The Wild West Extravaganza

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True tales from the Old West! Gunfighters, outlaws, lawmen, frontiersmen, and Native Americans – the real people and events that shaped this iconic period of American history. Saddle up and discover the true history of the Wild West - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

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Top 10 The Wild West Extravaganza Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Wild West Extravaganza episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Wild West Extravaganza for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Wild West Extravaganza episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Joaquin Murrieta | California Bandit

The Wild West Extravaganza

06/22/22 • 63 min

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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3 Listeners

Britt Johnson & the Searchers

The Wild West Extravaganza

02/17/22 • 58 min

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 Johnson once again. John Ford’s 1956 masterpiece starring John Wayne, The Searchers, is said to be inspired by Britt Johnson.

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The First Battle of Adobe Walls - https://www.wildwestextra.com/firstadobewalls/

Satanta’s Flight - https://www.wildwestextra.com/satantas-last-flight-kiowa/

Elm Creek Raid - https://www.frontiertimesmagazine.com/blog/the-indian-raid-in-young-county-written-henry-c-williams-newcastle-texas

Brit Johnson, The Real Searcher - https://www.historynet.com/brit-johnson-real-searcher.htm

Britton Johnson, Christy Claridy - https://www.texasranger.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Artifacts-Britton-Johnson.pdf

Indian Depredations in Texas, J. W. Wilbarger - https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89060391521&view=1up&seq=7&skin=2021

The Mystery of Millie Durkin - https://myrahmcilvain.com/2014/09/26/the-mystery-of-millie-durkin/

Big Wonderful Thing, Stephen Harrigan - https://www.amazon.com/Big-Wonderful-Thing-audiobook/dp/B0821VZX7D

The Captured, Scott Zesch - https://www.amazon.com/Captured-Story-Abduction-Indians-Frontier/dp/0312317891

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2 Listeners

Satanta's Flight | Kiowa

The Wild West Extravaganza

12/22/21 • 21 min

Kiowa Chief Satanta – known as the great orator – was an influential leader of his people and participant in both battles of Adobe Walls. Arrested by Custer. Very close to killing General Sherman. Eventually tried for murder - found guilty - and sentenced to prison, Satanta allegedly committed suicide by jumping off the 2nd floor of a Huntsville Penitentiary Hospital. Or at least that’s how the story goes.

Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

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Wise About Texas Podcast http://wiseabouttexas.com/

The first battle of Adobe Walls https://www.wildwestextra.com/firstadobewalls/

TSHA – Satanta https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/satanta

Satanta’s Grave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3143/satanta

Interesting discussion on Satanta and Trailing The Enemy https://amertribes.proboards.com/thread/39/chief-satanta

The Kiowa Language https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t2KTaJvkQU

Johnny Cash – The Wall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbrztQ6IFzM

2 Listeners

Cullen Baker | The West's First Fast Draw?

The Wild West Extravaganza

07/06/22 • 50 min

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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2 Listeners

The Brothers McCarty

The Wild West Extravaganza

05/25/22 • 23 min

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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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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2 Listeners

Dewey Beard - Veteran of Little Bighorn & survivor of Wounded Knee

The Wild West Extravaganza

06/08/22 • 32 min

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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2 Listeners

BONUS - Obscure History | The Lawless Horrel Brothers

The Wild West Extravaganza

03/09/22 • 22 min

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

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Bronco Apache | The Last of the Wild Apache

The Wild West Extravaganza

03/22/21 • 45 min

On May 6th, 1877, just ten months after the battle of Little Big Horn, the legendary Crazy Horse led nearly 900 Lakota & Cheyenne to Fort Robinson, Nebraska. It was time to surrender. Five months later in October of 1877 Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce would do the same. To fight no more, forever. Sitting Bull of the Lakota would hold out until May of 1881, when he too would lay down his arms.

And then finally - on September 4th, 1886 - the mighty Apache leader Geronimo surrendered to the U.S. Army, in Skeleton Canyon, in present day southeastern Arizona. The last American Indian warrior to formerly 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 – for the most part – was over.

But what if I were to tell you that not ALL of the Apache surrendered? That there were a few holdouts that not only continued to live free but continued to make war with their enemies as well. For the next 45 years!

Find out more on this holy crap, I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this before I’m about to pee my pants with excitement episode of the Wild West Extravaganza!

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Time Magazine article from 1929 on Francisco Fimbres

White Chief May Have Led Last of the Free Apaches into 20th Century

Mexicans Recall Last Apaches Living in Sierra

A Savage Land thesis by Margery Hunt Watkinson

The Last "Broncho" thesis by Leah Candolin Cook

Meet the Geronimos

The last Free Apaches

1 Listener

Quanah Parker

The Wild West Extravaganza

08/11/19 • 99 min

Quanah Parker, the son of a war chief and a white captive, the first and only principal chief of the Comanche Nation. And one of the last of the wild Comanche to finally surrender. He spent his entire early life preparing for and engaging in war, raiding at will and striking fear into the hearts of his enemies. Later he’d walk the path of his mother’s people, growing rich, at times, and successfully lobbying and negotiating on behalf of his beloved Comanche. What was it that make Quanah both a skilled fighter and effective leader? What compelled his people to not only follow him on the warpath, but also the path of progress? Join me as we delve deep on this topic on this newest episode of Bloody Beaver Podcast.

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Johnny Ringo's Mysterious Fate

The Wild West Extravaganza

10/04/23 • 29 min

The mysterious, oftentimes sullen gunfighter Johnny Ringo celebrated July 4th, 1882, by going on a bender. And judging by the liquor bottles stashed in his saddlebags he wasn’t planning on the festivities ending any time soon. Few days later Ringo shows up at a ranch about 20 miles to the north and he’s still drinking. Likewise even later when he runs into Cochise County Sheriff’s deputy Billy Breakenridge. According to Billy it was barely past midday and Johnny was having trouble staying in the saddle. What happened next is a mystery, but the following day Johnny Ringo’s lifeless body was discovered by a teamster; his feet wrapped in a torn shirt, his cartridge belt upside down, his horse gone, and a noticeable piece of his scalp missing, seemingly cut away with a knife. The official coroner’s report would rule Johnny’s death as self-inflicted but is that really what happened? Why would a veteran of so many battles choose to take his own life? And Where was his horse? Why was he barefoot? And who the hell cut off a piece of his hair? And while we’re at it, who the hell was Johnny Ringo anyway, and could he really speak Latin?

"Eventus stultorum magister."

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