THE DALTON GANG'S LAST RAID

⭐ SHOW NOTES — The Dalton Gang’s Last Raid

1001 Stories From the Old West

On the morning of October 5th, 1892, the Dalton Gang rode into Coffeyville, Kansas with a plan no outlaw had ever dared attempt: rob two banks at the same time. Bob Dalton wanted to outdo Jesse James, to make history, and to prove that the Daltons were the most daring gang in the West. Instead, Coffeyville became the place where the Dalton Gang met its end.

The gang — Bob Dalton, Grat Dalton, Emmett Dalton, Dick Broadwell, and Bill Power — tied their horses in an alley behind the banks and walked into town wearing long coats to hide their rifles. But Coffeyville wasn’t asleep. A hardware store clerk recognized them immediately, and within minutes the townspeople armed themselves with Winchesters and took up defensive positions.

The Daltons split up:

• Bob, Emmett, and Power entered First National Bank

• Grat and Broadwell entered C.M. Condon Bank

Inside both banks, the cashiers stalled for time — and outside, Coffeyville prepared for a fight. When the gang stepped back into the street, a fierce gun battle erupted, with citizens firing from behind wagons, barrels, and doorways. In less than fifteen minutes, the raid turned into one of the bloodiest shootouts in frontier history.

Bill Power, Grat Dalton, and Bob Dalton were killed in the street. Dick Broadwell escaped town but died on the trail. Emmett Dalton, shot 23 times, survived — the only gang member to do so.

The bodies of the three dead outlaws were placed in coffins and displayed outside a Coffeyville storefront, a stark reminder of how quickly outlaw fame could turn to dust. That famous photograph — now in the public domain — remains one of the most iconic images of frontier justice.

Coffeyville paid a heavy price: four citizens died defending their town, including the marshal. But the Dalton Gang was finished, and their last raid became a defining moment in Old West history — a story of courage, community, and the end of an outlaw era.