Coffeyville, Kansas: Where the Dalton Gang Took a Dirt Nap

The Dalton Gang dead
in Coffeyville Ks

It was in Coffeyville, Kansas where the Dalton Gang was gunned down by the well-armed citizens of the town and shot 'em dead on October 5, 1892, after the outlaws were attempting to rob not one but two local banks. 

The town has since erected a self-guided walking tour that culminates with "Death Alley", the exact spot in which the showdown occurred.

The tour then continues on to where the corpses of the Dalton Gang are immortalized in a true-to-size mural on the sidewalk outside the C.M. Condon and Co. bank. In what can only be described as "black humor" there's a photo op there in which you can lie atop any of the gangsters and pretend to be dead.

It's sick, weird and ridiculously funny all at the same time. It reminds me of the line from "Harold and Maude" where Maude goes: "A lot of people enjoy being dead. But they are not dead, really. They're just backing away from life."