Bill Cook grew up in the Indian Territory, where he also made a name for himself. Born in 1873, he was busted for whiskey peddling in 1893. After a brief jail stay, Cook formed a gang of up to 17 men, including the trigger-happy Cherokee Bill.
For about six months in late 1894, the outfit went on a crime spree of robbery and murder. Several members were captured or killed; Cook was caught in January 1

True West May/June 2025
In This Issue:
Features
- Historic Hotels of the American West
- A Journey Through Wyoming’s Outlaw History
- A Journey Through Washington’s Wild Frontier
- Blazing The Oregon Trail
- Journey Through Time
- Did Brigham Young Order a Massacre?
- Mountain Meadows Scapegoat John D. Lee VS. A Firing Squad
- Mormons in the Movies
- An Indigenous Consultant Ensures Accuracy
- The Battle Axe And A Raw Deal
- Showdown: Bridger VS. Brigham
- The Mountain Man and the Mormon Moses
- The Ghosts of Mountain Meadows
- The War Before the War
- Mountain Meadows