Nebraska ghost town became outlaw hideout

Kristen Sindelar
Oct 27, 2023
Oct 27, 2023

Kinney 4.jpg — Author Brian Beerman wrote: Kinney, Neb,. as it appeared in its heyday, circa 1912.
Submitted photo from “Nebraska’s Missing Public Enemy: The Last of the Ghost Gang”

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A historical map of Nebraska from the 1800s shows a spider web of railroad lines dissecting the state. One line of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) traversed the rugged Nebraska terrain into the southeastern corner of Gage County to the whistle stop town of Kinney.

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Kinney 1.jpg — Kinney, Neb., was in the southeastern corner of Gage County, as see in this 1912 vintage map.
Image from mygeneologyhound.com

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Kinney 3.jpg — The Ghost Gang found refuge in a house at the old site of Kinney, Neb., until the raid of Nov. 30, 1934. Maurice Denning, leader of the Ghost Gang, became the number one missing public enemy.
Photo credit Startling Detective Adventures Magazine

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Kinney 2.jpg — Brian Beerman, who was born and raised in Omaha spent years researching records about Denning and the Ghost Gang for accurate information to write his book. “Nebraska’s Missing Public Enemy: The Last of the Ghost Gang” was published in 2019.
Submitted image

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Reporter Kristen Sindelar has loved agriculture her entire life, coming from a diversified farm with three generations working side-by-side in northeastern Nebraska. Reach her at Kristen.Sindelar@midwestmessenger.com.