Dalton Gang Hideout Museum
Dalton Gang Hideout Museum
Location: Downtown Meade
Contact: Ph.
800/354-2743
This
house once belonged to Eva Whipple and her husband. Mr.
Whipple was a highly regarded merchant in the frontier town of Meade.
When the no-account, horse-stealin' varmints known as the Dalton Gang roamed
this area, no one could figure out where they hid from the law. No one in
the area yet knew that Eva Whipple was a sister to the Dalton brothers.
It
was in this very tunnel, which extended from the small white
house to the barn down the hill that the Dalton Gang managed to hide form the
law when the heat was on. It was just a dirt tunnel in those days, perhaps
shored up with a few rough timbers. In the 1930's, the WPA shored the
tunnel up with rocks and cement. Today's visitors may take the tunnel from
the barn to the house to see the exhibits there and read more about the Dalton
Gang and its exploits.
The end of the line for the Dalton Gang came a few years after they left the Meade area. For whatever reasons, they decided to rob two banks at once in Coffeyville, KS. Things went terribly wrong. A couple of townsfolk recognized them as they rode into town. At one of the banks, they had to wait for the time lock on the safe to open. Outside, the sounds of sporadic gunfire could be heard. Still they waited. The gunfire increased. Every broom-pushin' merchant and dirt covered farmer in town was now gunning for them. They left the bank and entered a hail of bullets which killed all but one of the brothers. He was seriously wounded, but survived to spend 15 years in prison. Upon his pardon, he moved to California where he wrote two books and sold real estate. He also worked on several screen plays for movies about the exploits of the Dalton Gang.
The
photo at right shows the distance from the barn (foreground) to
the house (left edge of photo). It's quite a distance and must have been
quite a bit of work to dig. One wonders how they kept it a secret from the
neighbors.
The Whipples moved quietly out of Meade before the discovery of the tunnel and it's connection to the Dalton Gang's activity in the area.
The upper story of the barn (small photo above) also has some displays on the Dalton Gang as well as some other exhibits having to do with local history, including a stuffed two-headed calf.
Although the historical significance of the house, barn, and tunnel are minor, these small "two-headed calf" type museums are getting few and far between. It's a pleasant stop, and the tunnel is pretty neat to walk through to the house, which is one of the smallest I've ever been in. Also, below the barn under some shade trees is a small picnic ground.