Map of Okabena city

Okabena is a town in Jackson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 188 at the 2010 census. The community’s name is a Dakota term meaning “the nesting place of herons.”

Okabena city overview:
Name:	Okabena city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Minnesota
County:	Jackson County
Elevation:	1,421 ft (433 m)
Total Area:	0.34 sq mi (0.88 km²)
Land Area:	0.34 sq mi (0.88 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Total Population:	203
Population Density:	600.59/sq mi (231.58/km²)
ZIP code:	56161
Area code:	507
FIPS code:	2748184
GNISfeature ID:	0657662

Online Interactive Map

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Okabena online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Okabena location map. Where is Okabena city?

Okabena location on the U.S. Map. Where is Okabena city. — Okabena location on the U.S. Map.

Okabena location on the Minnesota map. Where is Okabena city. — Location of Okabena in Minnesota.

History

Okabena was founded in 1879 after the railroad had been extended to that point. A post office has been in operation at Okabena since 1880.

Bank Robbery

On May 19, 1933, the Okabena Bank was robbed by Bonnie and Clyde. After leaving the bank, the outlaws’ car sped through Okabena, spraying the town with machine-gun fire. Schoolchildren ducked behind trees and bullets sliced through walls and shattered windows. They escaped on a country road with approximately $2500 (approximately $44,000 in 2013 dollars). Three other people (Tony, Floyd and Mildred Strain) were sent to prison for the crime, and it was not recognized for many years that the real robbers were the infamous Bonnie and Clyde Gang.

In 1933 alone, 32 banks were robbed in Minnesota. The FBI did not investigate bank robberies until 1934, so the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and the Jackson County Sheriff were responsible for solving the crime. Agent William Conly of the Minnesota BCA was provided with eyewitness descriptions matching the appearances of Tony and Floyd Strain. The description of the incident also described a woman involved as the get away driver, who was presumed to be Mildred Strain and later matched by eyewitnesses. They were local criminals who were suspected in a number of other local bank heists. After two quick trials, they were convicted by Jackson County juries, and Tony and Floyd were sentenced to 10-80 years and Mildred was sentenced to 5-40 years, as she was only the getaway driver, a less serious offence.

The trio were also suspected of robbing banks in the Minnesota towns of Chandler, Ihlen, Madison, Russell and Westbrook and the South Dakota towns of Canova, Vermillion, Kaylor and Huron. However, events in later years made clear that the trio could not have been responsible for those other bank robberies. Mildred insisted she was framed for the Okabena robbery until she was released from Shakopee Women’s Prison in 1942 and two officers of the Sioux City, Iowa police department at that time were watching her at her residence on the day of the robbery. Tony and Floyd also maintained their innocence until they were released from Stillwater Penitentiary in 1946.

Years after Bonnie and Clyde had died, a book was ghost-written by Bonnie’s mother and Clyde’s sister, claiming that Bonnie and Clyde had robbed the bank in Okabena, along with Clyde’s brother Buck Barrow and Buck’s wife Blanche Barrow. Another book written by Blanch Barrow made the same claim.

Shortly before the Okabena robbery, police in Joplin, Missouri raided a house used by Bonnie and Clyde as a hide-out. In the house they found undeveloped rolls of film of Bonnie and Clyde brandishing pistols and machine guns, along with several poems of their exploits written by Bonnie. The poems and the photos were later published in newspapers, making the pair famous, but by this time, the Strains had been convicted.

The Strain trio maintained their innocence, right up to their deaths, Tony in 1970, Mildred in 1974, and Floyd in 1994. The town of Okabena now recognizes the real robbers, and re-enacts the bank heist every year as part of their Fourth of July festival.

According to Professor Brad Chislom, historian at St. Cloud State University, “Bonnie and Clyde, along with Buck and Blanche Barrow, robbed the bank at Okabena. The residents of Jackson County who helped convict the Strains no doubt acted in good faith; vital information had been concealed from them. Bank robberies were occurring at an alarming rate in 1933. At Okabena, over-zealous, dishonest investigators placed a higher value on clearing the rash of cases than on getting at the truth, and the Strains paid the price. Only history can clear their names now.”