Episodes

In this collection of true stories from the Old West, we’ll discuss George Parrot, aka Big Nose George – a lesser-known outlaw who had a noose around his neck more times than you'd believe. And that’s just half the story! You’ll never guess how this one ends! Afterward, we’ll hop over to El Paso for a legendary showdown between madams Big Alice Abbot and Etta “The Grasshopper” Clark before discussing the legendary gunfight in Newton, Kansas. And don’t forget about legendary Joaquin Murrieta – th...

John Wesley Hardin killed his first man at the age of 15, and for the next decade, he would continue to kill. The exact number of victims is unknown, but it’s estimated that anywhere from twenty to forty men fell before Hardin’s guns, making him one of the deadliest shootists of the Old West. Then, at the age of 25, Hardin went to prison. After numerous attempts at escape and several lashings, Wes finally settled down and became a model inmate. And, upon his eventual release, Hardin truly seemed...

The Sutton-Taylor feud was one of the deadliest of the Old West. On one side you had the Taylor clan – descendants of Virginian Josiah Taylor, who settled near Cuero in DeWitt County. Tough-as-nails patriarchs Pitkin and Creed, along with their many sons and nephews, formed the backbone of their faction. Their adversaries, initially tied to the nefarious Texas State Police, rally under the name of William E. Sutton and Sheriff Jack Helm. Ambushes, assassinations, and betrayals became the norm, w...

John Wesley Hardin – the Old West gunfighter who not only faced down Wild Bill Hickok but also gained infamy for (allegedly) shooting a man merely for snoring! Join me as we examine both of these incidents, as well as Hardin’s encounter with the Bloody Bender family of Kansas, the time a belt buckle saved his life, and the lead up to the infamous Sutton-Taylor feud. Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/...

Join me in a discussion with actor Rib Hillis and producer Paul Epstein as we discuss the upcoming premiere of INSP’s The Tall Tales of Jim Bridger! As a fur trapper, legendary mountain man Jim Bridger explored the entire distant West and survived countless hair-raising adventures. Now, he's a respected trail guide and army scout who knows every river, mountain, and trail of the frontier. As a new generation of settlers, soldiers, and speculators crowd the Bozeman Trail, Bridger's hard-won wisd...

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 a coming. Before it was all said and done, Hardin would be responsible for anywhere between twenty to possibly as many a...

Today we hear from the legendary Wyatt Earp, in his own words, as he dispenses sage advice on the art of gunfighting. We’ll also examine the legitimacy of these statements. The passages quoted are from Stuart Lake's biography Wyatt Earp Frontier Marshal, a work deemed by historians as mostly fiction. Examine Lake's admission of embellishment and invention and consider the impact of his storytelling on Wyatt Earp's legacy. Share your thoughts on the authenticity of Earp's wisdom and the influence...

Uncover the dark history of the Yuma Crossing and the infamous John Joel Glanton's reign of terror. Learn how Glanton's brutality led to a massacre that sparked the Yuma War and a tense standoff on Christmas Day 1851. Lieutenant Amiel Whipple and his men find themselves outnumbered and facing certain death at the hands of the Quechan people, still angry at Glanton's many abuses. What happens next is what many would consider a Blood Meridian Christmas miracle. Check out the website for more true...

On June 25th, 1876, George Armstrong Custer rode into battle for the last time. He and his troops faced an overwhelming force of Lakota and Cheyenne along the banks of the Little Bighorn, and before the sun sank into the horizon, every man in his command was dead. When General Terry arrived two days later, the victorious warriors were already gone. The soldiers on Reno Hill had watched in awe as the large progression, stretching for more than two miles, passed them by. And when Terry and his men...

“All around, the Indians began jumping up, running forward, dodging down, jumping up again, down again, all the time going toward the soldiers. Right away, all of the white men went crazy. Instead of fighting us, they turned their guns upon themselves. Almost before we could get to them, every one of them was dead. They killed themselves.” - Wooden Leg, a Northern Cheyenne who faced off against Custer and his 7th Cavalry at the Battle of Little Bighorn; a fight we will examine today from this yo...

“It’s just as easy to make big money as little money. In my profession, a hundred dollars is just chicken feed. We think in thousands, not tens. Experience has taught me that it is as easy to separate a sucker – the right sucker – from five thousand dollars as from fifty. We always offered our services to well-to-do men, holding out the promise that their investments were certain to net them profit in three to four figures, at least – and that’s the real bait for the sucker – particularly if he’...

This is Part 2 and the final installment in the series on Harry Tracy. In the previous episode we discussed Tracy's early life, his various scrapes with the law, and his dramatic prison escape. On today's episode we'll follow Tracy as he eludes the authorities, culminating in his ultimate showdown. Miss Part 1? Listen here - Harry Tracy | The Last of the Wild Bunch (Part 1) - https://www.wildwestextra.com/harry-tracy-the-last-of-the-wild-bunch-part-1/ Check out the website for more true tales ...

In the summer of 1881, Billy the Kid was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett. The lawman had been on the hunt ever since Billy broke out of jail in Lincoln and finally caught up to the bandit at Old Fort Sumner. It was around midnight, and Pat was waiting inside Pete Maxwell’s darkened bedroom when the Kid stepped in. “Quien es?” Billy asked, noticing the large shape looming in the shadows. “Who is it?” Pat answered in the form of two shots from his 44-40 Colt revolver and just like that Bill...

Considered by some to be the last of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch, Harry Tracy blasted his way out of prison in the summer of 1902. What followed was one of the most desperate man hunts in all of U.S. history. Over the course of the next two months, Tracy would lead hundreds of lawmen, including the National Guard, on a deadly game of chase that would see at least 7 men gunned down. According to the papers of his time, “In all of the criminal lore of the country, there is no record equal to that o...

Make no mistake about it, the exploits of escaped slave-turned-lawman Bass Reeves are legendary. Described in the papers of his day as a holy terror and one of the greatest manhunters to ever grace Indian Territory, Bass Reeves served as a deputy U.S. Marshal for over three decades; routinely traveling into no man’s land and returning with wagonloads of prisoners. With over 3,000 arrests and over a dozen kills to his name, Reeves was not only one of the most effective lawmen of the Old West but...

Make no mistake about it, the exploits of escaped slave-turned-lawman Bass Reeves are legendary. Described in the papers of his day as a holy terror and one of the greatest manhunters to ever grace Indian Territory, Bass Reeves served as a deputy U.S. Marshal for over three decades; routinely traveling into no man’s land and returning with wagonloads of prisoners. With over 3,000 arrests and over a dozen kills to his name, Reeves was not only one of the most effective lawmen of the Old West but...

There are many purported photos of the legendary Doc Holliday but only two are authenticated. This is a VISUALY DEPENDENT episode. Check the video out here: https://youtu.be/FvIDvi5NdMo?si=P1mn9Byw4Lte9Vun 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 Doc Holliday Picnic Photo - https://www.lotsearch.net/lot/1881-doc-holliday-and-morgan-earp-pic...

There’s just something about uncontacted tribes that’s always piqued my curiosity. Perhaps you’ve heard of Ishi, who, as the last of his people, emerged from California’s Sierra foothills in the summer of 1911. It’s estimated that Ishi was around 50 years of age and spent the vast majority of his life completely cut off from modern society. And for good reason, after all his tribe was literally slaughtered in a series of massacres. Then there’s the Bronco Apache I covered here on The Wild West ...

James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok was the epitome of the Wild West. Soldier, spy, scout, gambler, lawman, and yes – gunfighter. Friends with other Old West legends like Buffalo Bill Cody, Kit Carson, Calamity Jane, and George Armstrong Custer, Hickok also brushed shoulders with his fair share of notorious outlaws like John Wesley Hardin. This is a comprehensive look at Wild Bill’s life, from his early days growing up in Illinois, to his time in the Civil War, and his various exploits as a frontier...

The mysterious, oftentimes sullen gunfighter Johnny Ringo celebrated July 4th, 1882, by going on a bender. And judging by the liquor bottles stashed in his saddlebags he wasn’t planning on the festivities ending any time soon. Few days later Ringo shows up at a ranch about 20 miles to the north and he’s still drinking. Likewise even later when he runs into Cochise County Sheriff’s deputy Billy Breakenridge. According to Billy it was barely past midday and Johnny was having trouble staying in the...

In early 1858, John “RIP” Ford led a detachment of Texas Rangers, along with their Native American allies, on a punitive expedition deep in the heart of Comancheria. Their mission was to catch the Comanche unaware and prove that they could strike them in their own backyard. What followed is known as the Battle or Campaign of Antelope Hills aka the Battle of Little Robe Creek. Also discussed in this episode are the Tonkawa & their Chief Placido, the Comanche chief Iron Jacket, Peta Nocona, and th...

In the summer of 1895 John Selman Sr gunned down John Wesley Hardin. Considered one of the deadliest shootists of the Old west, Hardin killed his first man at the tender age of fifteen. In the decade that followed dozens of others would fall to the young man’s guns, including – if the legend is true – a victim whose only crime was snoring too loud. Yet despite all this, Hardin’s killer with a badge – John Selman – was far worse. Also discussed is the Lincoln County War, Jesse Evans, George Scarb...

In the spring of 1905, a couple of down-and-out cowboys robbed a dice game in Winslow, Arizona. What followed was a literal pursuit to hell, a bloody gunfight, and an Old West Lazurus rising from the grave for one final sip of whiskey. Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ David Lambert on the Canyon Diablo shootout - https://twitter.com/DavidLambertArt/status/1525570484514848768 David Lambe...

Ed Scarborough cut his teeth chasing outlaws like Black Jack Ketchum when he was still a teenager. He’d go on to become a deputy sheriff, constable, Arizona Ranger, and according to those who knew him, Ed was born to a saddle, an excellent marksman, and did not know the meaning of the word fear. Make no mistake about it, Ed Scarborough took down many a sassy bandit over the course of his career. Be that as it may, the toughest opponents he’d ever face turned out to be himself and a rabid skunk. ...