Harry Tracy escapes a Utah prison. October 8, 1897. Harry Tracy (photo) and Dave Lant escape from the Utah penitentiary, where they are doing time...
A Bold Breakout
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old west outlaws
The Marlow Brothers
Whether highborn or from the wrong side of the tracks, those who came West appreciated grit in a person, never mind if displayed by a hero or an...
A Poor Start
The first holdup by the Sundance Kid didn’t go so well. Harry Longabaugh’s (the Sundance Kid) career as a train robber began less than gloriously....
Butch Busts his First Bank
Cassidy grabs the cash in Idaho. August 13, 1896. Butch Cassidy, Elzy Lay and Bub Meeks hold up the bank in Montpelier, Idaho. They get away with up...
Behind the Eight Ball
March 18, 1882 Morgan Earp vs. Frank Stilwell, Pete Spence and others. A one-night showing of the play Stolen Kisses is being staged at the...
The Hapless Hooligans of Oklahoma
The Jennings Gang was as inept as they come. Perhaps the zaniest bunch of outlaws in the history of the West were the Jennings brothers of Oklahoma....
Nowhere to Run
Outlaw Nick Worthington comes to a bloody end. June 18, 1878. A group of men spot outlaw Nick Worthington outside the St. James Hotel in Cimarron,...
The Man Who Killed the Man Who Killed Jesse James
Ed O’Kelley blows away Bob Ford. June 8, 1892. Ed O'Kelley blasts Robert Ford into eternity in Ford's tent saloon in Creede, Colorado. O'Kelley...
He Knew Where the Bodies Were
Burt Alvord and a practical joke. The story (maybe the legend) goes that Arizona lawman/outlaw Burt Alvord loved practical jokes. He and Matt Burts...
Cassidy’s First Crime
Butch hits a Colorado bank. On June 24th, 1889, Butch Cassidy—still known as Bob Parker—pulled off his first major criminal act. He and Matt Warner...
The Many Sides of Burt Alvord
Lawman, outlaw, gambler and more. Burt Alvord wasn’t exactly a household name among Arizona’s notorious outlaws. They also said he wasn’t the...
The Making of a Legend
Why did Jesse James become so famous? Why was Jesse James one of the most famous outlaws of the Old West? Well, for starters, he had a great name,...