Defeat of Jesse James Days Underway in Northfield

The traditional start to Northfield's Defeat of Jesse James Days happened Wednesday with a graveside memorial service in Northfield Cemetery.

The very poignant service takes place at the graves of 1876 Northfield heroes Joseph Lee Heywood and Nicolaus Gustafson.

Wednesday night the Joseph Lee Heywood Distinguished Service Award Banquet was held and William Cowles was honored as the 2015 Joseph Lee Heywood Distinguished Service Award recipient.

Defeat of Jesse James Days is the state's largest all-volunteer organization and General Chairman T.J. Heinricy will be a guest on Thursday's KDHL AM Minnesota program. We might have another surprise guest also.

We will get details about the events surrounding the celebration of the defeat of some tough hombres who entered the First National Bank in Northfield on Sept. 7, 1876, at 2PM expecting not to be met with any resistance.

Three of the eight members of the James-Younger gang entered the bank and announced they were holding it up. Heywood and two other employees at the bank refused to open the safe, saying it could not be opened.

While this was going on inside the bank, some citizens armed themselves when one of the merchants discovered the robbery in progress. Two of the gang members jumped onto their horses and began yelling and firing their pistols, telling all to move out of the way or be shot. The robbers inside the bank heard the commotion and came out. Nicholas Gustafson was a Swedish immigrant who didn't know English and remained on the street. He was shot in the head and died several days later.

The entire event lasted seven minutes, and when the dust settled two of the robbers were dead in the street and two were badly wounded. The remaining gang members fled town and the largest manhunt in the history of the country was organized.

Frank and Jesse James were not caught, but the Younger brothers were captured and Charlie Pitts was killed after a gun battle near Madelia, Minn., two weeks later.

Defeat of Jesse James Days celebrates the bravery of the townspeople that fateful day, especially that exhibited by Joseph Lee Heywood. He lost his life because he wouldn't open the vault at the bank.

The Youngers were housed in the jail in Faribault, and the table where the podium sits in Faribault City Hall for guests to speak was the table used to arraign them. The Younger brothers went on to become model prisoners in Stillwater, Minn., starting the prison newspaper.

The Northfield celebration began in 1948 and was originally called Jesse James Days. I can't recall the precise year, but I do know the change to Defeat of Jesse James Days has happened within the 28 years I've lived in the area.

The highlights of the celebration are the Bank Raid Re-Enactments, PRCA Professional Rodeos and Grand Parade.

We will talk about those events, and many others, including a new youth hockey tournament this weekend in Northfield.