The site where Jesse James was killed

Historical Site St. Joseph, Missouri

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This is the site where American outlaw Jesse James was killed.

It is located at 1318 Lafayette Street in St. Joseph, Missouri.

This was the original location of James' rented home. The house has been moved twice since his death.

In 1939, the structure was relocated to the Belt Highway.

Then, in 1977, it was moved to its current location, which is on the grounds of the nearby Patee House.

These days, the empty lot on Lafayette Street has a memorial stone that reads:

"Jesse James Hill: Outlaw Jesse James was killed here on April 3, 1882, by Bob Ford. The house is now on the grounds of the Patee House museum, two blocks south. This hill has been lowered more than 50 feet."

Outlaw

James and his brother, Frank, were the leaders of the James-Younger Gang, which carried out a series of bank and stagecoach robberies between 1861 and 1876.

By 1881, the gang had effectively dissolved, as most of its members were either dead or in prison. Furthermore, Frank had decided to retire from his life of crime and move eastward to Virginia.

In 1882, James was hiding out at this address with his family. He had moved into the rented property on December 24, 1881, under the alias Thomas Howard.

Two brothers named Charley and Robert "Bob" Ford also lived at the residence, as James had asked them for protection.

House — A digitally enhanced photograph of the house.

James' trust in the Ford brothers proved to be his downfall, as Bob soon realized that he could kill the outlaw and claim the $10,000 bounty on his head.

During a secret meeting, the Governor of Missouri, Thomas Crittenden, reportedly promised Bob a full pardon and a bounty reward if he killed the notorious fugitive.

Death

On the morning of April 3, 1882, James picked up a newspaper and saw that a friend of the Ford brothers had confessed to killing Wood Hite.

Hite was James' cousin and a fellow outlaw. Five months earlier, he had been shot dead during a heated argument about a love interest and then buried in an unmarked grave.

The Ford brothers said that James immediately became suspicious when he read the newspaper article about Hite's death.

Not only had one of their friends killed his cousin, but they had also failed to inform him about the incident.

This illustration appeared in the Pittsburg Smelter newspaper on April 15, 1882. The article described it as a 1.5-story building that sat on top of a hill near the World's Hotel (Patee House). Such was its elevation that it "commanded a view of the approaches for a long distance."

Later that morning, James put his pistols down, stood on a chair, and attempted to straighten a picture on the wall.

Sensing it might be his last opportunity to strike, Bob pulled out his pistol and shot the wanted fugitive in the back of the head, just behind the ear.

The murder sparked a media frenzy, and crowds soon flocked to the street to catch a glimpse of James' body.

The Ford brothers, who were expecting to receive a hefty reward, quickly surrendered themselves to the authorities.

However, they were shocked to find out that they were being charged with murder.

Fortunately for them, Crittenden kept his word, as he pardoned the men just two hours after a judge had sentenced them to hang for the crime. Although the brothers avoided the gallows, they only received a small portion of the reward.

Afterward, they joined a touring stage show that reenacted the shooting for audiences.

Following James' death, his family faced financial ruin and was forced to auction off their belongings.