The Wild West Extravaganza
The Wild West Extravaganza is a weekly history podcast exploring the real-life people and events of the Old West and the American frontier. Each episode explores the true stories of outlaws, gunfighters, lawmen, cowboys, Native Americans, and frontiersmen (and women) who shaped the Old West. From famous legends like Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, and Geronimo to forgotten tales of shootouts, cattle drives, and frontier towns, this show delivers the grit, drama, and truth behind Western history.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 46 minutes
- Episodes
- 193
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
The Mountain Meadows Massacre
On September 11th, 1857, over a hundred men, women, and children were brutally slaughtered. The victims belonged to a wagon train that had left Arkansas months prior, bound for California. They follo…
01:11:09 |
Wed 25 Jun 2025
The Battle of Beecher Island
The late summer of 1868 found Major George Forsythe and his scouts fighting for survival. For nine long days, they hunkered down on a little sand bar as they faced off against an overwhelming force o…
01:09:34 |
Wed 18 Jun 2025
John Riley & the San Patricios
The Saint Patrick’s Battalion, also known as the San Patricios, was a hard-fighting unit of foreign soldiers, mostly Irish, who deserted the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War. From the Siege …
00:33:55 |
Wed 11 Jun 2025
Whisperin' Jim Smith | Avenging Nemesis
Whisperin’ Jim Smith was a deputy and railroad detective who
was said to have written more red history with his pistol than any two men of his time, who had enough dead outlaws to his credit to start…
00:33:15 |
Wed 04 Jun 2025
Mart Duggan | Leadville's Deadly Marshal
For a brief period in the 1870s, Mart Duggan served as the lone vestige of law and order in the violent boomtown of Leadville, Colorado. Originally from Ireland, Duggan got his start out West prospec…
00:23:53 |
Wed 28 May 2025
Seth Bullock | Deadwood's Sheriff
Seth Bullock first pinned a badge in Montana, where he presided over the territory’s very first legal execution. That’s in addition to serving as a territorial senator and establishing Yellowstone Na…
00:33:36 |
Wed 21 May 2025
Richard "Two Gun" Hart | Gangsters VS Cowboys
By the mid-1920s, Al Capone was the undisputed kingpin of Chicago and was working feverishly to expand his empire. The only thing standing in the way of his ambitions was an overzealous Nebraska lawm…
00:52:54 |
Wed 14 May 2025
Dallas Stoudenmire | El Paso Marshal
Dallas Stoudenmire was a soldier, mercenary, Texas Ranger, gunfighter, and extremely capable El Paso marshal. He was also a mean drunk. However, despite coming out victorious in the “Four Dead in Fiv…
00:51:12 |
Wed 07 May 2025
Young Guns 3: PLOT REVEALED
Regulators: Mount up! The Governor of New Mexico issued a press release on March 13th stating that Young Guns 3: Dead or Alive will be filmed in New Mexico, and that Emilio Estevez will be reprising …
00:36:57 |
Mon 21 Apr 2025
State of the Wild West Extravaganza 2025
My name’s Josh, and this is the Wild West Extravaganza, a history podcast where we discuss all the real-life people and events from the Old West. Today’s show is somewhat different. Rather than talk …
00:24:57 |
Wed 02 Apr 2025
Jesse James | Resurrection (Part 8)
In the late 1940s, a man calling himself J. Frank Dalton made a startling announcement: He said that the outlaw Jesse James had not been killed by Bob Ford in 1882. According to Dalton, the entire th…
00:43:51 |
Wed 26 Mar 2025
Jesse James | Assassination (Part 7)
Join me as we discuss the final days of Jesse James. From the aftermath of Northfield to his untimely demise at the hands of Bob Ford. Also discussed are the Knights of the Golden Circle, along with …
00:35:55 |
Wed 19 Mar 2025
Jesse James | Too Tough To Die (Part 6)
The aftermath of the Northfield raid as Jesse James and the James-Younger gang are shot to pieces and attempt to flee Minnesota. Also discussed are the many injuries of Cole Younger, Jesse James, his…
00:34:23 |
Wed 12 Mar 2025
Jesse James | Northfield Raid (Part 5)
On September 7th,1876, three heavily armed men entered the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota. They immediately pulled their guns and hopped over the counter, demanding that the clerk open …
00:45:21 |
Wed 19 Feb 2025
Jesse James | Perdition (Part 4)
Today, we’re going to examine the war between the Pinkertons and Jesse James, a bloody feud that would culminate in an ill-advised attack on the James farm, along with the tragic death of Jesse’s eig…
00:41:35 |
Wed 12 Feb 2025
Jesse James | Cross-Dresser? (Part 3)
Was the outlaw Jesse James a cross-dresser? Probably not, but an interesting story claims he dressed as a young lady on at least one occasion. Also discussed is how Jesse earned his nickname (Dingus!…
00:42:24 |
Wed 05 Feb 2025
Jesse James | Bank Robber (Part 2)
The outlaw Jesse James got his start during the Civil War as
a young bushwhacker, fighting with William Quantrill and Bloody Bill Anderson.
He killed his first man at the age of 16 and continued doin…
00:28:18 |
Wed 29 Jan 2025
Jesse James | Bushwhacker (Part 1)
According to many, Jesse James was a hero, a freedom fighter
who continued resisting Northern aggression long after the Civil War came to an
end. But to his victims, Jesse was nothing more than a col…
00:41:44 |
Wed 22 Jan 2025
Buckshot Roberts
On April 4, 1878, Andrew L. “Buckshot” Roberts took on the
Lincoln County Regulators in what’s now known as the Gunfight at Blazer’s Mill.
Today, we’ll dive into Roberts’ background and discuss who r…
00:30:15 |
Wed 15 Jan 2025
Black Jack Ketchum
Thomas “Black Jack” Ketchum was an Old West cowboy turned outlaw. He and his gang robbed trains and stole livestock all throughout the American Southwest before coming to a disastrous end. And that’s…
00:31:38 |
Wed 08 Jan 2025
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are the property of Wild West Josh. This content is not affiliated with or endorsed by eachpod.com.