Lynch /lin(t)SH/ - a form of violence in which a mob, under the pretext of administering justice without proper trial, executes a presumed offender, usually by hanging.
(Pictured Above: the once-Haven family farmstead)
The Haven family was not seen alive again after February 9, 1930. Albert Haven, 50, Lulia, 39, and their four children, aged 18 to 2 months, immigrated to Canada before returning to the States where they built a farm just north of Schafer, North Dakota (the county seat of McKenzie County at the time). Albert was originally from Minnesota, and his wife Lulia originally from Indiana. In McKenzie County, they owned "considerable Livestock, feed and machinery" on their farm, as well as personal items like a radio and piano.
(Pictured left to right: State Attorney J.S Taylor, accused killer Charles Bannon, Williams County Deputy Sheriff Earl Gorden, and Sheriff Charles Jacobson)
After the family's disappearance, the Haven family's hired hand, Charles Bannon, 22, took over their property and told neighbors he was renting the farm from the Havens. His father James joined him on the property shortly after. It wasn't until October 1930 when neighbors got suspicious of Bannon selling the Havens' property and crops, that anyone investigated the family's disappearance. Two months later, Bannon was jailed in Williston, North Dakota on charges of grand larceny. During that investigation is when authorities learned that the Haven family was deceased.
In early January 1931, Charles Bannon wrote his final confession for the murders of the entire Haven family. The claims he killed Daniel, the eldest son of the Havens, in self defense, and the rest of the family in fear of retaliation. Later that month, Charles was moved to the small, less-secure Schafer Jail to be arraigned for the six murders. A few days later, between 12am-1am on January 29, 1931, about 75 men in 15 cars busted into the Schafer Jail, locking the Sheriff inside the cell with 2 inmates (one of which was James Bannon, Charles's father) and sprung Charles Bannon from the jail.
(the bridge east of Schafer that now passes over the Cherry Creek)
After being sprung, Bannon was taken by the mob a half-mile east of the jail and hung over the nearby Cherry Creek. He was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Williston. Governor George Shafer called the lynching "shameful" and urged an investigation be opened. But investigators concluded that the lynching was planned in advance and well executed, so no arrests came from the investigation. James Bannon, Charles's father, was later tried in Divide county as an accomplice to the Haven family murders and sentenced to life in prison. Though even in Charles's confession did he mention that his father had no affiliation or knowledge of the murders. The Federal Council of Churches investigated the incident in spring 1931, concluding that authorities "took the prisoner back to the scene of the crime, put him in a makeshift jail, and thus gave every chance to a mob."
The Haven family now rests in the Schafer Cemetery in Watford City. And today, the only thing left of the city of Schafer is the jail, which is a State Historic site for the place of the last recorded lynching in North Dakota.
To log this Virtual Geocache: Complete the tasks/questions below. Questions can be messaged directly to me, you will not have to wait for validation to claim this Virtual.
1. True or False. In 1930-31, the county seat for McKenzie County was Schafer, North Dakota.
2. On the building plaque, the builder of the Schafer Jailhouse was from which North Dakota town? (Do some research) Is it still a populated town today?
3. About how many men in masks bombarded the Schafer Jail to get to Charles Bannon?
4. On the historic site sign, for how many years was the Schafer Jail used in McKenzie County?
5. (Do some research) How many recorded lynchings were there in North Dakota?
6. Required in log: Take a photo of your caching crew, a special geocaching token, your GPS, or name on a piece of paper with your geocaching name at this place into your log.
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Information on the Haven family murders & this State Historic Site from ndcourts.gov
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023 // This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.