Near Boyhood Home of John Wesley Hardin
Moscow, Polk County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1853-1895) Notorious outlaw who killed over 30 men. son of a Methodist minister. "Wes" was an ardent southerner. His resistance to Union occupation troops made him a hero and set him on his lawless career. He always claimed he shot only in self defense. He was killed in El Paso, 1895.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
John Wesley Hardin, born in 1853 as the son of a Methodist minister, grew up in this part of East Texas and became one of the most notorious gunmen of the Old West, credited with killing dozens of men. A fierce Southern partisan, his violent resistance to Reconstruction-era Union occupation troops made him a folk hero to some and launched a lawless career; he always insisted he shot only in self-defense. He was finally killed in El Paso in 1895.
Why it matters
Hardin's story captures the turbulent, violent aftermath of the Civil War in Texas, where Reconstruction resentments and frontier lawlessness forged the enduring legend of the Western gunfighter.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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