Bonnie and Clyde Shootout Site - Stringtown, OK
N 34° 27.742 W 096° 03.730
14S E 769866 N 3817341
The Stringtown Shootout took place on this site on August 5, 1932, involving the Barrow Gang versus local law enforcement. One lawman was killed, the other severely injured, while the gang survived and fled, to die another day.
Waymark Code: WMX4T4
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 11/26/2017
Views: 1
A 2007 Oklahoma Historical Marker here provides an overview of what happened:
Near this place on Aug. 5, 1932, Atoka County Sheriff C.G. Maxwell and Deputy Sheriff Eugene Moore were involved in a shoot-out with Clyde Barrow, Raymond Hamilton, and Everett Milligan. The incident occurred when the two lawmen tried to arrest the men at a dance in Stringtown. As the lawmen approached, the threesome opened fire, killing Moore instantly and severely wounding Maxwell.
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Jeff Guinn's "Go Down Together" has an entire chapter devoted to what happened here. Notable is that Bonnie Parker was not present, as she had been left behind with her mother in Dallas while Clyde Barrow, Raymond Hamilton, and Ross Dyer -- "Everett Milligan" was an alias he used -- went driving in a stolen car and found their way here, looking for some fun.
There was a building on this site at one point, only demolished in the last few years, and the dance that went on was in an open pavilion. When the Barrow Gang arrived, they immediately were out of place, their flashy suits in contrast to the overalls and worn clothing that the locals were wearing. Bootleg liquor was being passed around -- the local law enforcement was aware of it but tolerated it unless there was trouble -- and once the boys from Dallas, drinking from their own flasks, started mingling with the girls from Stringtown, the stage was set.
As angry boyfriends began to mutter oaths about what they were going to do to the strangers, Sheriff Charlie Maxwell and Deputy Eugene Moore decided that it was time to intervene, having no idea as to the response they would receive. They were unprepared, at best, as dealing with drunks and breaking up fights was about the most they saw in terms of excitement. Musician Duke Ellis indicated that when he hit the first chords of "Way Down Yonder", "hell broke loose, and I mean hell."
Maxwell and Moore approached the car where the Dallas boys were sitting, and he told them that they were under arrest. Clyde and Raymond Hamilton began shooting, and in the firefight, Maxwell was badly injured, and Moore was killed as the bad guys fled, without Dyer. It took some time for the law to catch up with Clyde Barrow and Raymond Hamilton, but Ross Dyer was picked up in McKinney, TX after mingling with the crowd in Stringtown and sneaking off.
Price of Admission: 0.00 (listed in local currency)
Roadside Attractions Website: [Web Link]
Location Website: [Web Link]
Weekday Hours: Not listed
Weekend Hours: Not listed
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