Ordinary People Who Became Old West Legends (ENCORE)

The Wild West Extravaganza

Wild West Josh

History, Education

4.8 • 833 Ratings

🗓️ 19 November 2025

⏱️ 113 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When most folks think about the Old West, they almost immediately envision daring lawmen and bloodthirsty outlaws. But did you know that the frontier was filled with ordinary people who also lived truly extraordinary lives? Today, we’ll shine a light on four such characters. First up is the legendary fur trapper, James Beckwourth. Born a slave, Beckwourth trapped beaver with Kit Carson and Jim Bridger, fought battles from Florida to Montana, and rose to become a leader of the Crow Nation, only to meet a mysterious end in the wilderness. Next, we’ll turn to William Bigfoot Wallace, a Texas giant who survived a Mexican prison, battled Comanche warriors, and helped shape Texas history from the Revolution all the way to the dawn of the automobile. But was Bigfoot Wallace truly a hero, or is there a darker side to his legend? I’ll also share my personal take on mixing history and politics, no holds barred. After that, we follow buffalo hunter and frontier scout, Billy Dixon. Outnumbered 20 to 1 at Adobe Walls, Dixon made the shot of the century, dropping a mounted warrior from nearly 1,500 yards with a Sharps rifle. He went on to become one of only eight civilians in U.S. history to receive the Medal of Honor for heroism under fire. Finally, meet the one and only Stagecoach Mary Fields, born a slave but remembered as one of the wildest (and toughest) women in the Old West. Stagecoach Mary drank hard, fought harder, and conquered everything from Montana blizzards to packs of wolves, yet she still found time to hand out candy and babysit the local kids, including one who’d become a Hollywood legend. Legends & Outlaws Calendar! https://wildwestcalendar.com/ Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/ Buy Me A Coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Check out the website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Patreon for ad-free bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Gene Chatsky. You may know me as the host of the Her Money podcast or the financial editor of NBC's Today Show for 25 years.
0:08.3	Today, I'd personally like to invite you to join my women-led investing club. It's called Investing Fix with two Xs.
0:17.7	We walk through current market trends, teach investing fundamentals, and build a real
0:23.7	portfolio together. Plus, your first month is absolutely free. So come check us out at
0:30.9	investing fix.com. We'd love to have you. A lot of times when we talk about the old West,
0:36.1	we tend to focus on the so-called gunfighters. And for good reason, I mean, love them or hate them, guys like Billy the Kid and
0:41.6	Wyatt Earp, lived extremely fascinating lives. But that said, not everyone in the Old West
0:47.8	was an outlaw or a lawman. A lot of very normal, everyday people had some very exciting adventures.
0:54.0	And today we're going to examine four such characters.
0:57.1	We'll start off with the story of James Beckworth.
0:59.8	Born a slave around the turn of the century, Beckworth gained his freedom and headed
1:03.0	west looking to make a name for himself.
1:05.5	He trapped Beaver alongside legends like Kit Carson and Jim Bridger, fought in battles,
1:09.9	ranging from the swamps of Florida
1:11.1	to the Pacific Coast and even as far north as Montana and rose to prominence as a leader
1:16.3	among the mighty Crow Nation. And Beckworth was still out there scouting on the frontier
1:21.0	well into his 60s, or at least he was until he died under very mysterious circumstances.
1:27.6	Next, we'll discuss the legendary William Bigfoot Wallace, a giant of a frontiersman who
1:32.6	initially headed west looking to avenge his brother's death. And in doing so, we go down as
1:37.1	one of the most iconic figures in all of Texas history. This dude served in the Texas Revolution,
1:42.9	survived a Mexican prison, and faced off against Comanches,
1:45.7	yet somehow lived long enough to see the invention of the automobile.
	...

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