Long John Dunn: King of Taos ~ D. K. Deters

The Old West was full of hardened outlaws with tough stories. Many tried to leave their pasts behind, but few succeeded. Long John Dunn, nicknamed for his towering six-foot-four frame, became a legend.

Born in 1857 in Victoria, Texas, Dunn grew up in poverty. After his father’s death, he hired out on a couple of farms, then headed west to work as a cowboy and trail driver, earning a reputation as a skilled marksman.

Around 1885, he stepped into a violent quarrel to defend his sister from her abusive husband. During the scuffle, Dunn’s brother-in-law struck him. Dunn swung back. The man fell, hit his head on a hitching rail, and died. Dunn was handed a life sentence in the Texas State Penitentiary.

Transferred to a prison farm, he received a smuggled file, sawed through his leg irons, and escaped by jumping into a nearby river and floating to freedom. On the run, he eventually reached Mexico.

After a stint as a smuggler and a gambler, Dunn returned to Texas. He entered a rodeo, but one of the horses he’d sold to pay his entry fee turned out to be stolen property, which led to his second arrest. As a judge was about to sentence him, Dunn stepped forward, leapt through a window, and rode off on another stolen horse. A friend helped him to enter the New Mexico Territory.

By 1887, he’d made his way to Taos Valley, where he became an entrepreneur, gambler, and transportation pioneer. In Taos, he opened four saloons, a gambling hall, and a livery stable. He bought the bridges spanning the Rio Grande, and after floods destroyed them, he built a new toll bridge. Dunn operated stagecoach and mail routes and later purchased one of Taos’s first automobiles, launching a taxi service as the town modernized.

Though a professional gambler, Dunn became a respected community member. People liked him despite his flaws. Folks described him as a “lovable rascal” with a sharp tongue and broad humor. He became a local legend known as Juan Largo de Taos and as the King of Taos.

Texas never forgot his prison escape, but in 1942, the Texas governor granted him a pardon.

Long John Dunn died on May 21, 1953, at the age of ninety-six. The outlaw who once leapt through a courtroom window and rode out of town on a stolen horse was laid to rest as one of Taos’s most colorful and respected citizens.

Resources:

Long John Dunn of Taos: From Texas Outlaw to New Mexico Hero by Max Evans

John Dunn: The Man and His Legacy by Cindy Brown

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72943405/john_harris-dunn

https://discovertaos.com/john-dunn/

https://johndunnshops.com/