Archive for the ‘Bonnie and Clyde Days’ tag

Missouri town marks the day that Bonnie and Clyde passed through

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As Hemmings Nation member, former Playboy editor and Depression Era outlawry researcher Bill Helmer has put it, “Crime does not pay. But it can be a shortcut to immortality.” As evidence, we present the citizens of Reeds Spring, Missouri, a short hop from Branson, which presents an annual gathering to mark the perseverance of past generations during the Depression. It’s being held next month, and it’s called Bonnie and Clyde Days.

The significance dates back to early 1934, when the hardscrabble Texas bandits stole a car in Springfield, Missouri, then shot it out with law officers in Reeds Spring after they were spotted. They escaped after kidnapping a local man and forcing him to direct them south into Arkansas. Bonnie and Clyde were pathological killers, responsible for the murders of at least nine policemen, and were already on borrowed time. They dodged fate until that May, when they were shot to death outside Gibsland, Louisiana, by a posse under the command of former Texas Ranger captain Frank Hamer. Their bullet-ripped 1934 Ford still exists, owned by a casino, a grim reminder of the Depression outlaw years.


The Bonnie and Clyde Days event is a combination of lurid local history and car enthusiasm. It starts out with a drive for pre-World War II cars down from Springfield, re-creating the duo’s dash into Reeds Spring. A car show will then follow in town. Reenactments of the shootout will be performed by the Public Enemies of 1934 acting troupe. Besides music and dance, attendees will hear an address by Buddy Barrow, Clyde’s nephew. Should be a blast, literally.

Reed Spring’s Bonnie and Clyde Days takes place October 4-5. For more information, visit BonnieandClydeDays.com.