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Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch
Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the Legend
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Doc Holliday: A Family Portrait
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Alledged photo of Billy the Kid (standing) and Joe Antrim.
Lakota Sioux
The World Rushed In: The California Gold Rush Experience
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Wyatt Earp about 1869, a young man just beginning a life of adventure.
Wyatt Earp at home on August 9, 1923, at age 75.
The Crystal Palace Saloon in Tombstone
Cheyenne Indians
William Barclay "Bat" Masterson
They Called Him Wild Bill: The Life and Adventures of James Butler Hickok
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Wild Bill Hickok, Gunfighter: An Account of Hickok's Gunfights
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Dodge City: Queen of Cowtowns
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The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid
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Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life
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Son of the Morning Star: Custer and The Little Bighorn
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To Hell on a Fast Horse: Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and the Epic Chase to Justice in the Old West
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Top Shooter's Guide to Cowboy Action Shooting
Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the Legend
Colt Single Action: From Patersons to Peacemakers
Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War
The Return of the Outlaw Billy the Kid
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: The Illustrated Edition: An Indian History of the American West
Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto
Jedediah Smith and the Opening of the West
Historic Photos of Oklahoma Lawmen
Judge Roy Bean Country
The Life of John Wesley Hardin: From the Original Manuscript as Written by Himself
John Ringo, King of the Cowboys: His Life and Times from the Hoo Doo War to Tombstone
Old West Lawmen
Virgil Earp: Western Peace Officer
Pat Garrett: The Story of a Western Lawman
Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal
The Soiled Doves of Tombstone - A Historic Look at Prostitution in the Old West
Winchester Warriors: Texas Rangers of Company D, 1874-1901
Wild Bill Hickok & Calamity Jane: Deadwood Legends
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THE OLD WEST:
An Unforgetable Era
For all its glamour and glory, the era in American history known as the Old West lasted, in reality, for only about 30 years... roughly, from about the end of the Civil War in 1865,
until about 1895. By that time, the Indians were all on reservations, the great cattle ranges had all been fenced, the notorious outlaws of the Old West were all either behind bars
or dead, and the great lawmen who put them there were writing books about their brave and daring exploits. In so many ways, the end of an era in American history had come to pass.
But it had been no ordinary era. Its phenomenal influence affects us even today.
 
A Chronological History of the Old West
1824
August 15, 1824 - John Simpson Chisum is born in Hardeman County, Tennessee.
John Simpson Chisum (August 15, 1824 – December 23, 1884) was a wealthy cattle baron in the American West in the mid-to-late 19th century. Chisum's family moved to Texas in 1837,
with Chisum finding work as a building contractor. He also served as county clerk in Lamar County. Chisum got involved in the cattle business in 1854 and became one of the first to
send his herds to New Mexico.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- John Chisum [Wikipedia]
- Chisum, John Simpson [Texas State Historical Association]
- John Simpson Chisum Cattle King of the Pecos [YouTube]
1827
April 10, 1827 - Lewis Wallace is born in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, Territorial Governor of New Mexico, statesman, politician and author. Wallace served as Governor of the New Mexico Territory
at the time of the Lincoln County War and worked to bring an end to the fighting.
1829
August 16, 1829 - William J. Brady is born in County Cavan, Ireland.
William J. Brady was the Sheriff of Lincoln County during the Lincoln County War in New Mexico. At the age of 48, he was killed in an ambush in which Billy the Kid took part.
1832
August 2, 1832 - Battle of Nacogdoches
Texas settlers refused an order to surrender their arms to José de las Piedras, commander of the Mexican battalion at Nacogdoches. The ensuing Battle of Nacogdoches is sometimes
called the opening gun of the Texas Revolution.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Battle of Nacogdoches
1836
March 2, 1836 - Texas Declaration of Independence
The Texas Declaration of Independence was produced, literally, overnight. Its urgency was paramount, because while it was being prepared, the Alamo in San Antonio was under seige by
Santa Anna's army of Mexico.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Texas Declaration of Independence
1837
May 27, 1837 - Wild Bill Hickok born.
James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok is born in Homer, Illinois (what is now Troy Grove). His birthplace is now the Wild Bill Hickok Memorial, a listed historic site under the
supervision of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
1839
November 16, 1839 - John Selman born.
John Selman (November 16, 1839-April 6, 1896) was an outlaw and sometimes lawman of the Old West. He is best known as the man who shot outlaw John Wesley Hardin in the Acme Saloon in
El Paso, Texas on August 19, 1895.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- John Selman from Wikipedia
John Selman
1845
December 29, 1845 - Texas admitted to the Union.
Texas is admitted to the United States as the 28th state of the Union. It was an independent republic before statehood.
1848
January 24, 1848 - Gold discovered in California.
California's most famous gold rush dates to the morning of January 24, 1848, when James Marshall made his customary inspection of the sawmill he was building for John Sutter. During
the previous night, Marshall had diverted water through the mill's tailrace to wash away loose dirt and gravel, and on that fateful day, he noticed some shining flecks of metal left
behind by the running water. He picked them up and showed them to his crew, but while he was pretty sure that it was gold, the full significance of his discovery was truly impossible
to imagine. He was still concerned about getting the mill finished.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Discovery of Gold, by John A. Sutter - 1848
- California Gold Rush from Wikipedia
March 19, 1848 - Wyatt Earp Born.
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp is born in Monmouth, Illinois. He is the fourth son of Nicholas Porter and Virginia Cooksey Earp and was named after Nicholas' old army captain, Berry Stapp,
whom he served under during the Mexican War. He was born in the Pike-Sheldon House which was built in 1841 by Samuel Pike, who built the original two-story section ca. 1841, and
Wilson Sheldon, who built the one-story wing addition ca. 1865, which doubled the square footage of the original home. It’s one of Monmouth’s earliest homes and is a good example of
early pioneer, Greek Revival construction, especially popular in the Midwestern states in the 1840’s. This home is at 406 South 3rd Street and is now a Historic House Museum open to
the public.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Wyatt Earp (from Wikipedia)
- Wyatt Earp History Page
- Wyatt Earp Museum and Bookstore
- Wyatt Earp letter
Wyatt Earp 19 months after the famous gunfight.
April 3, 1848 - First American public school opened in San Francisco.
Thomas Douglas, a Yale graduate, became the first teacher with a salary of $1000. Trustees of the new district, however, soon abandoned it when they ran off to the gold fields.
July 11, 1848 - Governor of California visits gold fields.
Governor of California, Gen. Richard Barnes Mason, visited gold fields to gather information for a report to the U.S. Government. He was accompanied by his aide, Capt. William T.
Sherman.
December 5, 1848 - President Polk confirms discovery of gold in California.
In a message to Congress, President Polk confirmed the discovery of gold in California. His message was based on reports from Gen. Mason, the Governor of California. The President
wrote, “The accounts of abundance of gold are of such an extraordinary character as would scarcely command belief were they not corroborated by the authentic reports of officers in
the public service.”
1850
June 5, 1850 - Patrick Floyd Jarvis Garrett is born in Chambers County, Alabama.
Patrick Floyd Jarvis Garrett (June 5, 1850 – February 29, 1908) was an American Old West lawman, bartender, and customs agent who was best known for killing Billy the Kid. He was
also the sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico as well as Doña Ana County, New Mexico.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Pat Garrett [from Wikipedia]
- Texas State Historical Association bio on Pat Garrett
September 9, 1850 - California is admitted to the Union.
California is admitted to the United States as the 31st state of the Union. Ceded by Mexico by the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, concluded Feb. 2, 1848, and proclaimed July 4, 1848.
From then until statehood, California had a military government until Dec. 20, 1849, and then a local civil government. It never had a territorial form of government.
1851
August 14, 1851 - Doc Holliday Born.
John Henry "Doc" Holliday is born in Griffin, Georgia in the family home on Tinsley Street. He was the second child born to Henry Burroughs and Alice Jane Holliday. Their first
child, Martha Eleanora Holliday, had died in infancy on June 12, 1850, possibly due to diphtheria. The exact date of Doc Holliday's birth, for many years a mystery, was taken from a
family bible.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Doc Holliday [from Wikipedia]
- Doc Holliday kills for the first time
- Doc Holliday - Deadly Doctor of the West
John Henry "Doc" Holliday
1853
March 16, 1853 - John Henry Tunstall is born in London, England.
John Henry Tunstall (6 March 1853 – 18 February 1878), born in London, England, became a rancher and merchant in New Mexico, where he became a prominent figure and was the first man
killed in the Lincoln County War, an economic and political conflict perhaps compounded by ethnic rivalries.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- John Henry Tunstall on Wikipedia
May 26, 1853 - John Wesley Hardin Born.
John Wesley Hardin (May 26, 1853—August 19, 1895) was an American outlaw, gunfighter, and controversial folk hero of the Old West. He was born in Bonham, Texas.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- John Wesley Hardin [from Wikipedia]
- John Wesley Hardin: Biography
- A Guide to the John Wesley Hardin Collection, 1874-1931 (Bulk: 1874-1895)
November 26, 1853 - William Barclay "Bat" Masterson born.
William Barclay "Bat" Masterson was born at Henryville in Quebec and baptised as Bartholomew Masterson, but he later used the name "William Barclay Masterson". He was a figure of
the American Old West known as a buffalo hunter, U.S. Army scout, avid fisherman, gambler, frontier lawman, U.S. Marshal, and sports editor and columnist for the New York Morning
Telegraph. He was the brother of lawmen James Masterson and Ed Masterson.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Bat Masterson [from Wikipedia]
- William Barclay "Bat" Masterson
1858
March 22, 1858 - Wild Bill Hickok elected as constable.
On this date James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok was elected as one of the first four constables of Monticello Township, Kansas.
1859
February 14, 1859 - Oregon admitted to the Union.
Oregon is admitted to the United States as the 33rd state of the Union.
October 2, 1859 - George Scarborough born.
George Scarborough (October 2, 1859 - April 5, 1900) was a cowboy, lawman, and possible outlaw (disputed) who lived during the time of the Wild West. He is best known for having
killed outlaw John Selman, killer of John Wesley Hardin, and for his partnership with lawman Jeff Milton, with the pair bringing down several outlaws during their time together.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- George Scarborough [from Wikipedia]
- George Scarborough: Biography
1861
June 25, 1861 - Kansas is admitted to the Union.
Kansas is admitted to the United States as the 34th state of the Union.
1865
July 21, 1865 - First "Wild West" style face off.
On this date in the town of Springfield, Missouri, James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok confronted Davis Tutt, Jr. in what is the first recorded instance of a "stand off" syle shootout
between armed combatants. To date, it is still not clear who drew or fired first, but when the smoke had cleared, Tutt lay dead, soaking up the dust in the town square. It is not
even clear whether or not two shots were fired simultaneously or there was just one shot. The confrontation was sparked over a disputed gambling debt between Hickok and Tutt, Hickok
allegedly owing the money to the latter.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Wild Bill Hickok – Davis Tutt shootout [from Wikipedia]
October 31, 1864 - Nevada admitted to the Union.
Nevada is admitted to the United States as the 36th state of the Union.
1869
May 10, 1869 - First Transcontinental Railroad completed at Promontory Summit, Utah.
On 10 May 1869 from Promontory Summit northwest of Ogden, Utah, a single telegraphed word, "done," signaled to the nation the completion of the first transcontinental railroad.
Railroad crews of the Union Pacific, 8,000 to 10,000 Irish, German, and Italian immigrants, had pushed west from Omaha, Nebraska. At Promontory they met crews of the Central Pacific,
which had included over 10,000 Chinese laborers, who had built the line east from Sacramento, California.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Transcontinental Railroad
1874
June 27, 1874 - The Second Battle of Adobe Walls.
The Second Battle of Adobe Walls was fought on June 27, 1874 between Comanche forces and a group of twenty-eight U.S. bison hunters defending the settlement of Adobe Walls in what is
now Hutchinson County, Texas.
Adobe Walls was the name of a trading post in the Texas Panhandle, just north of the Canadian River. In 1845, an Adobe fort was built there to house the post, but it was blown up by
the traders three years later after repeated Indian attacks. In June 1874 (ten years after the first battle), a group of enterprising businessmen had set up two stores near the
ruins of the old trading post in an effort to rekindle the town of Adobe Walls. The complex quickly grew to include two stores, a corral, a restaurant, and a blacksmith shop, all of
which served the population of 200-300 buffalo hunters in the area. By late June there had been talk of imminent Indian problems and, in recent weeks, hunters had actually been
killed. Some 28 or 29 persons were present at Adobe Walls, including James Hanrahan the saloon owner, a 20-year old Bat Masterson, William "Billy" Dixon (whose famous long-distance
rifle shot effectively ended the siege), and others. Billy Dixon would later go on to win the Medal of Honor for for heroism fighting Kiowas in The Buffalo Wallow Fight.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Second Battle of Adobe Walls [from Wikipedia]
- Adobe Walls, Second Battle of
1876
June 25, 1876 - Battle of the Little Bighorn.
George Armstrong Custer and approximately 200 men of the U.S. 7th Cavalry are annihilated at the Little Bighorn in Montana by Sioux and Cheyenne warriors under the leadership of
Chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Battle of the Little Bighorn on Wikipedia
- Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
- Battle of the Little Bighorn — History.com - Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts
- The Battle of Little Bighorn An Eyewitness Account by the Lakota Chief Red Horse
recorded in pictographs and text at the Cheyenne River Reservation, 1881
August 2, 1876 - Wild Bill Hickok Shot Dead!
James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok is killed in Deadwood, Dakota Territory. He was shot in the back of the head by a man named Jack McCall while playing cards in Saloon No. 10 of this
Black Hills mining town. The hand he was holding was a pair of aces and a pair of eights, forever after known as the "Dead Man's Hand."
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Murder of Wild Bill Hickok
- American
Wonder Wild Bill Hickok Shot and Killed From Behind on This Day in History
September 7, 1876 - The James-Younger Gang's fateful Northfield raid.
On September 7, 1876, the James-Younger gang attempted a raid on the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota. After this robbery and a manhunt, only Frank and Jesse James were
left alive and uncaptured. Cole and Bob Younger later stated that they selected the bank because they believed it was associated with the Republican politician Adelbert Ames, the
governor of Mississippi during Reconstruction, and Union general Benjamin Butler, Ames's father-in-law and the Union commander of occupied New Orleans. Ames was a stockholder in the
bank, but Butler had no direct connection to it.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Northfield Raid & the James-Younger Gang
1877
November 17, 1877 - Jesse Evans is aided in an escape from the Lincoln County jail.
Jesse Evans, a cattle rustler in the Lincoln County War, was aided by members of his gang known as "The Boys" in an escape from the Lincoln County jail. An account of this escape is
given by noted historian Robert M. Utley on page 30 of his book Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life.
"The break took place before dawn on November 17, 1877. About thirty of The Boys, including [William H.] Bonney, rode over from the Ruidoso and showed up at the jail. Thanks to
[Sheriff William] Brady, they found only a lone guard. They put a pistol to his head, knocked in the door to the cell with big rocks that had been helpfully assembled in advance,
and rode out of town with their leader and his three lieutenants, together with another prisoner held on other charges."
Cowboy and outlaw Jesse Evans with an unidentified woman, around 1870. Note that it is the woman who's
holding the gun, not Evans. It is claimed to be Jesse Evans,
but up to this day, historians are not quite sure.
1878
February 18, 1878 - John Tunstall murdered.
John Henry Tunstall is murdered by an impromptu posse of men who were aligned with the Murphy-Dolan faction in the troubles arising at this time in Lincoln County, New Mexico. This
incident became the catalyst that set off the wave of violence in what became known as the Lincoln County War. Patrick F. Garrett described the incident in his book, The
Authentic Life of Billy the Kid:
"In the month of February, 1878, William S. Morton (said to have had authority as deputy sheriff) with a posse of men composed of cowboys from the Rio Pecos started out to attach
some horses which Tunstall and McSween claimed. Tunstall was on the ground with some of his employees. On the approach of Morton and his party, Tunstall's men all deserted
him—ran away in fact. Morton afterwards claimed that Tunstall fired on him and his posse; at all events, Morton and his party fired on Tunstall, killing both him and his
horse. One Tom Hill, who was afterwards killed while robbing a sheep outfit, rode up as Tunstall was lying on his face gasping, and placing his rifle to the back of his head,
fired, and scattered Tunstall's brains over the ground."
April 1, 1878 - Sheriff William J. Brady and deputy George Hindman killed in Lincoln, New Mexico
Sheriff William J. Brady and his deputy George Hindman are gunned down in the streets of Lincoln in an ambush set by members of the Regulators, a hastily organized posse of
questionable authority whose members included Billy the Kid and other McSween/Tunstall loyalists in the Lincoln County War.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- The Ambush of Sheriff Brady
1879
July 19, 1879 - Doc Holliday kills for the first time
Doc Holliday commits his first murder, killing a man for shooting up his New Mexico saloon.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Doc Holliday kills for the first time
1881
April 28, 1881 - Billy the Kid's Daring Escape.
In what is now considered the boldest escape in western history, Billy the Kid regains his freedom by killing deputies James W. Bell and Bob Olinger. The Kid was being held in the
Lincoln County Courthouse in Lincoln, New Mexico pending his hanging which had been scheduled in the following month. It is suspected that he accomplished this daring by having
someone slip him a revolver by hiding it in the outhouse in back of the courthouse. No one is really sure just how he got the weapon, but the fact is very well established that he
did get it, and that he used it to good advantage in effecting his escape. He killed Bell with this revolver. Deputy Bob Olinger was just finishing breakfast in the hotel's diner
at the time and, when he heard the shots that killed Bell, came running across the street to investigate. He was almost across when he stopped to look up at a second story window to
see Billy the Kid sitting in it with Olinger's own shotgun, aimed right at him. It was the last thing on this earth that Olinger ever saw. The Kid let go with both barrels,
riddling Olinger with more than two dozen buckshot. He was dead when he hit the ground and Billy the Kid was once again a free man.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Billy The Kid (1859-1881)
July14, 1881 - Billy the Kid Killed.
The story of the death of Billy the Kid is one of the most famous stories of the Old West. In July of 1881, 3 months after his harrowing escape from prison (and two months after he
was supposed to have been hanged), Sheriff Pat Garrett and his deputies were searching for the Kid. According to sources the Kid was still in the area of Fort Sumner, and it was
Garrett’s intention to find him.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Only One Man Living Who Saw Billy the Kid in Both Life and Death
- The Billy the Kid DNA Investigation
- 1934: Pistol That Killed Billy The
Kid Will Be Returned to Garrett's Widow
John William Poe, one of the two deputies with Garrett when he killed Billy the Kid.
October 26, 1881 - Gunfight "Near" the OK Corral.
In what is now known as the Gunfight "Near" the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, the three "fighting" Earps (Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan)
and Doc Holliday shoot it out with the cowboy faction in this Old West silver camp in what is now regarded as the West's most celebrated gunfight. Outcome: three cowboys dead, two
Earps wounded. Doc Holliday was nicked by a shot. The Earps and Holliday are exonerated of the killings in a subsequent trial, but are forced to leave Arizona Territory because of
the vengeance of the cowboy faction.
Gunfight at the OK Corral, October 26, 1881.
1887
May 9, 1887 - Buffalo Bill's Wild West show opens in London.
Buffalo Bill's Wild West show opens in London, giving Queen Victoria and her subjects their first look at real cowboys and Indians.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Buffalo Bill's Wild West show opens
November 8, 1887 - Doc Holliday Dies Peacefully.
At about ten o'clock in the morning, John Henry "Doc" Holliday dies at the Hotel Glenwood in Glenwood Springs, Colorado of miliary tuberculosis. He was buried near Palmer Avenue and
Twelfth Street in the Linwood Cemetery that afternoon at four o'clock, at a service attended by many friends. Big Nose Kate arranged for the eulogy to be delivered by the Reverend
W. S. Rudolph of the Presbyterian Church.
1890
December 29, 1890 - The Wounded Knee Massacre.
The Wounded Knee Massacre or the Battle of Wounded Knee was the last armed conflict between the Great Sioux Nation and the United States of America and of the Indian Wars.
On December 29, 1890, 365 troops of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment, supported by four Hotchkiss guns, surrounded an encampment of Miniconjou (Lakota) and Hunkpapa Sioux (Lakota) near
Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota. The Sioux had been cornered and agreed to turn themselves in at the Pine Ridge Agency in South Dakota. They were the very last of the Sioux to do
so. They were met by the 7th Cavalry, who intended to disarm them and ensure their compliance.
During the process of disarming the Sioux, a deaf tribesman named Black Coyote could not hear the order to give up his rifle and was reluctant to do so. A scuffle over Black Coyote's
rifle escalated into an all-out battle, with those few Sioux warriors who still had weapons shooting at the 7th Cavalry, and the 7th Cavalry opening fire indiscriminately from all
sides, killing men, women, and children, as well as some of their own fellow troopers. The 7th Cavalry quickly suppressed the Sioux fire, and the surviving Sioux fled, but U.S.
cavalrymen pursued and killed many who were unarmed.
By the time it was over, about 146 men, women, and children of the Lakota Sioux had been killed. Twenty-five troopers also died, some believed to have been the victims of friendly
fire as the shooting took place at point blank range in chaotic conditions. Around 150 Lakota are believed to have fled the chaos. Despite the brevity and inequality of the fighting,
the U.S. Army awarded more Medals of Honor for action at Wounded Knee than for any other engagement in the history of the US Army.
The site has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- About the Wounded Knee Massacre
- Wounded Knee Massacre [from Wikipedia]
- Wounded Knee — The Museum
Miniconjou Chief Big Foot lies dead in the snow at Wounded Knee.
1892
October 5, 1892 - The Dalton Gang Goes Down at Coffeeville.
The Dalton gang is wiped out by the citizenry of this small Kansas town when the gang attempts the simultaneous robbery of two of its banks. They had put on fake beards upon coming
into the town, but they were so well known in Coffeeville, a town they had grown up in, that someone recognized them through the disquises and shouted an alarm. Immediately, nearly
every able bodied man in town grabbed a rifle or revolver and commenced to firing on the Daltons. The gang was literally shot to rag dolls. The Daltons were one of the last of the
great outlaw gangs of the Old West, and their downfall marked the passing of an era in outlaw history. Never again would a horseback-mounted band of outlaws attempt such a bold and
brazen act of outlawry in the American West.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- The Dalton Gang's Last Raid, 1892
- The Story of the Dalton Gang
The Dalton Gang in death at Coffeyville, Kansas.
1893
September 1, 1893 - The Gunfight at Ingalls.
A large posse led by John Hixon and including such members as Jim Masterson, Dick Speed, Lafe Shadley, and Tom Houston attempt a surprise attack on the Doolin Gang in Ingalls, a
shabby and remote excuse for a town in Oklahoma Territory. The attempt to surprise the outlaws was foiled and what then insued has become one of the most celebrated shootouts in Old
West history, rivaling in notoriety the one in Tombstone at the OK Corral 12 years earlier. Outcome: three lawmen killed, two outlaws wounded. All the outlaws, except for
"Arkansas" Tom Daugherty, escaped. Arkansas Tom held officers at bay from a position of concealment in an attic of the town's "cat house" while his outlaw comrades made good their
escape. He was captured by the posse after ammunition for his Winchester and revolvers had given out.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Battle of Ingalls on Wikipedia
- Bill Doolin: Gunfight at Ingalls [YouTube]
- The Doolin Gang Shootout - Ingalls, Oklahoma
September 16, 1893 - Oklahoma Land Rush
On September 16, 1893, the largest land run in history begins with more than 100,000 people pouring into the Cherokee Strip of Oklahoma to claim their homesteads. With a single shot
from a pistol the mad dash began, and land-hungry pioneers on horseback and in carriages raced forward to stake their claims to the best acres.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Oklahoma Land Rush
1894
June 8, 1894 - Bill Dalton killed.
Bill Dalton is killed by Deputy Lawson (Loss) Hart near Ardmore, O.T. (now Oklahoma)
1895
May 4, 1895 - Doolin Gang Train Robbery.
The Bill Doolin gang robs a Rock Island train near Dover, Oklahoma Territory, taking several thousand dollars from the express car and passengers.
August 19, 1895 - John Wesley Hardin killed.
Shortly before midnight John Selman, Sr. walked into the Acme Saloon in El Paso, Texas where John Wesley Hardin was playing dice. Selman walked up behind Hardin and shot him in the
back of the head, killing him instantly. As Hardin's body lay on the floor, Selman fired three more shots into him.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- Death of John Wesley Hardin
1896
April 6, 1896 - John Selman Killed.
John Selman, the killer of John Wesley Hardin who perhaps killed 40 men in his lifetime, is shot and killed in an El Paso alley by George Scarborough.
FOR FURTHER READING:
- John Selman - Wicked Lawman and Vicious Outlaw
- John Selman
Aug. 24, 1896 - Bill Doolin killed.
Bill Doolin is ambushed and killed by Deputy Marshal Heck Thomas's posse at Lawson, O.T.
1897
Nov. 7, 1897 - Dynamite Dick Clifton killed.
Dynamite Dick Clifton was killed by deputies near Chectoah.
1898
April 8, 1898 - Little Dick West killed.
Little Dick West was killed by Deputy Marshal Heck Thomas's posse.
1907
November 16, 1907 - Oklahoma admitted to Union.
Oklahoma is admitted to the United States as the 46th state of the Union.
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