Charles E. Bowles (1829-1888), best known as “Black Bart,” was a lone bandit who robbed stage coaches in the late 19th century. What set him apart was that he was a gentlemanly thief, always conducting his heists in the politest fashion and toting an unloaded shotgun because he never intended to harm anyone. Black Bart also often left doggerel poems at the scene, further catapulting his legacy as the most well-bred and well-mannered outlaw to ever terrorize the Wild West. Read more about it!

The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.

The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.