It was less than 90 years ago, but it was definitely a different era when Texas Ranger Frank Hamer ambushed notorious Texas outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, riddling their car with 167 bullets.

Bonnie and Clyde were “homegrown hoodlums”. Bonnie was a petite honor student from Rowena, Texas who married at 16 and died at 23. Clyde was born outside Telico, Texas, stole his first car at 17, and died at 25. Together they killed 13 people during the Great Depression era. So newsworthy was their gruesome end that their bodies were put on public display in Dallas before being released to their families for burial.

The stories of Bonnie and Clyde reveal many points at which they might have made a detour along the road to destruction, but they blew through all the roadblocks.

Teaching Tip:

Look at a map of the routes Bonnie and Clyde traveled.

Find your own town.

Did they come to your town or a town near you?

Ask an older neighbor or relative if they remember hearing stories of Bonnie and Clyde.