James Brothers

James Brothers. . After their September 7, 1876, failed attempt to rob a bank at Northfield, Minnesota, Jesse and Frank James separated from the Younger Brothers gang, rode southwest, and entered Minnehaha County, Dakota Territory., Little direct evidence exists as to their getaway route. Historians have reconstructed their flight through the county from newspaper reports about the presence of the Northfield bank robbers, and from well established farm family tales passed down from those who encountered the desperados., While bypassing Sioux Falls, the James Brothers halted a Yankton bound stagecoach near this location, a few miles south of the village. The September 19 and 20 editions of the Yankton Press and Dakotaian recorded that after the fugitives stopped the stage, they did not attempt robbery. The pair were lost and merely sought directions., Upon learning that they were on the Yankton Trail, the two bandits rode south out of Minnehaha County. Later they crossed the Big Sioux River near Canton, SD.