Dalton Defenders Museum

Location:  Downtown Coffeyville

Contact:  Coffeyville Chamber of Commerce, 800.626.3357

Fee:  Yes

Photos Copyright Harland J. Schuster.  Please do not use without permission.

It's October 5, 1892, and the five members of the infamous Dalton Gang--Grat, Bob, and Emmett Dalton, Bill Power, and Dick Broadwell--have just rode into Coffeyville.  The Dalton Gang intends, during this daring daylight raid, to rob two banks at once, then ride their fast horses back into the lawless Indian Territory, Oklahoma.  The bank robbers didn't ride into town with guns blazing.  Instead their plan counted on them going unnoticed.  The plan went wrong almost immediately when, due to street construction, the gang had to tie their horses in a nearby alley instead of directly in front of the banks as they had intended.   Also, unknown and unsuspected by them, several of the townsfolk recognized a couple of the Daltons, and spread the alarm.  Soon, just about every store clerk, clod-hopping farmer, school teachers, and bystander had armed themselves with pistols, rifles and shotguns from the hardware stores.  In the days before FDIC insurance, it was, after all, their money that the Daltons were about to steal.  All this activity had apparently gone unnoticed by the bank robbers.  When a couple members of the gang emerged from the first bank, they were greeted with a hail of bullets, but they managed to fight their way towards the alley where their horses were tied.  Despite the sounds of gunfire from outside, the rest of the gang continued to wait for the time lock on the second bank's safe to open.  When the safe finally opened, they took the money and ran into the street where they, too, found a hostile reception.

Eventually, the bandits managed to make it to the alley where their horses were still tied.  Suddenly, townsfolk started firing on the bank robbers from behind the fence along the alley, and the Dalton Gang met its end.  From that day to the present, the narrow street became known as "Death Alley".  By some miracle, the youngest Dalton, Emmett, had managed to mount his horse unwounded with a bag full of money.  He had reached the end of the alley, and most likely a clean get away, when he instead turned his horse around and rode back into the withering fire in an attempt to help his brother onto his horse.  A burst of buckshot would find Emmett, and his life as an outlaw was over.  Emmett was the only member of the gang to survive, and was sentenced to life in the Kansas Penitentiary.  Dalton became a model prisoner, and was pardoned by the governor after serving fourteen year.  Emmett never returned to his life of crime.  Instead, he moved to California.  Though plagued with pain from the injuries sustained in Death Alley, he wrote several books, and was a consultant for several early movies before dying at the age of 66.

For whatever reason, history seems to focus on the Dalton Gang--shown here after their demise, and not on the ordinary citizens of Coffeyville with extra-ordinary courage on that fateful October day so long ago.  In 1954, on the 62nd anniversary of the raid, a museum was dedicated to the brave citizens who risked everything to defend their town from a band of outlaws.   Four citizens would lay dead and three others would be wounded by the time the smoke cleared.  George Cubine and Charles Brown, shoe makers, C. T. Connelly, town Marshall, and Lucius Baldwin, a dry goods store clerk, gave their lives defending Coffeyville that day.

On display in the museum, are various curious artifacts from that day in 1892 when time stood still.  A roll of paper with an imbedded bullet and a small wrench which deflected a bullet are among the items which bear mute testimony.

The door, threshold and a safe from one of the banks robbed that day are preserved at the museum.  Outside, on a self guided tour of the downtown area, you can still see several bullet holes made in some of the brick walls of the area.

Also in the museum are items of local history, and memorabilia from famous local citizens.

In a quiet corner of the Elmwood Cemetery, lie the remains of the two Daltons killed that day, along with gang member Bill Power.   Originally, the grave was marked with only a bent pipe.  Upon his release from prison, Emmett had the stone marker erected at his brothers' resting place.  Even today, there are no other graves in the area near the Daltons.

Also buried at Elmwood Cemetery is Frank Dalton, the almost forgotten Dalton brother.  Unlike his brothers, Frank rode on the side of the law, and was killed in the Indian Territory in the line of duty several years before the Dalton Gang made their infamous raid on Coffeyville.

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