The Wild West Extravaganza
The Wild West Extravaganza is a weekly history podcast that explores the real-life people and events of the Old West. You'll meet shootists and scoundrels, lawmen with more grit than glory, drifters, dreamers, and the Indigenous peoples whose presence shaped the land long before the rest came calling. These aren't dime-novel yarns, but the kind of history that sticks with you—messy, human, and stubbornly true. So, saddle up and discover the real Wild West—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Episodes
July 11, 2025 • 47 mins
This 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 a...
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July 9, 2025 • 47 mins
Clay 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...
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July 2, 2025 • 22 mins
Stagecoach 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/
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June 25, 2025 • 74 mins
On September 11th, 1857, over a hundred men, women, and children were brutally slaughtered. The victims belonged to a wagon train that had left Arkansas months prior, bound for California. They followed the Cherokee Trail before cutting north till they reached Fort Bridger. Up until then, things had gone relatively well. They were making good time and figured they’d reach their destination by late fall. Little did they know they we...
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June 18, 2025 • 71 mins
The late summer of 1868 found Major George Forsythe and his scouts fighting for survival. For nine long days, they hunkered down on a little sand bar as they faced off against an overwhelming force of Cheyenne Dog soldiers. Fierce warriors who were joined on the battlefield by none other than the legendary Roman Nose. But why? Why did Major Forsythe go kicking a hornet’s nest deep in the heart of Cheyenne territory? And who exactly...
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June 11, 2025 • 35 mins
The Saint Patrick’s Battalion, also known as the San Patricios, was a hard-fighting unit of foreign soldiers, mostly Irish, who deserted the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War. From the Siege of Fort Texas to the Battles of Monterey, Buena Vista, Cera Gordo, and beyond, these Irishmen served with valor and distinction. Surrounded, outgunned, far from their homeland, and branded as traitors, the men of the Saint Patrick’s Bat...
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June 4, 2025 • 35 mins
Whisperin’ Jim Smith was a deputy and railroad detective who
was said to have written more red history with his pistol than any two men of his time, who had enough dead outlaws to his credit to start a fair-sized
graveyard. Despite having a bestselling novel and several movies bearing his name, Whisperin’ Jim remains a relatively unknown figure. Join me today as we discuss a man who a contemporary described as the “very incarnation...
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May 28, 2025 • 24 mins
For a brief period in the 1870s, Mart Duggan served as the lone vestige of law and order in the violent boomtown of Leadville, Colorado. Originally from Ireland, Duggan got his start out West prospecting for gold. He quickly garnered a deadly reputation, and by the time he arrived in Leadville, he had a total of 7 notches already on his gun. And when the town marshal was shot dead in April of 1878, it was Duggan who took his place....
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May 21, 2025 • 34 mins
Seth Bullock first pinned a badge in Montana, where he presided over the territory’s very first legal execution. That’s in addition to serving as a territorial senator and establishing Yellowstone National Park. Bullock then drifted east to the Black Hills and helped tame the lawless boom town of Deadwood. And let’s be honest, Bullock’s time in Deadwood is what he’s mostly known for, thanks to the HBO drama of the same name. But ho...
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May 14, 2025 • 53 mins
By the mid-1920s, Al Capone was the undisputed kingpin of Chicago and was working feverishly to expand his empire. The only thing standing in the way of his ambitions was an overzealous Nebraska lawman known as Richard “Two Gun” Hart. The mysterious Hart claimed to be half Native American and appeared like something straight out of a Hollywood Western. Still, he was said to be both fearless and incorruptible, going down in history ...
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May 7, 2025 • 52 mins
Dallas Stoudenmire was a soldier, mercenary, Texas Ranger, gunfighter, and extremely capable El Paso marshal. He was also a mean drunk. However, despite coming out victorious in the “Four Dead in Five Seconds” gunfight, Stoudenmire quickly spiraled out of control. It wasn’t long before the citizens of El Paso had to rein in their rogue Marshal.
Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF + a FREE Gift...
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April 21, 2025 • 37 mins
Regulators: Mount up! The Governor of New Mexico issued a press release on March 13th stating that Young Guns 3: Dead or Alive will be filmed in New Mexico, and that Emilio Estevez will be reprising the role of Billy the Kid, “alongside original cast members Lou Diamond Phillips
and Christian Slater.” This is great news for Western fans! Join me today as I share what we know about the plot of Young Guns 3: Dead or Alive, as well as...
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April 2, 2025 • 25 mins
My name’s Josh, and this is the Wild West Extravaganza, a history podcast where we discuss all the real-life people and events from the Old West. Today’s show is somewhat different. Rather than talk history, I thought I’d share a few announcements. Sort of a State of the Podcast address, just my way of touching base and letting you know what’s going on and what to expect going forward.
Check out the website for more true tales fro...
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March 26, 2025 • 44 mins
In the late 1940s, a man calling himself J. Frank Dalton made a startling announcement: He said that the outlaw Jesse James had not been killed by Bob Ford in 1882. According to Dalton, the entire thing was a hoax, and he – Dalton – was the REAL Jesse James. Join me today as we examine the validity of Dalton’s claims. We’ll also take a look at other Jesse James
imposters, as well as the 1995 DNA test. Also discussed are Al Jennings...
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March 19, 2025 • 36 mins
Join me as we discuss the final days of Jesse James. From the aftermath of Northfield to his untimely demise at the hands of Bob Ford. Also discussed are the Knights of the Golden Circle, along with the fate of Frank James, Dick Liddil, Jim Cummins, and the Ford brothers.
This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile – www.mintmobile.com/wildwest
Frank James | The Old Shoe Salesman - https://www.wildwestextra.com/frank-james-the-old-...
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March 12, 2025 • 35 mins
The aftermath of the Northfield raid as Jesse James and the James-Younger gang are shot to pieces and attempt to flee Minnesota. Also discussed are the many injuries of Cole Younger, Jesse James, his alleged jump across Devil’s Gulch, and the mysterious fate of outlaws Clell Miller, Charlie Pitts, & Bill Chadwell.
This episode is sponsored by ExpressVPN - https://www.expressvpn.com/wildwest
Check out the website for more true ta...
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February 19, 2025 • 46 mins
On September 7th,1876, three heavily armed men entered the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota. They immediately pulled their guns and hopped over the counter, demanding that the clerk open the safe. When he refused, he was viciously beaten. And when one of the other employees made a break for freedom, the bandits shot him in the back. Meanwhile, their
companions outside were likewise facing resistance. And within just a m...
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February 12, 2025 • 42 mins
Today, we’re going to examine the war between the Pinkertons and Jesse James, a bloody feud that would culminate in an ill-advised attack on the James farm, along with the tragic death of Jesse’s eight-year-old brother. We’ll also be talking about that “special device” that was thrown through the window. Was it really a bomb or something else entirely? What the heck is Greek fire, anyway? And just how far would Jesse James go to ex...
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February 5, 2025 • 43 mins
Was the outlaw Jesse James a cross-dresser? Probably not, but an interesting story claims he dressed as a young lady on at least one occasion. Also discussed is how Jesse earned his nickname (Dingus!), Jim Lane and the Osceola massacre, the Lawrence massacre, how to properly pronounce Glassgow, American Primeval, Jim Bridger, and whether
or not the Missouri guerrillas were on team good guy or team bad guy.
This episode is sponsor...
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January 29, 2025 • 28 mins
The outlaw Jesse James got his start during the Civil War as
a young bushwhacker, fighting with William Quantrill and Bloody Bill Anderson.
He killed his first man at the age of 16 and continued doing so even after the
war was officially over. Today, we’ll discuss Jesse’s rise from a mere
bushwhacker to an outlaw as he and his brother Frank begin robbing banks and
have their first brush with the infamous Pinkerton Detective Agency....
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