John Joel Glanton (c. 1819 – ) was an early settler of Arkansas Territory. He was also a Texas Ranger and a soldier in the Mexican–American War and the leader of a notorious gang of scalp-hunters in Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States during the mid-19th century.
As one of the most ruthless villains of the Wild West, John Joel Glanton and his gang terrorized the Apache for cash throughout the 1840s. For a time in the early years of the Mexican republic, scalps became the basis of a grisly trade for men like John Joel Glanton.
Explore the tumultuous life of John Joel Glanton, a soldier of fortune and notorious bounty hunter, from his early years in South Carolina to his controversial legacy in the American West.
John Joel Glanton was a noted Mexican War soldier, scalp hunter and outlaw, who was later demonized in American literature. He was born around 1819 with twin brother Julian in Edgefield County, South Carolina to Charles William and Margaret Hill Glanton.
It took John Joel Glanton a year to hit bottom. The name John Joel Glanton probably doesn’t ring a bell. But in the 1840s into 1850, he made an impact that reached into two countries and affected Mexicans, Americans and Indians alike.
Few men left a bloodier trail across the American West than John Joel Glanton. From the lawless frontier of Texas to the deserts of Mexico, Glanton carved his legacy with violence, ambition, and ruthless survival.
The Life of John Joel Glanton: Texas Ranger, Scalp Hunter, and Outlaw
Discover life events, stories and photos about John Joel Glanton (1819–1850) of Edgefield, South Carolina, United States.