Near Gibsland in Bienville Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)

Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker

Photographed By Marvin Seibert, July 1, 2013

1. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker Marker

Inscription. This site May 23, 1934
Clyde Barrow
and
Bonnie Parker
were killed by
law enforcement officials

Erected by Bienville Parish Police Jury.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Law Enforcement. A significant historical date for this entry is May 23, 1934.

Location. 32° 26.475′ N, 93° 5.562′ W. Marker is near Gibsland, Louisiana, in Bienville Parish. Marker is on State Highway 154, 8 miles south of Gibsland / I-20, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gibsland LA 71028, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 17 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow Ambush Site (here, next to this marker); Sparta (approx. 5.2 miles away); Ma Canfield's Cafe (approx. 7½ miles away); Homeplace of Baylus Benjamin (B.B.) McKinney (approx. 9.1 miles away); Driskill Mountain (approx. 11.7 miles away); Driskill Mountain - 535 Feet (approx. 11.7 miles away); W.R. Shadow Home (approx. 12.3 miles away); Citizens Bank & Trust Company (approx. 16½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gibsland.

Also see . . . Bonnie & Clyde - Wikipedia. Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910 – May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut Barrow a.k.a. Clyde Champion Barrow (March 24, 1909 – May 23, 1934) were American criminals

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who traveled the central United States with their gang during the Great Depression, robbing and killing people. At times, the gang included Clyde's older brother Buck Barrow and his wife Blanche, Raymond Hamilton, W. D. Jones, Joe Palmer, Ralph Fults, and Henry Methvin. Their exploits captured the attention of the American public during the "Public Enemy Era", between 1931 and 1935. Though known today for his dozen-or-so bank robberies, Barrow preferred to rob small stores or rural gas stations. The gang is believed to have killed at least nine police officers and several civilians. The couple were eventually ambushed and killed by law officers near the town of Sailes, in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Their reputation was revived and cemented in American pop folklore by Arthur Penn's 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, in which they were played by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty.

Even during their lifetimes, their depiction in the press was at considerable odds with the hardscrabble reality of their life on the road, especially for Bonnie Parker. She was present at a hundred or more felonies during the two years she was Barrow's companion, but she was not a machine gun-wielding killer as depicted in the newspapers, newsreels, and pulp detective magazines of that time. Gang member W. D. Jones later testified he could not recall ever having seen her shoot at a law officer. Bonnie's reputation as a cigar-smoking gun moll grew out of a playful snapshot police found at an

Photographed By Marvin Seibert

2. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker Marker

Marker and the road that Bonnie and Clyde came up from.

abandoned hideout. It was released to the press and published nationwide. Parker did chain smoke Camel cigarettes, but she never smoked cigars. (Submitted on July 22, 2013, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)

Additional keywords. Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Gangsters

Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker image. Click for full size.

Photo by one of the Barrow gang, circa 1933

3. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker

Library of Congress Photo

Credits. This page was last revised on September 7, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 21, 2013, by Marvin Seibert of Ketchikan, Alaska. This page has been viewed 3,100 times since then and 109 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week May 22, 2016. Photos: 1. submitted on July 21, 2013, by Marvin Seibert of Ketchikan, Alaska. 2. submitted on July 23, 2013, by Marvin Seibert of Ketchikan, Alaska. 3. submitted on May 21, 2016. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.