The Legend of Jesse James

**The Legend of Jesse James** is the 4th episode of Season 1 of Expedition Unknown.

## Plot Synopsis

Gates' searches across the American Midwest for outlaw Jesse James' "gold loot", which he and his gang stole from guards in Mexico. He walks a mile in James's boots, following his trail from his farm in Kearney, Missouri, to Robbers Cave, where he rappels off a cliff to find this hidden treasure, then to Cement, Oklahoma, to join up with a team using high-tech equipment.

## Historical Context

"It's 1875, Jesse James and his gang are riding south of the border, where they ambush a detail of Mexican guardsmen transporting 18 burros saddled with millions of dollar's worth of gold bullion. They lead the mules over the Rio Grande and into Texas and the lawless territory beyond. But when they finally reach the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma, a fierce, winter blizzard stops them in their tracks. James decides to bury the stolen treasure and then leave two clues to help him return to the site. First, he nails a burro shoe to a nearby cottonwood tree. Then, he unloads six rounds from his revolver into a second tree. In seven years, James will be assassinated by a member of his own gang. The gold unclaimed - its location lost to history."

- Josh Gates

## Summary

Josh starts his journey in Kansas City, Missouri and from there goes to Kearney, Missouri where Jesse James was born. He meets Mark Lee Gardner, a historian, at James' childhood home. Mark gives Josh a background on what shaped Jesse's life. From the homestead, he goes to a shooting range where he meets with old west gun experts. There Josh shoots six shots from a 19th century Schofield into an old tree stump to see if the bullet marks are clear enough. They agree that the bullet leaves a small entry hole but not enough to be seen after a hundred years.

Josh heads to Springfield, Missouri to meet with a horse wrangler named Cowboy. They pack two mules with a couple of packs to see how fast James and his gang could've travelled, given that the legend states they travelled 700 miles in three months. After crossing a river and even losing a mule, they decide that math works out and the legend is still viable.

From Springfield, Josh goes down Route 66 to Robbers Cave State Park in Oklahoma. He meets with Bud Hardcastle, a treasure hunter, They traverse through the park to the cave. Bud believes that James brought some money to Robbers Cave based on an audiotape from the 60s. To find the treasure, Bud uses a dowsing rod and looks for symbols and they find cross, arrow, and horseshoe carvings in a rock. They travel the way an arrow points and Josh rappels down a cliff in the rain. He finds a small cave but no treasure.

From Robbers Cave he goes to Cement, Oklahoma and the Jesse James museum. There he reads the brass bucket (it contained gold coins and was found in the 30s) contract which includes brief clues to where the treasure is buried. Most people believe that the contract leads to Buzzards Roost which is outside of Cement. However, Josh meets with a treasure hunter named Jamie Dodson who disagrees with this. Jamie got access to an unexplored piece of land near Buzzards Roost where Frank James (Jesses' brother) found $6000 of coins. Jamie also has access to the copper map which they show to Josh but not to the cameras. The only notable thing they find is a hundred-year-old bar of Lyman lead, which bullet casings are made from.

## Final Words

"As for Jesse James, beneath the myth is a man, and perhaps not a very decent one at that. Though it's easy to say he was a product of his time, his tendencies for brutal violence can't be overlooked. But the air of mystery surrounding him is undeniable. I think Jesse's fame endures because we see in him only what we want to see - a thirst for adventure, a longing for unfettered freedom, a desire to write our own destiny."

- Josh Gates

## Notes & Trivia

* Though it wasn't featured in the episode, Josh got the opportunity to visit a Comanche reservation.

## Quotes

* "For the next hour, I'm just gonna sit here and eat this plate of ribs. That's the whole show."
* "Google wasn't much help with how fast mules with stolen Mexican gold travel."

## Gallery

Photos shown in the slideshow are from Travel Channel's Legend of Jesse James slideshow. If you hover over the images, their exact image address will appear.

* Josh and Jamie Dodson search for treasure near Buzzards RoostGo to https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/01/06ET/expedition-unknown-jesse-james/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-jesse-james-002-buzzards-roost-oklahoma.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1491580998416.jpeg
* Robbers Cave State ParkGo to https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/01/06ET/expedition-unknown-jesse-james/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-jesse-james-007-robbers-cave-national-park.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1491580998520.jpeg
* A horseshoe carving that Bud and Josh find at Robbers CaveGo to https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/01/06ET/expedition-unknown-jesse-james/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-jesse-james-006-robbers-cave-state-park.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1491580998495.jpeg
* Josh and cowboy re-enactors at The James Gang shooting rangeGo to https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/01/06ET/expedition-unknown-jesse-james/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-jesse-james-010-gun-myth.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1491580998582.jpeg
* Josh talks with a tribal leader, Samuel E.D Vinney, at the Comanche reservationGo to https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/01/06ET/expedition-unknown-jesse-james/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-jesse-james-011-comanche-tribe.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1491580998605.jpeg
* A drum circle at the Comanche reservationGo to https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/01/06ET/expedition-unknown-jesse-james/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-jesse-james-012-comanche-tribe.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1491580998626.jpeg
1/6
## References

1. ↑ https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/01/06ET/expedition-unknown-jesse-james/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-jesse-james-008-springfield-missouri.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1491580998539.jpeg