This is a general overview of the more significant town locations either frequented by the known gunfighters, or laying claim to momentous events such as a noteworthy gunfight or train robbery. For a better understanding of the types of towns covered in the wild west, please refer to the companion blog titled A Brief Look at the Towns of the Old West.
For the labeling of town types it should be pretty self-explanatory, but there are a few notes to bear in mind:
- Cattle Town vs Cow-town: A cow-town is a trail drive terminus such as Wichita or Abilene, where as a Cattle Town is one in which the prime industry is the raising and selling of cattle, such as San Antonio or Austin.
- The difference between a Mining Town and a Mining Supply Town is one, like Denver, which was not necessarily in the thick of the mining area, but sat remotely with all the conveniences and accoutrements to facilitate both the community and the industry.
- If a town did not exist by a certain census it is marked with an “X”, and if the town was there but absent from the census then it is marked with a “?”, signifying missing census data.
- When you see a “>” used in a Type of Town label it is because there was a significant enough change to warrant mention of both qualities. This distinction won’t be made, however, when a trail stop sees the arrival of the train.
- Finally, keep in mind that not every town is listed, nor is every significant gunman’s activities. This is meant to be a snapshot to give a sense of where activity was happening and why; as well as an idea of the characters involved.
| Western Towns | Type of Town | Founded | 1860 | 1870 | 1880 | 1890 | Significant Characters | Notable for |
| Abilene, KS | Cow-town | 1857 | ? | ? | 2,360 | 3,547 | “Bear River” Tom Smith | Drover’s Cottage |
| Wild Bill Hickok | Alamo Saloon | |||||||
| John Wesley Hardin | Bulls’ Head Saloon | |||||||
| Ben Thompson | ||||||||
| Clements Boys | ||||||||
| Phil Coe | ||||||||
| Austin, NV | Mining Town | 1862 | X | 1,324 | 1,679 | 1,215 | Johnny Ringo (As a boy) | |
| James Earp | ||||||||
| Austin, TX | Cattle Town | 1835 | 3,494 | 4,428 | 11,013 | 14,575 | Ben Thompson | Sutton-Taylor Feud |
| Billy Thompson | Austin Jail | |||||||
| John Wesley Hardin | ||||||||
| Johnny Ringo | ||||||||
| Phil Coe | ||||||||
| Bannack, MT | Mining Town | 1862 | X | 381 | 232 | 203 | Henry Plummer Gang | Outlaw Sherriff & Rash of Lynchings |
| Montana Vigilantes | ||||||||
| Butte, MT | Mining Town | ~1866 | X | 241 | 3,363 | 10,723 | Morgan Earp | |
| “Bully” Billy Brooks | ||||||||
| Caldwell, KS | Trail Stop | 1871 | X | X | 1,005 | 1,642 | Mike Meagher | Red Light Saloon |
| George Flatt | ||||||||
| Henry Brown | ||||||||
| Ben Wheeler | ||||||||
| “Bully” Billy Brooks | ||||||||
| Carson City, NV | Mining Town | 1858 | 714 | 3,042 | 4,229 | 3,950 | Thomas Riley | Comstock Lode |
| “Bandit Jack” Harris | Boxing matches attended by Bat Masterson & Wyatt Earp | |||||||
| Cheyenne, WY | Trail Stop | 1867 | X | 1,450 | 3,456 | 11,690 | Tom Horn | |
| Wild Bill Hickok | ||||||||
| Doc Holliday | ||||||||
| Cimarron, KS | Trail Stop | 1878 | X | X | ? | 445 | Bill Tilghman | Battle of Cimarron |
| Jim Masterson | ||||||||
| Bill Doolin Gang | ||||||||
| Cimarron, NM | Mining Town | 1861 | X | ? | 290 | 335 | Clay Allison | Maxwell Land Grant |
| Stockton Brothers | St. James Hotel | |||||||
| Lucien B. Maxwell | ||||||||
| Coffeyville, KS | Trading Post-> Train Stop | 1869 | X | ~100 | 753 | 2,282 | Dalton Gang | Coffeyville Raid |
| Luke Short | ||||||||
| Deadwood, SD | Mining Town | 1876 | x | X | 3,777 | 2,366 | Wild Bill Hickok | Murder of Wild Bill |
| Seth Bullock | Saloon #10 | |||||||
| Wyatt Earp | Mt. Moriah Cemetery | |||||||
| Bat Masterson | Gem Variety Theater | |||||||
| Doc Holliday | ||||||||
| Luke Short | ||||||||
| Charlie Utter | ||||||||
| Texas Jack Omohundro | ||||||||
| Morgan Earp | ||||||||
| Calamity Jane | ||||||||
| Denver, CO | Mining Supply Town | 1858 | 4,749 | 4,759 | 35,629 | 106,713 | Bat Masterson | Tabor Opera House |
| Doc Holliday | Palace Theater | |||||||
| Soapy Smith Gang | ||||||||
| Dodge City, KS | Cow-town | 1871 | X | X | 1,854 | 1,967 | Wyatt Earp | Long Branch Saloon |
| Bat Masterson | Dodge House | |||||||
| Doc Holliday | Battle of the Plaza | |||||||
| Luke Short | Dodge City Peace Comission | |||||||
| Bill Tilghman | Queen of Cattle Towns | |||||||
| “Mysterious” Dave Mather | ||||||||
| Clay Allison | ||||||||
| Ed Masterson | ||||||||
| Jim Masterson | ||||||||
| Morgan Earp | ||||||||
| “Bully” Bill Brooks | ||||||||
| El Paso, TX | Transit Hub/Trail Town | 1873 | 428 | 764 | 779 | 10,338 | Dallas Stoudenmire | “4 Dead Men in 5 Seconds” |
| Jim Gillett | Acme Saloon | |||||||
| John Wesley Hardin | Killing of John Wesley Hardin | |||||||
| John Selman | ||||||||
| Pat Garrett | ||||||||
| Baz Outlaw | ||||||||
| Ellsworth, KS | Cow-town | 1864 | X | 448 | 1,378 | 2,223 | Wild Bill Hickok | Drover’s Cottage |
| Wyatt Earp | Arrest of Ben Thompson | |||||||
| Ben Thompson | (by Wyatt Earp) | |||||||
| Billy Thompson | ||||||||
| “Bully” Bill Brooks | ||||||||
| C.B. Whitney | ||||||||
| Fort Griffin, TX | Camp Town | 1868 | X | 297 | X | X | Doc Holliday | Meeting Place of Doc & Wyatt |
| Dave Rudabaugh’ | ||||||||
| Wyatt Earp | ||||||||
| Pat Garrett | ||||||||
| John Selman | ||||||||
| John Larn | ||||||||
| Jack Long | ||||||||
| George Scarborough | ||||||||
| Fort Smith, AS | Camp Town | 1817 | 1,532 | 2,227 | 3,099 | 11,311 | Judge Isaac Parker | “Hell on the Border” jails |
| Bass Reeves | ||||||||
| Heck Thomas | ||||||||
| Fort Sumner, NM | Village | 1870 | X | 12 | ~200 | 285 | Billy the Kid | Billy the Kid hangout |
| Pat Garrett | Killing of Billy the Kid | |||||||
| Lucien B. Maxwell | ||||||||
| Fort Worth, TX | Trading Post/Trail Town | 1849 | ? | 1,628 | 6,663 | 23,076 | Luke Short | Hell’s Half Acre |
| “Long-Haired” Jim Courtright | White Elephant Saloon | |||||||
| Heck Thomas | “Where the West Begins” | |||||||
| James Earp | ||||||||
| Soapy Smith | ||||||||
| Globe, AZ | Mining Town | 1875 | X | X | 704 | 803 | Billy the Kid | Death of Mattie Earp |
| Ike Clanton | ||||||||
| Phin Clanton | ||||||||
| Kate Haroney-Holliday | ||||||||
| Mattie Blaylock-Earp | ||||||||
| Gunnison, CO | Mining Town | 1880 | X | X | 888 | 1,105 | Wyatt Earp | Refuge following the Vendetta Ride |
| Warren Earp | ||||||||
| Doc Holliday | ||||||||
| Hays City, KS | Cow-town | 1867 | X | 320 | 850 | 1,242 | Wild Bill Hickok | Gunfights of Wild Bill |
| Buffalo Bill Cody | ||||||||
| General Custer | ||||||||
| Calamity Jane | ||||||||
| Holbrook, AZ | Train Stop | 1881 | X | X | X | 206 | Commodore Owens | Holbrook Shootout |
| Pleasant Valley War | ||||||||
| Laramie, WY | Trail Town | Mid-60’s | X | 828 | 2,696 | 6,388 | Big Steve Long (Outlaw) | Bucket of Blood Saloon |
| Lynching of Big Steve Long | ||||||||
| Las Animas, CO | Trail Town | 1835 | ? | ? | 52 | 611 | Clay Allison | Allison brothers gunifght with local law |
| John Allison | ||||||||
| Stockton Brothers | ||||||||
| Las Cruces, NM | Village>Train Stop | 1849 | 768 | 1,304 | ~2,000 | 1,083 | Pat Garrett | Comings an goings of Linocln County War participants |
| Jesse Evans Gang | Killing of Lawman Pat Garrett | |||||||
| John Kinnney Gang | ||||||||
| Dallas Stoudenmire | ||||||||
| Las Vegas, NM | Trail Town/Train Stop | 1835 | 1,094 | ? | ~4000 | 2,385 | “HooDoo” Brown | Las Vegas Plaza |
| “Mysterious” Dave Mather | Dodge City Gang | |||||||
| “Arkansas” Dave Rudabuagh | Variety Hall Shootout | |||||||
| Billy the Kid | Meeting between Billy the Kid & Jesse James | |||||||
| Doc Holliday | ||||||||
| Leadville, CO | Mining Town | 1877 | X | X | 14,820 | 10,384 | Doc Holliday | Tabor Opera House |
| Luke Short | Hyman’s Saloon | |||||||
| Texas Jack Omohundro | ||||||||
| Johnny Tyler | ||||||||
| Lincoln, NM | Village | 1869* | X | 631 | 638 | 824 | Billy the Kid | Lincoln County War |
| Regulators | ||||||||
| Pat Garrett | ||||||||
| Jesse Evans Gang | ||||||||
| John Kinney Gang | ||||||||
| John Chisum | ||||||||
| Stockton Brothers | ||||||||
| Mesilla, NM | Stagecoach Station | 1848 | 2,420 | 1,578 | ? | ~1,000 | Billy the Kid | Frequent visits from Billy the Kid & friends |
| Pat Garrett | ||||||||
| Dallas Stoudenmire | ||||||||
| Pancho Villa | ||||||||
| Mobeetie-Sweetwater, TX | Trading Post | 1874 | X | X | ~500 | ~700 | Bat Masterson | Bat Masterson killing of Sgt King |
| Clay Allison | ||||||||
| Billy Thompson | ||||||||
| Ben Thompson | ||||||||
| Billy Dixon | ||||||||
| Pat Garrett | ||||||||
| Newton, KS | Cow-town | 1871 | X | X | 2,601 | 5,605 | James Riley | Gunfight at Hide Park |
| James Earp | Red Front Saloon | |||||||
| “Bully” Bill Brooks | ||||||||
| Ogallala, NE | Trail Town | 1867 | X | ?* | 148 | 494 | Luke Short | Big Springs Train Robbery |
| Sam Bass | ||||||||
| Joel Collins | ||||||||
| Omaha, NE | Trail Town | 1854 | 1,883 | 16,083 | 30,518 | 104,452 | “Long-Haired” Jim Courtright | “Gateway to the West” |
| Peublo, CO | Mining Supply Town | 1859 | ? | 666 | 3,217 | 24,558 | Bat Masterson | Royal Gorge War |
| Doc Holliday | ||||||||
| Pioche, NV | Mining Town | 1864 | X | 1,620 | 745 | 676 | Johnny Tyler | “Million Dollar Courthouse” |
| Dave Neagle | ||||||||
| Jim Leavy | ||||||||
| “Bandit Jack” Harris | ||||||||
| “Buckskin” Frank Leslie | ||||||||
| Cemetery Sam | ||||||||
| Prescott, AZ | Mining Town | 1864 | X | 668 | 1,836 | 1,759 | Virgil Earp | Whiskey Row |
| Doc Holliday | ||||||||
| Johnny Behan | ||||||||
| San Antonio, TX | Cattle Town/Trail Head | 1837 | 7,643 | 12,256 | 20,550 | 37,673 | King Fisher | Vaudevville Theater Ambush |
| Ben Thompson | ||||||||
| Billy Thompson | ||||||||
| Sam Bass Gang | ||||||||
| “Rowdy” Joe Lowe | ||||||||
| Luke Short | ||||||||
| Dallas Stoudenmire | ||||||||
| Santa Fe, NM | Village>Capitol | 1610 | 4,576 | 4,756 | 6,635 | 6,185 | Billy the Kid | Legal Center During Lincoln Co. War |
| Pat Garrett | ||||||||
| “Mysterious” Dave Mather | ||||||||
| Sidney, NE | Trail Town | 1867 | X | ~200 | 1,173 | 1,365 | Luke Short | |
| Silver City, NM | Mining Town | 1870 | X | 80 | 1,800 | 2,102 | Billy the Kid | Billy the Kid’s youth and turn to crime |
| Wild Bunch | ||||||||
| “Dangerous” Dan Tucker | ||||||||
| Socorro, NM | Mexican Village | 1626 | 523 | 921 | 1,272 | 2,295 | Dallas Stoudenmire | |
| Luke Short | ||||||||
| Jeff Milton | ||||||||
| Tascosa, TX | Ranch Supply Town | 1878 | X | X | ~200 | ~200 | Billy the Kid | Tascosa Gunfight |
| Pat Garrett | ||||||||
| Henry Newton Brown | ||||||||
| Tombstone, AZ | Mining Town | 1877 | X | X | 973* | 1,875 | Wyatt Earp | Gunfight at the O.K. Corral |
| Doc Holliday | Oriental Saloon | |||||||
| Virgil Earp | ||||||||
| Morgan Earp | ||||||||
| Bat Masterson | ||||||||
| Luke Short | ||||||||
| John Slaughter | ||||||||
| “Curly Bill” Brocious | ||||||||
| Johnny Ringo | ||||||||
| Ike Clanton | ||||||||
| Frank McLaury | ||||||||
| Tom McLaury | ||||||||
| “Buckskin” Frank Leslie | ||||||||
| Burt Alvord | ||||||||
| Johnny Tyler | ||||||||
| Trinidad, CO | Mining Town | 1862 | X | 562 | 2,226 | 5,523 | Bat Masterson | Trinidad Gunfight |
| Doc Holliday | Imperial Saloon | |||||||
| Jim Masterson | Place of departure for Doc & Wyatt at end of Vendetta Ride | |||||||
| “Cockeyed” Frank Loving | ||||||||
| Stockton Brothers | ||||||||
| Tucson, AZ | Stagecoach Station | 1857 | 915 | 3,224 | 7,007 | 5,150 | Doc Holliday | Killing of Frank Stillwell |
| Wyatt Earp | ||||||||
| Billy Breakenridge | ||||||||
| Jeff Milton | ||||||||
| Virginia City, MT | Mining Town | 1863 | X* | 867 | 624 | 675 | Plummer Gang | Lynching of over 15 road agents |
| Montana Vigilantes | ||||||||
| Jack Slade | ||||||||
| Calamity Jane | ||||||||
| Virginia City, NV | Mining Town | 1859 | 2,345 | 7,048 | 10,917 | 8,511 | Mark Twain | Comstock Lode |
| Wichita, KS | Cow-town | 1868 | X | 689 | 4,911 | 23,853 | Wyatt Earp | Delano District |
| Billy the Kid | Wyatt Earp’s Law Career | |||||||
| “Rowdy” Joe Lowe | ||||||||
| “Bloody” Bill Andersen | ||||||||
| “Bully” Bill Brooks | ||||||||
| Wilcox, AZ | Train Stop | 1880 | X | X | ? | 396 | Warren Earp | Killing of Warren Earp |
| Burt Alvord |
Handy With A Gun...! 