Defeat of Jesse James Days

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Defeat of Jesse James Days is a community celebration held in Northfield on the weekend after Labor Day each year.

It commemorates the spontaneous reaction by some citizens in 1876 to the attempt by the James-Younger gang to rob the First National Bank. Northfielders, responding to gunfire in the street, grabbed guns and returned fire, killing two of the gang and chasing off the rest.

Scriver Building. First National Bank was located at south end in 1876. Minnesota Historical Society photograph
Scriver Building. First National Bank was located at south end in 1876. Minnesota Historical Society photograph



Joseph Lee Heywood, bank cashier and Carleton treasurer at the time, was killed by one of the robbers when he refused to open the bank's safe.

People and businesses in Northfield are more welcoming these days to the thousands of people who come to town for the carnival, rodeo, arts fair, bike tour, car show, antique tractor pull, 5k and 15k runs, and the Chamber of Commerce beer garden.

External link

Retrieved from "http://www.carlwiki.org/Defeat_of_Jesse_James_Days"
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