Outlaws of the Rockies

When the Lanning gang wages a campaign of terror against the miners of Corvalis, stealing their gold and claims, Steve Williams is hired as sheriff to bring law and order to the territory. One day, a miner gallops into town with news that the gang is raiding his claim. As Steve and his men ride out to stop them, the gang robs the bank. After the miner disappears, Steve realizes that he has been duped and races back to town. He arrives to discover that the townsfolk have one of the robbers in custody. Steve recognizes the man as his old friend, Tex Harding, who protests that he is innocent. Although Tex claims that he retrieved the money bag found in his possession after wounding one of the robbers, Steve is forced to arrest his friend. Angry, Tex devises a hook from a piece of wire, snags the cell key and escapes. When the townsfolk discover Tex's jailbreak, they accuse Steve of being in league with the outlaws and place him under arrest. Before they can jail him, however, Steve pulls his gun and rides out of town. Meanwhile, Tex seeks refuge at the Rimrock Mine and Smelting Company, where he is greeted by his friends, Jane Stuart and Cannonball. When Steve arrives at the mine, he and Tex argue, and Jane orders her men to lock up Steve, thus allowing Tex to escape once again. After galloping off, Tex is captured by the gang, who are preparing to kill him, when a masked rider, known as The Durango Kid, appears and rescues him. Wounded in the ensuing shootout, Tex rides back to Jane's compound while The Durango Kid decoys the gang. After The Durango Kid sidetracks the outlaws, the gang's leader, who is masquerading as a harmless peddler named Dan Chantry, sets a trap for the masked rider. Some time later, the gang lures The Durango Kid into a narrow pass and then ambushes him. Tex, now recovered, witnesses the attack and rides to The Durango Kid's rescue. After chasing the gang away with gunfire, Tex discovers that The Durango Kid is none other than his nemesis, Steve Williams. Joining forces, Steve and Tex capture the outlaws and lock them in Jane's barn. Chantry watches from the bushes and later, slugs Cannonball, who is guarding the barn, and frees his men. A wanted poster is issued for the arrest of Steve and Tex, and as the sheriff and his posse chase them, the fugitives jump from their horses to take cover. Chantry, driving down the road in his wagon, offers them refuge, but the sheriff discovers them and places them under arrest. Soon after, Jane delivers a shipment of gold to the bank, and Chantry slips the lock on the back door so that his men can gain entry. When a man runs into the jailhouse that night to notify the new sheriff that the outlaws are raiding his mine, Steve advises the lawman that the story is a ruse. The sheriff refuses to believe him and rides off with the men. Soon after, Cannonball and the boys come to visit, and as they entertain the deputy, Steve and Tex sneak out of their jail cell. They are too late, however, for the gang has already robbed the bank and made off with the gold. While following the robbers' trail, Tex and Steve see Chantry driving his wagon along the road. Although Chantry denies having seen the outlaws, Steve notices that the wagon is unusually heavy and is sinking into the dirt. Realizing that the gold is stashed in the wagon, Steve and Tex follow Chantry to the gang's hideout. The outlaws escape through a trapdoor, however, and when Tex and Steve enter the cabin, they find it empty. The outlaws then load the wagon with gunpowder and roll it toward the cabin, but Steve shoots it before it hits its target, triggering an explosion that knocks the bandits off their feet. After arresting Chantry and his gang, Steve and Tex are exonerated of all charges. Tex decides to stay in town with Jane, while Steve rides off to bring law and order to the West.