They laid poor Jesse James in his grave. April 3, 1882. Outlaw Jesse James is gunned down in a rented home in St. Joseph, Missouri. The culprit? ...
The Death of a Legend
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Jesse James
An Act of Terror
Pinkertons bomb the home of the James boys. January 25-26, 1875. Pinkerton agents attack a farmhouse outside Kearney, Missouri. It is owned by the...
A Pinkerton Plan Blows Up
Detectives bomb the James farm and have a p.r. nightmare. January 25-26, 1875. Pinkerton agents attack a farmhouse outside Kearney, Missouri. It is...
An Outlaw Give-Back
A woman shames members of the James-Younger Gang. August 30, 1874. Frank and Jesse James and one of the Youngers rob a stage outside North...
Blood Money, Time Zones and Old West Jails
Did the Ford Brothers ever get the reward money on Jesse James? Joe Manriquez (Whittier, California) Missouri Governor Thomas T. Crittenden raised...
The Social Bandits
By the latter part of the nineteenth century train robberies had become big business among western outlaws. During one period trains were being...
A Meal and Meeting of Legends
Did Jesse James and Billy the Kid really break bread together? July 26, 1879. Dr. Henry Hoyt (photo) has dinner at the Adobe Hotel in Las Vegas, NM....
Aliases, Flintlocks and Cowboy Vests
Were there are any instances of small-time outlaws using the name of more famous outlaws as an alias? Jeffery Stafford Hyde, Cheshire, UK We do know...
They Showed me a Good Time
Last May I had the privilege of visiting a whole slew of Jesse James history sites in the great state of Missouri. Thanks to the knowledge and...
Truth or Adair
The James-Younger Gang turns to train robbery. A half dozen men crouched next to the railroad tracks near Adair, Iowa, on July 21, 1873. The Rock...
Shooting Back
Our readers remind us of the variables and vagaries of historic truths, “well-established” facts, headlines and historical photographs. Did Bob Ford...
Riding with the James Gang
For 70 years, True West’s editors have been publishing stories about the legendary Missouri outlaws. In the summer of 1953, True West’s founding...