September 05, 1847 – April 03, 1882
There are those who achieve legendary status through their infamous life. And then there is Jesse James.
Jesse Woodson James is, perhaps, the most famous American outlaw of the late 19th Century. Along with his brother, Frank – and more than a few versions of his famous gang – James parlayed his unscrupulous days as a Confederate guerrilla (AKA, “bushwhacker”) during the Civil War into a career of robbing banks and trains for more than a decade during the vulnerable Reconstruction period. The James gang was responsible for robberies and murders stretching from Mississippi to Minnesota. His reputation grew and grew as he evaded justice at every turn all while writing to the public in open letters published in the Kansas City Times newspaper. Continue reading
Celebrity Graveland 