Cave legend · Stanton, Franklin County
The legend: The outlaw Jesse James supposedly hid out, and stashed loot, in a cave near Stanton, and one chamber still carries his name.
Believe it?
What Is Actually True
- The State Historical Society of Missouri says Lester Dill bought Saltpeter Cave from Charles Ruepple in 1933 and renamed it Meramec Caverns.
- Dill named a section “Jesse James Hideout” from a local legend that James hid items from an 1874 train robbery there. The Society calls it a legend, not established fact.
- In 1950 Dill paid J. Frank Dalton, an elderly Oklahoma man who falsely claimed to be Jesse James, to live on the property and greet visitors.
- The operator lists the cave at I-44 exit 230, daily 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. as printed October 30, 2026, at a constant 60 degrees; its own page does not tell the Jesse James story.
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Sources
Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s Missouri. Cite this page: It’s Missouri (https://itsmissouri.com/legends/meramec-caverns-hideout/), checked October 30, 2026. Free to quote with a link.