Route 66 - Carthage, Missouri

Carthage, Missouri, is, in many ways, as fascinating as its ancient namesake. Birthplace of senators, suffragists and sportspeople, it's also the birthplace of perhaps the most famous female outlaw of the wild west, Belle Starr, who died in 1889. The wonderfully named Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr (known to her family as May) was from a reasonably well-to-do family and even received a private classical education at the higher end of what a girl might expect in the 19th century. Her father, however, had been the black sheep of his own family (who were even more well-to-do). Something of that rebel streak obviously passed down to Belle, who fell in with the notorious James brothers, Frank and Jesse. She had, in fact, known them since childhood, as they grew up together.

Belle's personal style fed the later legend; she was a crack shot and rode dressed in black velvet and a plumed hat, carrying two holstered pistols on her hips. Having buried her first husband, Jim Reed, Belle married Sam Starr, a Cherokee man and famed bootlegger and horse thief.

Belle Starr's legend extends to her death. Two days short of her 41st birthday, she was shot multiple times. It's unsure whether it was a simple ambush, a lover's tiff, or a conspiracy between her third husband (Sam Starr had been killed a few years earlier) and her children. Her daughter, Pearl, became a legend in her own right - a Bordello queen, operating several properties until the end of the First World War.

Modern-day Carthage boasts the Precious Moments Park and Chapel, inspired by the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The mural artworks throughout the Chapel depict Bible stories, both Old and New Testament, and cover nearly 5000 square feet. The Chapel and Park also boasts the world's largest gift shop - a must for lovers of kitsch memorabilia.