In Alma, Arkansas, there’s a small roadside marker you could miss if you blink. I know, because I nearly did. We were across the street at Popeye’s Garden when I spotted it, tucked away like it didn’t want to be noticed. It was on my list to check out, but still — if you weren’t looking for it, you’d never know the story hiding there.
On June 23, 1933, Town Marshal Henry D. Humphrey pulled over a car in what should have been a normal traffic stop. Instead, he ran straight into Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. They opened fire, and Humphrey was killed. Just like that, a quiet Arkansas town became part of one of the most infamous crime sprees in American history.
Henry D Humphrey Memorial
The marker itself doesn’t try to make it bigger than it is. No big signs, no shiny plaques, no Bonnie-and-Clyde fanfare. Just a stone holding space for a local lawman who didn’t go home that day.
That’s what I love about these out-of-the-way places. You think you’re grabbing a bite, stretching your legs, and then—bam—there’s history staring back at you from the side of the road. It’s the kind of story you don’t find in the guidebooks, but it sticks with you anyway.
Henry Dallas Humphrey — End of Watch: June 23, 1933