Old West Gangs

A number of Old West gangs left a lasting impression on American history.

While rare, the incidents were retold and embellished by dime novel and magazine authors during the late 19th century.

The most notable shoot outs took place on the American frontier in Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Some like the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral were the outcome of long-simmering feuds and rivalries but most were the result of a confrontation between outlaws and law enforcement.

• Banditti of the Prairie (1835–1850)
• Bass Gang (1877–1878)
• Tom Bell Gang (1856)
• Bermuda Gang (1863)
• “Black Jack” Christian Gang
• Bummers Gang (1855–1860)
• Burrow Gang (1887–1890)
• Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch (c. 1899–1902)
• Captain Ingram’s Partisan Rangers (1864)
• Chacon Gang (c. 1890-1902)
• The Cowboys (1877–1881)
• Dalton Gang (1890–1892)
• Daly Gang (1862–1864)
• Dodge City Gang (1879–1880)
• Doolin-Dalton Gang (1892–1895)
• Jack Taylor Gang (c 1884–1887)
• Jessie Evans Gang (1876–1880)
• Farrington Brothers (1870–1871)
• Flores Daniel Gang (1856–1857)
• Five Joaquins (1850–1853)
• High Fives Gang (1895–1897)
• Hole in the Wall Gang (c. 1890-1910)
• The Hounds (1849)
• The Innocents (1863–1864)
• James-Younger Gang (1866–1882)
• The Ketchum Gang (1896–1899)
• John Kinney Gang (1875–1883)
• The Lee Gang (c. 1883–1885)
• Lincoln County Regulators (1878)
• Mason Henry Gang (1864–1865)
• McCanles Gang (1861)
• McCarty Gang (1892–1893)
• Mes Gang (c. 1870–1876)
• Musgrove Gang (1867–1868)
• 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 (1875–1879)
• Silva’s White Caps (c. 1889–1893)
• Smith Gang (1898-1902)
• Soap Gang (1880-1898)
• Stockton Gang (1878–1881)
• Sydney Ducks (1849–1851)
• Bill Whitley Gang (1887–1888)
• Wild Bunch (1892–1895)