Let's set the stage for our adventure today: The notorious Dalton Gang's sister, Eva Dalton Whipple lived in Meade KS, just up the road from where we are camping. The outlaw Dalton boys would visit their sister and "hideout" here, putting their horses in the barn and then visiting Eva in the small house through an underground tunnel that connected the two buildings, out of sight from neighbors and the law.
The barn in the foreground and the small house in the background on the left
The barn from a distance but from the same angle as above and the house in the distance on the left.
So we visited them and learned a lot about the Dalton Gang from a gentleman behind the counter in the gift shop. He could be Sam Elliot's brother!
The barn where you enter the complex was partially destroyed by fire but was rebuilt. It now serves as the gift shop, the loft is the museum full of prairie artifacts, guns, saddles; collections of barbed wire, branding irons and equestrian bits, The tunnel entrance is also in the barn.
Barbed wire collection
Bit collection
Various pistols and rifles from the era.
The small house is original from 1887, built by J.N. Whipple, Eva's husband. It has been restored and contains many artifacts of the time including a family quilt on the bed.
The original 95-foot long tunnel that connected the barn with the house was only about four feet tall but was enlarged years ago by a youth group as part of a WPA project in 1940, to support tourists walking through it. They also did the stone work on the tunnel and the barn foundation.
The $5 entry fee was welcomed, but I would have paid $20 had I know we would be educated and entertained by the gentleman in the gift shop like we were. Concisely he described everything we were about to see here, but then he told the story of the Dalton Gang's demise in Coffeyville KS October 5, 1892. The gang consisted of Bob Dalton, Grat Dalton and Emmett Dalton plus others that joined in with them. All of the brothers had previously served as deputy US Marshals out of Ft Smith Arkansas including their brother Frank Dalton. Frank had been killed earlier while trying to arrest a whiskey runner in Indian Territory. So the remaining three pursued a life of crime leading up to a visit to Coffeyville that fateful day. There were two banks across the street from each other and the boys split up to rob them both at the same time. As they entered town and came up the alley, their actions were noticed by locals from a nearby hardware store that was stocked with rifles and ammunition for the hunting season. The citizens recognized the gang members and took arms, and this was the result:
All of the gang members except Emmitt were killed. Emmett Dalton was badly injured but survived to stand trial and serve time in the prison. He would eventually be pardoned after serving over 14 years and eventually ended up back in Coffeyville. The brothers are buried there in Coffeyville from what we understand.
That was really interesting! Glad we stopped! We loaded back up and drove back towards Liberal, stopping outside of town to admire the Samson of the Cimmaron railroad bridge.
This 1,268 feet long bridge is a finalist for the 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture because it was considered a marvel in architecture, engineering and construction when built in
1939. This bridge was constructed to cross the Cimarron River. It replaced 3.5 miles of curves and trestles and raised the railroad 113-feet above the river bed below. The original Rock Island railroad was built in 1888 and frequently washed out. It was rebuilt just to have it wash out again and again. The Samson of the Cimmaron solved that problem. We were hoping to catch a train traversing the bridge today when we were there but that did not occur.
That's a wrap from Liberal KS. Tomorrow we pull chocks and head for the Oklahoma City area, specifically Mustang OK and the Mustang Run RV Park, a frequent stop for us.
Thanks for tagging along!
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