North Out of Dexter on the Dexfield Road Part 4

DEXFIELD ROAD NORTH TO REDFIELD
DEXFIELD ROAD SOUTH TO DEXTER

A few miles north of Dexter is the sight of the 1948 WHO Radio National Plowing Match. The marker tells the story of the Contour Plowing Competition and President Truman's September 18th Whistle Stop Campaign Speech. This speech was considered the turning point in Truman's Campaign. Over 100,000 people were in attendance on that historic day. President Truman estimated the crowd to be about 100,000, using his own "10,000-farmers-per-acre rule."


Keep heading north and there are two more markers indicating the Bonnie & Clyde Shootout Site and Dexfield Park where the infamous Barrow Gang fought against the local posse in 1933.

BARROW GANG CAPTURED AT DEXFIELD PARK (Marker citation)
The abandoned Dexfield Park served as a hideout for the Barrow gang July 20-24,1933. They picked a location for their camp on the high ground south of the park, tucked away in the underbrush it is here they could tend to their wounds from a previous gun battle near Platte City, Missouri. The car was filled with bullet holes and a different car was needed.. Early on Sunday morning Clyde Barrow and W.D. Jones drove northeast to Perry and stole a car belonging to Edward Stoner. Clyde feared his brother Marvin “Buck” was near death and sensed it was time to make plans to leave for Texas.

A local farmer, Henry Nye, discovered the campsite by chance. Bloody clothing, seat cushions and mats were burning in the campfire and on the ground nearby were bloody bandages. Word spread quickly that the notorious gang was camped outside of town. John Love, Dexter night marshall, notified Dallas County Sheriff C.A. Knee in Adel. Upon this description and investigation the law officers were convinced it was the notorious Barrow brothers and the gang. On July 24, about 6:00 a.m. a posse composed of state agents, county officers and local law enforcement attempted to capture the Barrow gang. The road and bridge were guarded in an effort to block an escape. The officers walked in on the gang from the west in an effort to surprise them. The shooting began. The bandits took refuse behind their car and opened fire with pistols and automatic rifles. Clyde attempted to drive one of the cars out of the park away from the lawmen, but was met by gunfire again. He was hit in the shoulder and lost control of the car, running over a stump where the car could not be pryed loose. Clyde got everyone out and headed for the other car, but it was no use. The posse shot out all the windows and tires and ruined the engine. The only thing left was to run and hide. W.D. Jones, or Jack Sherman, as he was also known, was stunned again by a glancing shot. Bonnie Park took shotgun pellets to the midsection and “Buck” was hit again. Leaving “Buck” and his wife Blanche behind, Clyde, Bonnie and W.D. Jones waded the South Raccoon River at the east end of the par, east of Spiller’s Cemetery and appeared at the Vallie Feller farm. Vallie, his son Marvelle and a hired man, Walt Spillers, were doing the chores. At gunpoint Clyde forced Vallie and Marvell to get their 1929 Plymouth ready to go, then ordered the Fellers’ to lift the badly wounded Bonnie into the car. They drove away from their farm and back on the current Dexfield Road heading north to make their getaway through Redfield. The Feller car was abandoned in Polk City, Iowa, bloodstained and with a shattered windshield.

A national Guardsman, Dr. Keller and James Young of Dexter came upon “Buck” and Blanche hiding out behind a fallen tree. This well know picture shows Blanche struggling with police officer John Forbes and Ford Knapp as “Buck” lays seriously wounded on the ground, tended by Virgil Musselman in the undershirt and bib overalls. Dexter cafe owner, Harold Myers is crouching down to the left holding the towel. Dr. Keller, in he fedora, is sanding in the front of the car which was brought up to take the prisoners away. Harley Pearce, Des Moines patrolman, took “Buck” and Blanche to Dexter for treatment at the Dr’s. Chapler-Osborn Clinic. An ambulance was called from Perry, 30 miles away, where “Buck” was taken to the Kings Daughters Hospital where he later died. Blanche was treated and taken into custody, first to Adel and then to Des Moines, where she was booked and fingerprinted. She was sent to Jefferson City, Missouri to stand trial for her crimes.

The only injury to the posse was a slight head wound sustained by Deputy Sheriff C.C. “Rags” Riley.

This location was the beginning of the end of the crime sprees for the Barrow gang. On April 16, 1934, they returned to the Stuart area and robbed the First National Bank. History was made on May 23, 1934, when Bonnie and Clyde were gunned down near Gibsland, Louisiana by Texas and Louisiana police officers, bringing to an end the most notorious desperadoes’ crimes in the Depression years.

W.D. Jones and Blanche barrow served time in prison and were later released.
Historical photo


BEAUTIFUL DEXFIELD PARK (Marker citation)
Between Dexter and Redfield on Rock Island and Milwaukee RR
Connecting link between River to River and White Pole Auto Roads

”Dexfield Park opened in 1915 as was probably the most famous entertainment park in the State of Iowa. It was located between Dexter and Redfield on the south side of the Raccoon River. Everything was dirt roads then and when it was muddy the big hill south of the park was impossible for travel with a car. They were open every Sunday and people came from mils around, including Des Moines. Quite often there would be over 4,000 people there.

The park had a large cement swimming pool fed by the nearb y “Marshall Springs”. There was a long line of drinking fountains on the south side of the pool. The spring water was said to have healing qualities for arthritis sufferers. On the north side of the pool there was a large bath house that rented out swimming suits and towels. West of the pool there was a large open-air dance hall where they held dances on Sundays and also during the week. Many good orchestras played there. You entered the park from the west. There was a long lane and a box office where you paid $2.00 for each one to enter. On the south side of the pool there was a pavilion with a cement floor and a restaurant at the east end and the west end where pop, ice cream, sandwiches, etc. were sold.

My father. Charles Coulter worked at one of these, so our family drove a team and a hack and spent every Sunday at the park. I would have 5 cents to spend and on the 4th of July, I would have 25 cents. Of course, the rides, ice cream, pop, etc., were only 5 cents each then. I spent most of my time at the merry-go-round. Boggess, the man who ran it, would let me ride free as their family always rode out with use in the hack and we always took a basket dinner. On the hillside south of the pavilion, there was a large movie screen, where they showed free movies every Sunday night. Up on the hillside beyond that there was a free camping ground and many people had tents and vacationed there. There was also a ferris wheel, a shooting gallery, and many stands where you threw balls and got prizes for knocking over different things. On the northeast corner there was a bridge and a bayou where you could rent canoes. There was a small zoo with quite a few animals nearby. Up a steep hill on the east side there was a big skating rink where you could rent skates and listen to calliope music.

When I was in school we always went out there for all of our parties. There were also different form of free entertainment and side shows. During my school years, Dexfield was my main source3 of entertainment. The swimming pool was open during the week, so it was used a lot. The main part of Dexfield was covered with sand, so it did not get muddy. When I was in high school, five of us girls camped out there for a week. We had an older lady with us as a chaperone. She would take us on field trips in the surrounding woods and tell us about different plant life and trees. There was no plumbing there so it had outdoor toilets on the hillside. They were filthy, smelled bad and no toilet paper of any kind. With so many people using them, you can imagine what they were like.

On the east side of the swimming pool there was a tall diving tower. On special days an expert swimmer and diver was hired to make dives from the top of the tower. It was quite dangerous. There were many picnic tables on the south hillside for people to use.

Later on the park was closed and this was the scene of the capture of part of the famous Barrow gang in July, 1933, when they tried to escape.

I wish Dexfield Park was still there – it was really quite a place.”
Leone Coulter Wells
Dexfield Park Company Incorporated 1915-1933

HISTORICAL PHOTOS


DEXFIELD PARK TODAY