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 Territory during the 1890s—robbing banks and stores, holding up trains, and killing lawmen. They were also known as The Oklahoma Long Riders because of the long dusters that they wore.
57-747: The gang formed in the last decade of the 19th century, and most of its members were killed before 1900. Only two of its eleven members survived into the 20th century, and all eleven met violent deaths in gun battles with lawmen. The gang was led by Bill Doolin and William Marion "Bill" Dalton ; it included the following men at various times: William "Tulsa Jack" Blake , Dan "Dynamite Dick" Clifton , Roy Daugherty (a.k.a. "Arkansas Tom Jones"), George "Bitter Creek" Newcomb (a.k.a. "Slaughter Kid"), Charley Pierce , William F. "Little Bill" Raidler , George "Red Buck" Waightman , Richard "Little Dick" West , and Oliver "Ol" Yantis . Additionally, two teenaged girls, known as Little Britches and Cattle Annie , followed
114-478: A Democrat for president in 1948, while Cimarron County last supported a Democrat in 1976. In the 2020 U.S. presidential election , the three counties gave a weighted average of 85.0% of their votes to Donald Trump and 13.2% to Joe Biden , with Trump carrying the state over Biden 65.4% to 32.3%. In the 2006 Oklahoma gubernatorial election , the Oklahoma Panhandle counties were the only three where
171-875: A bank robbery in Coffeyville, Kansas . Doolin had worked as a cowboy in Kansas and the Cherokee Outlet . As a leader of the Wild Bunch, he had something of a Robin Hood image because he and his gang preyed on wealthy institutions. He and his gang received considerable aid from the general public in eluding the law (see Ingalls, Oklahoma ). What was known as the Dalton Gang had been dominated by several Dalton brothers, and led by Bob Dalton . Doolin, Newcomb, and Charley Pierce were also members. They took part in
228-485: A general election to choose three members from each district to form a government. The elected council met as planned, elected Owen G. Chase as president, and named a full cabinet. They also enacted further laws and divided the strip into five counties (Benton, Beaver, Palo Duro, Optima, and Sunset), three senatorial districts (with three members from each district), and seven delegate districts (with two members from each district). The members from these districts were to be
285-519: A train near Cimarron, Kansas . During a shootout with lawmen, Doolin was shot and seriously wounded in the foot. He retreated to Ingalls. On September 1, 1893, 14 deputy U.S. marshals entered Ingalls to apprehend the gang. The armed confrontation became known as the Battle of Ingalls . During the shootout, three marshals and two bystanders were killed, one bystander was wounded, three of the gang members were wounded, and gang member "Arkansas Tom Jones"
342-540: Is bordered by Kansas and Colorado at 37°N on the north, New Mexico at 103°W on the west, Texas at 36.5°N on the south, and the remainder of Oklahoma at 100°W on the east. The largest town in the region is Guymon , which is the county seat of Texas County. Black Mesa , the highest point in Oklahoma at 4,973 feet (1,516 m), is located in Cimarron County. The Panhandle occupies nearly all of
399-575: Is the highest point in the state. Other points of interest include Beaver Dunes Park , Optima Lake , and the Optima National Wildlife Refuge . Oklahoma Panhandle State University is ten miles away from Guymon. Paleo-Indian people settled in the region around 8450 BCE. Native American horticulturists inhabited the region before the European colonists arrived in the 16th century. The area became part of New Spain with
456-470: The 2020 United States census , the region has a population of 28,729, and Texas County is the only county in Oklahoma to have a plurality of Hispanic residents, which make up 48.1 percent of the county's population. Its economy is primarily agricultural, and its political elections sway in favor of the Republican Party . The Panhandle, 166 miles (267 km) long and 34 miles (55 km) wide,
513-821: The Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819, which set the western boundary of the Louisiana Purchase at the 100th meridian. The outcome of the Mexican War of Independence made the panhandle a part of Mexico in 1821. The area was part of the Texas Republic from its formation in 1836 until Texas became part of the United States in 1846, which left the area federal property. The area was incorporated into Oklahoma Territory and later split into three counties when Oklahoma obtained statehood in 1907. As of
570-598: The Dust Bowl . The dust storms were largely a result of poor farming techniques and the plowing up of the native grasses that had held the fine soil in place. Despite government efforts to implement conservation measures and change the basic farming methods of the region, the Dust Bowl persisted for nearly a decade. It contributed significantly to the length of the Great Depression in the United States. Each of
627-604: The Missouri Compromise , prohibited slavery north of 36°30' north latitude. Under the Compromise of 1850 , Texas surrendered its lands north of 36°30', rather than have a portion of the state as "free" territory. The 170-mile strip of land, a "neutral strip", was left with no state or territorial ownership from 1850 until 1890. It was officially called the " Public Land Strip " and was commonly referred to as "No Man's Land." The Compromise of 1850 also established
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#1732765141815684-666: The Public Land Strip , the Neutral Strip , or Cimarron Territory ) is a salient in the extreme northwestern region of the U.S. state of Oklahoma . Its constituent counties are, from west to east, Cimarron County , Texas County and Beaver County . As with other salients in the United States, its name comes from the similarity of its shape to the handle of a pan. Its largest city is Guymon in Texas County. Black Mesa State Park , located in Cimarron County,
741-489: The Three Guardsmen with a directive to take care of the Wild Bunch. The directive stated in part, "I have selected you to do this work, placing explicit confidence in your abilities to cope with those desperadoes and bring them in—alive if possible—dead if necessary." On April 1, 1894, the gang attempted to rob the store of retired US Deputy Marshal W.H. Carr at Sacred Heart, Indian Territory . Although shot through
798-460: The legislative body for the proposed territory. Elections were held November 8, 1887, and the legislature met for the first time on December 5, 1887. Chase went to Washington, D.C. , to lobby for admission to Congress as the delegate from the new territory. He was not recognized by Congress. A group disputing the Chase organization met and elected and sent its own delegate to Washington. A bill
855-457: The $ 50,000 army payroll, they robbed passengers of cash and jewelry. Deputy U.S. Marshal Chris Madsen and his posse took a special train to Dover and picked up the trail at daybreak, surprising the gang around noon. The marshals killed Blake and scattered the gang. This was the last robbery committed by the Wild Bunch as a gang, although some of its members kept up the robberies and killings for which they were known. U.S. Marshal Evett "E.D." Nix
912-527: The 100th meridian. In 1885, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that the strip was not part of the Cherokee Outlet. In 1886, Interior Secretary L. Q. C. Lamar declared the area to be public domain and subject to " squatter's rights ". The strip was not yet surveyed , and as that was one of the requirements of the Homestead Act of 1862 , the land could not be officially settled. Settlers by
969-604: The Beaver River and Optima Lake , the home of the Optima National Wildlife Refuge . What is now the Oklahoma Panhandle has been occupied for millennia. The Paleo-Indian people of the region were part of the Beaver River complex. A Paleo-Indian encampment, the Bull Creek site, dates back to approximately 8450 BCE, and the Badger Hole site dates to circa 8400 BCE. Shortly before the arrival of European explorers,
1026-660: The Dalton Gang tried to rob two banks simultaneously in Coffeyville. It was an utter failure. Coffeyville residents and lawmen rallied in a shootout against the outlaws, resulting in four of the five gang members being killed. Emmett Dalton was captured and convicted at trial, and imprisoned. Historians have speculated that a sixth gang member was in town, holding the horses in an alley, and escaped. The sixth man has never been identified. Some speculate that he may have been Bill Doolin. In late 1892, Doolin formed his own gang,
1083-570: The McGrath, Stamper and Two Sisters sites. The arrival of horses from Spain in the 16th century allowed American Indian tribes to increase their hunting ranges. These Southern Plains villagers became the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes . The Western history of the Panhandle traces its origins as being part of New Spain . The Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819 between Spain and the United States set
1140-399: The Oklahoma Panhandle. The racial makeup of the region was 80.26% white (including persons of mixed race), 59.46% non-Hispanic white , 1.34% African American , 1.21% Native American , 1.18% Asian , 0.12% Pacific Islander , 15.53% from other races , and 2.78% from two or more races . Hispanic and Latino Americans made up 35.85% of the population. The median income for a household in
1197-588: The Panhandle was home to Southern Plains villagers . From 1200 to 1500, the semi-sedentary Panhandle culture peoples, including the Antelope Creek phase , lived in the region in large, stone-slab and plaster houses in villages or individual homesteads. As horticulturists, they farmed maize and indigenous crops from the Eastern Agricultural Complex . Several Antelope Creek phase sites were founded near present-day Guymon, including
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#17327651418151254-498: The Wild Bunch. On November 1, 1892, the gang robbed a bank in Spearville, Kansas . After the robbery, the gang fled with gang member Oliver Yantis to Oklahoma Territory, where they hid out at the house of Yantis's sister. Less than a month later, the gang was tracked to that location. In a shootout, Yantis was killed, but the rest of the gang escaped. Two teenaged girls, known as Little Britches and Cattle Annie , also followed
1311-494: The area, and the first railroad, the Rock Island , built a line through the county from Liberal, Kansas , to Dalhart, Texas . Agriculture began changing from subsistence farms to grain exporters. " No Man's Land " became Seventh County under the newly organized Oklahoma Territory and was soon renamed Beaver County. Beaver City became the county seat. When Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory were combined in 1907 as
1368-408: The better-known Emmett Dalton . Doolin's first encounter with the law came on July 4, 1891, in Coffeyville in southeastern Kansas. Doolin and some friends were drunk in public, and lawmen attempted to confiscate their alcohol. A shootout ensued, and two of the lawmen were wounded. Doolin escaped capture by fleeing. Shortly thereafter, Doolin became a member of the Dalton Gang. On October 5, 1892,
1425-637: The botched train robbery in Adair, Oklahoma Territory, on July 15, 1892, in which two guards and two townsmen, both doctors, were wounded, one of the doctors dying the next day. Doolin, Newcomb, and Pierce complained that Bob Dalton was not dividing money fairly among the gang and left in protest, but would later return. According to some accounts, Bob Dalton told Doolin, Newcomb, and Pierce that he no longer needed them. Doolin and his friends returned to their hideout in Ingalls, Oklahoma Territory . On October 5, four of
1482-515: The boundary of "No Man's Land." After the Civil War , cattlemen moved into the area. Gradually they organized themselves into ranches and established their own rules for arranging their land and adjudicating their disputes. There was still confusion over the status of the strip, and some attempts were made to arrange rent with the Cherokees , despite the fact that the Cherokee Outlet ended at
1539-585: The cash on hand and over $ 1,500 in treasury notes . From the postcard descriptions sent out, the city marshal of Stillwater, Oklahoma Territory recognized Ol' Yantis, the gang's newest member. The marshal's posse soon cornered and killed Yantis in a shootout. On June 11, 1893, the Wild Bunch held up a Santa Fe train west of Cimarron, Kansas . They took $ 1,000 in silver from the California-New Mexico Express. A sheriff's posse from old Beaver County, Oklahoma Territory , caught up with
1596-528: The eastern boundary of New Mexico Territory at the 103rd meridian, thus setting the western boundary of the strip. The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 set the southern border of Kansas Territory as the 37th parallel. This became the northern boundary of "No Man's Land." When Kansas joined the Union in 1861, the western part of Kansas Territory was assigned to the Colorado Territory but did not change
1653-456: The economic activity in the region, with ranching dominating the drier western end. The region's higher educational needs are served by Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, 10 miles southwest of Guymon. The Oklahoma Panhandle is one of the most universally Republican areas of what has become one of the most Republican states in the nation. Beaver and Texas counties last supported
1710-526: The end of 1898, all but one of the remaining former Wild Bunch gang were dead, having been killed in various shootouts with lawmen. Heck Thomas had tracked most of them; the remainder were tracked down and eliminated by lawmen Madsen and Tilghman, or other posses . The only survivor of the Wild Bunch was "Little Bill" Raidler (aka Radler) who had been shot and captured by Tilghman in Osage territory near Caney Creek on September 6, 1895. Little Billie had split from
1767-493: The former Artemina Beller. Doolin left home in 1881 to become a cowboy in Indian Territory , where he worked for cattleman Oscar Halsell, a Texas native. During this time, Doolin worked with other cowboy and outlaw names of the day, including George Newcomb (known as "Bitter Creek"), Charley Pierce , Bill Power, Dick Broadwell, Bill "Tulsa Jack" Blake, Dan "Dynamite Dick" Clifton , Billie "Little Bill" Raidler and
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1824-748: The gang after the Rock Island robbery near Dover. Near death, Billie was nursed back to health and stood trial in Kingfisher, Ok. He was permanently crippled, but sent to the Ohio Penitentiary near Columbus. He was released for poor health in 1892 and returned to western Oklahoma where he married his girlfriend, Blanch Whitenack on Nov.19, 1902 in Taloga, Oklahoma. He died an early, natural death in about 1910. Oklahoma Panhandle The Oklahoma Panhandle (formerly called No Man's Land ,
1881-462: The gang as bandits. They warned the men whenever law-enforcement officers were in pursuit. Sources indicate that Doolin gave bandit Jennie Stevens her nickname of Little Britches. Following the Spearville robbery, the gang embarked on a spree of successful bank and train robberies. In March 1893, Doolin married Edith Ellsworth in Ingalls, Oklahoma . Shortly thereafter, Doolin and his gang robbed
1938-743: The gang members. Bill Doolin William Doolin (1858–August 24, 1896) was an American bandit outlaw and founder of the Wild Bunch , sometimes known as the Doolin-Dalton Gang. Like the earlier Dalton Gang alone, it specialized in robbing banks , trains , and stagecoaches in Arkansas , Kansas , Indiana , and Oklahoma during the 1890s. Doolin was born in 1858 in Johnson County, Arkansas , to Michael Doolin and
1995-430: The gang north of Fort Supply . The gang got away but, in the ensuing gunfight, Doolin was shot in the left foot. The injury gave him pain for the rest of his life. On September 1, 1893, a posse organized by the new U.S. Marshal, Evett Dumas "E.D." Nix , entered the outlaw town of Ingalls with the intent to capture the gang. In what would be remembered as the Battle of Ingalls , three of the fourteen lawmen were killed in
2052-405: The gang, informing them of the movements of law enforcement officers whenever they pursued the criminals. Doolin, Newcomb, and Pierce had previously been members of the Dalton Gang , which had been dominated by Bill Dalton's brothers. Bill Dalton had aided his brothers in their gang, but had never taken part in any of their robberies and did not get involved until after the deaths of two of them at
2109-652: The gunfire. Two town citizens also died; one was killed protecting the outlaws. After a short break the gang continued its activities in Oklahoma Territory. On January 3, 1894, Pierce and Waightman held up the store and post office at Clarkson . On January 23, the gang robbed the Farmers Citizens Bank at Pawnee , and March 10, the Wild Bunch robbed the Santa Fe Railway station at Woodward of more than $ 6,000. On March 20, Nix sent
2166-406: The members and sent the last one to life in prison. On December 19, 1894, Doolin was reportedly one of six men who attempted to rob the J.R. Pearce store at Texana, Oklahoma Territory ; they were driven off having looted with less than $ 20.00 worth of merchandise. On April 3, 1895, the Wild Bunch, without Doolin, held up a Rock Island train at Dover, Oklahoma . Unable to open the safe containing
2223-658: The opening. Ten years later, an actual count revealed a population of 2,548. The passage of the Organic Act in 1890 assigned Public Land Strip to the new Oklahoma Territory , and ended the short-lived Cimarron Territory aspirations. In 1891, the government completed the survey, and the remaining squatters were finally able to secure their homesteads under the Homestead Act. The new owners were then able to obtain mortgages against their property, enabling them to buy seed and equipment. Capital and new settlers came into
2280-481: The outlaws' hideout. Doolin fled to New Mexico Territory , where he hid with outlaw Richard "Little Dick" West during the summer of 1895. In late 1895, Doolin and his wife hid out near Burden, Kansas . They went over the border to visit the resort community of Eureka Springs in northwestern Arkansas. There, Doolin soaked in the sulfur springs in the bathhouses; the waters relieved the rheumatism in his foot that set in after an earlier gunshot. In early 1896, Doolin
2337-401: The region was $ 34,404, and the median income for a family was $ 40,006. Males had a median income of $ 27,444 versus $ 19,559 for females. The per capita income for the region was $ 16,447. County seat † The Panhandle is rather thinly populated (when compared to the rest of Oklahoma) making the labor force in this region very small. Farming and ranching operations occupy most of
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2394-717: The remaining five members of the Dalton Gang would be killed in Coffeyville, Kansas during a botched robbery. For a time, Doolin and his partners operated under outlaw Henry Starr ( Cherokee ), hiding out about 75 miles northeast of Kingfisher, Oklahoma , from where they made several raids. Doolin, Newcomb, and Pierce visited the Daltons' mother in Kingfisher to console her after her sons' deaths. Brothers Lit and Bill Dalton were also visiting their mother, and Doolin proposed that they join him and his group to avenge their brothers. Bill Dalton agreed to join them and soon took part in several robberies, but Lit refused in disgust. Henry Starr
2451-407: The state of Oklahoma, Beaver County was divided into Beaver, Texas, and Cimarron counties. The Oklahoma Panhandle had the highest population at its first census in 1910, 32,433 residents, compared to 28,729 in the 2020 census. The Panhandle was severely affected by the drought of the 1930s. The drought began in 1932 and created massive dust storms. By 1935, the area was widely known as being part of
2508-492: The stomach, Carr shot Newcomb in the shoulder, and the gang fled without getting anything. On May 10, 1894, the Wild Bunch robbed the bank at Southwest City, Missouri , of $ 4,000, wounding several townspeople and killing one. On May 21, 1894, the jurors in the Roy Daugherty (a.k.a. "Arkansas Tom Jones") trial found him guilty of manslaughter rather than murder in the killing of three Deputy US Marshals. Frank Dale ,
2565-492: The territorial judge hearing the case, returned to Guthrie , the territorial capitol in Oklahoma, and told US Marshal E.D. Nix, " ... you will instruct your deputies to bring them in dead." Bill Dalton, meanwhile, had left Doolin to form his own Dalton Gang. On May 23, 1894, Dalton and his new gang robbed the First National Bank at Longview, Texas . This was the gang's only job. Various posses would kill three of
2622-633: The thousands flooded in to assert their "squatter's rights" anyway. They surveyed their own land and by September 1886 had organized a self-governing and self-policing jurisdiction, which they named the Cimarron Territory . Senator Daniel W. Voorhees of Indiana introduced a bill in Congress to attach the so-called territory to Kansas. It passed both the Senate and the House of Representatives but
2679-421: The three counties experienced a major loss of population during the 1930s. The social impact of the dust bowl and the resulting emigration of tenant farmers from Oklahoma is the setting for the 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath by Nobel prize -winning author John Steinbeck . As of the 2010 census , there were a total of 28,751 people, 10,451 households, and 7,466 families in the three counties that comprise
2736-512: The true High Plains within Oklahoma, being the only part of the state lying west of the 100th meridian , which generally marks the westernmost extent of moist air from the Gulf of Mexico . The North Canadian River is named Beaver River or Beaver Creek on its course through the Panhandle. Its land area is 5,686 square miles (14,730 km ) and comprises 8.28 percent of Oklahoma's land area. The area includes Beaver Dunes Park with sand dunes along
2793-472: The western boundary of this portion of the Louisiana Purchase at the 100th meridian. With Mexican independence in 1821, these lands became part of Mexico . With the formation of the Texas Republic , they became part of Texas. When Texas joined the U.S. in 1846, the strip became part of the United States. The Cimarron Cutoff for the Santa Fe Trail passed through the area soon after the trade route
2850-413: Was appointed in 1893. He made his main priority the toppling of the Doolin-Dalton Gang. Nix appointed one hundred marshals to the task, insisting that they hunt down all outlaws, but making this gang a priority. Marshal Nix was staunchly supportive of his deputies and whatever they felt was necessary to bring down the gang. With him as their defender politically, his deputy marshals systematically hunted down
2907-589: Was arrested in 1893 and held for trial at Fort Smith . As Doolin and Dalton were accepted as leaders of the gang, it became known as the Doolin—Dalton Gang, and also as the Wild Bunch. They hid out in northeastern Payne County, and were obtaining ammunition and supplies at the little village of Ingalls. Doolin soon took action: On November 1, 1892, his new gang, the Wild Bunch, robbed the Ford County Bank at Spearville, Kansas , getting away with all
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#17327651418152964-582: Was captured in a bathhouse by deputy marshal Bill Tilghman. Doolin escaped from jail on July 5, and took refuge with his wife in Lawson in the Oklahoma Territory. There, on August 24, Doolin was killed by a shotgun blast in a confrontation with Deputy U.S. Marshal Heck Thomas. Bill Doolin is buried next to outlaw Elmer McCurdy , in the Boot Hill section of Summit View Cemetery in Guthrie, Oklahoma . By
3021-696: Was established in 1826 between the Mexicans in Santa Fe and the Americans in St. Louis . The route was increasingly used during the California Gold Rush . The cutoff passed several miles north of what are now Boise City, Oklahoma , and Clayton, New Mexico , before continuing toward Santa Fe. When Texas sought to enter the Union in 1845 as a slave state , federal law in the United States, based on
3078-474: Was introduced to accept Chase but was never brought to a vote. Neither delegation was able to persuade Congress to accept the new territory. Another delegation went in 1888 but was also unsuccessful. In 1889, the Unassigned Lands to the east of the territory were opened for settlement , and many of the residents went there. The remaining population was generously estimated by Chase at 10,000 after
3135-527: Was killed by U.S. marshals. Rewards were offered for the capture or death of remaining gang members, a lure that sometimes turned friends into foes to collect the money. On May 1, 1895, gang members Charlie Pierce and George "Bittercreek" Newcomb were shot and killed by bounty hunters known as the Dunn brothers . They were the older brothers of Rose Dunn , the teenaged girlfriend of Newcomb. Allegedly, she had betrayed Newcomb, but her brothers may have trailed her to
3192-407: Was not signed by President Grover Cleveland . The organization of Cimarron Territory began soon after Secretary Lamar declared the area open to settlement by squatters. The settlers formed their own vigilance committees , which organized a board charged with forming a territorial government. The board enacted a preliminary code of law and divided the strip into three districts. They also called for
3249-498: Was wounded and captured. Doolin shot and killed Deputy Marshal Richard Speed during that shootout. For a time, the Wild Bunch was the most powerful outlaw group in the Old West . Because of the relentless pursuit by the deputy marshals known as the Three Guardsmen (lawmen Bill Tilghman , Chris Madsen , and Heck Thomas ), by the end of 1894, they had either captured or killed many of the gang. In late 1894, gang member Bill Dalton
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