The Wild West Extravaganza

Fat Alice & the Battle of the Bordellos

In the spring of 1886, two El Paso madams went to war over a young prostitute named Bessie Colvin, and by the time the smoke cleared, one of them was shot in her privates

A Short History of Dodge City

Dodge City, Kansas, earned its reputation as the wickedest little city in America in just a single year, back when it was still a lawless buffalo camp with no sheriff, no

Calamity Jane

Calamity Jane might be the most famous woman to ever come out of the Old West. According to the legend, she scouted for the Army, rode for the Pony Express, fought hostil

Drugs in the Old West

DISCLAIMER: This video is a historical documentary about medicine, pharmacy, and substance use in 19th-century America. It is intended for educational and informational p

Sheriff John Larn & the Tin Hat Brigade

John Larn had all the appearances of a respectable man. He owned a ranch, married into one of the most powerful families in Shackleford County, and was even elected as Sh

Reno Hill: Surviving the Little Bighorn

The Battle of the Little Bighorn didn't end when George Armstrong Custer fell. Four miles to the south, the surviving seven companies of the 7th Cavalry, under Major Marc

Fix Bayonets: Colonel Chamberlain & Little Round Top

On July 2nd, 1863, a college professor from Maine named Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain found himself holding the far left flank of the entire Union Army on a rocky little hi

Custer's Last Stand: Hero or Fool?

The Battle of the Little Bighorn is one of the most famous and most misunderstood events in American history. On June 25, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer

Billy the Kid, Brushy Bill, & the NYPD

Did the NYPD prove that Brushy Bill Roberts was Billy the Kid using forensic technology? Short answer: no. Not the NYPD, not the FBI, not the CIA, and not Interpol. No of

We Hang Horse Thieves: The Truth About Frontier Justice

How many people were legally hanged for stealing horses in the Old West? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? Join me today as we bust one of the most enduring myths of the Ameri

Print Olive: Man Burner

Imagine being wrapped alive in a freshly butchered cowhide, tied to a tree, and left to bake in the Texas sun. The old timers called it the death of skins, and according

Richard "Two Gun" Hart (ENCORE)

Enjoy this encore presentation of Richard "Two Gun" Hart. New episodes continue next week! By the mid-1920s, Al Capone was the undisputed kingpin of Chicago and was fever

The Outlaw Burt Alvord: From Arizona to the Amazon

In September of 1899, Constable Burt Alvord deputized a group of his closest friends and rode out in pursuit of a gang of train robbers. The only problem is that the men

Henry Newton Brown: The Lawman Who Robbed a Bank

Henry Newton Brown was an orphan from Missouri who rode with Billy the Kid during one of the bloodiest range wars in American history. He helped ambush Sheriff William Br

Outlaws, Lawmen, & Forgotten Killers of the Old West (ENCORE)

Join me as we examine five of the most dangerous and overlooked figures in Old West history. First up is Jesse Evans, the New Mexico outlaw who rode with Billy the Kid, h

Climax Jim: Arizona's Slipperiest Outlaw

Rufus Nephew, better known as Climax Jim, was a cattle rustler, serial jail breaker, and possibly one of the most entertaining characters you'll ever come across in Old W

Champ Ferguson | Rebel Butcher

Kentucky-born Confederate guerrilla Champ Ferguson used the chaos of the Civil War to settle personal grudges along the Tennessee border, racking up a body count that inc

Scott Cooley & the Mason County War

The Mason County War, also known as the Hoodoo War, was one of the bloodiest feuds in Texas history. In 1875, a conflict over cattle rustling in the Texas Hill Country es

Billy Brooks CORRECTION

Hey, Josh here, with the Wild West Extravaganza. I just wanted to touch base and issue a very quick correction. On the most recent episode – The Insane Life of Billy Broo

The Insane Life of Billy Brooks

In 1872, the violent cattle town of Newton, Kansas, appointed a twenty-two-year-old buffalo hunter named Billy Brooks as its town marshal. It would prove to be one of the