15 Historic Female Outlaws You Never Heard Of
When most people think of outlaws, they picture male figures like Jesse James or Billy the Kid. But history is filled with women who chose lives of crime, rebellion, and adventure over the conventional roles society expected them to play.
These ladies wielded guns, commanded ships, and led gangs with just as much skill and ruthlessness as their male counterparts. From the dusty plains of the American West to the stormy seas around Ireland, female outlaws challenged every social norm of their time.
Here is a list of 15 historic female outlaws who deserve recognition for their daring exploits and refusal to be confined by society’s expectations.
Laura Bullion
Known as the ‘Rose of the Wild Bunch,’ Laura Bullion was born around 1876 in Texas to a bank-robbing father who clearly influenced her career path. She joined Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’s notorious Wild Bunch gang, where she became the only female member of their tight-knit criminal organization.
Bullion occasionally dressed as a man to participate in train robberies and helped the gang by selling stolen goods and providing them with fresh horses.
Rose Dunn
Flickr/danperry.com
Rose Dunn, known as the ‘Rose of Cimarron,’ learned to rope and ride from her outlaw brothers before falling in love with George ‘Bittercreek’ Newcomb, a member of the Doolin Gang. During a particularly dangerous shootout with U.S. Marshals, she risked her life to supply Newcomb with ammunition and helped him escape after he was wounded.
Ironically, her own bounty hunter brothers later turned Newcomb in for the reward money, effectively ending her outlaw career.
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Pearl Hart
Pearl Hart made history as one of the last people to successfully rob a stagecoach in the American West, pulling off her famous heist in Arizona in 1899. Born in Canada, she cut her hair short and disguised herself as a man to rob the stagecoach alongside her partner Joe Boot.
At her trial, she boldly declared, ‘I shall not consent to be tried under a law in which my gender had no voice in making,’ making her an early voice for women’s rights.
Phoolan Devi
Known as India’s ‘Bandit Queen,’ Phoolan Devi was born into a low-caste family in 1963 and endured horrific abuse before joining a gang of dacoits (bandits) in the Chambal Valley. She became a folk hero to India’s oppressed classes, robbing upper-caste villages and holding up trains while evading capture by authorities.
After surrendering in 1983 and serving 11 years in prison, she remarkably transformed her life, becoming a Member of Parliament and championing the rights of India’s lower castes until her assassination in 2001.
Grace O’Malley
Grace O’Malley, Ireland’s legendary ‘Pirate Queen,’ was born around 1530 into a seafaring clan that controlled the waters around Ireland’s west coast. She inherited leadership of her clan and expanded her maritime empire through a combination of trading, mercenary work, and piracy.
In 1593, she famously sailed to England to petition Queen Elizabeth I directly for the release of her captured family members, meeting the English queen as an equal in one of history’s most remarkable diplomatic encounters.
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Eleanor Dumont
Known as ‘Madame Mustache’ due to a distinctive line of dark hair on her upper lip, Eleanor Dumont arrived in California around 1850 during the Gold Rush claiming to be French. She opened a gambling hall called ‘Vingt-et-un’ (21) in Nevada City and became skilled at winning the hard-earned cash of miners and prospectors.
Her gambling prowess and mysterious background made her a notorious figure throughout the mining camps of the West.
Belle Starr
Born Myra Maybelle Shirley in 1848 to a well-to-do Confederate family, Belle Starr’s life changed when outlaws like Jesse James used her family’s home as a hideout during her teenage years. She married three different outlaws throughout her life and became known as the ‘Bandit Queen’ for her involvement in horse theft and bootlegging.
She was known for wearing feathers in her hair, buckskins, and a pistol on each hip before being mysteriously shot in the back while riding her horse in 1889.
Sarah Jane Newman
Flickr/jimmywayne
Born in Illinois in 1817, Sarah Jane Newman (known as Sally Scull) became one of the first female settlers in Stephen F. Austin’s Texas colony in 1822. She carved out a reputation as a formidable frontier woman who wasn’t afraid to use violence to protect her interests.
Her exploits in early Texas made her a legendary figure among the rough-and-tumble characters of the frontier.
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Mary Katherine Haroney
Flickr/legalwheel
Better known as ‘Big Nose Kate,’ Mary Katherine Haroney was a Hungarian-born woman who became the common-law wife of the famous gunfighter Doc Holliday. She was known for her fiery temper and her willingness to use a gun when circumstances demanded it.
Her relationship with Holliday and her own rebellious nature made her a notable figure in the Wild West’s most dangerous circles.
Anne Bonny
Anne Bonny defied all expectations by becoming one of the most feared pirates in the Caribbean during the early 18th century. She disguised herself in men’s clothing and fought alongside Jack Rackham’s crew, proving herself just as capable of violence and plunder as any male pirate.
Her reputation for ruthlessness and fearlessness made her a terror on the high seas until her eventual capture.
Stagecoach Mary
Flickr/Dogtrax
Born into slavery around 1832, Mary Fields became known as ‘Stagecoach Mary’ after becoming the first African-American female star route mail carrier in 1895. She delivered mail by stagecoach with remarkable speed and reliability, earning respect for her fearlessness in the face of bandits and wild animals.
She was rumored to have fought off a pack of wild wolves with a rifle, cementing her reputation as one tough woman.
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Etta Place
Flickr/audiopineapplepostcards
Etta Place remains one of the most mysterious figures of the Wild West, with her true identity still debated by historians. She was likely a schoolteacher who became involved with Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch gang, traveling with them to South America where they continued their criminal activities.
Her fate after the gang’s demise remains unknown, adding to her legendary status as a woman who completely disappeared from history’s records.
Belle Siddons
Known as ‘Madam Vestal,’ Belle Siddons operated in the shadowy world where legitimate business and criminal activity often overlapped. She ran establishments that catered to outlaws and was known for her connections to various criminal gangs operating in the American West.
Her ability to navigate dangerous social circles while maintaining her independence made her a notable figure in frontier society.
Calamity Jane
Martha Jane Cannary, better known as Calamity Jane, epitomized the tough, rebellious female character of the Wild West with her hard-drinking, gun-slinging lifestyle. She often posed as a man to get ahead in a male-dominated world and spent most of her time with hunting parties and rough frontier characters.
While her involvement in actual criminal activities is less documented, she was known for her fearless attitude and her appearances in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.
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Annie Oakley
Born Phoebe Ann Moses in Ohio in 1860, Annie Oakley became one of the most famous sharpshooters in American history, though her inclusion among outlaws is more about her defiance of gender conventions than actual criminal activity. She could split a playing card held edge-on at 30 paces and shoot nicotine sticks from her husband’s lips without injuring him.
Her skill was so renowned that Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II trusted her enough to let her shoot the ash off his stick while he was puffing it.
From Shadows to Legend
These women didn’t just break laws—they shattered the very notion of what women could be in their respective eras. Many were deliberately written out of historical records by later generations who preferred their female heroes to be ‘patriotic, usually Roman Catholic, and charitable’ rather than rebellious and independent.
Their stories survived mainly through folklore and the accounts of their enemies, which makes their rediscovery all the more precious. Whether driven by desperation, revenge, or simply the desire for freedom, these female outlaws proved that cunning knows no gender boundaries.
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