In late August 1876, the James-Younger Gang headed for Minnesota. The gang consisted of brothers Jesse and Frank James; brothers Bob, Jim, and Cole Younger; Clell Miller; Charlie Pitts; and Bill Stiles. Upon arriving in the state, the gang divided into scouting parties of two, three, and four men. Looking for possible sites to execute their plans, they considered banks in Minneapolis, Red Wing, St. Peter, and St. Paul, as well as Madelia, Mankato, Lake Crystal, St. James, Garden City, and Northfield.

On September 4, the gang rode into Mankato to rob the 1st National Bank of Mankato (the gang’s first choice). However, the gang decided to abort the robbery and headed for its second choice, Northfield.

1876 was a year of great change in America’s history. America celebrated its 100th birthday with the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, George Custer was killed at the Battle of Little Big Horn, and Rutherford B. Hayes defeated Samuel Tilden for the presidency. Tilden won the popular vote, but Hayes won the electoral college vote and became the 19th president of the United States.

Northfield in 1876 was a growing Southern Minnesota community. By this time the town had two colleges and saw the completion of a railroad through town. The town also had many prominent business leaders and a healthy bank. It was the bank that drew the attention of America’s most notorious bank and train robbers: the James-Younger Gang.

Little did the gang members know that this decision would end all of their careers as outlaws and result in the deaths of three gang members and two Northfield citizens.

The Raid

On September 7, 1876, eight bandits rode into Northfield to rob the First National Bank. It was a sunny Thursday afternoon. What would later be called a “textbook James-Younger robbery” began with three of the gang members entering the bank at 2 p.m. and announcing that they were holding up the bank. They were Frank James, Charlie Pitts and Bob Younger. Inside the bank were Northfield citizens Frank Wilcox, Alonzo Bunker and Joseph Lee Heywood.

The three gang members sprang over the counter and demanded the safe be opened. Seeing Heywood seated at the cashier’s desk, one of the gang members pointed a pistol at him and demanded the safe be opened, Heywood stated the safe was on a time lock and could not be opened.

Meanwhile, citizens on the street began to arm themselves after local merchant J.S. Allen discovered the robbery in progress and shouted:

“Get your guns, boys — they’re robbing the bank!”

Upon this discovery, two gang members sprang to their saddles and began firing their pistols and yelling for everyone to leave the area or be shot. This forced the remaining robbers to enter the fray. The first to fall was a Swedish immigrant named Nicolaus Gustafson. He was wounded in the head and died several days later.

Back in the bank, when one gang member tried to enter the vault, Heywood sprang to his feet and tried to shut the vault door on the robber. Another robber grabbed Heywood and threw him backward. The robber inside the vault pushed open the vault door and grabbed Heywood by the shirt, pushed him up against the vault door, and demanded the safe be opened. Heywood tried to break free again and shouted “MURDER, MURDER!” The robber took his pistol and hit Heywood over the head, knocking him to the floor.

The same robber dragged Heywood back to the vault, took out his knife and ran it across Heywood’s neck. But the wound was not life-threatening. The robber then took out his pistol and shot at Heywood’s head to wake him. The bullet ricocheted and lodged in a bank box.

Meanwhile, chaos ensued on the street. Cole Younger rode up multiple times to the bank door and implored his fellow members to leave the bank.

After the robber fired the pistol inside the bank, Alonzo Bunker seized the opportunity to run out the back of the bank. Charlie Pitts followed and shot Bunker in the shoulder, but Bunker escaped and survived; he sought treatment for his wound at a doctor’s office.

Pitts returned from shooting Bunker and exited the bank. Bob Younger left, too, after grabbing the loose change and script sitting on the tables — the only money the gang escaped with in the robbery.

The final gang member, Frank James, stood up on the teller’s cage to leave the bank. Hearing something behind him, he stepped back down and saw Joseph Lee Heywood staggering to his feet. Frank put his pistol to Heywood’s head and pulled the trigger.

It is the courage of Heywood and these otherwise ordinary citizens who stood up to these ruffians that we honor in this historic site.

When it was over after just seven minutes, two robbers were dead in the street and two more were badly wounded. The remaining six outlaws fled southwest, triggering the largest manhunt in U.S. history. Frank and Jesse James were not caught after the failed raid, but the Younger brothers were captured, and Charlie Pitts was killed two weeks later during a furious gunfight near Madelia, Minnesota.

A number of townspeople are remembered for their actions that day: J.S. Allen, the merchant who first sounded the alarm; A.R. Manning, who used a single-shot rifle to shoot a horse, wound Cole Younger, and kill Bill Stiles; and Henry Wheeler, who killed Clell Miller and wounded Bob Younger with an old single-shot army carbine he found in the lobby of the Dampier Hotel. Acting cashier Joseph Lee Heywood was shot and killed because he refused to open the bank vault and betray the trust of the bank trustees.

Each year on the weekend after Labor Day, the town comes together to celebrate the defeat of the James-Younger Gang. It is the courage of these ordinary citizens and many others that are honored during the celebration. 

The Defeat of Jesse James Days Celebration is held each year on the weekend after Labor Day. A committee of Northfield volunteers plan the celebration. For more information on the celebration and contacts for questions, see the Defeat of Jesse James Days website.

The Exhibit

The exhibit dives into Northfield’s beginnings, fostering a sense of the land and the people who settled the town. It provides an introduction to the notorious James-Younger Gang and the series of events at the First National Bank of Northfield that led Northfield’s citizens to rise up and defend itself. Additionally, it highlights Northfield citizens of all ages who witnessed the event and the aftermath including the town’s heroes who are still celebrated to this day. 

Features of the display include the bank’s ledger book, one of the single shot rifles used to defend the town, reprinted photographs of the outlaws taken at death or capture, as well as firearms, spurs, and a saddle taken from an outlaw’s horse. Eyewitness accounts are peppered throughout the exhibit and the bank site itself, the location of the actual robbery and murder of cashier Joseph Lee Heywood. It proves to be a chilling reminder of Northfield’s most famous day. 

Built by merchant Hiram Scriver in 1868 on one of the town’s most prominent corners, the Scriver Building has housed many businesses. Scriver’s own store and the First National Bank were early occupants. Other businesses have included the Jesse James Cafe, a barbershop, and a butcher.

In 1975, the Northfield Historical Society purchased the building to use it as a museum and restored the First National Bank to its 1876 appearance.

When you walk into the fully restored bank site, you are traveling back in time. You will walk on the same floorboards that were there that September afternoon.

The teller’s cage is fully restored to exact specifications as the original. You will also see the original vault door that Joseph Lee Heywood died protecting.

Guided tours are available May-September.

Self-guided tours available year round.