Of all the history that's recorded around southwest Missouri, there are events that some would rather forget.  But it's a fact that at least two of America's worst criminals spent time in Joplin about 75 years ago.  During their notorious crime spree of the 1930's, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow lived in a Joplin apartment for about two weeks.  We got a tour of their infamous hideout for this week's Oliver's Ozarks report.

"They were hardened criminals.  They did some terrible things" says Phillip McClendon, apartment owner.

It was in this small Joplin apartment where Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker spent two weeks, hiding from the law back in April of 1933.

"The number one calls that come into Joplin for tourists is here.  It's unbelievable but it's something that attracts people in a fascinating way" says McClendon.
 
Phillip McClendon owns the apartment now.  He's restored it back to the way it looked when Bonnie and Clyde and their gang were here.  Joplin was one of many stops on a year's long crime spree for Bonnie and Clyde.   They gained notoriety for robbing banks, and murder. 
   
"They did some robberies in Baxter Springs Kansas nearby, and Neosho" says McClendon.

The duo's stay at the Joplin apartment was short-lived, just 13 days.  They fled after a gunfight with police that left two officers dead in the driveway.  Today McClendon hosts numerous historians from around the world, who come to the apartment to learn more about the Bonnie and Clyde story.

"It has 18 windows.  So you can see in any direction. There's one neighbor who's still alive.  He was 5 years old when they were here.  Bonnie would invite him up to the apartment for milk and cookies.  But Clyde didn't like that" says McClendon. 

Many artifacts in the apartment are original to the time period.  And some items like the bathtub and the doors were actually here when Bonnie and Clyde darkened the doorstep.  Today the apartment sits in a quiet, peaceful neighborhood, making it hard to imagine the deadly plots and schemes that were born inside these walls all those years ago.

"It's a part of history.  We can't take that history out of Joplin or we can't pretend it didn't happen.  What we do is learn from it.  And become better people" says McClendon.

Bonnie and Clyde were dead within a year of their stay at the Joplin apartment.  They were gunned down by law enforcement in Louisiana in May of 1934.  Phillip McClendon plans to erect a memorial plaque on the outside of the apartment to honor the two Missouri peace officers who were gunned down by Bonnie and Clyde.