The James Gang and Russellville, Ky

I had a summer job long ago doing surveying in Logan County Kentucky. Lasted for two summers. Mostly we did sewer line planning. Just mapping elevations. I didn't live nearby, so it was an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon just sleeping in the truck as we went back and forth to Russellville. Nice job for a student. And we'd always get a meat and three for lunch. That area of Kentucky, not too far from Mammoth Cave, is mostly limestone…karst …lots of sinkholes. I stepped in a few and busted a level rod across my neck when a passing vehicle did not heed the "men at work" sign. I always thought it was my fault for slipping into a sink hole and letting the rod get in the way of a passing car. But for a driver to bust a rod across a man's neck and not even slow down to see if he  was hurt...that's the mentality. I suppose there was a lot of fear on both ends of the rod.

In order to reference the elevations, we'd have to go to an established USGS benchmark and work from that. The nearest benchmark was the easiest. One day, we were in the town center getting lunch or tracking down a benchmark (I don't remember), but I saw a rather strange historical marker outside the main bank in town. It said that the James Gang had robbed this bank in 1868. I thought it rather strange to commemorate a robbery.

So at this late date, living hours away, I've researched Russellville just a little. I reckon there is some joy in the working folks getting  even somehow with the investor class. That seems to be the case in Russellville. I never went in the bank, but apparently nowadays there is a mural depicting the robbery and a festival reinacting it.

I wonder how Robin Hoods become heroes. Seems to be a constant struggle between the working folks, the common thieves, and those that pull the strings.

Tune me in if you know more!