The Wild West Extravaganza

Latest Episodes:

Wild Bill Hickok | Unveiling the Legend (Part 1) Aug 01, 2022

Show notes

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 a fight. But also, a man who – even by generous accounts – was a bit too quick when it came to pulling the trigger. He could cuss like a sailor, consorted with ladies of ill repute, and would rather gamble than eat. He was friends with other notable frontiersmen like Buffalo Bill Cody, George Armstrong Custer, Kit Carson, and Calamity Jane, and Inspired future legends like U.S. Marshal Bill Tilghman and countless others.

A celebrity in his own time, Hickok continues to tickle the imagination of millions. From the early silent film era till now, everyone from Gary Cooper to Charles Bronson to Jeff Bridges, Sam Elliot, and Keith Carradine has portrayed this icon on the big screen. But who was Hickok really? What sorta man was he? As with many notorious characters of the old west, much of the legend is built on exaggerated claims and outright lies. In Hickok’s case, the truth is even more fascinating fiction. And the truth is what aiming for today.

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Wild Bill pt 2 https://www.wildwestextra.com/wild-bill-hickok-part-two/

Wild Bill pt 3 https://www.wildwestextra.com/wild-bill-hickok-part-three/

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Bloody Bill Anderson - https://www.wildwestextra.com/46-bloody-bill-anderson-the-missouri-bushwhackers/

Making the Hickok Tutt Shot | duelist1954 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7gGgHs2lPU

1867 Harper’s Article - https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-wildbill/

History Daily Saturday Matinee | The Wild West Extravaganza - https://open.spotify.com/episode/1xSO0ZZ8yg1BkteXiYo7IH

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History Daily Presents - Jesse James & the Kid Jul 20, 2022

Show notes

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 knows his history, as is evidenced by my personal favorite work of his, History Daily. If you’re not familiar, at History Daily - a co-production from Airship and Noiser - they do history, daily. Every dang weekday, Lindsay Graham takes you back in time to explore a momentous event that happened ‘on this day’ in history. Whether it’s to remember the tragedy of December 7th, 1941, the day “that will live in infamy,” or to celebrate that 20th day in July 1969, when mankind reached the moon, or of course important events from the old west, History Daily is there to tell you the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world—one day at a time. So, if you’re stuck in traffic, bored at work, —wherever you are, listen to History Daily to remind yourself that something incredible happened to make that day historic.

Listen to History Daily!!!!

https://www.noiser.com/history-daily

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Cullen Baker | The West's First Fast Draw? Jul 06, 2022

Show notes

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 with him carving a life size effigy of his dead wife?

We’re going into the backwoods of northeast Texas on this one and no, we won’t be stopping at Buc-ees. My name’s Josh and you’re listening to the Wild West Extravaganza.

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2nd Battle Adobe Walls part 1 | Texas History Lessons https://open.spotify.com/episode/74Lv8LALNvGIdFIngvo4wO

2nd Battle Adobe Walls part 2 | Texas History Lessons https://open.spotify.com/episode/7wGeXThB9GKhDlefmxfBqk

Bill Longley | The Wild West Extravaganza - https://open.spotify.com/episode/2GRRMVFHR1V5tT4is7UjgU

Book & Gear Recommendations - https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7

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Joaquin Murrieta | California Bandit Jun 22, 2022

Show notes

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 that she would die in your arms shortly thereafter. Sounds like a nightmare. I imagine most of us, under similar circumstances, would be looking for revenge.

And, according to legend, vengeance is exactly what the fabled bandit Joaquin Murrieta exacted. Story goes that he waited till nightfall and slid into the camp of his tormentors, dressed all in black. Dispatched one of ‘em with a blade, silently chopping up the body and leaving the dismembered limbs scattered around camp to be found in the morning. And the next night he repeated this action. And again, the night after that. Once Joaquin’s immediate thirst for retribution was satisfied, he moved on to other such men, the type who preyed on his kind. He soon formed a group of likeminded compadres, dubbed bandits, who dedicated their lives to protecting the innocent, robbing from the rich and righting various wrongs.

A compelling story that is said to have been the real-life inspiration behind Zorro and possibly even Batman. A tale found repeated all over the world wide web both in print and song. But how true is it? Historian Susan Lee Johnson summed it up best when she wrote “so many tales have grown up around Murrieta that it is hard to disentangle the fabulous from the factual”.

Who was Joaquin Murrieta? I mean who was he REALLY? Why is there so much misinformation about the man? Was he a freedom fighter - righteous avenger of injustice – or simply a blood thirsty bandit who preyed on the weak? How badly will I butcher any Spanish names I attempt to pronounce?

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Joaquin Murrieta | Literary Fiction or Historical Fact? https://www.cocohistory.org/essays-murrieta.html

Chasing the Elusive Joaquin Murrieta - https://www.historynet.com/chasing-elusive-joaquin-murrieta/

Judge Roy Bean | Wild West Extravaganza - https://www.wildwestextra.com/32-judge-roy-bean/

California Ranger Rosters - https://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/california_rangers/joaquin_murieta.html

California Bandidos: Social Bandits or Sociopaths | John Boessenecker - https://dokumen.tips/documents/california-bandidos-social-bandits-or-sociopaths-california-bandidos-social-bandits.html?page=16

Joaquin Murrieta | Los Alegras de Teran - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6rbNjy6PjI

The Bandit Joaquin | Dave Stamey - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-5hhfNKCTY

The Ballad of Joaquin Murrieta | Sons of the San Joaquin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWfHWFMPSjU

Book & Gear Recommendations - https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7

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Dewey Beard - Veteran of Little Bighorn & survivor of Wounded Knee Jun 08, 2022

Show notes

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 off with full military honors. The other survivor was Dewey Beard, also known as Iron Hail. A teenager during the Battle of the Greasy Grass. He fled to Canada with Sitting Bull but eventually returned to the U.S. and settled upon a reservation. Unfortunately, the Army came calling again. Once again it was the 7th Cavalry and once again, it was a massacre. This time on a little creek called Wounded Knee.

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The Song of Dewey Beardy by Philip Burnham https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVDSZOC?asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7

Comanche the Horse - https://biodiversity.ku.edu/exhibits/comanche

Dewey Beard | Indian Country Today - https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/from-little-big-horn-to-wounded-knee-the-true-legend-of-dewey-beard

Book & Gear Recommendations - https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7

The Brothers McCarty - https://www.wildwestextra.com/the-brothers-mccarty/

Chief Joseph & the Nez Perce War - https://www.wildwestextra.com/joseph/

Can You Don’t - https://open.spotify.com/show/2H5vQIYhxLo3fWoDowAYf3

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The Brothers McCarty May 25, 2022

Show notes

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…

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Book & Gear Recommendations - https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7

Billy the Kid | Stig Ostgaard - https://stigostgaard.com/billy-the-kid/

The Last Gunfighter Ballad - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnfRcUdblJ0

The Antrim Family - http://www.aboutbillythekid.com/antrim_family.htm

Billy the Kid’s Brother | TrueWest - https://truewestmagazine.com/what-can-you-tell-me-about-billy-the-kids-brother/

The Birth of an Outlaw | TrueWest - https://truewestmagazine.com/the-birth-of-an-outlaw/

Miss Catherine’s Boys - https://thoughtsfromafar.blog/2021/03/08/miss-catherines-boys/

Rube Burrow - https://www.wildwestextra.com/rube-burrow-robin-hood-of-alabama/

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Brushy Bill is a Lying Liar Apr 22, 2022

Show notes

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, conducting interviews, researching, documenting all kinds of stuff for the purpose of both proving these claims and obtaining a pardon for Mr. Roberts; the same pardon that Billy the Kid was promised back in the day.

Brushy was able to obtain a meeting with the then Governor of New Mexico but it was a no use. The whole ordeal was a media circus and Roberts ended up having a stroke right there in the Governor’s mansion. Less than a month later on December 27th, 1950, Roberts would suffer a fatal heart attack and needless to say, the pardon never came. And we’ve been arguing about the man’s true identity ever since!

Brushy Bill has piqued my curiosity since I was a little kid, ever since I first watched Young Guns 2. My friends and I played Young Guns at recess. I owned more than one copy of the Bon Jovi Soundtrack over the years and I’m excited beyond words to see Young Guns part 3 on the big screen when it finally comes out – more on that towards the end of this episode. I can’t stress this enough - I WANT Brushy Bill to be Billy the Kid. I truly do. I’m not some sort of wild west grinch just trying to suck the fun out of everything. It would be so cool if arguably the most famous outlaw of all time had really escaped death and lived to be an old man. If we could prove that it’d be massive!

Unfortunately, I don’t think it can be proven. Matter of fact, I’m pretty positive the opposite is true. It’s my opinion that this episode will demonstrate, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Brushy Bill Roberts was NOT Billy the Kid.

Abandon all hope and join me if you dare! My name’s Josh and you’re listening to the Wild West Extravaganza!

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Book & Gear Recommendations - https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7

Brushy Bill Roberts Original Episode - https://www.wildwestextra.com/4-brushy-bill-roberts/

Confessionals Podcast featuring Daniel A. Edwards - https://www.theconfessionalspodcast.com/theconfessionals/307-billy-the-kid-the-man-who-died-twice

Billy the Kid: An Autobiography: The Story of Brushy Bill Roberts by Daniel A. Edwards - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692437258?asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7

Alias Billy the Kid by Morrison & Sonnichsen - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692534040?asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7

Santa Rosa NM Supplemental Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd34jMnXMFU

Blood and Dust Podcast featuring Brett L. Hall - https://open.spotify.com/episode/29w5ZlvON8n86XKyTQpshx

The Real Billy the Kid aka Brushy Bill Roberts by Brett L. Hall - https://www.amazon.ae/Real-Billy-Brushy-Bill-Roberts/dp/1257177133

Brett Hall’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/brushybret/videos

Brushy Bill Proof that his Claim was a Hoax by Roy L. Haws - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1632930552?asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7

Brushy Bill Discussion Forum - https://brushybill.proboards.com/

Bear Grease – The Myth of the Southern Mountain Lion - https://www.themeateater.com/listen/bear-grease/ep-1-the-myth-of-the-southern-mountain-lion

Young Guns 3 - https://www.looper.com/598520/guns-3-alias-billy-the-kid-release-date-cast-plot/

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Alfred Packer | Colorado Cannibal Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

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 some prospectors. They hit some bad weather and worse luck. He himself got snow-blinded and the other five would-be miners abandoned him.

For the next two months this survivor somehow scrapped by - living by his wits, surviving the hellish winter, and making it to civilization all on his own, with almost no supplies. An amazing tale of endurance, for sure. There’s just one catch - Alfred Packer didn’t seem all that malnourished. Matter of fact, the man seemed pretty well fed. And his story? Well, it had holes. Who was Alfred Packer? Was he truly guilty of the crimes that would see him spend nearly two decades behind bars? And what’s human flesh taste like, anyway?

Pass the chianti and crack open the fava beans as we delve into the life and times of the Colorado Cannibal, Alfred Packer.

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Man-Eater: The Life and Legend of an American Cannibal by Harold Schechter - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1503944212?asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7

What Does Human Meat Taste Like | The Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/science/the-lay-scientist/2010/sep/05/human-meat-taste-cannibal

The Body Trade | Reuters - https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-bodies-brokers/

Guy Serves Friends Tacos Made From Amputated Foot | Vice - https://www.vice.com/en/article/gykmn7/legal-ethical-cannibalism-human-meat-tacos-reddit-wtf

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The Bandit Killer Mar 31, 2022

Show notes

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?

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The Shootout at Hide Park Mar 16, 2022

Show notes

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 – the Newton Massacre, also known as the Shootout at Hide Park. Also discussed: John Wesley Hardin and Doc Middleton.

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Newton, Kansas | Hide Park - https://hchm.org/author/hchm-curator/

Newton’s General Massacre - https://hchm.org/newtons-general-massacre-truth-myth/

A Boy Named Riley - https://hchm.org/fact-fiction/

Who Was Allegro? - https://hchm.org/many-of-our-readers-will-remember-allegro-the-bloody-duel/

What Happened to Hugh Anderson? - https://hchm.org/texas-cowboy-desperado-businessman-hugh-anderson/

Fiction Book Recommendations - https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza?listId=2H6WTE0CNW87P

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