Jul 16, 2011 - Garretson, SD

We met up with Gary and Cheryl and they took us on a drive around Garretson, SD near where they live. Jesse James robbed a bank near here and escaped to nearby Devil's Gulch. The gulch is about twenty feet over a chasm that spans a river. The drop is about 40 feet. Supposedly, Jesse James and the horse he was riding jumped over that gulch. In a nearby Split Rock city park, I caught a glimpse of a Norwegian Cruise Ship. Well, actually it was a pontoon boat. Someone has a good sense of humor. There are a lot of Swedes and Norwegians in this...

Jul 1, 2008 - Devils Gulch South Dakota

Today we took a trip to Garretson, South Dakota home of Devils Gulch. A little history lesson.... In 1876 Jesse James and his gang robbed a bank in Northfield, Minnesota. Two of the outlaws were killed and two of them wounded. His brother Frank was one of the wounded and they headed out toward the Dakota Territory to try to elude the posse from Northfield. Just north of Garretson, they split up trying to outrun the posse, Frank went west of the Split Rock River and Jesse rode on the east side not knowing Devil's Gulch was ahead. It is said...

Sep 11, 2007 - Just Like Jesse James........

The following URL is a nice website for the town of Garretson with good pics of Devil's Gulch: http://www.garretsonsd.com/index.php?option=com_gallery2&Itemid=39 "This is the spot where Jesse James jumped the Split Rock River with his horse to escape from a posse that was pursuing him after the failed attempt to rob the bank in Northfield, Minnesota. Jesse, and his brother, Frank, were the only gang members to escape after this botched robbery attempt." Granny thought it would be nice to take a short drive over to Devil's Gulch before we...

Jul 12, 2005 - Split Rock Park and Devil's Gulch Garretson SD

We took a few days to visit Split Rock Park in Garretson SD. Split Rock Park is known for Devil's Gulch where legend has it that Jesse James jumped the Gulch to evade capture by a posse that was pursuing him. We enjoyed a morning and afternoon hiking the park, visiting Devil's Gulch, the waterfall and walking around the town Garretson. A dam that was built in the early 1930 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) created the park’s waterfall. Devil's Gulch now has a footbridge that spans the Gulch. The town of Garretson itself is a...