Cole Younger was born on March 26, 1867, near Huntsville, Texas. He was one of the Wild Bunch, a group of notorious outlaws who lived by their own rules. His crimes ranged from train robberies to murder, but his proudest accomplishment was being the only member of the gang to survive the shootout at the OK Corral. Younger always considered that he was not a gunman or a killer but merely a "front man" for other members of his gang
He gave up his life of crime after being shot in 1914 and died in 1929.
Joe Smith and Brigham Young laid out Independence, but very soon thereafter enough citizens of the county collected to drive them off, after several stubborn fights.Cole Younger
They had scarcely established themselves, however, before another company of Jackson county citizens, chiefly from around Independence, organized to drive them off.Cole Younger
