Outlaw gangs of the 1870s and '80s

<p dir="ltr">For our 600th show, Hoosier History Live will explore an aspect of our heritage that's, well, notorious.</p> <p dir="ltr">During the 1870s and '80s, outlaw gangs terrorized some Hoosiers, particularly merchants and farmers, in an area of southwestern Indiana sometimes known as the <strong><a href= "https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/hoosier/specialplaces/?cid=fsbdev3_017569">Lost River region</a></strong>. It encompasses <strong><a href= "https://martincountyindiana.com/">Martin County</a></strong>, <strong><a href= "http://gov.orangecounty59.us/">Orange County</a></strong> and parts of <strong><a href= "https://www.duboiscountyin.org/">Dubois County</a></strong>.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The dynamics of the gangs ... were typically built around an individual family, often brothers or a father and his sons, with other relatives and a few local followers," says historian <strong><a href= "http://randrmillsauthors.com/tag/oakland-city-university/">Randy Mills</a></strong>, a professor of social science at <strong><a href="https://www.oak.edu/">Oakland City University</a></strong> in southwestern Indiana.</p> <p dir="ltr">Randy Mills, who will be Nelson's guest, is working on a book about the notorious Indiana gangs of the late 19th century. They included the <strong><a href= "https://www.jstor.org/stable/27649861">Archer Gang</a></strong>, which primarily was based in Martin County, where, according to Randy, their crimes included "burning houses, robbing neighbors and travelers alike, stealing livestock and murdering those who crossed them." Several members of the Archer Gang were lynched in 1886.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src= "http://hoosierhistorylive.org/images/Lost-River-region.JPG" alt= "The Lost River region features a hilly landscape of caves, sinkholes and beautiful flowing springs. Courtesy Justin Martin" width="310" height="427" align="left" />During the same era, the <strong><a href= "https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1028&context=mssj">Reeves Gang</a></strong> in Dubois County starte