Episodes

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 childhood, his adventures during the war, his time as a lawman, and - finally - his decline. If you’ll recall we left off with Hickok in St. Louis, attempting to organize an expedition bound for the black hills. And there we shall begin. What events led to Bill's premature deat...

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 before joining Buffalo Bill Cody and Texas Jack Omohundro in New York City. This is part 2 of Wild Bill series. In part one we covered Hickok’s childhood, his time in Bleeding Kansas, his first known gunfight with David McCanles, time spent serving the Union during the war, an...

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, lawman, gambler, actor, and yeah…gunfighter. A man capable of extraordinary feats of daring and bravery, yet courteous and soft-spoken when left alone, and kind to children. One of the few frontiersmen who was willing to take his guns off and go toe to toe with anyone looking for...

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 Daily. You may know Lindsay from the excellent audio drama 1865. Or maybe American History Tellers. American Scandal, American Elections: Wicked Game, Dirty John, Doctor Death, Business wars. And on and on. Lindsay Graham knows how to make a great podcast and he most definitely...

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 to whom killing seemed to come naturally. Who was Cullen Baker? A proud rebel who continued to defy federal authority long after the Civil War was officially over? A true hero of the cause or just a homicidal maniac? Did he really invent the quick draw? And what’s the story ...

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 power decided to take everything from you that you hold dear. Your land is stolen, your brother murdered by so called vigilantes without benefit of a trial and you yourself tied up, horse whipped, and forced to watch your beautiful wife beaten and raped, raped to the point th...

This is a tale of two survivors. One, affectionately known as Comanche, was an 8-year veteran of the U.S. military. He was first wounded in battle against hostiles on the southern plains in 1868. And, when Custer led the charge at the Battle of Little Big Horn, our veteran was right there with him. Wounded an astonishing seven times, he somehow survived and spent the next year recuperating. And, as you can imagine, he was showered in respect for the rest of his life and, upon his death, was sent...

The Gambler lived his life as did many of his kind, quietly and in the shadows. Never making a mark nor desiring to do so. His long life spanned from the wild and rough days of Tombstone and Silver City to a modern era of airplanes, automobiles, and jazz, yet our Gambler would never make the history books. His brother, however… Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Check out my website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Book & Ge...

Rube Burrow got his start as an honest man. A simple cowboy and farmer with a wife and children. But when his wife died and the farm went belly up, Rube took to earning a living in anyway he could. And that way led him to become one of the most notorious and most wanted train robbers of the old west. Who was Rube Burrow? A good man pushed too far? The Robin Hood of Alabama who only stole from the rich? Or just another good ole boy lured by the trappings of easy money? Email me! https://www.wild...

The outlaw Billy the Kid was allegedly killed at the age of 21 by Sheriff Pat Garrett in the year 1881. Skip ahead another 70 years and you have an elderly man known as Brushy Bill Roberts coming forward shattering the common historical narrative. He claimed to be the kid, said that he had escaped Pat Garrett all of them years before and had been living under the radar ever since. Brushy - with the help of an attorney named William V. Morrison - spent around two years compiling evidence, conduct...

April 1874. Present day Colorado. A half-starved weather-beaten Alfred Packer came limping into the Los Pinos Indian Agency seeking refuge. Feet covered in rags he claimed he had a harrowing story to tell. The man was ushered in and given food which he vomited up almost as soon as he got it down. Too long without he explained, asking instead for whiskey. Anything that would calm his stomach and hopefully his trembling hands. Finally, Alfred spoke. Said he had been a guide up in the mountains for...

When future General George S. Patton saw his first taste of combat, he was a young officer on the Mexican border. But was this REALLY his first fight? Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Check out my website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two things you just don’t discuss in a beer joint: politics and religion. The reason being these topics tend to be a bit divisive. You add alcohol to the mix and things could get downright ugly. As was the case one sweltering August evening in Newton, Kansas. 1871. Two lawmen named Mike McCluskie and Billy Bailey got into a heated argument that turned physical and – ultimately – deadly. What followed was a quest for revenge that led to one of the deadliest gunfights of the Old West – t...

In a remote corner of Oregon’s northeastern territory exists a mysterious and foreboding village. This is the legend of Sammyville. Listen and subscribe to Obscure History wherever you get your podcasts! Obscure History - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/obscure-history/id1496667775 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1919 Texas Ranger Investigation - and the Canales Hearing that followed - shed light on misconduct and atrocities committed by one of the most legendary branches of law enforcement between the years 1910 and 1920. An era known to some as La Mantanza - The Slaughter. What events unfolded to cause the darkest hour of the Texas Rangers? And who was Jose Canales, the man brave enough to stand up against them? Today we remember the victims. Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Chec...

In October of 1864 Britton Johnson’s son was murdered and his wife and two surviving children were taken captive by a Kiowa War Party. Not willing to just sit back and hope for the best, Britt took matters into his own hands. Set out, alone, into Indian Territory. Determined to get his family back, one way or another. And believe it or not, he was successful. Unfortunately he made some enemies along the way, a desperate savage foe who were just biding their time until they could catch up with Jo...

August 1903. The famous Annie Oakley is arrested in Chicago for theft, a crime committed in order to obtain money to fuel her cocaine habit. And what a headline that made. America’s original sweetheart, the tiny sharpshooter who once entertained kings and queens, now reduced to petty thievery. Wasn’t long before newspapers throughout the country began to report on this fall from grace. Enter in William Randolph Hearst, son of mining tycoon George Hearst, who ruled a media empire and had his eye...

In 1849 a trader named James White decided to break from his wagon train and push on ahead with just his family and a few men. The outcome was about as bad as anything you could imagine; the men were dead, and the women taken captive. The subsequent rescue mission was led by none other than Kit Carson. But this time could the hero save the girl? Also, I rant about history! Check out my website for more true tales from the wild and woolly west: https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me: https://w...

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, ain’t that what they say? But what happens when it’s also a woman doing the scorning? And what happens if that hell is just El Paso, Texas? One helluva girl fight, that’s what! Join me as we take a look at Old West madam Fat Alice Abbot and the fight she got into with rival brothel owner, Etta Clark. This episode has a little bit of everything. Listener discretion advised! Check out my website for more true tales from the wild and woolly west: https://ww...

George Parrot - aka Big Nose George – was a basic run-of-the-mill road agent. Trains, stagecoaches, general stores – they were all fair game for Big Nose and the boys. Sometimes he was successful and sometimes he wasn’t, but he was always down to try. Unfortunately for George the long arm of the law eventually caught up with the man; permanently and prematurely ending his outlaw career. And that’s only HALF the story! How many times did George have a noose placed around his neck before it finall...

Jim Clyman is a name that pops up consistently in all the books I’ve read on mountain men and fur trappers, but I never really dived into the guy until now. Veteran of the War of 1812, General Ashley’s 1824 Expedition, AND the Black Hawk War, as well as friend and contemporary to guys like Jedediah Smith, Broken Hand Fitzpatrick, Hugh Glass, and Jim Bridger. From the shinning mountains to the great plains to the high desert, from the wild and woolly days till the twilight of the west, Jim Clyman...

There's just no denying that Texas produced its fair share of stone-cold killers in the latter part of the 19th century. Men like John Wesley Hardin, King Fisher, Clay Allison, and of course the notorious Deacon Jim Miller. And then there’s Bill Longley, considered by some to be one of the deadliest gunmen of the west. A tall brooding shootist credited with 32 kills once described as the worst man in Texas. “I still alone tread the living land destitute of friends but damn the world and every so...

In the summer of 1877 Chief Joseph and the peaceful Nez Perce went to war with the U.S. Government in a running fight that spanned four states and 1,170 miles. Who was Chief Joseph? Why’d Buffalo Bill call him “the greatest Indian ever produced?” And why did the Nez Perce go to war? I’ve been looking forward to this episode for a long time so without further ado, let’s dive into Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce War! Check out my website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Contact me! Wildwestextra@gm...

Discovered sometime prior to 1952 in the Florida Mountains of Southwestern New Mexico, the “Last Stand Note” - written on a piece of tobacco paper and stuffed inside an empty shell case - reads as follows: This is our last shell and about 10 Indians left so our chances look slim, but we are going to take a chance. Yours truly, Wm Bonney. Did Billy the Kid REALLY write this note? Did he ever have any close encounters with the Apache? Find out all of this and more on this newest episode of the Wil...