Episodes

In the 1850s, Jim Bridger put his extensive knowledge of the West to use by guiding wealthy adventurers, geological surveyors, and the U.S. military. Then, in 1862, the discovery of gold in Montana sparked yet another gold ru...

The Wild West Extravaganza is a history podcast that delves into the fascinating and often tumultuous world of the American Old West. From outlaws like Billy the Kid and Jesse James to lawmen like Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hic...

This is part 3 of the series on Jim Bridger. For the previous 2 installments see the links below. Fur trading no longer lucrative, Jim Bridger and a business partner decide to open up a trading post of their own, dubbing it Fort Bridger. Wasn’t...

Some of the richest beaver country was in the heart of territory claimed by the Blackfeet Confederacy; a tribe known to the fur trappers as Bug’s Boys, or the Sons of Satan. Needless to say there was no love lost between the ...

Jim Bridger would join the ranks of Ashley’s One Hundred while still a teenager and - alongside other future old west legends like Hugh Glass, Jedediah Smith, and James Beckwourth - head up the Missouri river in search of bea...

My Darling Clementine is considered the greatest Wyatt Earp film of all time. It also just so happens to be the least accurate, despite legendary director John Ford having known Wyatt personally. Contrary to popular belief – ...

We all know the "scene", right? Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp are walking the streets of Tombstone when they’re confronted by a visibly inebriated Johnny Ringo. He informs the trio that he wants their blood and their souls, ...

This is the fifth and final installation in the Frank Canton series. Link below for the previous four. In the early morning hours of June 2nd, 1899, five masked men held up a Union Pacific Train near Wilcox, Wyoming. In what ...

This is part 4 in the series on Frank Canton. Link to previous episodes below. When we left off, Frank was laying low in Nebraska following the aftermath of the Johnson County War. On this episode we’ll take a look at Canton’s next job – that of...

This is Part 3 in the Frank Canton series. See links below for Parts 1 2. https://open.spotify.com/episode/04X4DO7USW9EzqK0xFNhSJ https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Nh2kWENOVK8xwZgy5SLf6 Things in Johnson County, Wyoming had f...

This is Part 2 in the Frank Canton series. See link below for Part 1. During Canton’s time as Johnson County Sheriff, he sent over a dozen men to prison – mostly for horse theft – and even executed a murderer. He wasn’t very trigger happy,...

Frank Canton was not born; he was created. The mental fabrication of a notorious outlaw and escaped convict by the name of Joe Horner. After possibly killing his first man at the tender age of 15, Horner would spend the next ...

It’s safe to say that a career as an outlaw doesn’t lend itself to a long life. Billy the Kid was only twenty-one years old when he was killed. Cherokee Bill a year younger. The notorious Bloody Bill Anderson not yet twenty-f...

Happy Halloween! Clemente Apolinar was the last person publicly hanged in Texas. Not only did his execution go horribly wrong but you won’t BELIEVE what the location is currently being used as. Check out my website for more t...

Fifty Modoc warriors defied the U.S. Army for nearly a year; outwitting and outfighting them on more than one occasion, & killing a General in the process. This is Part 3 of the series on Captain Jack and the Modoc War. Capta...

This is part 2 in the series on the Modoc war. If you haven’t already listened to part 1, you may want to do so. Captain Jack & the Modoc War | Part 1 - https://www.wildwestextra.com/captain-jack-the-modoc-war/ We’ve already ...

In 1874 Kintpuash – better known as Captain Jack - led his small band of the Modoc people off of a reservation in southern Oregon and back to their homeland in Northern California. What occurred after would be one of the most...

What happens when a young Kit Carson faces off against a mountain of a man at the annual fur trapper’s rendezvous? What IS a rendezvous, anyway? And who gets the girl??? Check out my website for more true tales from the wild ...

This is part 3 and the final installment of this series on Wild Bill Hickok. If you have not already listened to the first two episodes, please do so. Links below. We’ve already pretty much covered Bill’s entire life; his chi...

Wild Bill leaves Independence after killing Davis Tutt and pursues employment as a scout and U.S Deputy Marshal. As Hickok’s notoriety increases, he goes on to serve as Marshal in the rough Kansas towns of Hays and Abilene be...

Few names associated with the old west are as recognizable as Wild Bill Hickok. And for good reason. In many ways, Wild Bill was the quintessential Westerner of the later 19th century. Wagon master, scout, soldier, spy, lawma...

Unfortunately due to technical difficulties there will be no new episode of The Wild West Extravaganza today. But don't you worry none, I'll be leaving you in the very capable hands of Lindsay Graham, the host of History Dail...

Said to have killed hundreds of people – although the true number is likely far less than that – Cullen Baker was one of the more deadly men of the old west; a guy who didn’t blink when it came to dropping that hammer, a man ...

Imagine for a second that you’re a young immigrant, lured to a foreign land with hopes of creating a better life for yourself and your family. Upon arrival, however, things don’t turn out quite like you dreamed and those in p...