Dalton Grave, with orginal hitching rail marker
Day 10, Tuesday, July 29, 2003
We have a long drive ahead of us today. Our ultimate destination is going to be Dodge City, in west Kansas. We are in west Missouri. Plus we plan to spend an hour or so in Coffeyville, KS, which is only an hour away.
We ate breakfast at the Country Kitchen, in Joplin.
Both Dad and I are Old West fans. Coffeyville, KS is where the Daltons tried to Rob two banks at once. This is the Condon Bank. The townsfold killed all but one of the robbers.
The hours in the back of the mini-van were starting to get to Jessi, and she started in shortly after we finished eating. She complained about Mom falling asleep and then snoring and how neither Mom nor Dad “could breathe” right. I got after her a little, very little, but it annoyed me.
We were on the road before 8AM and arrived in Coffeyville, KS at about 8:50 AM. I was anxious to visit Coffeyville, because the town has a storied past with respect to the Old West. In 1892, the Dalton Gang attempted to rob two banks at the same time in this small border town. The gang was cut to pieces by the townsfolks, through a combination of bad intelligence, inept co-leadership, and the fact that the towns folk recognized them (the Dalton family lived near by for many years) when they road in town, in disguise. I had an issue of True West magazine that had a well written and well illustrated article on the robbery and subsequent gun fight. Dad had gotten a good look at it to, and knew about the Daltons.
I play bank robber at the front of the Defenders Museum. The doors behind me, are in the museum, and are the orginals from the 1st National Bank. The second the Dalton's robbed.
So we would get to see what the places where the events happened, the museum dedicated to the Defenders of Coffeyville, and the cemetery where several of the Daltons are buried.
The Dalton Defenders Museum opened at 9 AM, so we decided to head over to the cemetery first. Four members of the Dalton gang (of five) were killed, Bob and Grat Dalton, Dick Broadwell, and Bill Power. Three of them, the two Daltons and Bill Power were buried together. In 1892, the town definitely was not paying to honor them by putting a monument on their grave. So instead, someone stuck an old iron hitching rail in the ground to mark the spot. The fifth member of the gang was Emmett Dalton, the youngest Dalton (age 21), was shot to pieces, and nearly died. He ended up serving 15 years in jail. Emmett later paid for a headstone to be placed on the grave.
We got to the cemetery and found the grave easily.
Paint outline of Grat Dalton in Death Alley
We were the first to coming looking for it, so the town had erected a sign to guide you. There was a third Dalton brother buried in this cemetery. Franklin Dalton, an older brother of three, had died honorably as an Indian Territory Deputy Marshall four years earlier. His grave was nearby and we visited it, too. I told what I knew about the Daltons, and tried to make it as engaging as possible. Dad really liked it. Mom, too. Margo was interested. The girls were just happy to be out of the mini-van.
We drove into town, paid our admission and walked around the Dalton Defender Museum. They have quite a few exhibits inside. They have one of the original safes from the robbery, several of the guns, the original doors to one of the banks (including bullet holes), and Old Town set up inside. The Old Town had many artifacts from days gone by, that were used in day to day life.
Arielle plays teller at the Condon Bank.
One was old crib. Mom remembered her folks having one similar when she was little.
Outside we retraced the steps of the bandits, and walked down an alley, called Death Alley. This was the avenue at which the Daltons tried to make their escape. Paint silhouettes mark the places where they fell. We visited the Condon Bank, one the two banks the Daltons robbed. It now houses the Chamber of Commerce. But, inside is still the teller’s cage, which made for some excellent photos. Arielle looked best as a teller being held up. But, we still had a long way to go and I wanted to be in Dodge City tonight in time for the show in their Old Town.
Great Museum in a Small Town
The Dalton Defenders Museum, opened in 1963, is dedicated not to the criminals who tried to rob two banks in the town of Coffeyville. But, to the men who stopped them. Four of those men; Marshal Chas. Connelly, Lucius Baldwin, George Cubine, and Charles Brown, died in the battle. The citizens killed four of the bandits on October 5, 1892, and shot the fourth, Emmett Dalton, so severely they did not think he would live.
The museum itself has some very historical pieces of not only the Dalton robbery, but from several other famous Coffeyvillians, plus artifacts from a bygone era. They also have an “old town” set up inside the museum.
As far as small town museums go, this is one of the best I have seen. The exhibits while a bit primitive at times, are of first rate historical significance. Several of the guns used in the gun battle are there. One of safes from the bank, plus the doors (including bullet holes) are in the museum. In addition the lives of charter Baseball Hall of Fame member, Walter Johnson, and 1940 presidential candidate, Wendell Wilkie, are chronicled through several artifacts.
Rounding out the museum are many exhibits from the late 19th and early 20th century that you might find in a normal household. These brought back many memories from my mother, and even Margo and I, experienced some of them growing up. Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for kids.
Would I do it again? An unequivocal, Yes! I have been to Coffeyville, twice. Each time we visited the museum. If I make it back again, I will make sure I have at least an hour to spend. You can spend more, if you have any interest in the main subject of the museum, the Dalton Raid. If you stop in Coffeyville for a bite to eat, don’t miss this little gem!
The Dalton Defenders Museum
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Safe from one of the banks
Margo in front of the doors from
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Baby Crib
