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 U.S. 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 forms, r ...
and magazine authors during the late 19th and the early 20th century. The most notable shootouts took place on the
American frontier in
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...
,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex
, Offi ...
,
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...
,
Oklahoma, and
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. Some like the
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a thirty-second shootout between lawmen led by Virgil Earp and members of a loosely organized group of outlaws called the Cowboys that occurred at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 1881, ...
were the outcome of long-simmering
feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one pa ...
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 In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...
s and law enforcement.
Some of the more notable gangs.
*
Alvord-Stiles Gang (1899-1903)
*
*
Bummers Gang (1855–1860)
*
Chacon Gang (c. 1890-1902)
*
Bass Gang (1877–1878)
*
Tom Bell Gang (1856)
*
Burrow Gang
An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow
A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of s ...
(1887–1890)
*
Captain Ingram's Partisan Rangers (1864)
*
The Cowboys (1877–1881)
*
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 four of its members were brothers. The gang specialized in bank and train robberies. During an attempted doubl ...
(1890–1892)
*
Daly Gang (1862–1864)
*
Dodge City Gang (1879–1880)
*
Doolin-Dalton Gang (1892–1895)
*
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 ...
(c 1884–1887)
*
Jessie Evans Gang (1876–1880)
*
Flores Daniel Gang (1856–1857)
*
Five Joaquins (1850–1853)
*
Farrington Brothers Farrington may refer to:
Geography Places in the United Kingdom
* Farrington, Dorset, England, a settlement in Iwerne Courtney civil parish
* Farrington Gurney, Somerset, England
Places in the United States
* Farrington, Illinois, in Clark ...
(1870–1871)
*
Greer Gang (1900-- 1917)
The Last Western Outlaw Gang
*
High Fives Gang
Black Jack Christian, aka 202, or Ed Williams, (September 5, 1871 – April 28, 1897) was an outlaw of the Old West. He was a leader of a group known as the High Fives, which operated mostly in New Mexico Territory.
Early life
He was born Willia ...
(1895–1897)
*
Hole in the Wall Gang (c. 1890-1910)
*
The Hounds
The Hounds were a nativist or anti-foreigner gang of San Francisco which specifically targeted recently arrived immigrants, particularly Hispanic Americans, during the California Gold Rush of 1849. They were West Coast counterparts of New York's ...
(1849)
*
The Old Ginger Gang (1878-1900)
*
The Innocents (1863–1864)
*
James-Younger Gang (1866–1882)
*
The Ketchum Gang (1896–1899)
*
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, in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. From its beginn ...
(1875–1883)
*
The Lee Gang
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...
(c. 1883–1885)
*
Lincoln County Regulators
The Lincoln County Regulators, or just the Regulators, were an United States, American Old West deputized Posse comitatus, posse that fought in the Lincoln County War in New Mexico, during the late 19th century.
Members history and friendship ...
(1878)
*
Mason Henry Gang
The Mason Henry Gang were bandits operating in Central and Southern California in 1864–1865. As the Civil War was in progress, they were able to pose as Confederate Partisan Rangers, and their original mission was to rid the area of (anti-slave ...
(1864–1865)
*
McCanles Gang
The McCanles Gang (later changed to McCandless) was an alleged outlaw gang active in the early 1860s that was accused of train robbery, bank robbery, cattle rustling, horse theft, and murder. On July 12, 1861, some of its supposed members, includi ...
(1861)
*
McCarty Gang (1892–1893)
*
Mes Gang (c. 1870–1876)
*
Musgrove Gang
Lewis H. Musgrave (1832 – November 23, 1868), known later in life as L. H. Musgrove, was an outlaw in the American Old West. Beginning in 1864, he led the Musgrove Gang, who stole government livestock throughout Wyoming, Colorado and the surrou ...
(1867–1868)
*
Newton Gang
The Newton Gang (ca. 1919 through 1924) was an outlaw gang of the early 20th century, and the most successful train robbers and bank robbers in history. From 1919 through 1924 the gang robbed dozens of banks, claiming a total of eighty-seven bank ...
(c. 1919-1924)
*
Red Jack Gang (c. 1880–1883)
*
Reno Gang (1866–1868)
*
Rogers Brothers Gang (1890s)
*
Reynolds Gang (1863–1864)
*
Rufus Buck Gang (1895–1896)
*
Selmans Scouts (1878)
*
Seven Rivers Warriors
The Seven Rivers Warriors was an outlaw gang of the Old West known primarily due to its part in the Pecos War and the Lincoln County War.
Formation
The gang was initially formed during the mid-1870s by disgruntled small ranchers, feeling themsel ...
(1875–1879)
*
Silva's White Caps (c. 1889–1893)
*
Smith Gang
:''This gang should not be confused with the gang of Soapy Smith.''
The Smith Gang was a band of American cattle rustlers who operated in the Southwest during the late 1890s to 1901. The gang was founded by Bill Smith and included six others, m ...
(1898-1902)
*
Soap Gang (1880-1898)
*
Stockton Gang (1878–1881)
*
Sydney Ducks
The Sydney Ducks was the name given to a gang of criminal immigrants from Australia in San Francisco, during the mid-19th century. Because many of these criminals came from the well-known British penal colonies in Australia, and were known to ...
(1849–1851)
*
Bill Whitley Gang (1887–1888)
*
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)
*
Dos Hermanos Gang (1876–1902)
See also
*
List of cowboys and cowgirls
The following list of cowboys and cowgirls from the frontier era of the American Old West (''circa'' 1830 to 1910) was compiled to show examples of the cowboy and cowgirl genre.
Cattlemen, ranchers, and cowboys
* Harve Wilson (1867–1951)
* P ...
*
List of Old West lawmen
*
List of Old West gunfighters
*
List of Old West gunfights
This is a list of Old West gunfights. Gunfights have left a lasting impression on American frontier history; many were retold and embellished by dime novels and magazines like ''Harper's Weekly'' during the late 19th and early 20th century. The mo ...
*
List of criminal enterprises, gangs and syndicates
*
Red Dead
''Red Dead'' is a series of Western-themed action-adventure games published by Rockstar Games. The first entry in the series, '' Red Dead Revolver'', was released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in May 2004. Originally developed by Capcom, ''Red ...
*
Red Dead Redemption 2
''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in 1899 and f ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Old West gangs
*
*
Lists of American people
Lists of criminals
Lists of gangs