The James-Younger Gang’s Last Great Raid | Northfield, 1876

<p>On September 7, 1876, eight members of the James-Younger Gang rode into Northfield, Minnesota, expecting another successful bank robbery.They had traveled hundreds of miles from Missouri, scouted towns across Minnesota, purchased horses and ammunition, studied escape routes and prepared carefully for the job ahead. Jesse and Frank James were there. So were Cole, Jim and Bob Younger, Clell Miller, Charlie Pitts and Bill Chadwell.But Northfield did not go according to plan.What began as a carefully organized robbery quickly turned into one of the most famous gunfights in the history of the American West. Bank employee Joseph Heywood refused to open the safe, the alarm spread into the street, and ordinary citizens began grabbing rifles, shotguns and revolvers to defend their town.Within minutes, men were dead, several members of the gang were badly wounded, and the surviving outlaws were fleeing across southern Minnesota with one of the largest manhunts the region had ever seen closing in behind them.In this episode of Wild West Deep Dives, we follow the entire story of the Northfield Raid — from the James-Younger Gang&#39;s decision to ride north, the abandoned robbery attempt at Mankato and the final preparations for Northfield, through the bank robbery itself, the gunfight on Division Street, the desperate escape through the Big Woods, the eventual breakup of the gang, and the final fight near Madelia that left Charlie Pitts dead and the Younger brothers in custody.We also look beyond the legend to understand why Northfield became such an important moment in Western history, and how a small Minnesota town helped bring one of the most feared and famous outlaw gangs in America to its knees.This is the complete story of the Northfield Raid and the collapse of the James-Younger Gang.God Bless.#JesseJames #FrankJames #JamesYoungerGang #ColeYounger #BobYounger #JimYounger #CharliePitts #ClellMiller #YoungerBrothers #NorthfieldRaid #NorthfieldMinnesota #WildWest #OldWest #AmericanWest #WesternHistory #OutlawHistory #AmericanHistory #HistoryPodcast #WildWestDeepDives</p>