C H A P T E R

Twenty-one

The man who robs a corner convenience

store is a thief. The man who robs

hundreds is a legend. And the man

who robs millions is a politician.

Alan Christoffersen’s diary

St. Joseph was founded in the early 1800s by a fur trader named Joseph Robidoux. In its heyday it was a thriving wilderness outpost—the last stop on the Missouri River, and gateway to the Wild West. It was also the end of the line for west-bound trains.

Today, St. Joseph has a population of over seventy-five thousand residents. The town has several claims to fame, among them that it was the headquarters and starting point for the legendary Pony Express, which sped mail west to those cities inaccessible by rail. It is also the town where the infamous outlaw Jesse James was shot and killed.

Entering St. Joseph, I was struck by the city’s beautiful architecture. I walked into the city through an industrial section, then up through suburbs until I reached an area of shopping malls and hotels. I checked into an ambitious hotel called the Stoney Creek Inn, a Western-themed family hotel.

That night I ate at a barbecue joint called the Rib Crib. After looking over the menu I asked my server what the difference was between St. Louis ribs and regular ribs. He replied, “St. Louis ribs have less meat and aren’t as good.”

“Then I’ll have the regular ribs,” I said, pretty certain he didn’t sell many St. Louis ribs. I ate until I was full, then walked a mile back to my hotel and crashed for the night.

The next morning I decided to see the town’s three advertised tourist sites, beginning with the Patee House Museum.

The Patee House was originally built as a 140-room luxury hotel and was, in its day, one of the best-known hotels in the West. It also served as the headquarters for the Pony Express. I was surprised to learn that for all its infamy, the Pony Express only lasted for eighteen months. Today the Patee House is considered one of the top ten Western museums in the country.

Less than a block away from the Patee House Museum was the home where Jesse James was killed. This wasn’t a coincidence. For commercial reasons, the home was lifted from its original site and moved to its current location.

The killing of Jesse James in 1882 made national news. James had been hiding out in St. Joseph under the alias Tom Howard, hoping to start a new life with his wife and two children as a law-abiding citizen. After such a notorious career, and with a lengthy list of enemies, James was understandably paranoid, so he hired two brothers to protect him, Charley and Robert Ford—family friends he believed he could trust.