A number of Old West gangs left a lasting impression on American history. While rare, the incidents were retold and embellished by
dime novel
The dime novel is a form of late 19th-century and early 20th-century American popular fiction issued in series of inexpensive paperbound editions. The term ''dime novel'' has been used as a catchall term for several different but related form ...
and magazine authors during the late 19th and the early 20th century. The most notable shootouts took place on the
American frontier
The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the Geography of the United States, geography, History of the United States, history, Folklore of the United States, folklore, and Cultur ...
in
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
,
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
,
Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
,
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
, and
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. Some like the
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral were the outcome of long-simmering
feud
A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...
s and rivalries, but most were the result of a confrontation between
outlaw
An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...
s and law enforcement.
Some of the more notable gangs:
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Alvord-Stiles Gang (1899–1903)
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Bummers Gang (1855–1860)
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Chacon Gang (c. 1890–1902)
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Bass Gang (1877–1878)
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Tom Bell Gang (1856)
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Burrow Gang (1887–1890)
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Captain Ingram's Partisan Rangers (1864)
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The Cowboys
''The Cowboys'' is a 1972 American Western film starring John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, and Bruce Dern, and featuring Colleen Dewhurst and Slim Pickens. It was the feature film debut of Robert Carradine. Based on the 1971 novel of the sam ...
(1877–1881)
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Dalton Gang
The Dalton Gang was a group of outlaws in the American Old West during 1890–1892. It was also known as The Dalton Brothers because three of its members were brothers. The gang specialized in bank and train robberies. During an attempted doub ...
(1890–1892)
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Daly Gang
The Daly Gang was a notorious, though now obscure, 19th-century bandit gang that operated in Aurora, Nevada, and its neighboring parts.Thompson & West. ''History of Nevada 1881, With Illustrations And Biographical Sketches Of Its Prominent Men An ...
(1862–1864)
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Dodge City Gang
The Dodge City Gang were a group of Kansas gunfighters and gamblers who dominated the political and economic life of Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1879 and early 1880. This came at a time when Las Vegas was booming and was thought to be the future met ...
(1879–1880)
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Doolin-Dalton Gang
The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang, or the Oklahombres, were a gang of American outlaws based in the Indian Territory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were active in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Terr ...
(1892–1895)
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Jack Taylor Gang
The Jack Taylor Gang (c. 1884 to 1888) was an outlaw gang of the Old West which operated mostly in Arizona Territory and Mexico.
The gang was first organized by Jack Taylor, a notorious outlaw with expert skills in train robbery. This brought th ...
(c 1884–1887)
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Jesse Evans Gang (1876–1880)
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Flores Daniel Gang (1856–1857)
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Five Joaquins (1850–1853)
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Farrington Brothers (1870–1871)
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Greer Gang (1900–1917)
The Last Western Outlaw Gang
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High Fives Gang (1895–1897)
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Hole in the Wall Gang (c. 1890–1910)
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The Hounds (1849)
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The Old Ginger Gang (1878–1900)
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The Innocents (1863–1864)
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James-Younger Gang (1866–1882)
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The Ketchum Gang (1896–1899)
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John Kinney Gang
The John Kinney Gang, also known as the Rio Grande Posse, was an outlaw gang of the Old West which operated during the mid-1870s into the mid-1880s.
The gang was organized by outlaw John Kinney (outlaw), John Kinney, in Doña Ana County, New Me ...
(1875–1883)
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The Lee Gang (c. 1883–1885)
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Lincoln County Regulators
The Lincoln County Regulators, or just the Regulators, were an American Old West deputized posse that fought in the Lincoln County War in New Mexico, during the late 19th century. They are well known for including Billy the Kid as a member ...
(1878)
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Mason Henry Gang (1864–1865)
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McCanles Gang (1861)
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McCarty Gang (1892–1893)
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Mes Gang (c. 1870–1876)
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Musgrove Gang (1867–1868)
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Newton Gang (c. 1919–1924)
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Red Jack Gang (c. 1880–1883)
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Reno Gang
The Reno Gang, also known as the Reno Brothers Gang and The Jackson Thieves, were a group of criminals that operated in the Midwestern United States during and just after the American Civil War. Though short-lived, the gang carried out the first ...
(1866–1868)
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Rogers Brothers Gang (1890s)
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Reynolds Gang (1863–1864)
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Rufus Buck Gang
The Rufus Buck Gang was an outlaw Native American gang whose members were Creek Indian and African American. Their crime spree took place in the Indian Territory of the Arkansas–Oklahoma area from July 30, 1895, through August 4, 1895.
Formed b ...
(1895–1896)
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Selman's Scouts (1878)
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Seven Rivers Warriors (1875–1879)
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Silva's White Caps (c. 1889–1893)
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Smith Gang (1898–1902)
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Soap Gang (1880–1898)
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Stockton Gang (1878–1881)
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Sydney Ducks (1849–1851)
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Bill Whitley Gang (1887–1888)
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Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang, or the Oklahombres, were a gang of American outlaws based in the Indian Territory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were active in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Terr ...
(1892–1895)
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Dos Hermanos Gang (1876–1902)
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Skaare Gang (1886–1901)
See also
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List of cowboys and cowgirls
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List of Old West lawmen
This is a list of Old West lawmen: notable people who served in various law enforcement positions during the Old West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, hi ...
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List of Old West gunfighters
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List of Old West gunfights
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List of criminal enterprises, gangs and syndicates
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Old West gangs
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Lists of American people
Lists of criminals
Lists of gangs