111-594: The Patee House , also known as Patee House Museum , was completed in 1858 as a 140-room luxury hotel at 12th Street and Penn in St. Joseph, Missouri . It was one of the best-known hotels west of the Mississippi River . The Patee House was built by John Patée as part of his Patee Town development around the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad station. Office space included the headquarters and eastern terminus of
222-660: A Rock Island Line train west of Adair, Iowa , and stealing approximately $ 3,000 (equivalent to $ 76,000 in 2023). For this, they wore Ku Klux Klan masks. By this time, the Klan had been suppressed in the South by President Grant's use of the Enforcement Acts . Former rebels attacked the railroads as symbols of threatening centralization. The gang's later train robberies had a lighter touch. The gang held up passengers only twice, choosing in all other incidents to take only
333-567: A LD2 subchannel), and the original KNPG-LD (which assumed the KBJO-LD call letters) to CBS affiliate KCJO-LD in June 2017, ending out-of-market reliance for major network programming. Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847 – April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw , bank and train robber , guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang . Raised in
444-865: A back-to-school ad that went viral on the Internet due to its poor quality. Developed in 2005, the Shoppes at North Village is concentrated along North Belt Highway between approximately Cook and County Line roads. This serves as a regional shopping destination. Other shopping districts include Belt Center, Hy-Vee Shopping Center, Hillcrest Plaza, East Ridge Village, and Woodlawn Shopping Center. St. Joseph's trade area encompasses parts of northeast Kansas, northwest Missouri, southeast Nebraska, and southwest Iowa. The St. Joseph School District operates three public high schools, four public middle schools and 16 public elementary schools in St. Joseph. There are three private grade schools,
555-532: A celebrity in life, James became a legendary figure of the Wild West after his death. Popular portrayals of James as an embodiment of Robin Hood , robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, are a case of romantic revisionism as there is no evidence his gang shared any loot from their robberies with anyone outside their network. Scholars and historians have characterized James as one of many criminals inspired by
666-410: A female householder with no husband present. Of all households, 34.8% consisted of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.2. 23.1% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
777-524: A household in the city was $ 32,663, and the median income for a family was $ 40,995. Males had a median income of $ 31,300 versus $ 21,592 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 17,445. About 9.1% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over. During the 1900 census, efforts by local officials, business leaders, and other city boosters to show rapid growth led to double-counting. The actual population in 1900
888-609: A last supply point and jumping-off point for travelers on the Missouri River toward the "Wild West" . It was the westernmost point in the United States accessible by rail until after the American Civil War . The main east–west downtown streets were named for Robidoux's eight children: Faraon, Jules, Francois (Francis), Felix, Edmond, Charles, Sylvanie, and Messanie. The street between Sylvanie and Messanie
999-732: A lawyer who practiced in Kansas City, Missouri, and Los Angeles, California . In 1874, the Adams Express Company turned to the Pinkerton National Detective Agency to stop the James–Younger Gang . The Chicago -based agency worked primarily against urban professional criminals, as well as providing industrial security, such as strike breaking . Because the gang received support by many former Confederate soldiers in Missouri, they eluded
1110-485: A male householder with no wife present, and 37.8% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.01. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18; 11.7% between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.1% from 25 to 44; 24.9% from 45 to 64; and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age in
1221-486: A media corporation, is headquartered in Saint Joseph. They have interests in numerous television, radio, and newspaper markets throughout the midwestern and western United States. Due to its proximity to Kansas City, stations from that market serve as default affiliate of MyNetworkTV ( KSMO-TV /Kansas City) and default member station of PBS ( KCPT /Kansas City) due to the lack of stations of either network licensed to
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#17327719197201332-679: A not-for-profit organization. Both are contributing resources to the Patee Town Historic District . St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in Andrew and Buchanan counties and the county seat of Buchanan County , Missouri , United States. Located on the Missouri River , it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area , which includes Buchanan , Andrew , and DeKalb counties in Missouri and Doniphan County , Kansas . As of
1443-413: A private high school and a private K–12 Christian school. Two new elementary schools (Oak Grove and Carden Park) have been constructed, and both opened by the 2014–15 academic year. In addition, there is an active home education community that serves the city and surrounding areas. In higher education , St. Joseph is the home of a regional public university as well as a public university outreach center,
1554-555: A public technical school and a private technical school. St. Joseph has a four-branch public library system. The system is overseen by the Library Board which consists of nine members appointed by the mayor, with city council approval, for three-year terms. The Downtown Library , located in downtown St. Joseph, houses the administrative offices for the library system. Carnegie Library and Washington Park Library are neighborhood branches that serve communities in
1665-601: A student at William Jewell College , was shot dead on the street. It remains unclear whether Jesse and Frank took part in the Clay County robbery. After the James brothers successfully conducted other robberies and became legendary, some observers retroactively credited them with being the leaders of the robbery. Others have argued that Jesse was at the time still bedridden with his wound and could not have participated. No evidence has been found that connects either brother to
1776-538: A tent saloon in Creede, Colorado . On June 8, 1892, Edward O'Kelley went to Creede, loaded a double-barrel shotgun, entered Ford's saloon and said "Hello, Bob" before shooting Ford in the throat, killing him instantly. O'Kelley was sentenced to life in prison, but his sentence was subsequently commuted because of a 7,000-signature petition in favor of his release, as well as a medical condition. The Governor of Colorado pardoned him on October 3, 1902. James's original grave
1887-551: A total of seven slaves, who served mainly as farmhands in tobacco cultivation . The approach of the American Civil War loomed large in the James–Samuel household. Missouri was a border state , sharing characteristics of both North and South, but 75% of the population was from the South or other border states. Clay County in particular was strongly influenced by the Southern culture of its rural pioneer families. Farmers raised
1998-617: Is approximately 35 miles (56 km) to the south. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 44.77 square miles (115.95 km ), of which 43.99 square miles (113.93 km ) is land and 0.78 square miles (2.02 km ) is water. Under the Köppen climate classification , St. Joseph has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) bordering on a humid continental climate ( Dfa ), although under United States isotherms of 32 °F (0 °C)
2109-659: Is at the center of the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, which extends from Manhattan, Kansas, to Columbia, Missouri. With this advantageous location, St. Joseph is home to several animal health pharmaceutical, animal nutrition, and associated research facilities. Other agricultural products including herbicides for crop production are produced in St. Joseph. TransitAmerica Services , a subsidiary of Herzog, provides conductors and other railway technical positions for transit rail systems nationwide. Herzog Contracting, parent company to Transit America,
2220-565: Is based in the city and provides construction services, rail equipment, rail testing, and signaling services to freight and transit systems throughout North America and the Caribbean. Shown here are some of the largest employers in St. Joseph. Other privately held manufacturing companies are also top employers but they do not publicly disclose employment numbers. Saint Joseph has the third-largest manufacturing economy in Missouri, after Saint Louis and Kansas City. In June 2019, total employment in
2331-540: Is believed to be closer to 75,000–80,000. The above, however, is a revisionist surmise based only local rumor and lore. The complexity and legal jeopardy for those trying to add 30,000+/- to the Census count makes the claim highly dubious. More likely, Saint Joseph did in fact lose those people to, among other places, a growing Kansas City. The story may have been invented to make the loss feel less painful due to Saint Joseph's extraordinary strategic blunder in not supporting
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#17327719197202442-553: Is home to Missouri Western State University . In the nineteenth century, it was the death place of American outlaw Jesse James . It was also the starting point of the Pony Express serving the West. St. Joseph was founded on the Missouri River by Joseph Robidoux , a local fur trader of French Canadian descent. It was officially incorporated in 1843. In its early days, it was a bustling outpost and rough frontier town, serving as
2553-527: Is the home of the 139th Airlift Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard , and does not have commercial service. The nearest commercial airport is Kansas City International Airport , which is approximately 35 miles (56 km) to the south. Intercity bus service to the city is provided by Jefferson Lines . The city is served by two Interstate highways, one proposed interstate, and four US Routes: In addition, four state routes serve
2664-523: Is thought that he took part in the notorious massacre of some two hundred men and boys in Lawrence, Kansas , a center of abolitionists . Frank followed Quantrill to Sherman, Texas , over the winter of 1863–1864. In the spring he returned in a squad commanded by Fletch Taylor. After they arrived in Clay County, 16-year-old Jesse James joined his brother in Taylor's group. Taylor was severely wounded in
2775-404: Is unlikely that he ever collected the money due. The 1869 robbery marked the emergence of Jesse James as the most famous survivor of the former Confederate bushwhackers. It was the first time he was publicly labeled an "outlaw"; Missouri Governor Thomas T. Crittenden set a reward for his capture. This was the beginning of an alliance between James and John Newman Edwards , editor and founder of
2886-656: The Kansas City Times . Edwards, a former Confederate cavalryman, was campaigning to return former secessionists to power in Missouri. Six months after the Gallatin robbery, Edwards published the first of many letters from Jesse James to the public asserting his innocence. Over time, the letters gradually became more political in tone and James denounced the Republicans and expressed his pride in his Confederate loyalties. Together with Edwards's admiring editorials,
2997-566: The 2020 census , St. Joseph had a total population of 72,473, making it the 8th most populous city in the state, and the 3rd most populous in Northwest Missouri. St. Joseph is located roughly thirty miles north of the Kansas City, Missouri , city limits and approximately 125 miles (201 km) south of Omaha, Nebraska . The city was named after the town's founder Joseph Robidoux and the biblical Saint Joseph . St. Joseph
3108-519: The Baptist Church . These private schools were part of the postwar expansion of educational facilities for young women across the country. After outlaw Jesse James was killed in 1882 at his nearby home, his surviving family stayed at the hotel during the investigation of his death. It was then called World's Hotel. Also resident at the hotel within two weeks of James's death was Oscar Wilde who lectured in St. Joseph on April 18, 1882. Later
3219-631: The Centralia Massacre in 1864. After the war, as members of various gangs of outlaws , Jesse and Frank robbed banks, stagecoaches, and trains across the Midwest , gaining national fame and often popular sympathy despite the brutality of their crimes. The James brothers were most active as members of their own gang from about 1866 until 1876, when as a result of their attempted robbery of a bank in Northfield, Minnesota , several members of
3330-572: The Confederate cause . In the 1880s, after James's death, the James Gang became the subject of dime novels that represented the bandits as pre-industrial models of resistance . During the Populist and Progressive eras, James became an icon as America's Robin Hood , standing up against corporations in defense of the small farmer, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. There
3441-539: The Gold Rush to minister to those searching for gold; he died there when James was three years old. After Robert's death, his widow Zerelda remarried twice, first to Benjamin Simms in 1852 and then in 1855 to Dr. Reuben Samuel , who moved into the James family home. Jesse's mother and Samuel had four children together: Sarah Louisa, John Thomas, Fannie Quantrell, and Archie Peyton Samuel. Zerelda and Samuel acquired
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3552-526: The Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad , and the C.D. Smith & Company. C.D. Smith later became C.D. Smith Healthcare. Prior to 1954 and desegregation, Bartlett High School served St. Joseph's African American students. It became Horace Mann Elementary with desegregation. St. Joseph's African American community leaders and Nathaniel C. Bruce were involved in and supported the establishment of Bartlett Agricultural and Industrial School in Dalton, Missouri . It
3663-469: The James–Younger Gang . With Jesse James as the most public face of the gang (though with operational leadership likely shared among the group), the gang carried out a string of robberies from Iowa to Texas , and from Kansas to West Virginia . They robbed banks, stagecoaches, and a fair in Kansas City , often carrying out their crimes in front of crowds, and even hamming it up for the bystanders. On July 21, 1873, they turned to train robbery , derailing
3774-572: The National Register of Historic Places in 1999. St. Joseph's population peaked in 1900, with a census population of 102,979. This population figure is questionable, as civic leaders were known to have tried to raise the numbers for that census. At the time, Saint Joseph was home to one of the largest wholesale companies in the Midwest, the Nave & McCord Mercantile Company , as well as
3885-726: The Pinkertons in the January 1875 arson of the James house. On September 7, 1876, the opening day of hunting season in Minnesota, the James–Younger gang attempted a raid on the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota . The robbery quickly went wrong, however, and after the robbery only Frank and Jesse James remained alive and free. Cole and Bob Younger later said they selected the bank because they believed it
3996-719: The Pony Express , founded in 1860 to provide fast overland mail service to the West Coast. During the American Civil War , the Union Army Provost Marshal 's office was located in Patee House. The Army conducted war trials in the second floor ballroom . After the war, the Patee Female College operated in the building from 1865 to 1868. Its space was taken over 1875–1880 by the St. Joseph Female College , founded in affiliation with
4107-494: The " Little Dixie " area of Missouri , James and his family maintained strong Southern sympathies. He and his brother Frank James joined pro- Confederate guerrillas known as " bushwhackers " operating in Missouri and Kansas during the American Civil War . As followers of William Quantrill and "Bloody Bill" Anderson , they were accused of committing atrocities against Union soldiers and civilian abolitionists, including
4218-502: The Democrats, especially in the southern part of the state. The Republican-dominated Reconstruction legislature passed a new state constitution that freed Missouri's slaves. It temporarily excluded former Confederates from voting, serving on juries, becoming corporate officers, or preaching from church pulpits. The atmosphere was volatile, with widespread clashes between individuals and between armed gangs of veterans from both sides of
4329-533: The Fords and Jameses went into the living room before traveling to Platte City for a robbery. From the newspaper, James had just learned that gang member Dick Liddil had confessed to participating in Wood Hite 's murder. He was suspicious that the Fords had not told him about it. Robert Ford later said he believed that James had realized they were there to betray him. Instead of confronting them, James walked across
4440-431: The James Gang's exploits. Frank Triplett wrote about James as a "progressive neo-aristocrat" with "purity of race". Some historians credit James's myth as contributing to the rise of former Confederates to dominance in Missouri politics. In the 1880s, both U.S. Senators from the state, former Confederate military commander Francis Cockrell , and former Confederate Congressman George Graham Vest , were identified with
4551-556: The North and South ends of the city. East Hills Library is the largest branch, located off Interstate 29 , which serves the greater St. Joseph area. Downtown Library and Carnegie Library were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and 1990 respectively. St. Joseph also has a branch of the Rolling Hills Consolidated Library. This library was founded in 1961 with its headquarters in
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4662-637: The Pinkertons. Joseph Whicher, an agent dispatched to infiltrate Zerelda Samuel's farm, was soon found killed. Two other agents, Captain Louis J. Lull and John Boyle, were sent after the Youngers; Lull was killed by two of the Youngers in a roadside gunfight on March 17, 1874. Before he died, Lull fatally shot John Younger . A deputy sheriff named Edwin Daniels also died in the skirmish. Allan Pinkerton ,
4773-507: The Republican government, to the extent of occupying the town of Lexington, Missouri , on election day in 1866. Shortly afterward, the state militia shot Clement dead. James wrote about this death with bitterness a decade later. The survivors of Clement's gang continued to conduct bank robberies during the next two years, though their numbers dwindled through arrests , gunfights, and lynchings . While they later tried to justify robbing
4884-423: The St. Joseph Metropolitan Area was 65,099 persons. St. Joseph is home to several retail areas, many of which are grouped along Belt Highway on the city's east side. East Hills Mall is located at North Belt Highway and Frederick Boulevard. The mall opened in 1965, was expanded in 1988, and was renovated in 2001 with a far more extensive renovation in 2008 and 2009. In 2014, the mall gained unexpected attention for
4995-412: The St. Joseph weather station although surrounding reporting stations typically receive 12-20 inches of snowfall annually. The 2020 United States census counted 72,473 people, 29,008 households, and 16,841 families in St. Joseph. The population density was 1,645.6 per square mile (635.4/km ). There were 33,760 housing units at an average density of 766.6 per square mile (296.0/km ). The racial makeup
5106-434: The agency's founder and leader, took on the case as a personal vendetta. He began to work with former Unionists who lived near the James family farm. On the night of January 25, 1875, he staged a raid on the homestead. Detectives threw an incendiary device into the house; it exploded, killing James's young half-brother Archie (named for Archie Clement) and blowing off one of Zerelda Samuel's arms. Afterward, Pinkerton denied that
5217-558: The banks, most of their targets were small, local banks based on local capital, and the robberies only penalized the locals they claimed to support. On May 23, 1867, for example, they robbed a bank in Richmond, Missouri , in which they killed the mayor and two others. It remains uncertain whether either of the James brothers took part, although an eyewitness who knew the brothers told a newspaper seven years later "positively and emphatically that he recognized Jesse and Frank James... among
5328-583: The basement of the Washington Park Library. The library currently occupies over 23,000 square feet of space off of the Belt Highway. The space is used for the library itself, its administration offices, a used book store, and "The Upper Story", a large rentable meeting room. The St. Joseph Transit is publicly owned and provides bus service. Rosecrans Memorial Airport is a joint municipal/military owned airport for general aviation. It
5439-401: The brothers intended to kill James rather than capture him. The implication that the chief executive of Missouri conspired to kill a private citizen startled the public and added to James's notoriety. After receiving a small portion of the reward, the Fords fled Missouri. Sheriff James Timberlake and Marshal Henry H. Craig, who were law enforcement officials active in the plan, were awarded
5550-464: The building was adapted to house the R.L. McDonald shirt factory and other light industrial uses for 80 years. Since 1963, the building has been operated as a museum of United States history, with an emphasis on transportation. An 1892 Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad steam locomotive and 1877 railroad depot are displayed inside the building. In 2008 the museum was selected as one of America's Top Ten Western Museums by True West Magazine . It
5661-399: The city was 35.6 years. The gender makeup of the city was 49.8% male and 50.2% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 73,990 people, 29,026 households, and 18,460 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,687.7 people per square mile (651.6 people/km ). There were 31,752 housing units at an average density of 724.2 per square mile (279.6/km ). The racial makeup of
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#17327719197205772-433: The city was 87.8% White , 6.0% Black, 0.5% Native American , 0.9% Asian , 0.2% Pacific Islander , 2.0% from other races , and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.7% of the population. There were 29,727 households, of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had
5883-553: The city was 91.9% White, 5.0% Black, 0.5% Native American, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander , 0.7% from other races , and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population. There were 29,026 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were single-family households. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who
5994-417: The city: Numerous parks, golf courses, sports complexes, skate parks, a water park, a riverwalk along the Missouri River, and a small conservation area can be found throughout St. Joseph proper. The city is also nationally known for its 26-mile (42 km) parkway system , which is accompanied by an urban trail system. Two of the city's largest parks are Krug Park and Hyde Park; these respectively anchor
6105-637: The contents of the express safe in the baggage car. John Newman Edwards made sure to highlight such techniques when creating an image of James as a kind of Robin Hood . Despite public sentiment toward the gang's crimes, there is no evidence that the James gang ever shared any of the robbery money outside their personal circle. Jesse and his cousin Zee married on April 24, 1874. They had two children who survived to adulthood: Jesse Edward James (b. 1875) and Mary Susan James (later Barr, b. 1879). Twins Gould and Montgomery James (b. 1878) died in infancy. Jesse Jr. became
6216-572: The crime or that conclusively rules them out. On June 13, 1866, in Jackson County, Missouri , the gang freed two jailed members of Quantrill's gang, killing the jailer in the effort. Historians believe that the James brothers were involved in this crime. Local violence continued to increase in the state; Governor Thomas Clement Fletcher had recently ordered a company of militia into Johnson County to suppress guerrilla activity. Archie Clement continued his career of crime and harassment of
6327-627: The dead. The Union presence enforced martial law with raids on homes, arrests of civilians, summary executions , and banishment of Confederate sympathizers from the state. The James–Samuel family sided with the Confederates at the outbreak of war. Frank James joined a local company recruited for the secessionist Drew Lobbs Army, and fought at the Battle of Wilson's Creek in August 1861. He fell ill and returned home soon afterward. In 1863, he
6438-699: The dramatic build-up to the Civil War centered on the violence that erupted on the Kansas–Missouri border between pro- and anti-slavery militias. After a series of campaigns and battles between conventional armies in 1861, guerrilla warfare gripped Missouri, waged between secessionist " bushwhackers " and Union forces which largely consisted of local militias known as " jayhawkers ". A bitter conflict ensued, resulting in an escalating cycle of atrocities committed by both sides. Confederate guerrillas murdered civilian Unionists, executed prisoners, and scalped
6549-518: The economy was down, the hotel was used for a time by the Patee Female College. It was occupied by the St. Joseph Female College up to 1880. In 1874 the State Lunatic Asylum #2 was opened just East of St. Joseph. The asylum, originally built for 250 patients opened its doors with more than 300. The asylum was mostly self-sustaining with 3 large farms, power plant, fire department, metal shops, wood shops, dairy and more, all worked by
6660-541: The end of the Reconstruction era helped cement his place in American life and memory as a simple but remarkably effective bandit. After 1873, he was covered by the national media as part of social banditry. During his lifetime, James was celebrated chiefly by former Confederates, to whom he appealed directly in his letters to the press. Displaced by Reconstruction, the antebellum political leadership mythologized
6771-460: The famous outlaw. Crittenden had made capture of the James brothers his top priority; in his inaugural address he declared that no political motives could be allowed to keep them from justice. Barred by law from offering a large reward, he had turned to the railroad and express corporations to put up a $ 5,000 bounty for the delivery of each of them and an additional $ 5,000 for the conviction of either of them. On April 3, 1882, after eating breakfast,
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#17327719197206882-443: The gang divided into two groups. Three men entered the bank, two guarded the door outside, and three remained near a bridge across an adjacent square. The robbers inside the bank were thwarted when acting cashier Joseph Lee Heywood refused to open the safe, falsely claiming that it was secured by a time lock even as they held a Bowie knife to his throat and cracked his skull with a pistol butt. Assistant cashier Alonzo Enos Bunker
6993-400: The gang were captured or killed. They continued in crime for several years afterward, recruiting new members, but came under increasing pressure from law enforcement seeking to bring them to justice. On April 3, 1882, Jesse James was shot and killed by Robert Ford , a new recruit to the gang who hoped to collect a reward on James's head and a promised amnesty for his previous crimes. Already
7104-488: The governor to claim his reward. Crowds pressed into the little house in St. Joseph to see the dead bandit. The Ford brothers surrendered to the authorities and were dismayed to be charged with first-degree murder . In the course of a single day, the Ford brothers were indicted, pleaded guilty, were sentenced to death by hanging , and were granted a full pardon by Governor Crittenden. The governor's quick pardon suggested he knew
7215-507: The guerrillas scalped and dismembered some of the dead. The guerrillas also ambushed and defeated a pursuing regiment of Major A. V. E. Johnson's Union troops, killing all who tried to surrender, who numbered more than 100. Frank later identified Jesse as a member of the band who had fatally shot Major Johnson. As a result of the James brothers' activities, Union military authorities forced their family to leave Clay County. Though ordered to move South beyond Union lines, they moved north across
7326-572: The legislature voted to limit the size of rewards the governor could offer for fugitives. This extended a measure of protection over the James–Younger gang by minimizing the incentive for attempting to capture them. The governor had offered rewards higher than the new limit only on Frank and Jesse James. Across a creek and up a hill from the James house was the home of Daniel Askew, who is thought to have been killed by James or his gang on April 12, 1875. They may have suspected Askew of cooperating with
7437-477: The letters helped James become a symbol of Confederate defiance of federal Reconstruction policy. James's initiative in creating his rising public profile is debated by historians and biographers. The high tensions in politics accompanied his outlaw career and enhanced his notoriety. Meanwhile, the James brothers joined with Cole Younger and his brothers John , Jim , and Bob , as well as Clell Miller and other former Confederates, to form what came to be known as
7548-545: The likely culprits in the first daylight armed bank robbery in the United States during peacetime, the robbery of the Clay County Savings Association in the town of Liberty, Missouri , on February 13, 1866. The bank was owned by Republican former militia officers who had recently conducted the first Republican Party rally in Clay County's history. During the gang's escape from the town, an innocent bystander, 17-year-old George C. "Jolly" Wymore,
7659-467: The living room and laid his revolvers on a sofa. He turned around and noticed a dusty picture above the mantle, and stood on a chair to clean it. Robert Ford drew his weapon and shot the unarmed Jesse James in the back of the head. James's two previous bullet wounds and partially missing middle finger served to positively identify the body. The death of Jesse James became a national sensation. The Fords made no attempt to hide their role. Robert Ford wired
7770-446: The majority of the bounty. Later, the Ford brothers starred in a touring stage show in which they reenacted the shooting. Public opinion was divided between those against the Fords for murdering Jesse and those of the opinion that it had been time for the outlaw to be stopped. Suffering from tuberculosis (then incurable) and a morphine addiction, Charley Ford committed suicide on May 6, 1884, in Richmond, Missouri . Bob Ford operated
7881-508: The market. ABC affiliate KQTV had long been the only major commercial station in St. Joseph, but in June 2012, the locally based News-Press & Gazette Company signed on KNPN-LD as a Fox affiliate, KBJO-LD as a CW+ affiliate, and KNPG-LD as a Telemundo affiliate. This in turn was followed by the conversions of KBJO-LD to NBC affiliate KNPG-LD in November 2016 (retaining the CW+ as
7992-462: The militia officer who had killed "Bloody Bill" Anderson during the Civil War. James claimed he was taking revenge, and the daring escape he and Frank made through the middle of a posse shortly afterward attracted newspaper coverage for the first time. An 1882 history of Daviess County said, "The history of Daviess County has no blacker crime in its pages than the murder of John W. Sheets." The only known civil case involving Frank and Jesse James
8103-604: The mtDNA recovered from the remains was consistent with the mtDNA of one of James's relatives in the female line. The theme of survival was featured in a 2009 documentary, Jesse James' Hidden Treasure , which aired on the History Channel . The documentary was dismissed as pseudo history and pseudoscience by historian Nancy Samuelson in a review she wrote for the Winter 2009–2010 edition of The James-Younger Gang Journal . J. Frank Dalton claimed to be Jesse James. Dalton
8214-495: The names of Thomas Howard and B. J. Woodson, respectively. Frank seemed to settle down, but Jesse remained restless. He recruited a new gang in 1879 and returned to crime, holding up a train at Glendale, Missouri (now part of Independence ), on October 8, 1879. The robbery was the first in a spree of crimes, including the holdup of the federal paymaster of a canal project in Killen, Alabama , and two more train robberies. However,
8325-487: The nearby state border into Nebraska Territory . After "Bloody Bill" Anderson was killed in an ambush in October, the James brothers separated. Frank followed Quantrill into Kentucky , while Jesse went to Texas under the command of Archie Clement , one of Anderson's lieutenants. He is known to have returned to Missouri in the spring. At the age of 17, Jesse suffered the second of two life-threatening chest wounds when he
8436-536: The new gang was not made up of battle-hardened guerrillas; they soon turned against each other or were captured. James grew suspicious of other members; he scared away one man and some believe that he killed another gang member. In 1879, the James gang robbed two stores in far western Mississippi , at Washington in Adams County and Fayette in Jefferson County . The gang left with $ 2,000 cash from
8547-554: The newspapers announced his death. Some said that Robert Ford killed someone other than James in an elaborate plot to allow him to escape justice. These tales have received little credence, then or since. None of James's biographers accepted them as plausible. The body buried in Kearney, Missouri, marked "Jesse James" was exhumed in 1995 and subjected to mitochondrial DNA typing. The report, prepared by Anne C. Stone, Ph.D., James E. Starrs, L.L.M., and Mark Stoneking, Ph.D., confirmed that
8658-504: The original exhibits created by George Glore and his patients. You can visit the Glore Psychiatric Museum , housed in the former Surgical and Outpatient Center of the hospital, 7-days a week from 10AM-5PM. Outlaw Jesse James lived here under the alias "Mr. Howard". The song, " Jesse James ", includes the lines, "...that dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard has laid poor Jesse in his grave." On April 3, 1882, James
8769-754: The parkway and urban trail on the north and south. A dog park has been added to the parkway system near Corby Pond. There are many buildings that were built early on in the city's history, one of which being the Missouri Theater . St. Joseph currently ranks 201st largest designated market area out of 210 media markets in the United States (as ranked by Nielsen Media Research ); the market covers six counties in northwestern Missouri ( Holt , Worth , Nodaway , Andrew , DeKalb and Buchanan ) and Doniphan County in northeastern Kansas. The St. Joseph area has three low-power and two full-power television stations, and ten radio stations. News-Press & Gazette,
8880-496: The patients. Over the decades the asylum grew rapidly, reaching its peak of close to 3,000 patients by the 1940s. In 1968 occupational therapist George Glore with the help of his patients, recreated several historic treatment devices for Mental Health Awareness Month. This was the start of the Glore Psychiatric Museum . Now the largest museum of its kind in the world, the Glore shows the history mental health treatment and still houses
8991-492: The raid's intent was arson . But biographer Ted Yeatman found a letter by Pinkerton in the Library of Congress in which Pinkerton declared his intention to "burn the house down." Many residents were outraged by the raid on the family home. The Missouri state legislature narrowly defeated a bill that praised the James and Younger brothers and offered them amnesty . Allowed to vote and hold office again, former Confederates in
9102-487: The railroad bridge crossing the Missouri River, losing the opportunity to Kansas City. St. Joseph has a vibrant and diversified local economy. The local area supports a large food processing industry. Bio-fuels, meat and grains processing, candies, and various other products well known throughout North America are made in Saint Joseph. With this specific industry come other associated packaging and food processing equipment suppliers that employ many more persons. Saint Joseph
9213-498: The regional insurgencies of ex-Confederates following the Civil War, rather than as a manifestation of alleged economic justice or of frontier lawlessness. James continues to be one of the most famous figures from the era, and his life has been dramatized and memorialized numerous times. Jesse Woodson James was born on September 5, 1847, in Clay County, Missouri , near the site of present-day Kearney . This area of Missouri
9324-714: The robbers." In 1868, Frank and Jesse James allegedly joined Cole Younger in robbing a bank in Russellville, Kentucky . Jesse James did not become well known until December 7, 1869, when he (and most likely Frank) robbed the Daviess County Savings Association in Gallatin, Missouri . The robbery netted little money. Jesse is believed to have shot and killed the cashier, Captain John Sheets, mistakenly believing him to be Samuel P. Cox ,
9435-526: The robbery. The James brothers eventually split from the others and escaped to Missouri. The militia soon discovered the Youngers and one other bandit, Charlie Pitts. Pitts died in a gunfight and the Youngers were taken prisoner. Except for Frank and Jesse James, the James–Younger Gang was destroyed. Later in 1876, Jesse and Frank James surfaced in the Nashville, Tennessee , area, where they went by
9546-420: The same crops and livestock as in the areas from which they had migrated. They brought slaves with them and purchased more according to their needs. The county counted more slaveholders and more slaves than most other regions of the state; in Missouri as a whole, slaves accounted for only 10 percent of the population, but in Clay County, they constituted 25 percent. Aside from slavery , the culture of Little Dixie
9657-848: The second robbery and took shelter in abandoned cabins on the Kemp Plantation south of St. Joseph , Louisiana . A law enforcement posse attacked and killed two of the outlaws but failed to capture the entire gang. Among the deputies was Jefferson B. Snyder , later a long-serving district attorney in northeastern Louisiana. By 1881, with local Tennessee authorities growing suspicious, the brothers returned to Missouri, where they felt safer. James moved his family to St. Joseph , Missouri, in November 1881, not far from where he had been born and reared. Frank, however, decided to move to safer territory and headed east to settle in Virginia . They intended to give up crime. The James gang had been reduced to
9768-400: The station is firmly continental. The monthly weather averages listed below are taken from National Weather Service 1981–2010 normals recorded at Rosecrans Airport. Because of the airport's location near the Missouri River and at a low elevation, official overnight lows during wintertime especially are often several degrees colder than at other places within the city. Snowfall is not recorded at
9879-525: The summer of 1864, losing his right arm to a shotgun blast. The James brothers then joined the bushwhacker group led by William "Bloody Bill" Anderson . Jesse suffered a serious wound to the chest that summer. The Clay County provost marshal reported that both Frank and Jesse James took part in the Centralia Massacre in September, in which guerrillas stopped a train carrying unarmed Union soldiers returning home from duty and killed or wounded some 22 of them;
9990-520: The two of them. With his gang nearly annihilated, James trusted only the Ford brothers, Charley and Robert . Although Charley had been out on raids with James, Bob Ford was an eager new recruit. For protection, James asked the Ford brothers to move in with him and his family. James had often stayed with their sister Martha Bolton and, according to rumor, he was "smitten" with her. By that time, Bob Ford had conducted secret negotiations with Missouri Governor Thomas T. Crittenden , planning to bring in
10101-487: The unarmed cashier Heywood in the head. Historians have speculated about the identity of the shooter but have not reached consensus. The gang barely escaped Northfield, leaving two dead companions behind. They killed Heywood and Nicholas Gustafson , a Swedish immigrant from the Millersburg community west of Northfield. A substantial manhunt ensued. It is believed that the gang burned 14 Rice County mills shortly after
10212-629: The war. Jesse recovered from his chest wound at his uncle's boardinghouse in Harlem, Missouri (north across the Missouri River from the City of Kansas's River Quay [changed to Kansas City in 1889]). He was tended to by his first cousin, Zerelda "Zee" Mimms , named after Jesse's mother. Jesse and his cousin began a nine-year courtship that culminated in their marriage. Meanwhile, his former commander Archie Clement kept his bushwhacker gang together and began to harass Republican authorities. These men were
10323-506: Was $ 30,229 (+/- $ 1,494). Approximately, 12.0% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 23.9% of those under the age of 18 and 7.9% of those ages 65 or over. As of the census of 2010, there were 76,780 people, 29,727 households, and 18,492 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,745.4 inhabitants per square mile (673.9/km ). There were 33,189 housing units at an average density of 754.5 per square mile (291.3/km ). The racial makeup of
10434-479: Was 37.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 101.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 100.3 males. The 2016–2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $ 48,716 (with a margin of error of +/- $ 2,421) and the median family income was $ 60,272 (+/- $ 2,679). Males had a median income of $ 34,486 (+/- $ 1,611) versus $ 25,623 (+/- $ 1,474) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old
10545-450: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males. The median income for
10656-444: Was 80.76% (58,529) white , 6.03% (4,367) black or African-American , 0.57% (414) Native American or Alaska Native , 1.43% (1,039) Asian , 0.6% (437) Pacific Islander , 2.63% (1,905) from other races , and 7.98% (5,782) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 7.1% (5,367) of the population. Of the 29,008 households, 25.4% had children under the age of 18; 40.1% were married couples living together; 31.1% had
10767-494: Was Southern in other ways as well. This influenced how the population acted during and for a period of time after the war. After the passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Act in 1854, Clay County became the scene of great turmoil as the question of whether slavery would be expanded into the neighboring Kansas Territory bred tension and hostility. Many people from Missouri migrated to Kansas to try to influence its future. Much of
10878-640: Was allegedly 101 years old at the time of his first public appearance, in May 1948. Dalton died August 15, 1951, in Granbury, Texas . Oran Baker, Hood County sheriff, conducted a visual postmortem exam and found he had thirty-two bullet wounds and a rope burn around his neck. He was buried in Granbury Cemetery, where the headstone bears the name of "Jesse Woodson James". Dalton's story was disputed by James's surviving relatives. James's turn to crime after
10989-641: Was also listed in 1,000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die . The building was designated a National Historic Landmark for its role as the Pony Express headquarters. It marks the eastern terminus of the Pony Express National Historic Trail . The Jesse James Home Museum is located on Patee House grounds. Both are owned and operated by the Pony Express Historical Association,
11100-566: Was associated with the Republican politician Adelbert Ames , the governor of Mississippi during Reconstruction, and Union general Benjamin Butler , Ames's father-in-law and the Union commander of occupied New Orleans . Ames was a stockholder in the bank, but Butler had no direct connection to it. The gang attempted to rob the bank in Northfield at about 2 p.m. To carry out the robbery,
11211-657: Was filed in the Common Pleas Court of Daviess County in 1870. In the case, Daniel Smoote asked for $ 223.50 from Frank and Jesse James to replace a horse, saddle, and bridle stolen as they fled the robbery of the Daviess County Savings Bank. The brothers denied the charges, saying they were not in Daviess County on December 7, the day the robbery occurred. Frank and Jesse failed to appear in court, and Smoote won his case against them. It
11322-444: Was identified as a member of a guerrilla squad that operated in Clay County. In May of that year, a Union militia company raided the James–Samuel farm looking for Frank's group. They tortured Reuben Samuel by briefly hanging him from a tree. According to legend, they lashed young Jesse. Frank James eluded capture and was believed to have joined the guerrilla organization led by William C. Quantrill known as Quantrill's Raiders . It
11433-472: Was initiated on July 4, 1888. Among properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places are Robidoux Row , buildings owned by the founder and used for his family trading and mercantile business; the Patee House, now serving as a museum displaying St. Joseph's history, and the Missouri Theatre , an ornate movie palace. The Walnut Park Farm Historic District near St. Joseph was listed on
11544-558: Was killed at his home, originally located at 1318 Lafayette. It has been relocated next to the Patee House and still has the visible bullet hole from the fatal shot. It is now operated as the Jesse James Home Museum . The Heaton-Bowman-Smith Funeral Home maintains a small museum about Jesse James. Their predecessors conducted his funeral. St. Joseph was the second city in the US to install electric streetcars; regular service
11655-839: Was largely settled by people from the Upper South, especially Kentucky and Tennessee , and became known as Little Dixie for this reason. James had two full siblings: his elder brother, Alexander Franklin "Frank" James , and a younger sister, Susan Lavenia James. He was of English and Scottish descent. His father, Robert S. James , farmed commercial hemp in Kentucky and was a Baptist minister before coming to Missouri. After he married, he migrated to Bradford, Missouri and helped found William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri . He held six slaves and more than 100 acres (0.40 km ) of farmland. Robert traveled to California during
11766-588: Was modeled after Tuskegee Institute and Hampton Institute . Saint Joseph is located on the Missouri/ Kansas border in northwestern Missouri, also close to Nebraska; Iowa is another 70 miles farther north. The nearest major metropolitan area to St. Joseph is the Kansas City Metropolitan Area , which begins approximately 30 miles (48 km) to the south. The nearest major airport is Kansas City International Airport , which
11877-583: Was named for his second wife, Angelique. St. Joseph, or "St. Joe", as it was called by many, was a "Jumping-Off Point" for those migrants headed to the Oregon Territory in the mid-1800s. Such cities, including Independence , and St. Joseph, were where pioneers would stay and purchase supplies before they headed out in wagon trains across the Great Plains. The town was a very lively place. Between April 3, 1860, and late October 1861, St. Joseph
11988-474: Was on his family property, but he was later moved to a cemetery in Kearney. The original footstone is still there, although the family has replaced the headstone. James's mother Zerelda Samuel wrote the following epitaph for him: "In Loving Memory of my Beloved Son, Murdered by a Traitor and Coward Whose Name is not Worthy to Appear Here." James's widow Zerelda Mimms James died alone and in poverty . Rumors of Jesse James's survival proliferated almost as soon as
12099-545: Was one of the two endpoints of the Pony Express , which operated for a short period over the land then inaccessible by rail, to provide fast mail service. Today the Pony Express Museum hosts visitors in the former stables of the company. St. Joseph is identified by the slogan, "Where the Pony Express started and Jesse James ended." The town's main hotel was Patee House . In the post-Civil War years, when
12210-601: Was shot while trying to surrender after they ran into a Union cavalry patrol near Lexington, Missouri . At the end of the Civil War, Missouri remained deeply divided. The conflict split the population into three bitterly opposed factions: anti-slavery Unionists identified with the Republican Party ; segregationist conservative Unionists identified with the Democratic Party ; and pro-slavery, ex-Confederate secessionists, many of whom were also allied with
12321-445: Was wounded in the shoulder as he fled through the back door of the bank. Meanwhile, the citizens of Northfield grew suspicious of the men guarding the door and raised the alarm. The five bandits outside fired into the air to clear the streets, driving the townspeople to take cover and fire back from protected positions. They shot two bandits dead and wounded the rest in the barrage. Inside, the outlaws turned to flee. As they left, one shot
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