The most famous outlaws in the Wild West were bank robbers, for the most part, and old west outlaws occupy a special place in the American story.  The most famous outlaws were men like Jesse James, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Billy the Kid.  In the lawless old west, “outlaw” was almost a badge of honor among many, and the most famous Wild West outlaws, such as Jesse James, gained notoriety even within their lifetimes for their exploits.

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Butch Cassidy started small; thieving a pair of jeans was no real hint that he would become one of the most famous of the old west outlaw breed, and celebrated in literature and film to this day.  His gang, known as the “Wild Bunch,” is often romanticized as non-violent, but in reality, they killed a number of people during their spree of bank robberies, which earned him a reputation as one of the most ruthless and successful of western outlaws.

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Jesse James was born in Missouri, and became arguably the most famous outlaw in the old west.  His father was a preacher and minister, and during the period before the Civil War, Jesse and his brother Frank and their siblings grew up in comfortable surroundings in the Confederacy. 

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