Mapping the 1876 Jesse James Raid

Introduction

For our Digital Humanities final project, our group members: Joey, Rigley, Joshua, and Peter, plan to create an interactive map using ArcGIS to illustrate the famous James–Younger Gang raid in Northfield, Minnesota, in 1876. Our goal is to help visitors better understand how the raid unfolded by connecting historical events with the locations where they occurred. We hope to make Northfield’s local history more accessible and engaging through digital mapping.

Sources and Methodology

Our project will mainly draw on historical materials from the Northfield Historical Society (Northfield History Center) and the Carleton College Archives. Both institutions provide valuable primary sources through their physical and online collections. We plan to use historical maps and other archival materials to reconstruct the events of the raid. We also hope to collaborate directly with the Northfield Historical Society to identify useful sources and ensure that our project presents the history accurately. For the mapping process, we will first locate a historical map of Northfield and georeference it using ArcGIS. This will allow us to overlay the historical map onto a modern map. We will then identify important locations associated with the raid and place them on the map. Another important part of our project is creating a timeline that follows the raid from beginning to end. By connecting historical events with specific locations, we hope users can follow the movement of the James–Younger Gang and understand how the raid developed. We also plan to incorporate archival photographs and historical descriptions to provide additional context.

Final product and audience

Our final product will be an interactive web application that allows users to explore the raid through a map. We hope to publish it on the Northfield Historical Society’s website, where it could serve as an educational resource for visitors and anyone interested in Northfield history. We also hope the application can serve as a prototype for future digital exhibits at the Historical Society. 

Project Timeline

During Week 8, we plan to meet with the Northfield Historical Society to discuss our project and identify additional resources. By the end of Week 9, we hope to complete a working draft of the interactive map and its timeline. During Week 10, we plan to meet with the Historical Society again to review our progress, receive feedback, and refine the final product. 

Here is the link to past projects that might inspire us:

Northfield Flood 2010, https://contentdm.carleton.edu/digital/collection/NFFLD

Personal Interests

Joey:

I am interested in this project because I currently work at the Northfield Historical Society. I want to apply my knowledge over Arcgis and digital humanities on a real world project. Therefore, I can help preserve the history of Northfield as a Carleton student.

Rigley: 

I am interested in website front-end design, including the implementation of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I have experience with front-end design in various projects. I am looking forward to applying these experiences to help my team. 

Joshua:

I am interested in this project because I want to learn more about the location details of the Jesse James raid. I’ve been to the festival multiple times in town, but they don’t really go into detail about the location. I will contribute to the website by making sure there are interactive elements 

Peter: 

I am passionate about learning the history of Jesse James Day. In addition, I am looking forward to exploring ways to visualize the data while collaborating with the Northfield History Center.