In August 1921, a wave of bank robberies swept through small towns across North Dakota. The first targets were banks in Honeyford and Niagara in Grand Forks County. On this date, the criminals struck again, this time at the Farmers State Bank in Lunds Valley, Mountrail County.
Between three and four in the morning, three heavily armed men broke into the bank and attempted to gain access to the safe. The robbers detonated seven explosive charges, destroying both the safe and part of the building. Despite the extensive damage, they failed to reach the money and escaped with less than five dollars in change. Investigators believed the gang ran out of explosives before they could complete the robbery.
The explosions awakened residents of Lunds Valley, but efforts to stop the thieves were hampered because the town’s telephone and telegraph lines had been cut beforehand.
Before leaving town, the robbers reportedly stole a 1917 Ford touring car. They drove to a local oil station, forced open the pump, and filled the vehicle’s tank before continuing their escape.
The gang’s crime spree eventually came to an end following the shooting of police officer Barney Bussen and Renville County Deputy Sheriff John Powers a couple of weeks later, on August 29. Both men survived their injuries. The incident led authorities to a group of outlaws known as the Kenmore Gang, who were involved in whiskey-running activities despite Prohibition.
Following his arrest in September 1921, gang member Frank Kerr confessed to participating in multiple robberies and car thefts. He also admitted involvement in the shootings of Bussen and Powers.
Officials in Ward County believed the gang was responsible for a string of crimes throughout northwestern North Dakota. During the summer of 1921, the region experienced an average of three robberies per week. After the gang’s arrests, reports of similar robberies ceased, bringing an end to one of the area’s most active crime sprees.
Dakota Datebook by Grace Kaiser
Sources:
- “Vault Blown in Lunds Valley Bank.” The Ward County Independent, 25 Aug. 1921, https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn88076421/1921-08-25/ed-1/?sp=5&q=August+17th+&r=-0.046,0.018,0.421,0.361,0.
- “Murderer of Kenmore Man Iowa Convict.” Grand Forks Herald, 30 Sept. 1921, https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn85042414/1921-09-30/ed-1/?sp=2&q=Frank+Kerr&st=image&r=-0.182,0.128,0.509,0.436,0.
- “Men Who Shot Barney Bussen Named in Confession.” The Ward County Independent, 6 Oct. 1921, https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn88076421/1921-10-06/ed-1/?sp=5&q=Lunds+Valley&r=0.42,0.286,0.326,0.279,0.
- “Minot Officer Near Death from Wounds: Shot by Whisky Men.” The Foster County Independent, 8 Sept. 1921, https://ndarchives.historyarchives.online/viewer?i=f&d=01011900-12311925&k=barney%20bussen&m=between&ord=k1&fn=the_foster_county_independent_usa_north_dakota_carrington_19210908_english_3&df=1&dt=10&cid=3091.
- “Confession Tells of Gang That Shot Bussen; Thot Watkins.” The Kenmore News, 29 Sept. 1921, https://ndarchives.historyarchives.online/viewer?i=f&d=01011900-12311925&k=barney%20bussen&m=between&ord=k1&fn=kenmare_news_usa_north_dakota_kenmare_19210929_english_1&df=1&dt=10&cid=2904.
