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James/Younger Gang and the Northfield connection: Home

The story of the Northfield Duster

A video from the Minnesota Historical Society

  Younger Brothers after thier capture in Madelia.

One of the Northfield victims- Joseph Lee Heywood

A Northfield Hero's Legacy

Joseph Lee Heywood was an early volunteer treasurer at Carleton and an officer of the First National Bank of Northfield. On September 7, 1876, Joseph Lee Heywood was fatally shot when he refused to allow members of the notorious James-Younger gang into the Northfield bank's vault. In this vault were most of Carleton's, St. Olaf's, and the Northfield community's assets. Heywood was heralded locally and nationally for giving his life to prevent the robbery, which was the gang's only known failed attempt. His name has been synonymous with qualities of uncommon loyalty and devotion ever since.

Information on Carleton College's Joseph Lee Heywood Society

Joseph Lee Heywood's memorial window from the Congregational church in Northfield.

One of the Northfield victims- Nicholas Gustafson

Nicholas Gustafson was a Swedish immingrant to apparently didn't understand the shouts in English for him to get off of the street. He was hit in the head and died 4 days later.

Short films of a Raid reinactment

Historical connections

  Northfield Historical Society

  The Defeat of Jesse James is celebrated every year in Northfield since 1948.  DJJD.Org

  The James Farm Museum, Clay County Missouri

  Madelia, Minnesota- the capture site of the Younger Brothers. Story of the capture.

  National James-Younger Gang

 

The Mystery of Clell Miller

Western Outlaw. Born Clelland Miller in Kearney, Missouri, he was a teenager
when he joined Quantrill's Raiders and was a member of Bloody Bill Anderson's
guerillas for a short period during the Civil War. On October 26, 1864, he was
captured by Union soldiers during a skirmish in which Anderson was killed. Sent
to a Federal prison in St. Louis, Missouri, he was released in April 1865. Going
west, he joined up with the Jesse James-Cole Younger gang around 1870. Together
with this pack of outlaws, he terrorized the states of Ohio, Missouri and
Minnesota. Along with others he robbed banks, stores, trains, on occasion
regular people and more often than not, killed people. Miller was also arrested
and tried in Corydon, Iowa, for a train robbery, but was acquitted. On September
7, 1876, during the robbery of the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota,
Miller was shot and killed by townspeople along with another gang member. (bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith)

Where is Clell Miller buried?

Is this Clell's skull? Read this from Dr. James Bailey via the Northfield Historical Society.

 

 

Exhumation of grave in Muddy Fork cemetery. Read this from Kearney, MO- Sept. 2012.

Mystery Skeleton at the Northfield Historical Society- is it a member of the James/Younger Gang?

Is it Charlie Pitts?

Read the newspaper report of the robbery.

Books about the raid.

 Links to everything related to Jesse James in the SELCO Library System

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Faithful unto Death: The James-Younger Raid on the First National Bank, September 7, 1876, Northfield, Minnesota byJohn Koblas

Call number 977.6 Ko

Robber and Hero by George Huntington

Call Number 977.6 Hu

Subject Guide

Profile Photo
Tyler Gardner
he/him
Contact:
507-645-1818
Subjects: Film, Graphic Novels, Music

The Younger Brothers in prison

 

The Younger siblings: Etta, Cole, Jim and Bob.

Seven minutes: that’s how long it took for the James-Younger gang’s Northfield bank robbery to fail utterly.  Since September 7, 1876, the foiled raid has been discussed and disputed repeatedly.  The Minnesota Historical Society maintains a significant cache of material—from first-person testimonies and reminiscences to government records—documenting the attempted robbery and its aftereffects.  Now, much of this material has been digitized and is accessible via the Web.  Click on the photo to access the MHS documents.

Younger Brothers Graves

Frank and Jesse's Graves

Frank James is buried in Hill Park Cemetery, in Independence, MO

Jesse James is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Kearney, MO.

Jesse James in the movies

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Bob Ford (2007)

Jesse James, American Experience PBS (2006)

American Outlaws (2001)

Ride With the Devil (1999)*

Gunfighters of the Old West, Jesse James (1998)

Jesse James American Outlaw (1995)

Frank & Jesse (1994)

Frank and Jesse (1996)

The Long Riders (1980)

The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James (1986)

The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972)

Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966)

The Outlaws Is Coming (1965)

Arizona Raiders (1965)*

Bronco, Shadow of Jesse James (1960)

Young Jesse James (1960)

Alias Jesse James (1959)

Cole Younger, Gunfighter (1958)

Quantrill's Raiders (1958)*

The True Story of Jesse James (1957)

Hell’s Crossroads (1957)

Jesse James Vs. the Daltons (1954)

Jesse James’ Women (1954)

The Great Jesse James Raid (1953)

The Woman they Almost Lynched (1953)*

The Great Missouri Raid (1951)

Best of the Badmen (1951)

Kansas Raiders (1950)*

I Shot Jesse James (1949)

The Fighting Man of the Plains (1949)*

The James Brothers of Missouri (1949)

The Return of Frank and Jesse James (1948)

Adventures of Frank and Jesse James (1948)

Jesse James Rides Again (1947)

Badman’s Territory (1946)*

Renegade Girl (1946)*

The Remarkable Andrew (1942)

The Bad Men of Missouri (1941)*

The Return of Frank James (1940)

Dark Command (1940)*

Days of Jesse James (1939)

Jesse James at Bay (1939)

Jesse James (1939)

Jesse James (1930)

Jesse James as the Outlaw (1922)

Jesse James Under the Black Flag (1921)

Jesse James (1911)

The James Boys of Missouri (1908)

itallics indicate a documentary
* indicates films not directly about Jesse James, but about Quantrill’s Raiders or Missouri / Kansas border wars

SOURCES: Adapted and expanded from a list provided in the appendix of the book "Frank and Jesse James: The Story Behind the Legend" by Ted P. Yeatman.