"Get your guns boys..."

"...they're robbing the bank."

Dear Diary,

A fun afternoon in Northfield, the town Elaine and Brad live in, exploring the historical society so I could get a taste of the history of the town.  Northfield's claim to fame is the bank robbery the Jesse James' gang tried to pull off on September 7 1876.  They failed because the local people fought back. 

One of the hero's of the day was Henry Wheeler who grabbed a rifle, which was just laying around in the Dampier Hotel across the street from the bank.   He ran up stairs, opened up a window and took out one of the gang, Clell Miller.  The photograph in the display case was taken by a local photographer just hours after the shooting.  A bit gruesome but it was quite common at the time.  Every September the town re-enacts the robbery to the delight of towns people and tourists. I'll bet is something to see.

The historical society is housed in the very bank Jesse tried to rob and it is exactly as it was on that day.  (Extra photograph)  Another hero was Joseph Lee Heywood, a young bank clerk, who tried to fend off the robbers in front of the vault and was shot.  His epitaph reads, "Faithful Unto Death".  He is honored every year for his gallant effort.  This botched robbery was the beginning of the end of the Jesse James gang and Northfield residents are proud of their contribution to bringing the outlaw to justice.