When the Daltons Rode

by Emmett Dalton, Kith Presland (Foreword)

The book also provides a peek into the outlaw's personal life. Dalton reminisces about his adolescence, recalls brief visits to his mother, and discusses his relationship with Julia Johnson-the woman who eventually became his wife. While he served time in prison, Dalton looked back on his crime-filled life and shared his reflections.

Genres: History

352 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2011

Reviews

[Jim Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had my hands on this book in original print many years ago but was unable to finish due to time constraints, but thanks to my wonderful daughter and curator I was able to finish it and I was not disappointed. This book tells us a story through the eyes of a cowboy, peace officer and outlaw of a time when the great Native American tribes were still somewhat intact and a man's word was his mark, whether it be good or bad. If you are interested in this time period I would certainly recommend this book.

[Michael Philliber · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wife and I stopped at the “Dalton Gang Hideout” in Meade, Kansas at the end of Fall 2019. After hearing the tales and touring the tunnel and house, we returned to the gift shop. And there was Emmet Dalton’s book, “When the Dalton’s Rode,” originally written in 1930 and republished in 2012. I thought to myself that this was an opportunity not to be passed by and purchased a copy. I was not disappointed! Apart from the Foreword by Kith Presland, the 313-page paperback was worth the time and enjoyable. Here is a piece of Oklahoma and Kansas history told by one who sat in the dusty saddle and travelled through the windblown prairies. It is a retailing, from the memory of one of the Dalton Gang, of history as it was recalled. Dalton does not glamorize “outlawry,” nor does he seem to bloat the episodes with balderdash. All in all, it is a volume worth diving into. It can be ready with pleasure by older and younger alike. I highly recommend the book.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting read!

The Dalton history told by an actual family member who as there. The story is great as his his eloquence in telling the story. An interesting piece of KS history.

[David Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard of 'When the Daltons Rode' as a child when I was given a comic book based on the story, which even included reproductions of several photos. It captured my imagination: this story straight out of Hollywood with train robberies, shootouts, and pursuits by posses all climaxing in a gun battle in which the gang is wiped out but for one of the brothers - who in later years goes to Hollywood and lives long enough to see the real world he lived in turned to legend, with John Wayne in 'Stagecoach', and showdowns on Main Street, and the good guys in white hats filling with lead the bad guys in black hats. This was all pretty amazing to my young mind.

It must feel lonely, being a living legend. Maybe also schizophrenic. What do you tell people when they ask you what it was really like?

Anyway, half a century later I still have the comic and even though I haven't read it for decades I still know the names of the gang and even of a couple of their victims in that last battle. That's how much it captured my imagination. So out of curiosity I bought the book.

It's an entertaining story. However, history it isn't, and it may be best to read it as a well-researched novel based on fact. The introduction details some of the story's discrepancies with real life, but the fictional element becomes clear when the book describes the thoughts and unwitnessed actions of men who are killed shortly afterward.

But if Emmett didn't feel free to write the truth about the salient events of his outlaw years, and if his memory thirty years later was no longer so reliable anyway, when it comes to the ancillary contextual things - how people lived, their attitudes, their homes and towns, and the lands they lived in, how they talked and dressed - the book is interesting and feels authentic. There are many vivid anecdotes and descriptions that convey a sense of life on the frontier.

Emmett co-wrote it with a reporter who evidently had literary pretensions, and there's a lot of high-falutin' literary baroque in the use of metaphors and similes, which can be distracting until you get used to it and rather impedes the narrative flow - but which is sometimes effective and does contribute a kind of antique charm all of its own.

So, yes, it did live up to the promise of that comic book.

[Bahman انصاری · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Persian translation of this book is available on the following page:
آخرین یاغی، روزگاری که دالتون‌ها می‌تاختند
Bahman Ansari Bahman Ansari بهمن انصاری translated this book into Persian in 2024.

[Bahman انصاری · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Persian translation of this book is available on the following page:
آخرین یاغی، روزگاری که دالتون‌ها می‌تاختند
Bahman Ansari translated this book into Persian in 2024.

[Bahman انصاری · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Persian translation of this book is available on the following page:
آخرین یاغی، روزگاری که دالتون‌ها می‌تاختند
Bahman Ansari translated this book into Persian in 2024.

[Bahman انصاری · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Persian translation of this book is available on the following page:
آخرین یاغی، روزگاری که دالتون‌ها می‌تاختند
Bahman Ansari translated this book into Persian in 2024.

[Bahman انصاری]

The Persian translation of this book is available on the following page:
آخرین یاغی، روزگاری که دالتون‌ها می‌تاختند
Bahman Ansari translated this book into Persian in 2024.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good and detailed story of the Dalton Gang as told by the only survivor of the clan. Personal stories ofthe men that hunted them and those that rode with them.

[Patrizia · Rating 4 out of 5]

read the forward last. if you dont the story will have nothing new.