Latest Gunfighter Podcast Episodes
Johnny Ringo's Mysterious Fate
The Wild West Extravaganza - October 04, 2023 09:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsThe 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 a...
FRONTIER TRAGEDY Ep. 1 | Donner Party, Part 1
Legends of the Old West - October 04, 2023 08:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 3.1K ratingsIn 1846 in Springfield, Illinois, the Donner family teams up with the Reed family to form the core of a caravan that will travel to the rich farmland of California. The problem is, they’re already late. They soon discover that they’re among the very last travelers to begin the journey to the West...
Texas Rangers vs Comanche | The Battle of Antelope Hills
The Wild West Extravaganza - September 27, 2023 09:00 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn early 1858, John “RIP” Ford led a detachment of Texas Rangers, along with their Native American allies, on a punitive expedition deep in the heart of Comancheria. Their mission was to catch the Comanche unaware and prove that they could strike them in their own backyard. What followed is known...
NEW SHOW | “Mission History”
Legends of the Old West - September 27, 2023 08:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 3.1K ratingsBlack Barrel Media and QCODE proudly share a preview of Mission History, a podcast that chronicles the tales of legendary military leaders, epic campaigns, and covert missions that remained hidden for years. The first season journeys through the American Revolutionary War and pays homage to som...
John Selman Sr | Killer with a Badge
The Wild West Extravaganza - September 20, 2023 10:00 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn the summer of 1895 John Selman Sr gunned down John Wesley Hardin. Considered one of the deadliest shootists of the Old west, Hardin killed his first man at the tender age of fifteen. In the decade that followed dozens of others would fall to the young man’s guns, including – if the legend is t...
Devil Canyon Shootout
The Wild West Extravaganza - September 13, 2023 10:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn the spring of 1905, a couple of down-and-out cowboys robbed a dice game in Winslow, Arizona. What followed was a literal pursuit to hell, a bloody gunfight, and an Old West Lazurus rising from the grave for one final sip of whiskey. Check out the website for more true tales from the Old Wes...
Ed Scarborough | The Skunk Fighting Arizona Ranger
The Wild West Extravaganza - September 06, 2023 10:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsEd Scarborough cut his teeth chasing outlaws like Black Jack Ketchum when he was still a teenager. He’d go on to become a deputy sheriff, constable, Arizona Ranger, and according to those who knew him, Ed was born to a saddle, an excellent marksman, and did not know the meaning of the word fear. ...
Introducing "Real Survival Stories" from Noiser
Legends of the Old West - August 30, 2023 16:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 3.1K ratingsNoiser presents a brand-new podcast: Real Survival Stories. Hosted by John Hopkins, the show brings you astonishing tales of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary survival situations. In this taster episode, we meet Matt Lewis - a rookie sailor who goes looking for adventure... and finds it. ...
Wyatt Earp vs Comanche Jack
The Wild West Extravaganza - August 30, 2023 10:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsComanche Jack Stilwell worked as a teamster on the Santa Fe Trail, hunted buffalo on the southern plains, and participated in the famous Battle of Beecher Island – all before the age of 19 years of age. Jack continued scouting for the Army against the Cheyenne, Comanche, Apache, Kiowa, and Arapah...
On The Warpath | My Sixty Years on the Plains
The Wild West Extravaganza - August 29, 2023 10:00 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsWar is hell. I know that sounds cliché but there’s a simple, irrefutable truth in that short yet powerful statement, one that is unchanging through time. Although our modern weapons may not be the same now as they were in the past, the end result is the same. Death, dismemberment, chaos, and pain...
Harriet Tubman | Her Half of History
The Wild West Extravaganza - August 28, 2023 22:46 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsThis bonus episode comes to us from Lori Davis and her excellent podcast Her Half of History. Brand new episode of The Wild West Extravaganza still scheduled for Wednesday but I thought I'd go ahead and share this as well. Enjoy! This woman is a superhero. She escaped herself and then put herself...
SWINDLERS Ep. 6 | “The Snake Oil King”
Legends of the Old West - August 23, 2023 08:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 3.1K ratingsA mysterious remedy called “snake oil” became one of the most enduring parts of the Old West. Of all the scammers who traveled the towns of the West selling the magical potion, Clark Stanley rose to the top. He is one of the primary reasons that we still use the label “snake oil salesman” today. ...
Was Billy the Kid's Death a Hoax?
The Wild West Extravaganza - August 22, 2023 21:04 - 51 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsHow can we be so certain that Pat Garrett really killed Billy the Kid? Today we take a look at all of the evidence – the eyewitness accounts, official documentation, coroner’s jury report, etc. – all proving that Billy did indeed come to his demise at Fort Sumner in 1881. We also dispel a few myt...
Pat Garrett | Murder (Part 5)
The Wild West Extravaganza - August 16, 2023 11:55 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsFrom investigating the Fountain disappearance to working as Sheriff of Dona Ana County, and appointed as the Collector of Customs by Teddy Roosevelt himself, Pat Garrett seemed to be living up to the notoriety gained from killing Billy the Kid. Unfortunately it would all come crashing down. Just ...
SWINDLERS Ep. 5 | “Fool’s Gold”
Legends of the Old West - August 16, 2023 08:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 3.1K ratingsCharles Baggs, who became known as Doc Baggs, followed the gold rush to Colorado in the late 1850s. He quickly decided that there were easier ways to make money than by mining for gold. For years, he ran elaborate cons in Denver, and he always found ways to outwit the legal system. Join Black Ba...
Pat Garrett | The Vanishing of Albert Jennings Fountain (Part 4)
The Wild West Extravaganza - August 09, 2023 10:00 - 41 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn February of 1896, Albert Jennings Fountain and his 8-year-old son Henry vanished off the face of the earth, never to be seen again. The pair had been travelling near the present day white sands missile range in New Mexico when disaster struck; an abandoned wagon and blood stains the only clues...
SWINDLERS Ep. 4 | “Lottie Deno”
Legends of the Old West - August 09, 2023 08:00 - 33 minutes ★★★★★ - 3.1K ratingsA woman who used the name “Lottie Deno” became one of the most successful gamblers in the West. She kept her true identity secret from most people as she moved through towns in Texas, including Fort Griffin, where she crossed paths with Doc Holliday. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and b...
Pat Garrett | The End of the Kid (Part 3)
The Wild West Extravaganza - August 02, 2023 10:00 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsPat Garrett, along with deputies John W. Poe and Kip McKinney, make one final push into Fort Sumner in search of Billy the Kid. In doing so, they immortalize themselves. Also discussed in this episode is whether or not Pat Garrett was a coward. Was Billy the Kid armed when he met his end? How do ...
SWINDLERS Ep. 3 | “The Great Diamond Hoax”
Legends of the Old West - August 02, 2023 08:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 3.1K ratingsIn 1872, two men devised one of the most audacious plans of the Old West era. They started a campaign to convince high-profile businessmen that a barren patch of ground was the first diamond mine in North America. It was the scam of all scams – but did it work? Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free epi...
SWINDLERS Ep. 2 | “Riverboat Gambler”
Legends of the Old West - July 26, 2023 08:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 3.1K ratingsGeorge Devol spent 40 years gambling on trains and riverboats. He was clever and creative, and he needed all his wiles to escape some close calls. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Noiser+ for ad-free episodes and ...
Pat Garrett | Pat vs Billy the Kid (Part 2)
The Wild West Extravaganza - July 26, 2023 01:47 - 40 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsPat Garrett is now the Sheriff of Lincoln County and he’s got one job – to put an end to his old friend, Billy the Kid. And you better believe he wastes no time in starting on the hunt. Aiding him in these efforts are Secret Service Agent Azariah Wild and Texas cattleman investigator Frank Stewar...
SWINDLERS Ep. 1 | “Soapy Smith”
Legends of the Old West - July 19, 2023 08:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 3.1K ratingsFrom Colorado to Alaska, Jefferson “Soapy” Smith made a name for himself as one of the premier con artists of the Old West. He used a variety of tricks to swindle people out of their money, but none was more famous than the soap-with-a-prize scam. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bing...
Pat Garrett | Origin Story (Part 1)
The Wild West Extravaganza - July 19, 2023 03:25 - 49 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsOn the night of July 14th, 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett killed Billy the Kid. In doing so he not only helped create a legend, but he also ensured that his legacy would forever be intertwined with that of the notorious outlaw. And let’s be honest – it ain’t that great of a legacy. Many consider Garre...
Scalping & Trading | My Sixty Years On The Plains
The Wild West Extravaganza - July 12, 2023 02:25 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsWho invented scalping? The Native Americans? Or did the Europeans introduce the atrocious behavior to the New World? The answer – like much of history – is complicated. In this latest installment of My Sixty Years, we join the young fur trapper William Hamilton as he, Old Bill Williams, and the o...
Old Solitaire | My Sixty Years On The Plains
The Wild West Extravaganza - July 02, 2023 20:24 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsBefore he became known as Old Bill Williams, the gaunt and scarred Mountain Man was a Methodist preacher who attempted to bring the gospel to the Osage people. Bill lived among the Osage, married into the tribe, helped them negotiate a treaty, and even translated the Bible into their language. It...
The Plainsman W.T. Hamilton | My Sixty Years On The Plains
The Wild West Extravaganza - June 28, 2023 02:02 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsIn the year 1842, a sickly 19-year-old named William T. Hamilton embarked on a journey to the Rocky Mountains accompanied by famed frontiersman Old Bill Williams. Over the course of the next several decades, Hamilton worked as a fur trapper, trader, lawman, guide, hunter, and scout. He’d ride wit...
KIT CARSON Ep. 6 | “The Battle of Adobe Walls”
Legends of the Old West - June 21, 2023 08:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 3.1K ratingsWhile the Navajo try to adjust to life at a new home, Kit Carson returns to the army for one more mission. He leads a column to the stronghold of the Kiowa and Comanche in Texas to try to stop their attacks on the Bosque Redondo reservation. Soldiers clash with warriors in the Battle of Adobe Wal...
The Execution of Cherokee Bill (Part 2)
The Wild West Extravaganza - June 20, 2023 22:49 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsThis is part 2 in a two-part series. Please check out the link below for the first installment. And please check out the book Cherokee Bill: Black Cowboy Indian Outlaw by Art Burton! Cherokee Bill, notorious outlaw of the Indian Territory, met his fate on March 17, 1896, when he was executed at F...
The Execution of Cherokee Bill
The Wild West Extravaganza - June 20, 2023 22:49 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsThis is part 2 in a two-part series. Please check out the link below for the first installment. And please check out the book Cherokee Bill: Black Cowboy Indian Outlaw by Art Burton! Cherokee Bill, notorious outlaw of the Indian Territory, met his fate on March 17, 1896, when he was executed a...
KIT CARSON Ep. 5 | “The Navajo Long Walk”
Legends of the Old West - June 14, 2023 08:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 3.1K ratingsKit Carson begins the chapter that will be the darkest of his life. He follows an order to force the Navajo – by any means necessary – to move to the Bosque Redondo reservation. Carson’s scorched earth campaign works, and the U.S. Army marches thousands of Navajo to their new home in an event tha...