J. Frank Dalton

J. Frank Dalton

John Frank Dalton (March 8, 1848 – August 15, 1951) was a man who, in the last few years (1948-1951) of his long life, publicly claimed to be the famous outlaw Jesse James. Contrary to his claim, most historians believe that Dalton was merely a Jesse James imposter, and that the real Jesse James was killed by Robert "Bob" Ford on April 3, 1882, in Jesse's home at 1318 Lafayette Street in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Dalton was allegedly 100 years old at the time of his first public appearance as Jesse James - at Lawton, Oklahoma in April-May, 1948. Like the real Jesse James, Dalton apparently had been a pro-Confederate guerrilla in Missouri during the Civil War. However, Dalton's account of himself as Jesse James did not hold up under questioning from Jesse James' surviving relatives.

Nevertheless, several people of note, such as journalist/novelist Robert Ruark, were convinced that J. Frank Dalton actually was the famous outlaw Jesse Woodson James. To many peoples' surprise, Dalton did appear to have many of the unique body marks/body features which the real Jesse James was rumored to have. These body features included: seven bullet wounds, a rope burn around his neck, a collapsed lung, a damaged fingertip, and severly burned feet.

On September 5, 1949, Rudi Turilli and Lester B. Dill (the general manager and owner, respectively, of Meramec Caverns, near Stanton, Missouri) hosted a reunion at Meramec Caverns for Dalton and his last-remaining old-time friends, in celebration of Dalton's/Jesse James' supposed 102nd birthday.

J. Frank Dalton died on August 15, 1951, in Granbury, Texas, and his death certificate was recorded with the name of the man he fraudulently claimed to be. His gravestone in Granbury Cemetery also has that fraudulent identity recorded on it.