Editing Okabena, Minnesota

{{short description|City in Minnesota, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Okabena
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

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|image_map = Jackson_County_Minnesota_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Okabena_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Okabena, Minnesota
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
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<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Minnesota]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Minnesota|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Jackson County, Minnesota|Jackson]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = Mayor &ndash; Council
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              = Brent Groen{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_27.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 24, 2022}}</ref>
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<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 203
|population_density_km2   = 231.58
|population_density_sq_mi = 600.59

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
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|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
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|coordinates              = {{coord|43|44|21|N|95|19|08|W|region:US-MN|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 56161
|area_code                = [[Area code 507|507]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 27-48184<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2395311<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2395311}}</ref>
|website                  = 
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'''Okabena''' ({{IPAc-en|oʊ|k|ə|ˈ|b|iː|n|ə}} {{respell|OH|kə|BEE|nə}})<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ap.org/minnesota/prono.html |title=Minnesota Pronunciation Guide |website=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=July 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722194213/http://www.ap.org/minnesota/prono.html |archive-date=July 22, 2011 }}</ref> is a town in [[Jackson County, Minnesota|Jackson County]], [[Minnesota]], United States. The population was 203 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="2010 Census (City)">{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/all?q=Okabena%20city,%20Minnesota |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> The community's name is a [[Sioux|Dakota]] term meaning "the nesting place of herons."<ref>{{cite web|title=Minnesota Place Names - Township and Village Information|url=http://mnplaces.mnhs.org/upham/city.cfm?PlaceNameID=2254&BookCodeID=6&County=32&SendingPage=Results.cfm|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society|access-date=30 April 2011}}</ref>

== History ==
Okabena was founded in 1879 after the railroad had been extended to that point.<ref>{{cite book|last=Upham|first=Warren|title=Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance|url=https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog|year=1920|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society|page=[https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog/page/n281 262]}}</ref> A post office has been in operation at Okabena since 1880.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=MN&county=Jackson | title=Jackson County | publisher=Jim Forte Postal History | access-date=13 July 2015}}</ref>

===Bank robbery===
[[File:Bonnieclyde f.jpg|left|thumb|upright|Bonnie and Clyde in a photo found by police in April 1933 at an [[Bonnie & Clyde Garage Apartment|abandoned hideout]]]]
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).<ref name="babel.hathitrust.org">[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.32106015520536;view=1up;seq=173] "Fugitives: The Story of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker" as told to Emma Parker Kruse and Nellie Barrow Cowan p. 163</ref> 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.

====Investigation and trial====
In 1933 alone, 32 banks were robbed in Minnesota. The [[FBI]] did not investigate bank robberies until 1934,<ref name=OKABENA>{{cite web|url= https://shop.mnhs.org/products/minnesota-history-quarterly-winter-2010-62-4 |title=OKABENA: A BANK ROBBERY REVISITED
}}</ref> 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 testimony|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, Minnesota|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.<ref name=OKABENA/>

The trio were also suspected of robbing banks in the Minnesota towns of [[Chandler, Minnesota|Chandler]], [[Ihlen, Minnesota|Ihlen]], [[Madison, Minnesota|Madison]], [[Russell, Minnesota|Russell]] and [[Westbrook, Minnesota|Westbrook]] and the [[South Dakota]] towns of [[Canova, South Dakota|Canova]], [[Vermillion, South Dakota|Vermillion]], [[Kaylor, South Dakota|Kaylor]] and [[Huron, South Dakota|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 the day she was released from [[Minnesota Correctional Facility - Shakopee|Shakopee Women’s Prison]] in 1942. Moreover, two officers of the [[Sioux City, Iowa]] police department later claimed they were watching her at her residence on the day of the robbery.<ref name=OKABENA/> Tony and Floyd also maintained their innocence until they were released from [[Minnesota Correctional Facility – Stillwater|Stillwater Penitentiary]] in 1946.

====Later evidence====

Years after Bonnie and Clyde had died, a book was [[ghost write|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]].<ref name="babel.hathitrust.org"/> Another book written by Blanch Barrow made the same claim.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Ks6tb-Ks6pEC&q=Okabena&pg=PA68 "My Life with Bonnie and Clyde" by Blanche Caldwell Barrow, Esther L. Weiser]</ref>

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,<ref>Jeff Guinn, "Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde"(New York: Simon and Schuster, 2009),162-176</ref> 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.”
<ref>[https://shop.mnhs.org/products/minnesota-history-quarterly-winter-2010-62-4 Okabena: A Bank Robbery Revisited by Brad Chisholm]</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|0.21|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all land.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2012-11-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112090031/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=January 12, 2012 }}</ref>

The community is located on County Roads 9 and 20 west of [[South Heron Lake]].

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1940= 210
|1950= 236
|1960= 244
|1970= 237
|1980= 263
|1990= 223
|2000= 185
|2010= 188
|2020= 203
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-11-13}}</ref> of 2010, there were 188 people, 74 households, and 54 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|895.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 86 housing units at an average density of {{convert|409.5|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 92.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.1% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 1.1% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.5% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 3.2% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.6% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 4.8% of the population.

There were 74 households, of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.0% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.93.

The median age in the city was 37.8 years. 30.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.6% were from 25 to 44; 22.9% were from 45 to 64; and 17% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 185 people, 76 households, and 49 families residing in the city.  The population density was {{convert|893.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 87 housing units at an average density of {{convert|420.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the city was 100.00% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]]. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 6.49% of the population.

There were 76 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 15.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.2% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,188, and the median income for a family was $35,500. Males had a median income of $28,438 versus $19,375 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $14,332.  None of the families and 1.5% of the population were living below the [[poverty line]].

==Politics==
{{unreferenced section|date=June 2023}}
Okabena is located in [[Minnesota's 1st congressional district]], represented by [[Republican Party of Minnesota|Republican]] [[Jim Hagedorn]].  At the state level, Okabena is located in [[Minnesota Senate|Senate]] District 22, represented by [[Republican Party of Minnesota|Republican]] [[Bill Weber (Minnesota politician)|Bill Weber]], and in [[Minnesota House of Representatives|House]] District 22B, represented by Republican [[Rod Hamilton]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060816074910/http://www.okabena.org/  Okabena Web Site]
* [https://shop.mnhs.org/products/minnesota-history-quarterly-winter-2010-62-4 Link to Bonnie and Clyde Article from Minnesota Historical Society]

{{Jackson County, Minnesota}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Jackson County, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Cities in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Dakota toponyms]]