On Saturday, we took a drive to Northfield to take part in one of the best festivals in Minnesota.  The Defeat Of Jesse James Days. They reenact the great bank robbery every year. And while it was fun to watch them ride into town and rob the bank, there's much more to the story than what you'll see here.

When my dad was a kid, he had a teacher named Sister Mary Margaret. She told her students that when she was a young child, back in the late 1800's, she was walking down the side of the street with her family in Northfield, Minnesota, when Jesse James and his gang rode into town.

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It was Thursday, September 7, 1876 at 2pm. Three of the James/Younger gang entered the First National Bank of Northfield and demanded that the safe be opened. They were told it was locked.

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Meanwhile, on the streets, local citizens began to arm themselves. Two more gang members started firing their pistols and ordering everyone to leave the streets or be shot. All the chaos brought in the remaining three gang members, who had been keeping watch a short distance away.

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After it was all said and done--a total of 7 minutes--two citizens were killed and two of the robbers lay dead in the street. The largest manhunt in the history of the United States followed. Frank and Jesse James were not captured, but the Younger brothers were caught a couple of weeks later.

The life of Jesse James and the rest of the gang is fascinating. If you get the chance next year, take a drive to Northfield and be a part of The Defeat Of Jesse James Days.

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