A seven-minute gun battle in a quiet Minnesota town helped bring down America’s most famous outlaw gang, leaving behind physical relics that are still preserved 150 years later. On 7 September 1876, the James-Younger Gang rode into Northfield, Minnesota, planning to rob the First National Bank. Instead of handing over their money, local residents fought back with pocketknives, rocks and hunting rifles. The failed raid lasted just seven minutes, leading to the largest manhunt in United States history at the time and effectively destroying the gang led by Jesse and Frank James. As reported by the Star Tribune in its Curious Minnesota series, the violent encounter left behind several historical items that are still kept in Northfield, including an outlaw’s duster coat, a leather saddle and the mummified ear of a dead gang member. The items are preserved and displayed by the Northfield Historical Society, which is located in the same building on Bridge Square where the First National Bank once operated.
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