The Jesse James Historical Site In Iowa Holds A Long Forgotten Secret Of The Wild West

In July 1873, the Jesse James gang learned about a huge shipment of gold that would be coming through the Hawkeye State on its way from Cheyenne, Wyoming. The cargo was worth $75,000 - a tremendous sum in the late 1800s. The gang scouted out an isolated place and planned their heist.

The gang sent out bandits to keep watch and track down the train, while Jesse and a few associates pulled out railroad spikes, loosed a rail, and tied a long rope to the rail back to their hideout on the hill. When the trail approached, they yanked the loose rail, and derailed the engine and cars. The Engineer and Foreman were killed, and several passengers were injured in the crash. The gang leapt in to action to steal the gold - but the cargo cars were empty.

The shipment of gold had been delayed, but the gang made out with more than $3,000 in cash from robbing the passengers and the train's coffers.

The Governor of Missouri offered up a $10,000 bounty on James' head, but it took more than a decade until the legendary bandit met his fate at the hands of a fellow fugitive.