Minnesota

This tiny Minnesota town’s wild legacy: 2 bank robberies, a train derailment, unsolved wildfires

Published

2 years ago

December 1, 2022

This tiny Minnesota town’s wild legacy: 2 bank robberies, a train derailment, unsolved wildfires

PINEWOOD, Minn. — Eighteen miles northwest of Bemidji, within the backwoods of Buzzle Township, is Pinewood — as soon as an operative logging camp stuffed with lumberjacks and early settlers. All through its historical past, this as soon as vigorous neighborhood has turn out to be a spot of unsolved mysteries, two financial institution robberies, a weird practice derailment and a number of wildfires.

The city was formally settled within the early 1900s, its huge forests turned dwelling to the lumber trade and the Soo Line Railroad introduced settlers and lumberjacks from everywhere in the nation. Because the logging camps grew, Pinewood’s inhabitants grew with it. East Pinewood Faculty was constructed, together with a church, a saloon, a submit workplace and even a movie show. However with time all of those buildings have been deserted, left to rot, destroyed by hearth or torn down for brand spanking new development.

At the moment a big stone construction sits within the brush beside Pinewood’s outdated principal avenue. Cracked and left to crumble, this stone was as soon as a secure contained in the Folks’s State Financial institution, and its story entails a gang of robbers, a lacking bag of cash and a gunfight.

The Folks’s State Financial institution served the residents of Pinewood till its closing within the Thirties. The primary theft that befell in late November 1921 was not profitable. The entrance door was damaged into, and the notorious secure’s lock was damaged, however no cash had been taken. However recountings of the second theft could be informed for years to return.

On Sept. 29, 1922, an explosion rattled the sleeping residents of Pinewood. The secure contained in the Folks’s State Financial institution had been blown to items and the entrance door of the financial institution was blown off its hinges. The entrance web page of that afternoon’s Bemidji Pioneer gave an account of the theft:

“Armed with shotguns loaded with massive dimension shot, a band of no less than 5 financial institution robbers invaded Pinewood early this morning, blew the secure of the Folks’s State financial institution and escaped with about $1,100 in money and a amount of bonds. Efforts on the a part of the folks of the city to halt the theft failed, the robbers continued their work even after being fired upon, and making their getaway in an vehicle, or probably two, which they’d left a few quarter of a mile east of city. After slicing all phone and telegraph wires main out of the city, the bandits started their work on the financial institution between 2:30 and three o’clock, wrecking the secure with three separate expenses, one of many blasts blowing out one facet of the financial institution constructing.”

Al Thompson, a Soo Line agent, was concerned within the gunfight with the bandits. A stray bullet shattered a close-by window and Al’s brother was wounded. Fortunately nobody else was injured that night time.

Years later, in an interview performed by the Works Progress Administration, Carl Clauson, a cashier who was in command of the financial institution on the time, defined the theft in higher element within the Works Progress Administration Mission Journals in 1937.

“The precise quantity of the loss was by no means decided, as there have been a number of bonds and different helpful securities taken in addition to about $30,000 in notes, beside the money readily available,” he recounted. “All the things within the secure was eliminated, however solely a small a part of dynamite had blown the contents of the secure into bits of paper, and it seemed like a rat’s nest.”

The following morning a bag of pennies was discovered between Pinewood and Solway and a few burned checks close to Lake Itasca, the one cash recovered from that night time. The burglars had been by no means discovered, nobody ever got here ahead and nobody was ever charged for the crime.

“It wasn’t the James brothers that robbed the financial institution!” Lois Jenkins says. Jenkins, a researcher for the Beltrami County Historic Society, grew up close to Pinewood.

The outdated Pinewood Faculty is pictured in April 1967. In accordance with Lois Jenkins, the varsity continues to be standing at present hidden within the brush.

Courtesy / Beltrami County Historic Society

When the Soo Line Railroad was discontinued in 1963, the tracks that after ran by means of Pinewood had been ripped from the bottom or buried within the earth.

“The trestle west of Pinewood sits on Nelson Dam street. It’s earthen now, they lined the tracks with a timber body within the early Nineteen Fifties,” Jenkins defined. “However there’s a rumor that there was an accident on that trestle a few years in the past. Leon Olson claims that he was there to see it occur.”

Leon Olson, who grew up close to the Pinewood space, claims {that a} practice derailed and fell from the trestle west of the city into the Clearwater River. In accordance with Olson, it was a good distance down, however fortunately nobody was harm within the incident. Olson supplied an image to show that the accident occurred, however the picture is difficult to make out. A file of the accident has but to be discovered.

Wildfires additionally ravaged the realm, typically from causes unknown, taking hundreds of acres of their wake. The latest hearth was in 1973 and it destroyed over 2,700 acres. Some suppose it was began by a dumpster hearth gone dangerous, however nobody is definite. Jenkins tells of one other rumor that the fireplace was began by a gaggle of Bemidji State College college students.

A screenshot shows a run running between about five old buildings in Pinewood, Minnesota — Pinewood, Minnesota, is pictured on this screenshot of an August 2009 Google Avenue View picture.

“They known as themselves ‘Rangers.’ A bunch of scholars bought a church on Buzzle street and used it for events within the early Nineteen Seventies,” Jenkins says. “And due to vandalism or misadventures, the church caught hearth and burned. This fireplace may have probably began the Pinewood hearth of 1973. That is all rumour after all, however that may have made an attention-grabbing story.”

At the moment what stays of the city are only some deserted buildings, the rundown saloon, what’s left of the financial institution, the Buzzle City Corridor, and the Pinewood American Legion.

In accordance with Jenkins, the city corridor was once a dance corridor the place all types of occasions had been held. Lumberjacks deserted the realm when the lumber was gone and the logging operations and sawmills had been shut down. And as different cities within the space grew in dimension, many moved from Pinewood to the place there have been extra employment alternatives.

There are possible extra unsolved mysteries in Pinewood, shrouded in thriller, distorted by years of rumors or buried within the soil.

Editor’s Be aware: The Beltrami County Historic Society is partnering with the Pioneer on

a collection of month-to-month articles highlighting the historical past of the realm.

For extra details about the Historic Society, go to

www.beltramihistory.org.

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Minnesota

In a Minnesota Hotel Room, Suitcases Full of Lululemon

Published

54 mins ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

In a Minnesota Hotel Room, Suitcases Full of Lululemon

An East Coast couple arrested for alleged theft at a Lululemon store in Minnesota are now at the center of a probe into a wider $1 million crime spree in multiple states. The Star Tribune reports that 44-year-old Jadion Richards and 45-year-old Akwele Lawes-Richards of Danbury, Connecticut, were detained on Nov. 14 and charged a day later in Ramsey County with organized retail theft, tied to crimes that took place over the past two months. According to a criminal complaint, the couple had been stopped at a Lululemon store in Roseville on that Wednesday when they tried to exit the women’s athletic wear store and set off security alarms, per USA Today. Richards is said to have complained that he’d been racially profiled, and employees reportedly let the pair leave.

“The couple later commit[ed] fraudulent returns with the stolen items at different Lululemon stores,” police say, which led to their arrest at the Lululemon store in Woodbury, per the Kansas City Star. A retail fraud investigator later claimed that the two had been at the same store the day before, on Nov. 13, and lifted nearly four dozen items, with a combined value of nearly $5,000. They were alleged to have committed four other thefts that same day, including in Minneapolis. The couple denied involvement in any thefts, but with a search warrant issued after their arrest, police found 12 suitcases in their Marriott hotel room in Bloomington, a quarter of them stuffed with tagged Lululemon clothing, worth more than $50,000.

The investigator estimates the two stole about $1 million in total since September from Lululemon stores not only in Minnesota, but also in Colorado, Utah, New York, and their home state. Among the tactics the two are accused of using in their thefts, per the criminal complaint: having one of them distract staffers while the other shoved Lululemon products into whatever they were wearing. They also allegedly would have one of them set off the security alarm by trying to walk out with a relatively inexpensive item, while the other would sail out the door with more expensive items while store security was dealing with the first incident. Bail for Richards is set at $100,000, while Lawes-Richards’ is set at $30,000. Hearings for the two are scheduled for Dec. 16. (More Lululemon stories.)

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Minnesota

Bear-ly Accurate Predictions: Week 12 Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings

Published

9 hours ago

November 22, 2024

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Bear-ly Accurate Predictions: Week 12 Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings

CHICAGO (WLS) — The Chicago Bears face off against the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday and Windy City Pro Wrestlers, Redus and Traxx, help Ryan predict the winner! Each wrestler represents a different NFL team and steps into the ring for a face-to-face competition. Plus, Ryan gets some payback from the last time these wrestlers stepped inside the ring!

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

For more on Windy City Pro Wrestling, visit: officialwcpw.com.

SEE ALSO | ABC7 Sports Overtime with Dionne Miller

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Minnesota

Penn State Vs. Minnesota: How to Watch, Story Lines, Predictions

Published

17 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

Penn State Vs. Minnesota: How to Watch, Story Lines, Predictions

For Penn State football, keeping a low profile represents the best path Saturday at Minnesota. The Nittany Lions want to win, comfortably and quietly, let Ohio State and Indiana own college football’s oxygen this weekend and get to their regular-season finale against Maryland.

Penn State is in prime position to host a first-round College Football Playoff game, no matter how much College Football Influencers argue against it. The playoff committee has made that clear: Penn State has been No. 4 the past two weeks and should remain there, as long as Ohio State wins Saturday over the Hoosiers. A Buckeyes’ loss reignites debate. Penn State can hedge that debate with a no-doubt win at Minnesota that quietly appeases even the scoreboard-watchers.

What to expect from the Penn State-Minnesota game? Here’s the breakdown, including where to watch, what to watch, and our predictions.

No. 4 Penn State (9-1) vs. Minnesota (6-4)

How Andy Kotelnicki brought his Minnesota roots to Penn State’s offense

How to watch, stream the Penn State-Minnesota game

Penn State is playing on CBS for the second straight week and the third time this season. Fans can stream the game on the CBS Sports app as well. Brad Nessler and ary Danielson have the broadcast, and Jenny Dell will conduct sideline interviews. Penn State fans who can’t watch should turn to the Penn State Sports Network for the radio call with Steve Jones and Jack Ham. The games also is available on SiriusXM channels 83/158/196.

What is the betting line for Penn State-Minnesota?

The Nittany Lions are 11-point road favorites, according to DraftKings. The over/under is 45 points. Penn State is 9-0 as a favorite this season and 5-4 against the spread.

What Are the Primary Penn State-Minnesota Story Lines?

On the Penn State Coaches Show this week, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin said something interesting: “Watching them on tape, [Minnesota] is very good on defense, maybe the best defense we’ve played this year.” That’s noteworthy, considering Ohio State’s defense, which held Penn State without a touchdown for the first time in 10 years, is ranked first by ESPN’s SP+, and Minnesota’s is 15th. The Gophers excel in takeaways (20, including 16 interceptions) and do so by playing largely a zone defense.

Freshman safety Koi Perich is Minnesota’s highest-graded defender (84.9, according to Pro Football Focus) and leads the Big Ten with five interceptions. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar noted that Minnesota’s secondary does ball-hawk but also generates turnovers through defensive line pressure. But Allar has proven capable of escaping pressure, beating zones with his checkdown receivers and avoiding interceptions. For Allar, identifying zone weaknesses (should Minnesota stick with it) with Tyler Warren and his underneath receivers will be essential. He also’s going to look to stretch the field, particularly when Penn State gets into its tempo offense.

Meanwhile, Minnesota’s offensive strategy favors Penn State’s front-four aggressiveness and back-four experience. The Golden Gophers don’t have the receiving trio of Rashod Bateman, Tyler Johnson and Chris Autman-Bell they relied on to beat the Nittany Lions in 2019. Minnesota ranks 10th in the Big Ten in passing, though quarterback Max Brosner does have some chemistry with receiver Daniel Jackson (63 receptions, three for touchdowns). But Minnesota isn’t an explosive offense. The Gophers rank 96th nationally in explosive-play rate (12.32 percent). Penn State is sixth (17.91 percent).

Penn State Players to Watch

Nicholas Singleton: The running back is overdue for a big game. He hasn’t rushed for 50 yards in the past five games and hasn’t topped 100 since Bowling Green. Singleton looked healthy in limited snaps last week at Purdue and is ready to unleash.

AJ Harris: Penn State’s dip into the SEC for cornerbacks Harris and Jalen Kimber has proven smart. Watch for Harris on Minnesota’s Jackson.

Tre Wallace: Penn State needs a receiver to relieve some of the offensive pressure from Tyler Warren. If Minnesota overloads the tight end, Wallace should reap the benefits. He has to take advantage.

Minnesota Players to Watch

Max Brosmer: Minnesota’s quarterback has been underrated this year. He ranks seventh in the Big Ten in passer rating and has a completion rate of 67.1 percent. He’s not a big-play quarterback; Minnesota ranks 12th in the Big Ten in pass plays of 20+ yards. But he’s efficient and reasonably mistake-proof. Penn State can’t give him reason to believe.

Cody Lindenberg: Can’t highlight too many Minnesota defenders. The linebacker covers a lot of ground as Minnesota’s leading tackler and really attacks the run.

Darius Taylor: Minnesota will try to run with Taylor, though its offense ranks 17th in the Big Ten in rushing offense. Taylor has had a couple big games (144 yards vs. USC, 131 vs. Illinois), but Rutgers held him to 28 yards on 10 carries last week.

The Predictions

Mark Wogenrich: This game has some potential red flags. If Penn State can’t get the run game going and starts throwing hastily, Minnesota’s defense will capitalize. Now, the Gophers don’t have a counter for Tyler Warren, so the Nittany Lions could ride him as they did last week at Purdue. This is a capable but not great Minnesota offense that Penn State should shutter. Still not feeling an overwhelming offensive performance, though. Penn State 24, Minnesota 13

Daniel Mader: The Golden Gophers’ secondary alone (16 interceptions) is enough to give Penn State another late-season challenge. However, based on the way the Nittany Lions took care of business against Washington and Purdue, I don’t think there’s any reason to doubt their current momentum. I think Penn State pulls away in the third quarter, owning the ground game on both sides of the ball for win No. 10. Penn State 31, Minnesota 14