Gunslingers of the Old West— Complete Idiot’s Guides Game Corner

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Gunslingers of the Old West

Saddle up and see if you can you identify these outlaws and heroes of the wild wild West.

Who is the gunslinger?
- Pat Garrett
- Jesse James
- Josey Wales
- The Sundance Kid
Jesse James

Jesse Woodson James (1847-1882) was one of the few outlaws who was famous during his lifetime. James became a celebrity when he started writing to the editor of the Kansas City Times to proclaim his innocence. The editor befriended James, writing glowing articles about Jesse and and even publishing his letters of innocence. Jesse was shot in the back of the head in his own home by Bob Ford, a member of Jesse's gang who was secretly paid by the Missouri governor to kill the outlaw.
Who is the gunslinger?
- Belle Starr
- Annie Oakley
- Calamity Jane
- Josie Bassett
Belle Starr

Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr (1848-1889) started off life a good convent girl, but grew up with outlaw Cole Younger and later befriended Jesse James and his clan. After the death of her husband, Belle made her living organizing and planning robberies; along with the James brothers she pulled of dozens of heists. Belle was murdered on February 3, 1889, shot in the back while riding home from the general store. Her murderer was never identified.
Who is the gunslinger?
- Buffalo Bill Cody
- Matt Dillon
- Bill Hickock
- Doc Holliday
Bill Hickok

James “Wild Bill” Hickok was one of the good guys. A legendary lawman, he participated in many shootouts and was catapulted to folk hero status after several articles claimed he killed hundreds of men (only five were documented). He was murdered while playing poker in a saloon by former buffalo hunter John McCall. McCall’s motive is still debated; some say he was paid to kill Hickok; others claim he was getting revenge for having lost all of his money to Hickok in a poker game the day before.
Who is the gunslinger?
- Geronimo
- Cherokee Bill
- John Bittercreek
- Apache Kid
Apache Kid

The Apache Kid was a true Apache Indian, born Has-kay-bay-nay-ntayl around 1860. The Kid was an accmplished scout for the Calvary, but after killing the man who murdered his father, he turned outlaw. The army chased The Kid relentlessly until he finally surrendered, and he served ten years in Alcatraz. After his release he was linked to several crimes, but no one really knows what happened to him. Rumors of crimes and sightings continued well into the 1920s.
Who is the gunslinger?
- Calamity Jane
- Annie Oakley
- Miss Kitty
- Josie Bassett
Calamity Jane

Born Martha Jane Cannery Burke, Calamity Jane (1852-1903) was a professional scout known for her association with Wild Bill Hickok and for fighting American Indians. According to Jane, her nickname was given to her by a Captain Egan who was shot during an Indian ambush; she saw him falling out of his saddle, galloped up to him, threw him on her horse, and rode him to safety. When he finally came to, he said to her, “I name you Calamity Jane, heroine of the plains.”
Who is the gunslinger?
- Sundance Kid
- Bat Masterson
- Sam Bass
- Butch Cassidy
Butch Cassidy

Born Robert LeRoy Parker, Butch Cassidy (1866-1908) took his last name from his friend and mentor, Mike Cassidy, who taught him how to ride and shoot when he was just a kid. In 1896 he formed the Wild Bunch, a group that included some of the most infamous outlaws of the Old West, including Butch's partner, Harry Longabaugh, aka the Sundance Kid. After several robberies, Butch and Sundance fled to Bolivia. It is thought that he died there, but the facts around his death are not really known.
Who is the gunslinger?
- Tulsa Jack
- Black Bart
- Diamondfield Jack
- Cherokee Bill
Black Bart

Charles Earl “Black Bart” Bowles (1829-1888?)was an English-born outlaw, known as a gentleman bandit who would leave poetic messages at the scene of his robberies. One of the most notorious stagecoach robbers of the Old West, Bart was hunted down for years by Wells Fargo detectives until they finally caught him in 1883. He spent six years in San Quentin prison; upon his release Bart vanished. He was only spotted once after that, at the Palace Hotel in Visalia, California, on February 28, 1888. What happened to the outlaw after that is a mystery.
Who is this gunslinger?
- Baby Face Nelson
- Rube Burrow
- Grat Dalton
- Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid

William Henry “Billy the Kid” McCarty (1859-1881), an outlaw and gunman who supposedly killed between 15 and 26 men, was mostly unknown during his lifetime. It wasn’t until New Mexico governor Lew Wallace put a price on his head that stories started to be printed about his exploits. Billy was killed by sherriff Pat Garrett, who ambushed him in a bedroom in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
Who is this gunslinger?
- Doc Holliday
- Matt Dillon
- Wyatt Earp
- Billy Clanton
Doc Holliday

John Henry “Doc” Holliday (1851-1887) was a gambler and gunfighter, most known for his part in the gunfight at OK Corral with Wyatt Earp. Given his status as a gunfighter, Doc (called that because he was a dentist) always assumed he would die with his boots on; but because of a lifelong battle with tuberculosis as well as an addiction to laudanum and alcohol, Doc's health was pretty rotten. Badly ailing, Doc checked into a sanitorium in Colorado Springs; the restoratives did no good. As he lay dying, he noticed his bootless feet. Doc's last words were, “Damn, this is funny.”. He died on November 8, 1887, at the age of 36.
Who is this gunslinger?
- Queen Ann Bassett
- Maybelle Reed
- Deela Rose Bullion
- Annie Oakely
Annie Oakley

The most famous woman of the old west was neither a lawman or an outlaw - she was a performer. Born Phoebe Ann Mosey, Annie Oakley (1860-1926) was a sharpshooter whose most famous trick was to repeatedly split a playing card, edge-on, and riddle it with holes before it hit the ground. Annie shot to fame in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. When she died in 1926 it was found that almost her entire fortune had been spent on her charities, all of which promoted women's rights.
Who is this gunslinger?
- James Killer Miller
- Billy Claiborne
- Kid Curry
- Curly Bill Brocius
Kid Curry

Harvey Alexander “Kid Curry” Logan (1867-1904) was known as the “wildest of the Wild Bunch”. Early on he broke horses at the Cross L Rach, where he met “Flat Nose” George Curry, from whom he picked up his new last name. In his career as an outlaw, Kid Curry killed at least 9 law officers, and was known for blowing all of his money on liquor and prostitutes. On the run from another posse, Kid Curry and his gang got embroiled in a shootout over stolen horses. Curry knew it was the end of the line, and fatally shot himself in the head rather than be captured.
Who is this gunslinger?
- Wyatt Earp
- Matt Dillon
- John Wesley Hardin
- Emmett Dalton
Wyatt Earp

Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (1848-1929), a gambler, investor, and lawman, was known as the toughest and deadliest gunman of his day. Although he took part in dozens of shootouts, the one for which he is most well known is the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, which only lasted 30 seconds. Earp credited Doc Holliday with saving his life that day, and he went on to live a full life, dying at the ripe old age of 80 in his own home.