Map of John Dillinger Robberies Available from Ball State University Libraries

Indiana Crime History:  Map of John Dillinger Robberies

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) is commemorating the bicentennial birthday of the state of Indiana with each “Map of the Month” window display.  The “Map of the Month” is featured in the GRMC windows on the second floor of Bracken Library.  The July exhibit features a map of the robberies of Indiana native John Dillinger.

Public Enemies:  Robberies of the John Dillinger Gang (above, click to enlarge) was created by the GRMC in 2009 to commemorate the opening of the Johnny Depp movie, “Public Enemies.”  The movie is based on the book by Bryan Burrough Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-1934 (available in the General Collection of Bracken Library).  The movie focuses on the legendary bank robber John Dillinger, who became America’s first “Public Enemy Number One.”

The map is also based on information from Burrough’s book and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Historic Famous Cases Web page.  The map marks the locations of reported robberies of John Dillinger and his gang beginning with a robbery in Daleville, Indiana, in the summer of 1933.  The map follows Dillinger’s activities through his death the following summer.

A copy of the map is available in PDF-format from the Ball State University Libraries Cardinal Scholar repository.  Two copies of the map are available for circulation from the GRMC and may be used for exhibits or research.  (Maps from the GRMC circulate for two weeks or longer).

For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.