I have always heard that Jesse and Frank James hid out in the Indian Territory during their run from the law. Does anyone know when and where they hid out in the territory? I read an article once that they hid a stash of loot somewhere in southwest Oklahoma near Fort Sill that has never been found.

Well in 1933 a story came out that they had buried loot in caves east of Newkirk. Me, I don't think so. But In a book by Glen Shirley on Pawnee Bill. He tells a story of them and Bill in the cherokee Strip area. So who knows.

Terry Whitehead

Art,

The book "Treasure and Treasure Tales of Oklahoma" by Steve Wilson tells that story about James' loot buried in the Wichita Mountains area.

Frank James did live near Fletcher, Oklahoma in about 1912.

Dee Cordry
okhombre@ionet.net
Oklahombres.org webmaster

The Indian and Pioneerstories at the Oklahoma Historical Society are replete with tales of Jesse and Frank hiding out in the territory during the mid to late 1870's. Most say they worked for a freight outfit hauling supplies to Fort Sill. The most common route was from the Caddo depot on the Katy railroad along the government road from there to Cherokee Town on the Washita and on to Fort Sill. One story repeats the "widow story" used by most writers on the James boys. The same old timer names Grant Kimberlin, a rancher near present Pauls Valley as a friend of the James.

Yes Jesse and frank were all over the state of Okla.. I have had the good fortune to work with Jesses grandsons. Frank did live between Fletcher and Cyril just west of Hwy.19 near the county line sign.. I have been to the farm he bought there in about 1907.. I have been to the hole where he dug up the six thousand dollars that he used to buy the farm..Their mother died in 1911.. she was on her way back to Missouri from a visit at Franks farm. She died on a train just outside of okla. City.. Frank sold his farm in about 1914 and moved back to his old home place in Missouri.. He died there in 1915 ..Bud Hardcastle

I will add a little to the post I made last night..Tower spoke of Jesse knowing the Kimberlins who ranched near White Bead.. That family still lives on the Kimberlin ranch there.. Susie told me that they have a pistol at the ranch that belonged to Jesse Jesse James. We know that Dr. frank James removed a bullet from Jesse on the banks of the washita River near Old Cherokee Town.. Adriene Grimmett from Pauls Valley recently brought me a copy of Michael Towers new book" 911 was not an Option" Tales of Lawlessness Along The Middle Washita River.. I have lived in this area all my life, and also being a relative of U.S. Marshall John Swain, the history of this area intrigues me.. I would like to say that Towers book is great, and I would recommend it to everyone..Bud Hardcastle

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bud Hardcastle:
I would like to say that Towers book is great, and I would recommend it to everyone..Bud Hardcastle

---

I strongly second your recommendation. Mike has a gift for telling interesting stories and reporting salient events of the times. Here's one of my favorites. Anybody who reads the literature of the Old (and not so old) West cannot help but notice the many accounts of the bonds these people developed with their animal companions. Think cowboys and their horses. Sheepherders and their collies. Prospectors and their mules. Mike has a great story about cats, which were imported into the Middle Washita and put under the personal protection of Smith Paul himself, leading to generations of lazy felines lolling about the area. Great stuff.

--meursault

I live near Meers,Ok. While going through old photos with my mom we can across 4 pics of her sister(my aunt)and in the pics is an old man being loaded in an small high wing airplane...under the pics it says Jessie James being loaded in airplane...pics were taking near lawton in the 50s I think. The pics of the old man are not very clear...black and white photos...the old man with white beard and hair is on a stretcher..one photos says James with his bottle and you can see him through the window with what appairs to be a whiskie bottle. Does anyone know anything about someone saying to be Jesse James and being in Lawton around that time????

It seems that I remember that there was a man in the Lawton area in the '50's that claimed that he was Jesse James. It made the headlines for a little while, and then nothing more.
I don't remember the outcome of the claim. I don't think he was "the" Jesse James.
Carl

A good write up on the claim of J. Frank Dalton claiming to be the true Jesse James is found in Steve Wilson's "Oklahoma Treasure Tales." I don't know what to think of the man, but from what I've read, most are sceptical that he was the true Jesse. There is a photo of Dalton and "Brushy Bill" Roberts who claimed to be Billy the Kid at Dalton's supposed 100th[?] birthday party.

I just returned from a business trip to Lawton, Ok. I grew up there but moved to Austin, Tx in 1982. While visiting Medicine Park in the Wichita Wildlife Refuge, I stopped by the Old Plantation. While there I noticed a framed copy of a newspaper article from 1948 from the Lawton Constitution. The article told the story of how Jessie James faked his own death and then retired in Lawton, Ok where he lived out his life. It was reported as factual information. The man that Robert Ford killed was not Jessie James. Jessie and Frank convinced their mother to go down and identify the body as being Jessie's, which she did reluctantly. The story is that Jessie actually sang at his own funeral. I'm going to do more research on this. It was a very interesting article.

Info from the book: Shadow of the Sentinel

http://books.google.com/books?id=LIKtwULMP98C&pg=PA98&l...&ct=result#PPA100,M1

This message has been edited. Last edited by: BatMan Joe,

As I recall, the story was from one of those monthly magazines like "True West" or a lost treasure magazine.

It said that Frank James had rented a farm near Lawton and in or near the foothills of the Witchta Mountains and buried money there. Years later, some of the loot was said to be found on that land.

There's been plenty of info written on this man who gave his name as J. Frank Dalton and was in Lawton in the late 1940s being heralded and held out to be the true Jesse James. Comically, Brushy Bill Roberts, who claimed to be Billy the Kid, is seen in a photo of Dalton at his 100th[?] birthday.

There is a good amount of info in Steve Wilson's book about treasure hunting in Oklahoma which title escapes me at the moment.

It makes for a great story, but I don't think there is much there that can be substantiated.

Frank James lived on a farm near Fletcher, Oklahoma in the early 1900s and reportedly while living there was riding through the Wichitas looking for treasure the James boys reportedly buried in the 1860s/1870s. Cole Younger was also documented as having visited Lawton occasionally in the early 1900s.

The book Diron was referring to is Oklahoma Treasures and Treasure Tales, copyright 1976 by the University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. Chapter 6 deals with "Jesse Jame's Two-Million Dollar Treasure," J. Frank Dalton, Frank James' so-journ to Fletcher, and the multiple tales of buried treasure in Oklahoma attributed to the James boys. As to Oklahoma treasures in general, there is an old publication called "Sturm's Oklahoma Magazine." It was printed in the 1890's forward. One article debunks most of the treasure tales as being the same one with a different location: the buried Spanish ore. As to the James boys treasure, there is an article in the Daily Ardmorite dating to the mid 1890's naming Frank James as questioning locals regarding specific landmarks and speculation he was trying to find some hidden loot. Maybe there is a treasure; who knows?

Hey Mike

That article at Frank James questioning people around Ardmore is very interesting as the aforementioned book "Shadow of the Sentinel" addresses the possibility of a Confederal treasure secreted throughout the south and southwest by the Knights of the Golden Circle. One of the supposed cashes that was either uncovered or a map indicated its location around Addington, Oklahoma which I think is somewhere down near Ardmore/Duncan area.

Now that is interesting. Addington is about six miles north of Waurika.

I live on the property that Frank and Jesse visited on occasion. The story of them coming here and robbing the Miller-Greene store came from a freedman that was taped in an interview before he died. He tended horses here. Mr Kimberlin rode with Frank and Quantrill. When here, they had to sleep in the bunkhouse or barn or porch because of the women not being comfortable with them.

Hi Grant Sounds like an interesting story. Do you know why Frank and jesse visited the area? Where abouts do you live. I have land East of Meers,Ok on Medicine Creek. Cheers

Last night the History Channel had a very intersting and thought provoking segement on Jesse & Frank James.

A group of researchers located 3 sites in Kansas where it was believed that the James gang had stashed loot. They were "Mason Jar" banks not buried very deep. They found a lot of silver dollars dated 1880 on first dig, later in various locations, they uncovered jar lids, glass jars, Silver dollars and 10 & 20 dollar gold coins. Then, a gold bar was found at the base of an old tree.

The significience of these coins are the dates. The dates were from 1880 to 1892, long after Jesse was killed by Bob Ford.

To make a long story short (you can probably find the entire story online at History Channel)they found evidence (no concrete proof) but I would say very probable that Jesse James may have faked his death and went by the name J. M. James, b. 1840-47 in MO.

He has a grandson they interviewed and he was said to look very much like Frank. a photo was shown of this J. M. James and they compared his mug to that of young Jesse James. They used digital experts with fancy software programs which gave them a good match between this J. M. and Jesse. The team of ? possibly archologists or whatever were really looking for a big treasure. They were shut down by weather and the need for a better digger as they had gone about 20 or 30 feet deep and needed to go about 8-10 to what radar showed to be a 3' x 5' box full of glitter. "Indian Trinkets"? Hope not.

I checked the census for 1870 of Wilson Co., KS and find Jermiah M. James, born MO. In 1880 census reflects born KY. I know, Census were not very accurate. Later, I think 1900, listed as Jerry M. James.

I didn't check any further as I am busy working on other projects but it was very interesting.

I have reported all I know from watching part of the program so if your interest is in the James Gang maybe there is a transcript at History online.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Norm,

I live in Whitebead on what was the military freight road from caddo to fort sill. They came here to cool their heels I suppose. Mr. K was quite involved with Quantrill, as were his brothers. Hid daddy was hanged by jayhawkers in his barn.

quote:

Originally posted by benfbi:
Hi Grant Sounds like an interesting story. Do you know why Frank and jesse visited the area? Where abouts do you live. I have land East of Meers,Ok on Medicine Creek. Cheers