Bonnie & Clyde Museum

The Bonnie & Clyde Ambush Museum

For a different slice of Louisiana’s history, why not take a trip back to the 1930’s Great Depression and a memorial to the crime spree couple that captivated the entire nation. The Bonnie & Clyde Ambush Museum in Gibsland houses memorabilia that tells their story and encapsulates their place in American history.

The crimes committed by Bonnie and Clyde were spread over the course of 21 months, starting in 1932, comprising multiple robberies from gas stations, restaurants and small-town banks and vehicle theft. By 1933, mounting police pursuit of the couple was actually instrumental in escalating their crimes, resulting in a number of shoot-outs and police deaths.

Ultimately, they were betrayed by a friend and were ambushed on a highway that runs between Gibsland and Sailes in Louisiana. As they attempted to escape the police roadblock, police opened fire and both were killed.

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow’s crimes, love affair, and their ultimate deaths in Louisiana, have become the stuff of legend. Glamourised as a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, their story has inspired many movies and books over the years (would we have Natural Born Killers without Bonnie and Clyde?).

The Ambush Museum is managed by LJ ‘Boots’ Hilton, the son of one of the gunmen that shot the duo in their car. And the building in which the museum is housed was previously the café where Bonnie and Clyde bought what was to be their last lunch.