The end of the Civil war contributed to the rise of the gunfighter as ex-Rebel soldiers responded to persecution in the West.
The James Gang's robbery of the bank at Liberty, Missouri was the first daylight bank robbery in the United States.
Wild Bill Hickok's stint as sheriff of Abilene is the best example of wild cow towns hiring known gunfighters and their reputations to keep the peace.
From the time it was issued the Colt .45 revolver became the most widely used handgun in the West and the symbol of the gunfighter.
Jack McCall's murder of Wild Bill at the Number 10 saloon in Deadwood was one of the classic events in gunfighting history; a famed gunfighter cut down from behind.
Billy the Kid began his career as a desparado with his revenge killing for John Tunstall's murder that started the Lincoln County War. Billy was tracked down and killed in 1881 by Pat Garrett.
The shootout at the OK corral is one of the classic gunfights of the Wild West. It has all of the necessary elements: two gangs of men, a simmering feud, confrontation and death.
The Wild Bunch's train robbery at Malta, Montana was their last in the United States and signaled the end of the age of the gunfighter in the Wild West.
