The first train robbery in U.S. history took place right here in the Hoosier State.

The Wild West

Not to be confused with the 1999 film starring Will Smith, the Wild West was a time in history when outlaws were rampant, as settlers moved westward.  Merriam-Webster defines the Wild West as a time "characterized by roughness and lawlessness."

According to Encyclopedia.com, the term Wild West refers to the 150-year-long conquest of the American West.

The 150-year-long conquest of the American West was one of the most colorful eras of American history. From the moment that small bands of settlers set out across the Appalachian Mountains in the 1750s to the closing of the frontier around 1890, Americans sprawled and fought their way across thick forests, vast prairies, and soaring mountains, claiming as their own lands once inhabited by Native American tribes, or by Spanish or Mexican settlers, if they were inhabited at all.

Of course, as with many things throughout history, the truth about the Wild West has been romanticized and distorted over the years to be all about outlaws, train hold-ups, and cowboys on horses.  While much of that is based on facts, some have been dramatized over the years.  You can learn more about the REAL Wild West, here. 

The Wild...Midwest?

It is impossible to think about the Wild West without thinking of masked outlaws holding up trains.  However, did you know the first train robbery in the United States didn't even take place in the Wild West?  That's because it took place in the Hoosier State!

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According to the Library of Congress, Indiana holds a claim to fame for the first train robbery in the country.  On October 6th, 1866 the infamous Reno brothers boarded an eastbound Ohio & Mississippi Railroad passenger car in Seymour, Indiana.

On October 6, 1866, thieves boarded an eastbound Ohio & Mississippi Railroad passenger train near Seymour, Indiana, and entered an Adams Express Company car. Pointing guns at Adams Express employee Elem Miller, the masked bandits demanded keys to the safes. Miller held keys for the local safe only, so the robbers emptied that safe and tossed the other off the train intending to open it later. Signaling the engineer to stop the train, the robbers, later identified as the infamous Reno brothers, made an easy getaway. Unaware of what had happened, the engineer sped off into the night while the thieves congratulated themselves on a job well done.

Now this particular robbery is considered the first train robbery, even though 9 months earlier a similar incident occurred in New York.

So there ya go, a little wild piece of Hoosier history for you!