Twenty eighth- and ninth-grade students from Northfield set off by bus to Missouri on Thursday morning to learn more about the James-Younger Gang.
The students are members of the Junior Posse, a program that annually prepares youngsters to lead tours through the Northfield Historical Society's museum and the site of the failed 1876 Northfield bank raid.
The two-day tour includes stops at the birthplace of Frank and Jesse James in Kearney, MO and the site of Jesse James’ assassination in St. Joseph, MO. They are scheduled to spend Thursday night at a hotel in St. Joseph.
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Leading the tour is Earl Weinmann, social studies teacher at Northfield Middle School who heads up the Junior Posse. Also chaperoning are Amy Sieve, media teacher at the middle school, and Kevin Dahle, Northfield High School teacher and state senator representing Northfield.
Students are selected to join the Junior Posse through an application process.
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The Missouri trips ends two months of reading, lectures and discussions by Junior Posse members about the James-Younger Gang’s attempted robbery of the First National Bank of Northfield.
Their studies started in early April and have included discussions about the who, what and why’s of the failed bank raid; a lecture by Chip DeMann, leader of the James-Younger Gang re-enactment group; and walk-throughs on how to conduct a tour at the museum.
Each member of the Junior Posse will serve as tour guide for a two-week period this summer. Four posse members begin their time as guides on Monday.
The students are scheduled to return to Northfield on Friday night.
