Bloody Beaver

Frank Canton was not born; he was created. The mental fabrication of a notorious outlaw and escaped convict by the name of Joe Horner. After possibly killing his first man at the tender age of 15, Horner would spend the next several years as a cowboy and ranch hand before forming the infamous Horner gang, that would terrorize north Texas during the mid-1870’s. After a full-on gun battle with the United States military in broad daylight, Horner is arrested but escapes. And, following the successful robbery of at least one bank, Horner was once more apprehended and jailed – this time in San Antonio – and once more escaped. Arrested again after yet another gunfight, Horner would be tried, found guilty and sentenced to 15 years hard labor in Huntsville State penitentiary. He would only do two of these years, escaping once more – this time never to be seen again. At least not as Josiah Horner. The escaped convict would travel north, to Wyoming, and reinvent himself. Becoming Frank Canton, the epitome of law and or

It’s safe to say that a career as an outlaw doesn’t lend itself to a long life. Billy the Kid was only twenty-one years old when he was killed. Cherokee Bill a year younger. The notorious Bloody Bill Anderson not yet twenty-five. Jesse James, Joaquin Murrieta, Rube Burrow, Bill Longley, the list goes on. Not a one of them over the age of forty. But of course, there are exceptions. Not ALL of the west’s most dangerous men died young. Nor did they simply disappear at the turn of the 20th century. Some of ‘em stuck around and tried to adapt. This is one such story - someone you have most definitely heard of. A true legend of the old west; a killer. And yes, a shoe salesman.   Check out my website for more true tales from the wild and woolly west https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Join Patreon for bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Become a YouTube Paid Member for bonus content

Happy Halloween! Clemente Apolinar was the last person publicly hanged in Texas. Not only did his execution go horribly wrong but you won’t BELIEVE what the location is currently being used as.   Check out my website for more true tales from the Wild West: https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Join Patreon for bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Become a YouTube Paid Member for bonus content! https://www.youtube.com/c/WildWestExtravaganza   Join FREE Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/   Listen to Texas History Lessons for more Texas History! https://www.texashistorylessons.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fifty Modoc warriors defied the U.S. Army for nearly a year; outwitting and outfighting them on more than one occasion, & killing a General in the process. This is Part 3 of the series on Captain Jack and the Modoc War.   Captain Jack & the Modoc War Pt 1 – https://open.spotify.com/episode/08Z5EY1dTdb9vTGRm1OoTb   Captain Jack & the Modoc War Pt 2 - https://open.spotify.com/episode/4aveLbPW47jLSlqdeqvUkW   Check out my website for more true tales from the wild and woolly west https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Join Patreon for bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Become a YouTube Paid Member for bonus content! https://www.youtube.com/c/WildWestExtravaganza   Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is part 2 in the series on the Modoc war. If you haven’t already listened to part 1, you may want to do so. Captain Jack & the Modoc War | Part 1 - https://www.wildwestextra.com/captain-jack-the-modoc-war/ We’ve already discussed the Modoc people, a bit of their history, and the unfortunate events leading up to the war. About how Captain Jack and his band weren’t content with the living conditions on the Klamath reservation, so they simply left and headed south, back to their homeland around Tule lake. And we ended that episode with the first shot of the war and the beginning of the Battle of Lost River. This episode we’ll cover the first Battle of the Stronghold, the Peace Commission, months of negotiations, and finally – treachery.   Check out my website for more true tales from the wild and woolly west https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Join Patreon for bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildw

In 1874 Kintpuash – better known as Captain Jack - led his small band of the Modoc people off of a reservation in southern Oregon and back to their homeland in Northern California. What occurred after would be one of the most expensive wars ever fought on U.S. soil; one which pitted just 50 to 60 Modoc warriors against nearly a thousand U.S. troops and volunteers.    Check out my website for more true tales from the wild and woolly west https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Join Patreon for bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Become a YouTube Paid Member for bonus content! https://www.youtube.com/c/WildWestExtravaganza   Modoc Nation - https://modocnation.com/   The California Genocide - https://fullertonobserver.com/2020/07/07/the-california-native-american-genocide/   Bloody Point sources - https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/labe/endnotes.htm Learn more about your ad choices.

What happens when a young Kit Carson faces off against a mountain of a man at the annual fur trapper’s rendezvous? What IS a rendezvous, anyway? And who gets the girl???   Check out my website for more true tales from the wild and woolly west https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Join Patreon for bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra   Become a YouTube Paid Member for bonus content! https://www.youtube.com/c/WildWestExtravaganza   Blood and Thunder – Hampton Sides - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1400031109?tag=onamzjoshta02-20&linkCode=ssc&creativeASIN=1400031109&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7   They Called Him Wild Bill – Joseph D. Rosa - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0806115386?tag=onamzjoshta02-20&linkCode=ssc&creativeASIN=0806115386&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is part 3 and the final installment of this series on Wild Bill Hickok. If you have not already listened to the first two episodes, please do so. Links below. We’ve already pretty much covered Bill’s entire life; his childhood, his adventures during the war, his time as a lawman, and - finally - his decline. If you’ll recall we left off with Hickok in St. Louis, attempting to organize an expedition bound for the black hills. And there we shall begin. What events led to Bill's premature death in Deadwood at the hands of Jack McCall? And what happened after? Research for this series heavily relied upon biographer Joseph G. Rosa, his book They Called Him Wild Bill in particular.   Part 1 - https://www.wildwestextra.com/wild-bill-hickok-part-one/   Part 2 - https://www.wildwestextra.com/wild-bill-hickok-part-two/   Check out my website for more true tales from the wild and woolly west https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee

Wild Bill leaves Independence after killing Davis Tutt and pursues employment as a scout and U.S Deputy Marshal. As Hickok’s notoriety increases, he goes on to serve as Marshal in the rough Kansas towns of Hays and Abilene before joining Buffalo Bill Cody and Texas Jack Omohundro in New York City. This is part 2 of Wild Bill series. In part one we covered Hickok’s childhood, his time in Bleeding Kansas, his first known gunfight with David McCanles, time spent serving the Union during the war, and the famous duel with Davis Tutt. If you haven’t already, please give it a listen and stick around for the 3rd and final installment!   Wild Bill Hickok | Part One - https://www.wildwestextra.com/wild-bill-hickok-part-one/   Wild Bill Hickok | Part Three - https://www.wildwestextra.com/wild-bill-hickok-part-three/   Check out my website for more true tales from the wild and woolly west https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wild

Few names associated with the old west are as recognizable as Wild Bill Hickok. And for good reason. In many ways, Wild Bill was the quintessential Westerner of the later 19th century. Wagon master, scout, soldier, spy, lawman, gambler, actor, and yeah…gunfighter. A man capable of extraordinary feats of daring and bravery, yet courteous and soft-spoken when left alone, and kind to children. One of the few frontiersmen who was willing to take his guns off and go toe to toe with anyone looking for a fight. But also, a man who – even by generous accounts – was a bit too quick when it came to pulling the trigger. He could cuss like a sailor, consorted with ladies of ill repute, and would rather gamble than eat. He was friends with other notable frontiersmen like Buffalo Bill Cody, George Armstrong Custer, Kit Carson, and Calamity Jane, and Inspired future legends like U.S. Marshal Bill Tilghman and countless others. A celebrity in his own time, Hickok continues to tickle the imagination of millions. From the earl

Unfortunately due to technical difficulties there will be no new episode of The Wild West Extravaganza today. But don't you worry none, I'll be leaving you in the very capable hands of Lindsay Graham, the host of History Daily. You may know Lindsay from the excellent audio drama 1865. Or maybe American History Tellers. American Scandal, American Elections: Wicked Game, Dirty John, Doctor Death, Business wars. And on and on. Lindsay Graham knows how to make a great podcast and he most definitely knows his history, as is evidenced by my personal favorite work of his, History Daily. If you’re not familiar, at History Daily - a co-production from Airship and Noiser - they do history, daily. Every dang weekday, Lindsay Graham takes you back in time to explore a momentous event that happened ‘on this day’ in history. Whether it’s to remember the tragedy of December 7th, 1941, the day “that will live in infamy,” or to celebrate that 20th day in July 1969, when mankind reached the moon, or of course important events

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.   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Check out my website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   2nd Battle Adobe Walls part 1 | Texas History Lessons https://open.spotify.com/episode/74Lv8LALNvGIdFIngvo4wO   2nd Battle Adobe Walls

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 nigh

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.   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Check out my website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Buy me

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…   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Check out my website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Book & Gear Recommendations - https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7   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/

Rube Burrow got his start as an honest man. A simple cowboy and farmer with a wife and children. But when his wife died and the farm went belly up, Rube took to earning a living in anyway he could. And that way led him to become one of the most notorious and most wanted train robbers of the old west. Who was Rube Burrow? A good man pushed too far? The Robin Hood of Alabama who only stole from the rich? Or just another good ole boy lured by the trappings of easy money?   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Check out my website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Book & Gear Recommendations - https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7   Rube Burrow Blog by Joe Wheeler - https://jwheeler331.blogspot.com/2012/04/   Rube Burrow: King of Outlaws by George W. Agee (great resource!!!) - https://sites.rootsweb.com/~kithandkin2000/rubeburrow1.htm   Confession of Leonard Brock aka Joe Jackson - https://sites.rootsweb.com/~kith

The outlaw Billy the Kid was allegedly killed at the age of 21 by Sheriff Pat Garrett in the year 1881. Skip ahead another 70 years and you have an elderly man known as Brushy Bill Roberts coming forward shattering the common historical narrative. He claimed to be the kid, said that he had escaped Pat Garrett all of them years before and had been living under the radar ever since. Brushy - with the help of an attorney named William V. Morrison - spent around two years compiling evidence, conducting interviews, researching, documenting all kinds of stuff for the purpose of both proving these claims and obtaining a pardon for Mr. Roberts; the same pardon that Billy the Kid was promised back in the day. Brushy was able to obtain a meeting with the then Governor of New Mexico but it was a no use. The whole ordeal was a media circus and Roberts ended up having a stroke right there in the Governor’s mansion. Less than a month later on December 27th, 1950, Roberts would suffer a fatal heart attack and needless to sa

April 1874. Present day Colorado. A half-starved weather-beaten Alfred Packer came limping into the Los Pinos Indian Agency seeking refuge. Feet covered in rags he claimed he had a harrowing story to tell. The man was ushered in and given food which he vomited up almost as soon as he got it down. Too long without he explained, asking instead for whiskey. Anything that would calm his stomach and hopefully his trembling hands. Finally, Alfred spoke. Said he had been a guide up in the mountains for some prospectors. They hit some bad weather and worse luck. He himself got snow-blinded and the other five would-be miners abandoned him. For the next two months this survivor somehow scrapped by - living by his wits, surviving the hellish winter, and making it to civilization all on his own, with almost no supplies. An amazing tale of endurance, for sure. There’s just one catch - Alfred Packer didn’t seem all that malnourished. Matter of fact, the man seemed pretty well fed. And his story? Well, it had holes. Who was

When future General George S. Patton saw his first taste of combat, he was a young officer on the Mexican border. But was this REALLY his first fight?   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Check out my website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two things you just don’t discuss in a beer joint: politics and religion. The reason being these topics tend to be a bit divisive. You add alcohol to the mix and things could get downright ugly. As was the case one sweltering August evening in Newton, Kansas. 1871. Two lawmen named Mike McCluskie and Billy Bailey got into a heated argument that turned physical and – ultimately – deadly. What followed was a quest for revenge that led to one of the deadliest gunfights of the Old West – the Newton Massacre, also known as the Shootout at Hide Park. Also discussed: John Wesley Hardin and Doc Middleton.   Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/   Check out my website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/   Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest   Newton, Kansas | Hide Park - https://hchm.org/author/hchm-curator/   Newton’s General Massacre - https://hchm.org/newtons-general-massacre-truth-myth/   A Boy Named Riley - https://hchm.org/fact-fiction/   Who Was Allegro? - https://hchm.org/m