Rube Burrow: The West's Most Dangerous Train Robber

The Wild West Extravaganza

Wild West Josh

History, Education

4.8 • 833 Ratings

🗓️ 3 December 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Rube Burrow began as an honest cowboy and farmer with every intention of living a simple life. Born in Alabama in 1855, he built a family and worked the land until sickness, failed crops, and tragic loss pushed him past the breaking point. From his early train robberies in Texas to long months hiding in the Alabama backwoods, this is the complete story of Burrow’s rise and fall. His robberies, escapes, disguises, and shootouts, as well as the people who helped him, the lawmen who hunted him, and the choices that led to his violent demise. Was Rube Burrow a tragic figure crushed by hardship, the Robin Hood of Alabama, or simply a dangerous outlaw? Legends & Outlaws Calendar! https://wildwestcalendar.com/ Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/ Buy Me A Coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Check out the website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Patreon for ad-free bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:29.9	Rube Burrow got his start as an honest man, a simple yet hardworking cowboy and farmer with a wife
0:35.6	and children. But when his wife died and the farm
0:38.2	went belly up, Rube took to earn a living any way he could. And that way led him to become one of the
0:44.1	most notorious train robbers in all of the Old West. Who was Rube Burrow? A good man pushed too
0:50.2	far, the Robin Hood of Alabama, or just another lost soul lured by the trappings of easy money.
0:56.9	Stick around and find out. Also stick around to the end for a very special announcement.
1:02.3	All right, without further ado, my name's Josh, and this is the Wild West extravaganza.
1:22.6	Ruben Houston Borough, Rub, for short, was born in Lamar County, Alabama on December 11, 1855.
1:27.4	One of ten children, Rubin enjoyed what seemed to be a relatively normal childhood for the time and place.
1:28.7	Or at least as normal a childhood as one could have when your mother is a practicing witch.
1:33.8	Yeah, a witch, as in flying brooms and caldrons and the eyes of newt.
1:38.9	At least that's what the locals thought.
1:40.9	Dame Burrow, as Rub's mother was often called, was known as both a witch and a faith healer,
1:45.6	who was rumored to have cured all sorts of ailments, everything from warts to tumors,
1:50.0	and even cancer.
1:51.8	Ruben's father, Alan, was a farmer by trade, but also spent time as a teacher, even teaching
	...

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