Podcast
The Wild West Extravaganza
Hosted by The Wild West Extravaganza · EN
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!
38episodes
Episodes
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Tom "Bear River" Smith: Abilene's Forgotten marshal
Aug 4, 202500:21:52Tap to summarizeTom “Bear River” Smith tamed one of the wildest towns in the Old West without firing a single shot. Armed with nothing more than a badge, a banjo, and a pair of fists that made even the toughest cowboys think twice, Smith brought order to Abilene, Kansas, at a time when cattle drives and rowdy trail hands turned the streets into chaos. But how did a man who hated using guns manage to subdue some of the most dangerous men on the frontier? And what chain of events led to one of the most brutal and shocking killings in frontier history? Who exactly was Bear River Smith? Could his no-guns approach to law enforcement have worked long-term? And how famous would he be nowadays had he not been replaced by the legendary Wild Bill Hickok? 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 and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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King Fisher: Outlaw, Sheriff, Dead Man
Jul 30, 202500:22:19Tap to summarizeKing Fisher was no ordinary Texas gunfighter. This is a man who once killed a circus tiger so that he could make a pair of chaps from its hide. He boasted of killing 37 men, and at the height of his power, commanded over 100 armed bandits, ruling South Texas like his own personal kingdom. Known for his gold-embroidered jackets, rattlesnake hatbands, bells on his spurs, and those infamous tiger-skin chaps, Fisher was equal parts deadly and flamboyant. Who was King Fisher? How does a man go from outlaw warlord to wearing a sheriff’s badge, only to end up gunned down in one of the most mysterious ambushes in Old West history? From cattle raids in the lawless Nueces Strip to a bloody night inside San Antonio’s Vaudeville Theatre, this is the strange, violent, and unforgettable story of John King Fisher. Buy Me A Coffee – https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Battle of Lovelock Cave
Jul 28, 202500:23:55Tap to summarizeFor centuries, the Northern Paiute have told of the Si-Te-Cah, a mysterious tribe said to have lived on tule rafts across Nevada’s Lake Humboldt. Described as fierce warriors with red hair and even cannibalistic tendencies, the Si-Te-Cah were eventually trapped and wiped out at Lovelock Cave. Skip ahead to 1911, and miners discovered thousands of artifacts and mummified remains buried deep inside the cave, including a body reportedly over six feet tall with striking red hair. Some claim this proves the Si-Te-Cah were giants, while others argue the legend grew over time from real but ordinary conflicts. Who were the Si-Te-Cah? Did they truly exist, or are they just another Wild West tall tale? 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 and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Lost Dutchman's Mine
Jul 25, 202500:39:09Tap to summarizeThe Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine is one of the most enduring legends of the American Southwest. Said to be hidden somewhere in the Superstition Mountains east of Apache Junction, Arizona, this mythical mine is named after Jacob “Dutchman” Waltz, who supposedly discovered a rich vein of gold in the 19th century and concealed its location before his death in 1891. Over the decades, thousands of treasure hunters have searched the rugged terrain of the Superstition Wilderness in hopes of finding Waltz’s fabled treasure. The legend blends fact and fiction: Waltz did exist and was known to carry gold, but geological evidence casts doubt on the existence of a true vein of precious metal in the volcanic range. Which begs the question: Does the lost mine really exist, or is it just another tall tale of the Old West? Buy Me A Coffee – https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Clay Allison vs Wyatt Earp (Part 2)
Jul 16, 202500:29:30Tap to summarizeClay Allison was one of the lesser-known yet deadlier of the Old West gunslingers. Join me today as we follow Allison on his adventures in Dodge City, his encounters with Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, and finally his tragic demise in Pecos, Texas. Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Clay Allison by Chuck Parsons – https://www.abebooks.com/9780933512368/Clay-Allison-Portrait-Shootist-Parsons-0933512368/plp The Colfax County War by Corey Recko – https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-colfax-county-war-violence-and-corruption-in-territorial-new-mexico-volume-22-ac-greene-series_corey-recko/51761961/#isbn=1574419323 Tall Tales and Half Truths of Clay Allison by Donna Blake Birchell – https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/tall-tales-and-half-truths-of-clay-allison/37921850/#isbn=1467151033 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Reign of Terror: Osage Nation Murders w/ Crimes of the Centuries
Jul 11, 202500:44:17Tap to summarizeThis is a special bonus episode from the excellent Crimes of the Centuries podcast. When members of the incredibly wealthy Osage Nation started dropping dead of mysterious ailments in 1920s Oklahoma, few people in state power paid it much mind. After all, many of those who could do something about it were benefiting from the deaths. Eventually, with the help of a still-evolving agency called the FBI, federal authorities uncovered an unthinkable conspiracy known today as the Reign of Terror. "Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. Crimes of the Centuries - https://www.centuriespod.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Clay Allison & the Colfax County War (Part 1)
Jul 9, 202500:45:14Tap to summarizeClay Allison might not be as famous as Billy the Kid or Jesse James, but he was every bit as deadly. He was also just a tad bit insane. Clay got his start riding for Nathan Bedford Forrest during the Civil War. Then, after a brief career as a Texas Cowboy, Clay drifted west and found himself knee-deep in the Colfax County War. From New Mexico to Colorado and beyond, Allison left a trail of bodies in his wake. But unlike many of the other notable gunmen of the time, Clay was not an outlaw. He just refused to back down. Who was the real Clay Allison? How’d the son of a preacher become one of the most feared gunfighters of the Old West? And are the stories of him tying a ribbon around his Johnson and severing the heads of his enemies true? Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Clay Allison by Chuck Parsons – https://www.abebooks.com/9780933512368/Clay-Allison-Portrait-Shootist-Parsons-0933512368/plp The Colfax County War by Corey Recko – https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-colfax-county-war-violence-and-corruption-in-territorial-new-mexico-volume-22-ac-greene-series_corey-recko/51761961/#isbn=1574419323 Tall Tales and Half Truths of Clay Allison by Donna Blake Birchell – https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/tall-tales-and-half-truths-of-clay-allison/37921850/#isbn=1467151033 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Stagecoach Mary
Jul 2, 202500:21:34Tap to summarizeStagecoach Mary Fields worked hard, she drank hard, and if the situation called for it, she fought hard. And despite being born a slave, Mary lived to become one of the freest souls ever to draw a breath. Or a .38 revolver. Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Stagecoach Mary | Black Cowboys - https://open.spotify.com/episode/5PLVtMGwyLGnm7MLBtdcrT?si=92XhBIToT22kOAS7alGWPQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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