be responsible for anywhere between twenty to possibly as many as fifty killings, each of which – according to him – were justifiable. But how true is that? Was John Wesley Hardin a persecuted hero or a homicidal killer? How’d the son of a minister become one of the deadliest gunmen of the Old West? And did he REALLY kill someone just for snoring? Also discussed are Wild Bill Hickok, the Bloody Bender family, the Sutton-Taylor Feud, and John Selman Sr.
*This is a compilation of a previously released series. My apologies to those who've already heard it, but I experienced a few setbacks this past week due to a dadgum hurricane! Do not despair, brand new content is coming your way next Wednesday!*
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/
Bill Longley | The Deadliest Gun in Texas - https://www.wildwestextra.com/bill-longley-the-deadliest-gun-in-texas/
Wild Bill Hickok - https://www.wildwestextra.com/wild-bill-hickok/
Shootout at Hide Park aka Newton Massacre - https://www.wildwestextra.com/the-newton-massacre/
The Life of John Wesley Hardin by John W. Hardin - https://www.amazon.com/Life-John-Wesley-Hardin/dp/1545102228/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2N2NHCZI3QKV5&keywords=john+wesley+hardin+books&qid=1704831121&sprefix=john+wesley+hardi%2Caps%2C223&sr=8-1
John Wesley Hardin: Dark Angel of Texas by Leon Metz - https://www.amazon.com/John-Wesley-Hardin-Angel-Texas/dp/0806129956/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2N2NHCZI3QKV5&keywords=john+wesley+hardin+books&qid=1704831176&sprefix=john+wesley+hardi%2Caps%2C223&sr=8-3
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How Wild Was The Wild West?
How wild or violent was the Wild West? Were gunfights a daily occurrence, or is that just a byproduct of Hollywood and dime novels? Also discussed are the murder rates for Deadwood and Dodge City, Red Dead Redemption, cowboys sharing toenail clippers, the mysterious Last Stand note, and fighting grizzly bears with a tomahawk!
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/
Billy the Kid’s Last Stand - https://youtu.be/1dC5USI0ZgI?si=w8OoKrp1-7jey0UV
Homicide Rates in the Old West | University of Ohio - https://cjrc.osu.edu/research/interdisciplinary/hvd/homicide-rates-american-west
Historias Unknown - https://open.spotify.com/show/1YRxl7bTBqM4jfm8P4fGCd?si=8aad41518c4e4e6c
E Spooky Tales - https://open.spotify.com/show/58BqtCJ2nNwruHRuZIM8Ax?si=1f714ac66d3f42e6
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Billy the Kid Debunked
There is a lot of misinformation about Billy the Kid's death. This is your comprehensive guide to cut through the noise and determine fact from fiction. Thank you to all of the historians whose research I rely upon.
(1:15) – Did Pat Garrett receive the bounty?
(8:13) – Did Pat Garrett’s deputy say that he shot the wrong man?
(10.33) – Did Garrett bury the body before anyone could see it?
(19:15) – Why was there not a photograph?
(22:39) – Did Billy the Kid have a beard? Did Garrett accidentally kill a Mexican?
(25:32) – Billy Barlow
(26:02) – Were Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid friends?
(27:49) – Was Billy too smart to be killed by Pat Garrett?
(30:50) – Were the residents of Fort Sumner in on the hoax?
(33:23) – Anecdotal stories
(34:50) – Brushy Bill’s history of tall tales
(38:12) – Brushy Bill’s scars
(39:26) – Brushy Bill Roberts Autopsy
(41:15) – Did Brushy Bill know things nobody could have known?
(42:36) – Was Billy the Kid left-handed?
(43:10) – The Billy the Kid Historical Coalition
(44:12) – Brushy Bill Roberts affidavits
(46:40) – Jesse Evans
(47:46) – 1990 Photo Comparison Study
(55:08) – Valid questions concerning the death of Billy the Kid
(56:30) – Who was Brushy Bill Roberts?
(60:29) – Cousin Ollie theory
(65:04) – Why would Brushy lie?
(67:48) – Jim Miller
(68:41) – Why did Billy the Kid speak Spanish?
(80:04) – Did Pat Garrett accidentally kill the wrong men?
(86:55) – Did Garrett’s widow say he killed the wrong man?
(89:35) – Did Brushy Bill have the same eyes as Billy the Kid?
(103:34) – Was Billy already dead in the tintype photo?
(104:21) – Was Billy the Kid a woman?
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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Was Billy the Kid’s Death a Hoax? – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUZ-Rc9Pt3I&t=1s
The Billy the Kid Historical Coalition – https://btkcoalition.com/
Chasing Billy YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@chasingbilly
Debunking Brushy: Were People Allowed to View Billy’s Dead Body | Billy the Kid Historical Coalition - https://btkcoalition.com/btk-history-blog/f/debunking-brushy-were-people-allowed-to-view-billys-dead-body
Petition by Dr. Robert Stahl - http://doc45.com/pleading/tenth-court-pleading-by-dr-robert-stahl-for-kid-death-certificate.pdf
Brushy Bill Saves Texas Rangers from Certain Death | Michael Anthony Giudicissi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBOGtnWS1is
Grand Saline Sun article on Brushy Bill saving the Texas Rangers - https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1016104/m1/8/?q=brushy
Debunking Brushy: How Did He Know So Much? | Billy the Kid Historical Coalition - https://btkcoalition.com/btk-history-blog/f/debunking-brushy-how-did-he-know-so-much
Was Brushy Bill Roberts Really Billy the Kid? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5s5zuDlxfM&t=1094s
Billy the Tintype | True West Magazine - https://truewestmagazine.com/article/billy-the-tintype/
Was Billy the Kid a girl? Wild West Newsletter featuring cart de visite - https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/p/was-billy-the-kid-a-girl
Billy the Kid Compilation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3yBXIa7ZuQ
Pat Garrett Compilation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMp1GayD4-4&t=14s
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John Bull | The Duke of Death
Although John Bull remains relatively unknown today, the English-born gambler is considered one of the deadliest gunmen of the Old West.
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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Deadly Dozen Vol. 1 by Robert K. Dearment - https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Dozen-Twelve-Forgotten-Gunfighters/dp/080613559X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1JK493YH4C89U&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.QGna202QisyEY7OQCkSOd5OPt0qxbYaurRTjH1x02NaxEKQC1YbQ5eAvYVONnlGCJelVs2ixVH3Wq1DAIhRtn50qFv2XrHabFqWhLwPhLko.PyNkpU5z0i6iNdZMpageYgxXVeXnBGFgmi2Cn3yFxS8&dib_tag=se&keywords=deadly+dozen+robert+k+dearment&qid=1718635339&sprefix=deadly+dozen+robert+k+dearment%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-1
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Pat Garrett
On the night of July 14th, 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett killed Billy the Kid. In doing so, he helped create a legend and ensured that his legacy would forever be intertwined with the notorious outlaws.
And let’s be honest – it isn’t that great of a legacy.
Many consider Garrett a coward, at best, a no-good backstabbing Old West Judas who betrayed his friend for a handful of silver. Moreover, Pat is also labeled as a rank liar and an egomaniac. A glory seeker would turn on his mother if that meant earning a little dough and building up his reputation.
And, over 26 years after he gunned down The Kid, Pat himself would be shot and killed under similar circumstances. A murder that to this day remains unsolved.
Who killed Pat Garrett? How accurate is the narrative surrounding the former Sheriff of Lincoln County? Is all the hate deserved?
And who was Garrett anyway? What was his life like before he met the Kid? And what became of Pat in the decades following that fateful night at Fort Sumner?
This is a compilation of a previous series released on Garrett. Enjoy!
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
Pat Garrett: The Story of a Western Lawman by Leon Metz - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0806118385?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=0806118385&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin
To Hell on a Fast Horse by Mark Lee Gardner - https://www.amazon.com/dp/006136827X?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=006136827X&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin
Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life by Robert Utley - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0803295588?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=0803295588&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin
Were Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid Friends? https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/p/were-pat-garrett-and-billy-the-kid
The First Battle of Adobe Walls - https://www.wildwestextra.com/the-first-battle-of-adobe-walls/
Billy the Kid series part 1 - https://www.wildwestextra.com/billy-the-kid-orphan/
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Customer Reviews
Objectively the best Wild West history podcast on the platform
Been following Josh on YouTube for a while now. It’s been such a fun ride, a few years felt like mere months. Anyone, history, Wild West history or American history lovers should know the name “the Wild West Extravaganza”!
Awesome podcast
Entertaining and informative, one of the best history podcast. You are an excellent host.
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A great source for Billy the Kid misinformation seems to be Wild West Extravaganza.