Feature & Exhibit Detail

Alexander Franklin “Frank” and Jesse James both fought during the Civil War as members of Confederate guerrilla units in the Midwest. It was at this time that they became involved in their first robberies, and met some of the future members of their gang. In 1866, Jesse and Frank were probably involved in the first peacetime daylight bank robbery in the United States.

There was little public support for the Jameses until an attack by Pinkerton agents on their farm in 1875, which crippled their mother. In 1876, the James and Younger gangs were effectively destroyed following a failed bank robbery. The James brothers evaded the law and moved around in several states. In 1881 Jesse, under the alias of J.D. Howard, chose St. Joseph, Missouri as a new base of operations. While planning a heist, he was killed by gang member Bob Ford who had been lured by the promise of reward money. Jesse’s widow sold off the family possessions at auction, even as souvenir hunters were cutting up the blood-soaked floor of the room in which he died. Jesse’s mother, Mrs. Samuels, made a living by conducting tours of his boyhood home and grave, pebbles from which she routinely sold as souvenirs.

The tales of the James Gang became more embellished over time, and inspired imitators such as Clyde Barrow of 1930s Bonnie and Clyde fame. They impacted literally on a future president (schoolboy Harry S. Truman was spanked for being discovered with a James Gang novel), and spawned a Wild West show and movies. As early as 1908, the James legend appeared on the silver screen. Jesse’s son portrayed his father in Jesse James Under the Black Flag (the latter a reference to Quantrill’s black banner). There have been more than 30 James Gang-related films, probably the most absurd being Jesse James meets Frankenstein’s Daughter. Most have been quite poor. One family member was asked to comment on the lead actor of a film he saw screened and stated “Well, they both rode a horse and they both were named Jesse.”