Dalton Defenders Day

Coffeyville has Dalton Defenders Day the first weekend of October each year. It is in memory of October 5, 1892, when the Dalton gang came to Coffeyville to rob two banks at the same time. The townspeople defended themselves and a gunfight took place. Four gang members and four citizens lay dead at the end.

Alot of the gunfight took place in front of Isham's Hardware store. It was built in 1890 and is STILL standing. On the side of the building is a huge mural of the town with historic points of interest shown. There are "markers" in the ground all over downtown showing where each person died, where one of the bank stood, etc. One of the banks is still standing and has been beautifully renovated.

On Defenders' Day (held October 3rd this year) there is a reenactment of the gunfight held in the downtown plaza. The townspeople dress up in period clothes and walk around town. They hire a professional gunslinger company who provide actors for realism, and along with some townspeople, there is a very, very loud shoot-out reenactment, complete with a narrator. It was very enjoyable!!!

Along with the reenactment there were several booths on the street with folks in period clothing selling homemade soap, a man making brooms, a couple carding and spinning alpaca fleece, etc. Here are some photos of the event.