Dr. Gary Girod

Another local, but uncorroborated story, comes from the Wichita Eagle; there are claims by locals that young Bonnie and Clyde may have spent time in and around Hugoton, Kansas, near the Oklahoma panhandle, possibly living as "Jewel and Blackie Underwood".

In June of 1933, things were getting desperate for Bonnie and Clyde. They can't operate as they have in the past, as they're wanted; additionally, because of this, money was limited, and the glamorous lifestyle they'd lived on the road was no longer possible.

"You've read the story of Jesse James, of how he lived and died; if you are still in need of something to read, here's the story of Bonnie and Clyde." - From 'The Trail's End', a poem by Bonnie Parker

There are many stories of outrageous things that happened in No Man's Land, and almost all of them begin with a cowboy drinking too much. One man who couldn't seem to catch a break was Bill Williams of Gate City.

Frontier justice was the only justice in No Man's Land, and a culture of vigilantism developed. In one case, when an inebriated man started firing wildly in the middle of Beaver City, the residents promptly shot him, and quietly buried him, without incident.

The big draw in any settlement in No Man's Land was alcohol and moonshine. Virtually any place with more than two houses had a saloon or a general store where ranchers could spend their paychecks on booze. It's not hard to see why spirits became so popular; aside from working the fields or pasture lands, there was very little to do but drink, and get into fights.

Neutral Strip 1 - better known as "No man's land", existed in a legal limbo. Texas gave up the strip so that it could legally keep slavery, and neighboring territories such as Kansas, wanted to take the land for themselves. Cherokee, who had been forced off their land in Georgia, and traveled on the Trail of Tears, claimed the land should belong to them.

After the War of 1812, the United States recovered, even as the Mexican empire remained badly bloodied by its war of independence. But the Mexican government also had a new problem to deal with: mass numbers of American immigrants crossing over their northern border, into Texas.

Many countries laid claim to the middle of North America, despite having little presence there. Spain, France and Britain all had interests in the region.

Coronado was not the only explorer to head north looking for the Seven Cities of Gold. Visits from him and others made little impression on the land of the panhandle, but it did allow much of the area to be mapped for the first time.