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 The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of United States territorial acquisitions, American expansion in mainland North Amer ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

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 the ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, 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, in ...

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 part ...

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 The Bummers gang was a western outlaw gang that operated in the Colorado Territory between 1855 and 1860, led by Eddie "the Shooter" Coleman. The Bummers began raiding the area of Auraria, Colorado in the mid-1850s, continuing until a vigilante ...

(1855–1860) * Chacon Gang (c. 1890-1902) * Bass Gang (1877–1878) * Tom Bell Gang (1856) * Burrow Gang (1887–1890) *

Captain Ingram's Partisan Rangers Captain Ingram's Partisan Rangers was the name given by the ''Sacramento Union'' to a band of about fifty Confederate States of America, Confederate Bushwackers organized from local Copperheads (politics), Copperheads and members of the Knights of t ...

(1864) *

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 same name ...

(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 double ...

(1890–1892) *

Daly Gang The Daly Gang was a notorious, though now unknown, bandit gang who operated in Aurora, Nevada and its neighboring parts.Thompson & West. ''History of Nevada 1881, With Illustrations And Biographical Sketches Of Its Prominent Men And Pioneers'' ( ...

(1862–1864) *

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 metro ...

(1879–1880) *

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) *

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 t ...

(c 1884–1887) *

Jessie Evans Gang The Jesse Evans Gang, also known as The Boys, was a gang of rustlers and robbers led by outlaw and gunman Jesse Evans, which lasted from 1876 until 1880. The gang was formed after Evans broke with the John Kinney Gang. After breaking away, he b ...

(1876–1880) *

Flores Daniel Gang Flores Daniel Gang, was an outlaw gang also known as ''"las Manillas"'' (the Handcuffs), throughout Southern California during 1856-1857. Californio's Juan Flores and Pancho Daniel. Contemporary newspaper accounts of ''las Manillas'' all repo ...

(1856–1857) *

Five Joaquins The Five Joaquins were a mid-19th-century outlaw gang in California which, according to the state legislature, was led by five men, identified as follows: "... the five Joaquins, whose names are Joaquin Murrieta, Joaquin Ocomorenia, Joaquin Vale ...

(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 Clar ...

(1870–1871) * Greer Gang (1900-- 1917)

The Last Western Outlaw Gang ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

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 William ...

(1895–1897) *

Hole in the Wall Gang The Hole-in-the-Wall Gang was a gang in the American Wild West, which took its name from the Hole-in-the-Wall Pass in Johnson County, Wyoming, where several outlaw gangs had their hideouts. Description The Hole-in-the-Wall Gang was not simp ...

(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 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

(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 (c. 1883–1885) *

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. Members history and friendships The Regulators were formed out ...

(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, inclu ...

(1861) *

McCarty Gang McCarthy (also spelled MacCarthy or McCarty) may refer to: * MacCarthy, a Gaelic Irish clan * McCarthy, Alaska, United States * McCarty, Missouri, United States * McCarthy Road, a road in Alaska * McCarthy (band), an indie pop band * Château ...

(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 banks ...

(c. 1919-1924) *

Red Jack Gang Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...

(c. 1880–1883) *

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 firs ...

(1866–1868) *

Rogers Brothers Gang Rogers may refer to: Places Canada *Rogers Pass (British Columbia) * Rogers Island (Nunavut) United States * Rogers, Arkansas, a city * Rogers, alternate name of Muroc, California, a former settlement * Rogers, Indiana, an unincorporated communit ...

(1890s) *

Reynolds Gang Reynolds may refer to: Places Australia *Hundred of Reynolds, a cadastral unit in South Australia *Hundred of Reynolds (Northern Territory), a cadastral unit in the Northern Territory of Australia United States * Reynolds, Mendocino County, Calif ...

(1863–1864) *

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 of 1896. Formed by ...

(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 themselve ...

(1875–1879) * Silva's White Caps (c. 1889–1893) * Smith Gang (1898-1902) * Soap Gang (1880-1898) *

Stockton Gang Stockton may refer to: Places Australia * Stockton, New South Wales * Stockton, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region New Zealand * Stockton, New Zealand United Kingdom *Stockton, Cheshire *Stockton, Norfolk * Stockton, Chi ...

(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 co ...

(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)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Old West gangs * * Lists of American people Lists of criminals Lists of gangs

See also

References