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.
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The Wild West Extravaganza Podcasts
We've all seen movies that claim to be 'based on a true story', but have you ever wondered how accurate they are? That's what we'll find out as we compare Hollywood with history.
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Hosted by Kerry Graham and Rab Fulton, this offshoot of the world famous Celtic Tales storytelling show takes a deep dive into all the weird, wild and wonderful stories that can be found along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Coastline. Featuring tales of pirates, portals, axe murderers, extra-terrestrials, killer islands, genocidal explorers and much more, this podcast is a must listen for anyone daring to visit Ireland’s wild west.
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Outlaw or Ghost? The Search for Jesse Evans
30:22
30:22
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30:22
By The Wild West Extravaganza
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Grave Secrets: Where Is Billy the Kid Really Buried?
13:33
13:33
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For generations, rumors have swirled that Old West outlaw Billy the Kid’s grave at Fort Sumner was swept away by a massive flood. But is there any truth to the legend, or does Billy still rest beneath his famous gravestone? Also discussed are fellow Lincoln County Regulators Charlie Bowdre and Tom Folliard. Chasing Billy YouTube - https://www.youtu…
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In the Days of Billy the Kid: Featuring James B. Mills
1:12:36
1:12:36
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Was José Chavez y Chavez really part Navajo? And what about Billy the Kid’s famous escape from Lincoln? Was that Young Guns 2 scene with the pistol in the outhouse true, or did he overpower his guard? Who actually killed Deputy Carlyle at White Oaks? These are just a few of the questions I discussed with historian and author James B. Mills. His boo…
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James Beckwourth: From Slave to Mountain Man
27:39
27:39
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James Beckwourth lived one of the most extraordinary lives in American frontier history. Born the son of a white plantation owner and an enslaved Black woman, Beckwourth was freed by his father and set out to make his own way in the West. He trapped beaver alongside legendary mountain men like Jim Bridger and Kit Carson, fought in battles ranging f…
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Sheriff Pat Garrett & the $500 Controversy
24:06
24:06
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Did Pat Garrett receive the $500 bounty on Billy the Kid’s head? For years, rumors have spread that Garrett was denied payment because he failed to prove the Kid’s death. But how true are these claims? Buy Me A Coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Check out the website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/con…
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Donald Rumsfeld in the Movies with William Cooper
59:26
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BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 375) — Donald Rumsfeld served as the U.S. Secretary of Defense twice in his career, including during the 9/11 attacks. Today, we'll learn how the movies "Vice", "W." bring a fictional portrayal of Rumsfeld. We'll also look into the accuracy of the documentary "The Unknown Known" which interviews Rumsfeld himself. G…
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Bigfoot Wallace is one of those figures who looms so large in Texashistory that it can be tough to separate the facts from the tall tales. Born inVirginia and hardened by tragedy, Wallace headed to Texas with vengeance on his mind. What followed was a life filled with brutal frontier battles, narrow escapes, and enough wild stories to fill volumes.…
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The Widow's Secret: Was Billy the Kid's Death a Hoax?
24:00
24:00
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Did Pat Garrett’s widow really claim that her husband helped to fake the demise of Billy the Kid? What about Garrett’s daughter, Elizabeth? Did she really give an interview in the 1980s saying the same thing? Endless online debates and unreliable sources have fueled questions such as these. But what does the historical evidence actually say? Today,…
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John Tornow, also known as the Wild Man of the Wynoochee, became one of the most feared and hunted men in the Pacific Northwest during the early 1900s. Born in Iowa in 1880, he grew up in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, where he developed an unmatched skill with a rifle and a deep love for the wilderness. What began as the life of a quiet hermit sp…
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Frank “Pistol Pete” Eaton was more than a mascot. He was a real man who claimed to have lived one of the most violent and extraordinary lives of the Old West. Born in 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut, Eaton moved with his family to Kansas, where he witnessed his father’s murder at the hands of six vigilantes. From that moment on, young Frank dedicated…
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If you grew up watching westerns in the late 80s and early 90s, Young Guns II was probably on your list, but how much of what we saw on screen was true? Today, we dig into the real history behind Billy the Kid and Young Guns II with Dan LeFebvre, the award-winning host of the Based on a True Story Podcast. Together, we explore questions such as whe…
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Young Guns II with Josh from The Wild West Extravaganza
1:27:15
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BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 374) — Today we'll rejoin Billy the Kid's outlaw gang as they continue their attempts to escape the law following the events in Young Guns (BOATS EP. 146). Was Brushy Bill Roberts a real person? Was he Billy the Kid? What other creative liberties did the filmmakers take in telling the true story of Billy the Kid? Wh…
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Archie Clement was one of the most notorious guerrilla fighters to emerge from Missouri during the Civil War and Reconstruction era. Barely over five feet tall and weighing around 130 pounds, Clement quickly became feared across the state for his ruthlessness and intensity. Riding with William “Bloody Bill” Anderson, Jesse James, and Frank James, h…
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Jack Hinson, known as “Old Jack,” began the Civil War as a wealthy Tennessee planter with no intentions to enlist in the Civil War. That changed in 1862 when Union troops executed his sons and displayed their heads on his plantation gateposts. At 57 years old, Hinson armed himself with a custom .50 caliber rifle and launched a one-man war of reveng…
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Chief Joseph & the Nez Perce War: The Fight Begins
32:02
32:02
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The Battle of White Bird Canyon was one of the most lopsided defeats the U.S. Army ever suffered in the American West. On June 17, 1877, Captain David Perry led roughly one hundred soldiers and scouts into Idaho’s White Bird Canyon, believing they could quickly subdue the Nez Perce. Instead, the Nez Perce delivered a crushing defeat. In less than a…
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Elfego Baca & the Frisco Shootout (Encore)
38:16
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In October of 1884, 19-year-old Elfego Baca made history during the legendary Frisco Shootout. After pinning on a fake badge and arresting a drunken cowboy named Charlie McCarty, Baca found himself surrounded by dozens of angry ranch hands. The standoff escalated into a 33-hour siege in which as many as 80 cowboys fired more than 4,000 rounds into …
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BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 373) — Learn about legendary aviator Amelia Earhart as she was portrayed onscreen by Hilary Swank in the 2009 biopic. To uncover the true story, today we'll talk with author, documentarian, and host of Chasing Earhart , the only podcast dedicated entirely to Amelia Earhart: Chris Williamson. Where to watch Amelia Ge…
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Teton Ridge has snagged the film and TV rights to Larry McMurtry’s legendary Lonesome Dove series, promising a fresh take on the Pulitzer Prize-winning saga of retired Texas Rangers on a perilous cattle drive from Texas to Montana. The original adaptation in 1989 became a Western classic, but will the remake live up to its legacy? And did you know …
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Chief Joseph & the Nez Perce War: Genesis
41:19
41:19
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The Nez Perce War erupted in 1877 after decades of brokentreaties, stolen land, and violent confrontations between settlers and the Nez Perce people. At the center of this struggle was Chief Joseph, a leader who had spent years trying to keep peace, only to be forced into leading his people on one of the greatest fighting retreats in American histo…
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Mysterious Dave Mather: The Gunfighter Who Vanished Without a Trace
23:18
23:18
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Mysterious Dave Mather was one of the Old West’s most elusive figures. Born in Connecticut and orphaned at a young age, Mather drifted west, where his life became a blur of gunfights, gambling halls, and questionable alliances. He wore a badge in towns like Dodge City and East Las Vegas, but just as often found himself standing trial for murder. Kn…
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Trail of Vengeance with Rob Hilliard
1:33:51
1:33:51
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BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 372) — Travel back to the Old West for a tale of revenge, Pinkerton agents, and frontier justice in the wake of the Civil War. One of those former Pinkerton agents in the movie is John Scobell (Gbenga Akinnagbe), making 2025's Trail of Vengeance the first movie to feature John Scobell as one of its main characters. …
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Tom "Bear River" Smith: Abilene's Forgotten marshal
21:52
21:52
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Tom “Bear River” Smith tamed one of the wildest towns in the Old West without firing a single shot. Armed with nothing more than a badge, a banjo, and a pair of fists that made even the toughest cowboys think twice, Smith brought order to Abilene, Kansas, at a time when cattle drives and rowdy trail hands turned the streets into chaos. But how did …
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King Fisher was no ordinary Texas gunfighter. This is a man who once killed a circus tiger so that he could make a pair of chaps from its hide. He boasted of killing 37 men, and at the height of his power, commanded over 100 armed bandits, ruling South Texas like his own personal kingdom. Known for his gold-embroidered jackets, rattlesnake hatbands…
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For centuries, the Northern Paiute have told of the Si-Te-Cah, a mysterious tribe said to have lived on tule rafts across Nevada’s Lake Humboldt. Described as fierce warriors with red hair and even cannibalistic tendencies, the Si-Te-Cah were eventually trapped and wiped out at Lovelock Cave. Skip ahead to 1911, and miners discovered thousands of a…
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The Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine is one of the most enduring legends of the American Southwest. Said to be hidden somewhere in the Superstition Mountains east of Apache Junction, Arizona, this mythical mine is named after Jacob “Dutchman” Waltz, who supposedly discovered a rich vein of gold in the 19th century and concealed its location before his dea…
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Classic: Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story with Matthew Polly
54:39
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BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 371) — How well do you know about the real Bruce Lee? There are a lot of myths that came out of the movie "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story" so today we'll pull another classic episode from the Based on a True Story vault. Where to watch Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story Get Matthew's book Matthew Polly authored "Bruce Lee: …
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Clay Allison was one of the lesser-known yet deadlier of the Old West gunslingers. Join me today as we follow Allison on his adventures inDodge City, his encounters with Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, and finally his tragic demise in Pecos, Texas. Check out the website for more true talesfrom the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! http…
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