Four Men Posing With the Body of Jesse James in His Coffin in St. Joseph, Missouri, 1882

American outlaw Frank James (second from left) and others pose over the dead body of famed outlaw Jesse Jame, who was lying in his $500 casket at the Sidenfaden Funeral Parlor in St. Joseph, Missouri, on April 4, 1882, one day after his assassination. Jesse was shot by Bob Ford, a member of his own gang, after Missouri Governer Thomas T. Crittenden offered a reward for the capture of the James brothers, dead or alive.

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 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, 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 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 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 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.

Stereoscopic image of the body of Jesse James in his coffin.

Animated stereoview.

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 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 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 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.”

There had always been rumors that Jesse faked his death, but science eventually proved that the body in his grave was in fact Jesse based on DNA evidence. There is a display in the museum that details the exhumation of Jesse’s body in the summer of 1995.

Thousands of Unsold Ford Mavericks Being Stored in the SubTropolis Caves in the 1970s

In the early 1970s, Ford Motor Company produced the Maverick, a compact car marketed as an affordable and efficient vehicle. However, demand for the Maverick was not as high as Ford had anticipated, and they ended up with a surplus of unsold cars. To deal with this surplus, Ford decided to store thousands of unsold Mavericks in the SubTropolis caves located in Kansas City, Missouri.

Owned by real estate firm Hunt Midwest, SubTropolis is a man-made underground complex of limestone mines, covering over 55 million square feet, and home to many companies that use the caves for storage and other purposes.

Ford leased about 25 acres of the cave complex, which was ideal for storing cars because the caves are naturally air-conditioned with temperatures between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. The cars were kept in the caves until they could be sold, which would have taken several years.

“Ford at one time used to store its Mavericks here,” said Ora Reynolds, president and CEO of Hunt Midwest. “The constant temperature and humidity [it’s 68 to 72 degrees year-round] are ideal for storing stamps and other products.”

The storage of Mavericks in the caves of SubTropolis has become something of a legend in the automotive world, with many car enthusiasts and historians fascinated by the thought of thousands of cars lying unsold underground for years.

Today, the SubTropolis complex is still in use, and although the Mavericks are no longer stored there, the story of their time underground remains a unique piece of automotive history.

(via COCKPIT)

Mississippi River Frozen Solid, February 1905

A woman standing on the Mississippi River beneath the Eads Bridge at St. Louis, Missouri in 1905. Dozens of people can be seen standing behind her, walking across the frozen river.

When the Mississippi River freezes over, it’s called an “ice gorge.” The river froze completely in St. Louis at least 10 times between 1831 and 1938, before the completion of the Alton Lock and Dam.

In 1936, the Mississippi River Was Frozen Allowing Individuals to Walk Across the River to Illinois

In February 1936, the Midwest suffered from extreme cold with temperatures falling below -10 degrees. The bitter cold was felt throughout the State but St. Louis was hit the hardest. A few consecutive days of biting temperature led to an ice floe in Mississippi River. It marked one of the hardest days for residents as coal supplies lessened and transportation was greatly affected. Trains inched their way to the Union Station enveloped with chilling snow. Homeless vagrants were also seen in doorways throughout the downtown area frozen in ice.

Though this was not the first recorded instance the Mississippi River froze, it was one that was worth remembering. City Engineers warned the general population never to cross the rivers on foot, but some daring people did not heed the warning. People boldly defied the warning by scrambling to cross the river on Feb. 7. They crossed from Gasconade St., south of St. Louis, all the way to the other end. Several days later, a group of people also crossed from the Municipal Bridge located downtown. Although ice sheets held strong, temporary breaks would happen because of water level changes. The river was able to hold the pressure for almost three weeks until it started to give away. The first victim to fall into the cold river was a dog who was lassoed out of the freezing water.

This has not been the first recorded instance the Mississippi River froze. Several accounts have been recorded and 1936 froze over is the third coldest recorded. The St. Louis area has been hit for at least 10 times during the years 1891 up until 1938. Only after the Alton Lock and Dam were built did ice formation from upper Mississippi to the Illinois River flow stopping the Mississippi River from experiencing another froze over.

Three men prepare to walk across the river from the foot of Gasconade Street in south St. Louis on Feb. 7, 1936, after a massive ice jam covered the river. They managed to get across.

People walking across the frozen Mississippi River from East St. Louis to St. Louis on Feb. 12, 1936. The Municipal (later MacArthur) Bridge piers are in the background.

Three women standing on the frozen Mississippi River on Feb. 15, 1936.

R. D. Schmickle of the U.S. Geological Survey prepares to operate a device that measures the speed of the Mississippi’s current on Feb. 22, 1936. He is lowering the torpedo-shaped instrument into a hole cut into the river ice atop the middle of the channel.

U.S. Geological Survey engineers measure current over the channel on Feb. 22, 1936, near the foot of Davis Street, in Carondelet.

A man examines some of the chunks of ice along the St. Louis riverfront on Feb. 26, 1936, after the ice jam across the Mississippi river began breaking up.

The breakup of the ice jam on Feb. 26, 1936, mangled the Missouri Pacific Railroad approach to a ferry landing at the foot of Davis Street, in Carondelet. The ferry ran to East Carondelet, Ill.

40 Fascinating and Candid Photographs Reveal How Halloween Was Celebrated in 1970s America

The photographs were all taken at yearly parties in Kennett, Missouri, and the outfits range from the surprisingly innocent to costumes most would consider highly inappropriate.

But the owner of the collection, Steve Mays, who attended all the parties and collated the pictures online, told Mail Online that they were worn more out of stupidity and a love of horror movies than a desire to express racial hatred.

He said: “We were young and stupid and pretty self-absorbed. More concerned with having a winner costume than racial sensitivity. Our little town was in southern Missouri and literally segregated until the mid-60s and culturally segregated for long after.

“Many of us remember these as the best parties we ever attended or hosted. We took a lot of photos, but the cameras were often cheap and the photographers were almost always drunk. So many parties, so many pictures, so many beers.”

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Picturing 1930s St. Louis: An Introduction

St. Louis is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers, on the western bank of the latter. It is the largest metropolitan area in Missouri, the second-largest in Illinois, the seventh-largest in the Great Lakes Megalopolis, and the 22nd-largest in the United States.

A “Gamma” global city, St. Louis has a diverse economy with strengths in the service, manufacturing, trade, transportation, and tourism industries. It is home to nine of the ten Fortune 500 companies based in Missouri.

Major research universities include Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis. The Washington University Medical Center in the Central West End neighborhood hosts an agglomeration of medical and pharmaceutical institutions, including Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Among the city’s notable sights is the 630-foot (192 m) Gateway Arch in the downtown area. St. Louis is also home to the St. Louis Zoo and the Missouri Botanical Garden, which has the second-largest herbarium in North America.

These amazing photos from Missouri Historical Society will give you a glimpse into St. Louis in 1931.

"Then and now” photo of two Oldsmobile cars. The vintage 1897 model Oldsmobile is parked next to a new 1931 Oldsmobile. Photo by Ed Meyer, June 1931

A speaker addresses the crowd at the dedication of the new Castle Point subdivision at the corner of Halls Ferry and Chambers roads in north St. Louis County. Photo by Isaac Sievers, June 1931

Banquet held at the Forest Park Hotel for the nurses of St. John’s Hospital. Photo by Isaac Sievers, May 1931

Boat-shaped car used by Anheuser-Busch to promote the brand. Photo by Sievers Studio, May 1931

Dodge half-ton truck decorated with signs complaining about its poor quality. Photo by Isaac Sievers, May 1931

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St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 Through Amazing Photos

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World’s Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds totaling $15 million were used to finance the event.

St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904

More than 60 countries and 43 of the then-45 American states maintained exhibition spaces at the fair, which was attended by nearly 19.7 million people.

Historians generally emphasize the prominence of themes of race and empire, and the fair’s long-lasting impact on intellectuals in the fields of history, art history, architecture and anthropology. From the point of view of the memory of the average person who attended the fair, it primarily promoted entertainment, consumer goods and popular culture.

Here below is a set of amazing photos that show the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904.

Carpenters at work on the Palace of Varied Industries during construction for the 1904 World's Fair, 1902

Dome and section of the roof truss for the Palace of Varied Industries building during construction for the 1904 World's Fair, 1902

Workers building the Palace of Education for the 1904 World's Fair, 1902

Workers hoisting the first piece of staff onto the Palace of Varied Industries for the 1904 World's Fair, 1902

Workers making window sashes for the Palace of Varied Industries during the construction phase for the 1904 World's Fair, 1902-03

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25 Amazing Color Photos of St. Louis, Missouri in the Late 1940s and Early ’50s

St. Louis is the second-largest city in Missouri, and sits on the western bank of the Mississippi River, which forms the state line between Illinois and Missouri. The Missouri River merges with the Mississippi River 15 river miles north of Downtown St. Louis, forming the fourth-longest river system in the world.

Street scenes of St. Louis, Missouri from 1949 to 1951

Greater St. Louis is the largest metropolitan area in Missouri, second-largest in Illinois, seventh-largest in the Great Lakes Megalopolis, and the 22nd-largest in the United States.

Major research universities include Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis. The Washington University Medical Center in the Central West End neighborhood hosts an agglomeration of medical and pharmaceutical institutions, including Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Among the city's notable sights is the 630-foot (192 m) Gateway Arch in the downtown area. St. Louis is also home to the St. Louis Zoo, and the Missouri Botanical Garden, with the second-largest herbarium in North America.

These amazing color photos were taken by photographer Erwin Louis Ocker that show street scenes of St. Louis from 1949 to 1951.

Forest Park, Jewell Box, 1949

Forest Park, Lindell & Kingshighway Blvd., 1949

Forest Park, Shelter House & Gardens, 1949

Forest Park, Shelter House & Gardens, 1949

Fox Theatre and the Continental Life Building, Grand & Washington Avenue looking West. “Look for the Silver Lining” is playing at the Fox, 1949

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Amazing Color Photos Document Memories From Parks College, St. Louis in 1969

Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology is a college within Saint Louis University.

Founded by Oliver Parks in 1927. Parks Air College was America's first federally certified school of aviation, holding the FAA Air Agency Certificate no. 1. Oliver Parks bought 100 acres in East St. Louis in 1928, and built five buildings the same year. By 1929 Parks operated 35 TravelAir trainers with an enrollment of 600 students.

Now known as Parks College of Engineering, Aviation, and Technology, it is a modern, growing, active part of the university.

These amazing photos from Saint Louis University Libraries Digitization Center that documented various activities of faculty, staff, and students engaged in study, classroom activities and recreation in 1969.

Walking to class

Welcome National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA)

Academy bugler

Aerolab 4-inch supersonic tunnel

Aerospace Engineering Directory

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Beautiful Kodachrome Slides That Show Kansas City in the Early 1960s

Kansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the 37th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central city of the Kansas City metropolitan area, which straddles the Kansas–Missouri state line.

Sitting on Missouri's western boundary, with Downtown near the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers, the modern city encompasses some 319.03 square miles (826.3 km2), making it the 23rd largest city by total area in the United States.

The city is composed of several neighborhoods, including the River Market District in the north, the 18th and Vine District in the east, and the Country Club Plaza in the south. Kansas City is known for its long tradition of jazz music and culture, for its cuisine (including its distinctive style of barbecue), and its craft breweries.

These beautiful kodachromes were taken by stevel504 that show Kansas City in the 1960s.

Richards Gebaur Air Force Base Kansas City showing Douglas C-124C Globemaster II Aircraft and some neat vintage cars, July 1961

Linda Hall Library on the campus of the University of Kansas City, July 1961

Paseo High School from Volker Blvd and The Paseo, Kansas City, July 1961

Richards Gebaur Air Force Base Kansas City showing Douglas C-124C Globemaster II Aircraft, July 1961

Kansas City skyline, June 1963

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Missouri in the Earliest Photography: 24 Rare Vintage Photos That Capture Everyday Life in St. Louis From 1848-70

Thomas Easterly (1809–1882), a native of Vermont, was an itinerant photographer in Iowa and the upper Midwest until 1848 when he settled in St. Louis. He operated a daguerreotype studio in the city until the 1870s.

Thomas photographed mostly portrait, but street and urban photography were parts in his work. Here are some rare photographs capturing everyday life in St. Louis from 1848 to 1870 by Thomas Easterly.

Canton Tea Company and Union Fire Company, 1848

Chouteau's Pond, 1851

Chouteau's Pond, ca. 1854

Chouteau's Pond, view south from 8th and Clark Streets, 1850

Cracker Castle, ca. 1866

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