1930s Gangster John Dillinger was born in Indiana and made his way from small-time farm into the big time here. He famously robbed a bank and killed a policeman in East Chicago and though the bank is gone (replaced by a Walgreen's parking lot) police had local resident Anna Sage to thank, for she set him up to take a fall.

Dillinger sights

Visitors to Northwest Indiana and Northern Indiana can retrace some of his steps, including the Crown Point jail which held him – but only for a short time. Dillinger never made it to Goshen, but they were expecting him and built an interesting looking metal bunker near the courthouse – that's still there.

Head on over to Koscuisko County to the the town of North Webster. Hop aboard the Dixie, the oldest paddleboat in the state and take the tour of Webster Lake. It was at the old Yellow Banks Hotel, now torn down though you can still see some of the stone steps, where gangsters like Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Al Capone once stayed.

Stop in Mooresville in Morgan County where Dillinger’s father moved the family hoping to help his son resist the temptations of city life in Indianapolis.

Dillinger also robbed a bank in the city of Greencastle in Putnam County.

He is supposedly buried – though his family disputes this saying someone else lies in his grave – in the beautiful Indianapolis Crown Hill Cemetery.