The Old West is an iconic setting, one that worked as a backdrop for some of the most epic gunfights in history. Sure, our view of the Wild West is heavily romanticized by Hollywood, but it also created real legends that are as popular today as they were a century ago.
10 Hickok-Tutt Shoot-Out
Westerns have popularized the concept of the duel—a one-on-one contest to see who’s the quickest draw. This wasn’t actually a common occurrence in the Old West, though. Most gunfights involved multiple gunslingers shooting every which way. However, that’s not to say that these duels never happened. In fact, this particular shoot-out popularized the concept and made a hero out of Wild Bill Hickok.
The duel took place on July 21, 1865 in Springfield, Missouri between Wild Bill and rival gambler David Tutt. These two were once friends but had a falling-out, so now Hickok refused to play with Tutt. In response, Tutt would often loan money to other players and coach them on how to beat Bill, but Bill would keep beating them all the same. Annoyed, Tutt reminded Hickok of a past debt of $35. Hickok claimed it was only $25 and refused to pay the extra $10.
To publicly humiliate him, Tutt stole Hickok’s gold watch as “collateral.” Bill couldn’t allow this because, as a professional gambler, he couldn’t develop a reputation of not paying his debts. So after a few rounds of failed negotiations and constant taunts from Tutt, the two met outside for a duel. Bill won and became the famed gunslinger we know today. However, here’s the part you don’t see in movies—afterward, he was charged with murder. He eventually was acquitted by pleading self-defense.
9 Long Branch Saloon Gunfight
There was a time when Dodge City, Kansas was one of the most prominent places in the West, and the Long Branch Saloon was the most notorious place in town. At the height of its popularity, many notable figures made their way to the Long Branch Saloon, including legendary gunslingers Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. One of those characters was Levi Richardson, a pretty famous gunman in his day.
Richardson had issues with another patron, Frank Loving, after he supposedly hit on Loving’s wife. At first, this only caused minor tension between the two with them hurling taunts at each other. In March 1879, they got into a fistfight. Then things finally came to a head on April 5, 1879, when Richardson entered the saloon looking for Loving, who wasn’t there. He settled into a game of poker until Loving walked in, doing the same at another table. Richardson got up and sat opposite Loving. The two of them spoke quietly to each other until, finally, both got up and started firing.
According to witnesses, five or six shots were fired. Richardson was hit three times, while Loving was only grazed by one bullet. Loving was arrested but was released later, claiming self-defense. Weirdly enough, Loving would meet his end in another famed shoot-out dubbed the Trinidad Gunfight, killed by gambler John Allen—who would also be acquitted in the same fashion.
8 Power’s Cabin Shoot-Out
This is one of the last true Western gunfights, taking place in 1918. To put that in perspective, the last person involved in the shoot-out died in 1976. It’s weird to think that someone who started life in the Old West lived long enough to catch the disco era.
While the rest of the world was shaken by World War I, the Galiuro Mountains in Arizona were still part of the wild and violent frontier. There, Jeff Power and his sons John and Tom were enjoying a modest living as ranchers and miners.
On February 9, 1918, a posse consisting of Sheriff Robert Frank McBride and three deputies was heading to the cabin to serve four warrants. Two were for John and Tom for draft dodging, and two were for Jeff Power and a worker, Tom Sisson. They were wanted in connection with the suspicious death of Jeff’s daughter, Ola May.
It’s hard to tell who started shooting first. But at dawn the next day, a shoot-out started that left four men dead and led to one of the biggest manhunts in Arizona’s history. Two of the deputies were gunned down almost immediately, as well as Jeff Power, who was standing outside. The sheriff was also killed, and the remaining deputy retreated, allowing the brothers and Sisson to make a run for it. Several posses formed to capture the fugitives, who were eventually caught a month later by an army patrol.
