At Devil’s Gulch in Garretson, South Dakota, legendary outlaw Jesse James supposedly performed one of his greatest escapes.

It is said to have happened after the famous Northfield, Minnesota bank robbery in 1876.

Jesse James was immediately chased by a local gang of hunters, set on bringing the outlaw to justice for the handsome reward on his head.

Unable to shake them off, James rode into the wilderness where he encountered the natural 18-foot wide chasm of Devil’s Gulch.

With his chance of escape now limited to jumping the gap, Jesse took the only option he had and leapt across on his horse.

Scholars of this area of history have tried to verify the story. Others have even examined the physical possibility of making the jump. However, the truth is we will never know for sure.

The story is so embedded in Jesse James folklore that thousands of tourists visit the site each year to judge the plausibility of the legend themselves.

Although a bridge now exists across the expanse so that visitors can casually stroll across the storied gap, (without trying the leap out for themselves).

(Image Credits: Tripadvisor, Wilderness Webb, South Dakota Magazine)