The Wild West Extravaganza

Latest Episodes:

Wyatt Earp vs Comanche Jack Aug 30, 2023

Show notes

Comanche Jack Stilwell worked as a teamster on the Santa Fe Trail, hunted buffalo on the southern plains, and participated in the famous Battle of Beecher Island – all before the age of 19 years of age. Jack continued scouting for the Army against the Cheyenne, Comanche, Apache, Kiowa, and Arapaho before pinning on a badge and chasing down outlaws in Indian Territory. Despite these accomplishments, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Comanche Jack. But what about his brother, Frank? While the name Frank Stilwell likewise may not ring a bell, I’m willing to bet you’ve seen Frank’s death portrayed on film on more than one occasion; an incident that saw frontiersman extraordinaire Comanche Jack come gunning for the famous Wyatt Earp.

The Battle of Beecher Island - https://www.wildwestextra.com/the-battle-of-beecher-island/

Liver Eating Johnson - https://www.wildwestextra.com/liver-eating-johnson/

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On The Warpath | My Sixty Years on the Plains Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

War is hell. I know that sounds cliché but there’s a simple, irrefutable truth in that short yet powerful statement, one that is unchanging through time. Although our modern weapons may not be the same now as they were in the past, the end result is the same. Death, dismemberment, chaos, and pain. Grieving families, survivor guilt, and, sometimes, an elation that borders on the euphoric. For tribes like the Shoshone, Cheyenne, Blackfeet, and the Crow, war was an unfortunate yet necessary part of life. And for centuries untold these tribes clashed with their enemies on battlegrounds with no names, in skirmishes long forgotten. And the warriors who emerged victorious are likewise lost to history. Well, on today’s episode we’ll take a glimpse behind the curtain. Find out what it was like to accompany the Shoshone into battle, to hear the cries of victory mixed with the agonizing wails of mourning. This is the fourth installment William T. Hamilton’s My Sixty Years on the Plains, chapter’s 7 and 8 if you’re reading along at home. Also discussed is Hamilton’s comparison between the Shoshone and Cheyenne, his opinion on the bravery of mountain lions, tips on shot placement when hunting any animal, and the most dangerous aspect of bear hunting. 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 Into History! https://intohistory.supercast.com/ Merchandise! https://www.teepublic.com/user/wild-west-extravaganza Book Recommendations! https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d My Sixty Years on the Plains by W.T. Hamilton - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1695768930?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=1695768930&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_d_asin

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Harriet Tubman | Her Half of History Aug 28, 2023

Show notes

This bonus episode comes to us from Lori Davis and her excellent podcast Her Half of History. Brand new episode of The Wild West Extravaganza still scheduled for Wednesday but I thought I'd go ahead and share this as well. Enjoy!

This woman is a superhero. She escaped herself and then put herself in danger many times to help others do the same. During the Civil War, she served as a nurse and educator and spy and commanded a charge of armed men. All without any formal education herself. After the war she continued to find so many ways to help her fellow human beings that if she were anybody else, that would be the story. As it is, it all feels like an afterthought to her underground railroad and civil war work. My major source for today was Kate Clifford Larson’s biography Bound for the Promised Land. The first biography of Tubman was written in 1869 by Sarah Bradford, Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman.

Her Half of History - https://herhalfofhistory.com/

Bound for the Promised Land by Kate Clifford Larson - https://www.amazon.com/Bound-Promised-Land-Portrait-American/dp/0345456289

Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman by Sarah Bradford - https://web.archive.org/web/20161216040502/http:/docsouth.unc.edu/neh/bradford/bradford.html

The Library of Congress has an article about spirituals and their history: https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200197495/

The Charleston Mercury’s account of the Combahee River raid: https://web.archive.org/web/20111004194604/http://www.cw-chronicles.com/blog/the-enemy%e2%80%99s-raid-on-the-banks-of-the-combahee/

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Was Billy the Kid's Death a Hoax? Aug 22, 2023

Show notes

How can we be so certain that Pat Garrett really killed Billy the Kid? Today we take a look at all of the evidence – the eyewitness accounts, official documentation, coroner’s jury report, etc. – all proving that Billy did indeed come to his demise at Fort Sumner in 1881. We also dispel a few myths, discuss why there was no reason for Garrett to take a photo of the Kid, define what the term anecdotal means, and why – at the end of the day – I think it’s ok for us to disagree.

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Were people allowed to view Billy’s dead body? https://btkcoalition.com/btk-history-blog/f/debunking-brushy-were-people-allowed-to-view-billys-dead-body

Dr. Robert Stahl | Pleading for Death Certificate - http://doc45.com/pleading/tenth-court-pleading-by-dr-robert-stahl-for-kid-death-certificate.pdf

Billy the Kid’s Grave by David G. Thomas - https://www.amazon.com/dp/154240472X?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=154240472X&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin

Looking for the series on Billy the Kid? Start here - https://www.wildwestextra.com/billy-the-kid-orphan/

Looking for the series on Pat Garrett? Start here - https://www.wildwestextra.com/pat-garrett-origin-story-part-1/

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Pat Garrett | Murder (Part 5) Aug 16, 2023

Show notes

From investigating the Fountain disappearance to working as Sheriff of Dona Ana County, and appointed as the Collector of Customs by Teddy Roosevelt himself, Pat Garrett seemed to be living up to the notoriety gained from killing Billy the Kid. Unfortunately it would all come crashing down. Just a few years after the turn of the century, an aging Garrett would find himself out of a job and deeply in debt. Things would even get so bad that Pat’s family property was seized and auctioned, and the once proud lawman was reduced to begging friends for money in order to feed his family. And then came the goats. Ah, the goats. Pat leased his remaining land to an easy-going cowpoke named Wayne Brazel; a decision that would ultimately cost Garrett his life. Who killed Pat Garrett? The answer might surprise you! This is part 5 and the final installment in the Pat Garrett series. Links below for previous episodes.

Pat Garrett | Origin Story (part 1) - https://www.wildwestextra.com/pat-garrett-origin-story-part-1/

Pat Garrett | Pat vs Billy the Kid (Part 2) - https://www.wildwestextra.com/pat-garrett-pat-vs-billy-the-kid-part-2/

Pat Garrett | The End of Billy the Kid (Part 3) - https://www.wildwestextra.com/pat-garrett-the-end-of-the-kid-part-3/

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Looking for the Billy the Kid series? Start here: https://www.wildwestextra.com/billy-the-kid-orphan/

The Killing of Pat Garrett by Mark Boardman - https://truewestmagazine.com/the-killing-of-pat-garrett/

The Curious Murder of Manny Clements by Mark Boardman - https://truewestmagazine.com/article/the-curious-murder-of-manny-clements/

Pat Garrett: The Story of a Western Lawman by Leon Metz - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0806118385?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=0806118385&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin

To Hell on a Fast Horse by Mark Lee Gardner - https://www.amazon.com/dp/006136827X?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=006136827X&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin

Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life by Robert Utley - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0803295588?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=0803295588&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin

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Pat Garrett | The Vanishing of Albert Jennings Fountain (Part 4) Aug 09, 2023

Show notes

In February of 1896, Albert Jennings Fountain and his 8-year-old son Henry vanished off the face of the earth, never to be seen again.

The pair had been travelling near the present day white sands missile range in New Mexico when disaster struck; an abandoned wagon and blood stains the only clues alluding to their fate. To this day no bodies have been discovered and, although suspects abound, ultimately nobody will be held responsible.

Who was Albert Jennings Fountain? What dark secrets did he uncover that made him a target for the unthinkable? What does all of this have to do with Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid?

Strap in for this one as we delve into one of the greatest mysteries of the Old West, a whodunnit involving everyone from crooked politicians to notorious outlaws. This is part 4 in a series on Pat Garrett. Links below for the previous installments.

Pat Garrett Part 1 - https://www.wildwestextra.com/pat-garrett-origin-story-part-1/

Pat Garrett Part 2 - https://www.wildwestextra.com/pat-garrett-pat-vs-billy-the-kid-part-2/

Pat Garrett Part 3 -

Looking for the Billy the Kid series? Start here: https://www.wildwestextra.com/billy-the-kid-orphan/

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Pat Garrett | The End of the Kid (Part 3) Aug 02, 2023

Show notes

Pat Garrett, along with deputies John W. Poe and Kip McKinney, make one final push into Fort Sumner in search of Billy the Kid. In doing so, they immortalize themselves. Also discussed in this episode is whether or not Pat Garrett was a coward. Was Billy the Kid armed when he met his end? How do we know for sure that Billy was indeed killed that night at Fort Sumner? Why wasn’t a photograph taken of the Kid’s body and why was he so quickly buried? This is part 3 in the series on Pat Garrett. Link to previous installments below.

Pat Garrett | Origin Story (part 1) - https://www.wildwestextra.com/pat-garrett-origin-story-part-1/

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Looking for the Billy the Kid series? Start here: https://www.wildwestextra.com/billy-the-kid-orphan/

Billy the Kid’s Trigger Finger - https://www.wildwestextra.com/billy-the-kids-trigger-finger/

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Pat Garrett | Pat vs Billy the Kid (Part 2) Jul 26, 2023

Show notes

Pat Garrett is now the Sheriff of Lincoln County and he’s got one job – to put an end to his old friend, Billy the Kid. And you better believe he wastes no time in starting on the hunt. Aiding him in these efforts are Secret Service Agent Azariah Wild and Texas cattleman investigator Frank Stewart.

Also discussed in this episode: Barney Mason, the raid on Fort Sumner, Pat Garrett’s confrontation with two Puerto de Luna badmen, his refusal to be arrested, the standoff with an armed mob in Las Vegas, Bob Olinger’s likely affliction, Billy’s escape from the jail in Lincoln, Sheriff Garrett’s immediate reaction, the Kid’s reasons for sticking around Fort Sumner, and more!

This is the 2nd installment in a series on the life of Pat Garrett. Link to the previous episode below.

Pat Garrett | Origin Story (part 1) - https://www.wildwestextra.com/pat-garrett-origin-story-part-1/

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Billy the Kid | Quien Es? (Part 5) - https://www.wildwestextra.com/billy-the-kid-quien-es/

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Pat Garrett | Origin Story (Part 1) Jul 19, 2023

Show notes

On the night of July 14th, 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett killed Billy the Kid. In doing so he not only helped create a legend, but he also ensured that his legacy would forever be intertwined with that of the notorious outlaw.

And let’s be honest – it ain’t that great of a legacy.

Many consider Garrett to be a coward, at best; a no-good backstabbing Old West Judas who betrayed his own friend for a handful of silver. What’s more, Pat is also labeled as a rank liar and an ego maniac. A glory seeker would turn on his own mother if that meant earning a little dough and building up his own reputation.

And, over 26 years after he gunned down The Kid, Pat himself would be shot and killed under similar circumstances. A murder that to this day remains unsolved.

Who killed Pat Garrett? How accurate is the narrative surrounding the former Sheriff of Lincoln County? Is all the hate deserved?

And who was Garrett anyway? What was his life like before he met the Kid? And what became of Pat in the decades following that fateful night at Fort Sumner?

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Into History - https://intohistory.supercast.com/

Were Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid Friends? https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/p/were-pat-garrett-and-billy-the-kid

The First Battle of Adobe Walls - https://www.wildwestextra.com/the-first-battle-of-adobe-walls/

Billy the Kid series part 1 - https://www.wildwestextra.com/billy-the-kid-orphan/

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Scalping & Trading | My Sixty Years On The Plains Jul 12, 2023

Show notes

Who invented scalping? The Native Americans? Or did the Europeans introduce the atrocious behavior to the New World? The answer – like much of history – is complicated. In this latest installment of My Sixty Years, we join the young fur trapper William Hamilton as he, Old Bill Williams, and the others embark upon the Wind River Country where they make contact with both the Blackfeet and the Shoshone. Brutality and trade ensues.

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My Sixty Years On The Plains by W.T. Hamilton - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1695768930?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=1695768930&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_d_asin

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