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 o...
Aug 16, 2023•1 hr 5 min
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 u...
Aug 09, 2023•41 min
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. Lin...
Aug 02, 2023•25 min
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 Veg...
Jul 26, 2023•40 min
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 wo...
Jul 19, 2023•49 min
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. Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://...
Jul 12, 2023•28 min
Before he became known as Old Bill Williams, the gaunt and scarred Mountain Man was a Methodist preacher who attempted to bring the gospel to the Osage people. Bill lived among the Osage, married into the tribe, helped them negotiate a treaty, and even translated the Bible into their language. It’s said, however, that it was the Osage who ultimately ended up converting Williams. Sadly, Bill’s Osage wife passed away and he pressed further west to the Rockies, becoming a free trapper and trader (a...
Jul 02, 2023•21 min
In the year 1842, a sickly 19-year-old named William T. Hamilton embarked on a journey to the Rocky Mountains accompanied by famed frontiersman Old Bill Williams. Over the course of the next several decades, Hamilton worked as a fur trapper, trader, lawman, guide, hunter, and scout. He’d ride with other notable figures such as George Armstrong Custer and General George Crook, take part in numerous engagements with hostiles, travel the west extensively, and finally – as a very old man – write a b...
Jun 28, 2023•25 min
This is part 2 in a two-part series. Please check out the link below for the first installment. And please check out the book Cherokee Bill: Black Cowboy Indian Outlaw by Art Burton! Cherokee Bill, notorious outlaw of the Indian Territory, met his fate on March 17, 1896, when he was executed at Fort Smith, Arkansas. Following his death, his family took his body to Fort Gibson and buried him at the Cherokee National Cemetery in Fort Gibson, known today as the Citizens Cemetery of Fort Gibson. And...
Jun 20, 2023•33 min
Despite his young age, Cherokee Bill’s boldness and audacity surpassed that of many outlaws on the Western frontier, making him a truly exceptional badman. What set Bill apart, first and foremost, was his status as an African American residing in the Indian Territory. Additionally, he was a Native American and a member of the Cherokee Nation through his mother’s lineage, making his background all the more unique. And when Bill joined forces with the Cook brothers, he displayed a fatalistic minds...
Jun 13, 2023•44 min
John “Liver Eating” Johnson was the inspiration behind 1972’s Jeremiah Johnson but the real man’s life was even more extraordinary than portrayed on film. Johnson/Johnstone was a sailor, soldier, fur trapper, prospector, scout, Indian fighter, and lawman. Sometimes a good guy, sometimes a bad guy, and always larger than life. Dubbed "Liver-Eating" due to a chilling tale of vengeance, he allegedly killed Crow warriors and consumed their livers, but are these stories true? Later in his life, Johns...
Jun 06, 2023•1 hr 20 min
On September 4th, 1886, the mighty Apache leader Geronimo surrendered to the U.S. Army. The last American Indian warrior to formally surrender to the United States. And with him, so went the Indian Wars. The buffalo were gone, the railroads and churches were here to stay, and the wild west was – for the most part – over. But what if I were to tell you that not all of the Apache surrendered and that there were a few holdouts that not only continued to live free but continued to make war with thei...
May 30, 2023•46 min
Just a few days following the death of Billy the Kid a newspaper out of Las Vegas, New Mexico reported that they had, in their possession, the notorious bandit’s severed trigger finger. Others claimed to have Billy’s skull, and clumps of his hair, and one scoundrel was even peddling a skeleton he declared to be the recently deceased Billy Bonney. How true were these claims? Was Pat Garrett telling the truth when he declared that Billy the Kid was buried fully intact at Fort Sumner? And is Bonney...
May 24, 2023•20 min
Tascosa, Texas, in those turbulent times of the 1880s, epitomized lawlessness and chaos. It was a place where legends were born, and outlaws roamed freely. The echoes of Billy the Kid's footsteps still reverberated through its dusty streets, mingling with the shadowy presence of Dave Rudabaugh, John Selman, Henry Newton Brown, Charlie Siringo, and countless other fabled figures who had left their indelible mark on the annals of the Old West. And by the time of the “Big Fight” aka the Gunfight at...
May 17, 2023•24 min
Al Swearengen was the notorious owner of Deadwood’s Gem Theatre, which quickly became one of the boom town's most popular entertainment venues. Swearengen’s business practices, however, were far from ethical. He coerced desperate women into becoming prostitutes, often through bullying and physical violence, and wasn’t exactly gentle with the menfolk, either. Despite the Gem Theater burning down in 1879 as part of a larger fire that destroyed much of Deadwood, Swearengen was undeterred. He rebuil...
May 10, 2023•49 min
You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your family. An old adage that the 33rd President of the United States Harry S. Truman knew all too well. Every family has that one black sheep, right? In the case of the Trumans, that shameful distinction fell on James John Chiles, aka Jim Crow Chiles, Harry’s Uncle by marriage; a violent Missouri Bushwhacker who fought alongside Bloody Bill Anderson and Jesse James described by author David G. McCullough as universally ha...
May 03, 2023•26 min
One of the more memorable characters from Young Guns 1 and 2 was Chavez y Chavez, portrayed by the talented Lou Diamond Philips. And yes, Chavez was real! He was a constable in San Patricio and an ally of the Tunstall McSween faction during the Lincoln County War. Jose was a full participant in the troubles, and he was present during the Battle of Lincoln, making a getaway from the burning McSween home right alongside Billy the Kid. But who was Jose Chavez y Chavez really? Was he a Navajo as pop...
Apr 26, 2023•47 min
Josiah "Doc" Scurlock was a poet, philosopher, intellectual, and a hardened killer long before he ever met Billy the Kid. A mysterious past in Mexico, rumors of dead men from New Orleans to Texas, a penchant for vigilantism, and several close calls with the hostile Natives all made Doc a man to be both feared and respected. However, it was the trials he would face after the Lincoln County War that made Scurlock the man his family would remember. Also discussed: J.J. Dolan, John Riley, Billy Camp...
Apr 19, 2023•39 min
By 1880 The Kid was not only being hunted by Sheriff Pat Garrett and the Texas Panhandle Stock Association, but the federal authorities as well. He’d be arrested, sentenced to hang, and then make one of the most daring escapes of the Old West. Little did Billy know how numbered his days truly were. In this final chapter of the Billy the Kid series, we’ll delve into the gritty details of the standoff at White Oaks, the Stinking Springs standoff, the daring escape from the Lincoln jail, the shotgu...
Apr 12, 2023•48 min
This is part four in the series on Billy the Kid. See the links below for the previous three installments. In the aftermath of the Battle of Lincoln, Billy and the Regulators sought to acquire much-needed horses by striking the Mescalero Reservation. Although successful, they left a man dead in their wake; a killing ultimately pinned on The Kid. Moving on to Fort Sumner, they drove a herd of stolen Chisum horses to the Texas Panhandle, after which many of Billy's friends decided to call it quits...
Apr 04, 2023•42 min
Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory was the setting of a brutal conflict between rival factions vying for control of the county's dry goods and cattle interests. The Lincoln County War, as it came to be known, began in 1878 and persisted until 1881, a time of lawlessness and bloodshed in the Old West. One side of the feud was led by James Dolan, a powerful figure who wielded a monopoly over dry goods through his establishment "The House". The other faction was established by English-born John T...
Mar 29, 2023•58 min
Is the croquet photo legit? Check out my website for more true tales from the wild and woolly west https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Patreon for bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Croquet Photo | CNN - https://www.cnn.com/2015/10/15/living/billy-the-kid-photo-feat/index.html Identifying Old West Photos | Dan Buck - https:/...
Mar 27, 2023•13 min
Fleeing a potential hangman’s noose in Arizona, Kid Antrim returns to New Mexico, taking on the alias William H. Bonney as he begins riding with the outlaw Jesse Evans and his Boys. The Kid would soon find legitimate work elsewhere, however, coming into the employ of English rancher John Tunstall just as tensions are at an all time high with the rival Murphy Dolan faction. Also discussed on this episode is the famous tintype and why it probably didn’t do The Kid justice. This is part 2 in the se...
Mar 21, 2023•53 min
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 the town of 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 li...
Mar 15, 2023•40 min
Just a short update. No new episode today but next week we’ll kick off the Billy the Kid series. In the meantime, check out some of these book recommendations and give a listen to a few of my friends! Topics include: Louis L’Amour, Larry McMurtry, Cormac McCarthy, William W. Johnstone, Terry C. Johnston, rebelliousness, awesome YouTubers, mushrooms, western cinema, and vampires. Yeah, vampires. Fiction Books | Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/2H6WTE0CNW87P?ref_=aip_...
Mar 08, 2023•15 min
Gold was discovered in Montana in 1862, ushering in a flood of prospectors straight through the heart of Lakota territory on a new road called the Bozeman trail, further straining tensions between settlers and Natives. Jim Bridger opened up his “Bridger’s Trail”, a much safer – and popular - alternative but the powers that be were dead set on erecting forts on the Bozeman. Violence erupted across the Great Plains as the Lakota, Arapaho, and Cheyenne took to the war path, vowing to drive the whit...
Mar 01, 2023•45 min
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 rush, leading thousands of prospectors to illegally trespass on Lakota and Cheyenne land via the Bozeman trail, resulting in violence. The Army intervened and hired Bridger once again as their guide. Additionally covered in this episode is the Mountain Meadows massacre, the Ut...
Feb 22, 2023•30 min
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 Hickok to trailblazing pioneers, Native Americans, and frontiersmen, The Wild West Extravaganza tells the stories of those who shaped this iconic period of American history. So, saddle up and discover the true history of the American frontier – the good, the bad, and the ugly. ...
Feb 20, 2023•2 min
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 long before Jim began doing brisk business, both to travelers along the Oregon Trail and those brave enough to try their luck on the Hasting’s Cutoff; migrants like the ill-fated Donner Party. Bad luck aside, Bridger’s fort – and his Green River ferry – d...
Feb 15, 2023•34 min
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 American trappers and the Blackfeet, and violence became a given any time the two groups would meet with mercy rarely extended by either side. Nevertheless, the mountain men – piloted by Jim Bridger - persisted season after season, staking their fortunes and lives on Blackfe...
Feb 08, 2023•42 min
