The Wild West Extravaganza
True tales from the Old West! Gunfighters, outlaws, lawmen, frontiersmen, and Native Americans – the real people and events that shaped the American frontier.
Our Editor's Take
The Wild West Extravaganza is a history podcast about the days of the American frontier. The host of the show is Josh. The Wild West era has captured people's imaginations for decades. The Western is a favorite genre in Hollywood and has been since the 1930s. Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid are household names. The Wild West didn't last long, though. But because of its popularity in Hollywood, people's knowledge of the actual events of the frontier era is minimal. This is where this podcast comes in. Every week, Josh shares snippets of history from that fascinating time.
Many episodes of The Wild West Extravaganza focus on historical figures. Billy the Kid participated in the property grab that followed the end of the war with Mexico. Joe Horner killed a man at 15 years old. He spent the next few years as an outlaw before escaping from a Texas prison. He moved to Wyoming where he assumed the name Frank Canton. As Canton, he became a sheriff, a soldier, and then a general in the US Army. Josh discusses Ned Christie. The history books portray him as a murderous outlaw. Josh makes the case that US marshals assassinated Christie under false pretenses.
Josh also devotes some podcast episodes to battles. The Wild West being what it was, wars got their names from counties and cities back then. He provides the background that led to the Dodge City War. It involved Wyatt Earp and a crooked mayor. In the Battle of Beecher Island, frontiersmen defended themselves from attackers. Their battleground was a sandbar in the middle of a river. The Battle of the Bordellos was waged between two competing madams who were as fierce as the men who frequented their establishments.
The Wild West Extravaganza reveals that, for once, Hollywood didn't exaggerate. The old west era was a time of lawlessness. It took brave men and women to survive it. Josh is a fantastic storyteller. This podcast is full of thrills. New episodes debut several times each week.
Episodes
