The Real West: Cowboys & Outlaws

A study of gunslingers, including Jesse James, John Wesley Hardin and Billy the Kid.

With Texan independence hanging in the balance, a mixed army of white Americans and Tejanos stave off some 5,000 advancing Mexican soldiers led by Gen. General Antonio López de Santa Anna, defending the Alamo Mission for 13 agonizing days.

The Old West was a place where rough-and-tumble men -- and unconventionally "wild" women -- could thrive, a uniquely fertile breeding ground for captivating female characters such as Annie Oakley, Calamity Jane and Belle Star.

In the wake of Chief Sitting Bull's vivid premonition that predicted the downfall of U.S. soldiers, thousands of Native Americans launch an assault against Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his men at Little Big Horn, effectively annihilating the U.S. 7th Cavalry.

They formed the backbone of the resistance at the Alamo. But the legacy of these legendary lawmen reaches far beyond the stand at San Antonio. From the creation of the Texas Rangers in 1826, to tracking outlaws across the newly-formed Lone Star State, saddle up with host Kenny Rogers for a look at this fabled force.