Gad's Hill, Missouri

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Gad's Hill in Wayne County, Missouri is located between two towns in MissouriDes Arc and Piedmont. Named for the country home of Charles Dickens,[1] it was established in 1872 by George W. Creath.[2]

At its small train station on the St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railway Company line, the first train-robbery in the state occurred on January 31, 1874.[3] At 3:00 in the afternoon, the James-Younger gang boarded the train and proceeded to rob the passengers. While the exact amount was never certain, newspapers at the time estimated between $2,000 and $22,000 was stolen.[4] Now in Gad's Hill, a bar is opened there called the Jesse James Saloon.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Goodspeed Publishing (1888). History of Southeast Missouri. Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 460. ISBN 0-89308-431-X. 
  2. ^ The State Historical Society of Missouri, David W.. "How Missouri Streams, Counties and Towns Were Named", Missouri Historical Review (Vol. 13, No. 2), Eaton, January 1919. 
  3. ^ Conard (1901). Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri, Vol. 2. St. Louis: Southern History Company, 544. 
  4. ^ Beights, Ronald H.. "Jesse James and the Gads Hill Train Holdup", Wild West Magazine, TheHistoryNet.com, June 2005. Retrieved on 2006-03-27.