Okay so last weekend I got this dumb idea to rank the top Wild West outlaws for the blog. Figured it’d be straightforward, right? Famous gunslingers, quick list, done. Boy, was I wrong.
First thing I did was grab my old history books from college – the dusty ones buried in the back of my shelf. Cracked open one about frontier legends and started scribbling notes on a yellow legal pad, just like old times. Got Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp (though he was kinda lawman and outlaw, messy), Butch Cassidy… names poured out easy.
Started digging deeper online. Big mistake. Every website and forum screamed something different. Was Belle Starr really that notorious? Disagreements flared over how “wild” these folks actually were versus myth. Felt like opening a bag of angry snakes.
Sat there scrolling forums late into Saturday night, coffee cold. Ended up with like 20 names scribbled everywhere. Couldn’t just pick ten! Felt overwhelming. Gotta narrow it down. Started crossing out names:
- Bonnie and Clyde? Later period, felt wrong for “Wild West” proper. Crossed off.
- Doc Holliday? More Earp’s sidekick? Debatable. Hesitated, kept him for now.
- Wild Bill Hickok? Famous, but mainly known for shootouts, less actual outlaw stuff… still iconic. Kept.
Sunday morning, bleary-eyed. Needed better criteria. Decided:
Legacy mattered most – how well-known were they decades later?
Impact – did they genuinely terrify folks? And pure, simple
infamy – the sheer “oh wow” factor.
Sorted my messy list using highlighters. Yellow for top contenders. Pink for maybes. Stared at the mess. Argued with myself in the kitchen while making toast. “Was Billy the Kid really more famous than Black Bart?” Dropped crumbs on my notes. Not pretty.
Finally, after way too many hours debating dusty old criminals online, forcing myself to commit, this is what stuck:
The Final Top 10 (After All That Drama)
- Jesse James: Gotta have the big one. Obvious pick, felt right.
- Billy the Kid: Young, dead, legendary. Stayed.
- Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid: Count ’em as a pair. Iconic escape.
- John Wesley Hardin: Dude’s rep scared even me researching. In.
- Wild Bill Hickok: Gunfighter fame wins out. He stays.
- Belle Starr: Kept her for the unique outlaw queen angle.
- Doc Holliday: Reputation too huge. Needed his grit.
- Sam Bass: Short career but big impact then & now.
- Clay Allison: Kept reading wild stories, couldn’t resist.
- The Dalton Gang: Their last raid was pure suicide mission drama.
Slapped the list together feeling half-relieved, half-sure I’d forgotten someone obvious. Published it before I could second-guess again. Spent the rest of Sunday staring at cowboy documentaries feeling strangely drained. Lesson learned? These “simple” lists? They’re bottomless pits. Fun. But exhausting. Just glad it’s finally live. Now excuse me, I need a nap.
