Results: Robert LeRoy Parker became known as Butch Cassidy, The True Story and Legend of Famous Outlaws in the Wild, Wild West ** Part One

In 1879 when Robert was eight, his family homesteaded a large ranch outside of Circleville, Utah. Here, he became an expert cowboy and was a playful older brother to his younger siblings. The Parker family were not the most devout members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but it is believed that they may have been involved in an illegal "underground railroad" sheltering polygamous Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints families from the U.S. government. This underground railway helped some women escape the life of polygamy and also helped Mormons escape the law so they could practice this lifestyle without interference. Did you know there was a Mormon Underground Railway?

Butch continued to work on area ranches until he turned 18 in 1884. He then moved to Telluride, Colorado, telling his family that he was going to seek work in the town's silver mines. However, he didn't mention that he would be driving a herd of stolen horses down to Colorado. There, he took a few honest jobs while continuing to rustle horses. He also met a man named Matt Warner, cowboy by trade, outlaw cattle rustler by choice. He seems to have indoctrinated the restless Robert into the lucrative business of stealing livestock. Cassidy's first bank robbery took place on June 24, 1889, when he, Matt Warner and the McCarty brothers — Tom and Bill, robbed the San Miguel Valley Bank in Telluride, Colorado stealing approximately $21,000. Have you ever been to Telluride Colorado?

A witness recalled seeing Butch, in the weeks before the robbery, spend hours teaching his horse to stand calmly while he ran and vaulted into the saddle," Richard Patterson writes in the magazine Wild West. "Butch and his pals also constructed special leather bags to carry the loot, and they painstakingly laid out an escape route in advance, bolstered by relay teams of fresh horses." Fleeing into the rough country, they lost their trackers in a wilderness of canyons, hidden valleys and high peaks known as Robber's Roost. Would you trek thru the narrow canyon slot?

In 1890, with his share of the loot stolen in Colorado, Cassidy purchased a ranch on the outskirts of Dubois, Wyoming where he was known to have rustled cattle and horses. This location is across the state from the notorious Hole-in-the-Wall, a natural geological formation and a popular hideout for outlaw gangs including Cassidy's, so some historians surmise that the ranch was never economically successful, but rather, was a facade for clandestine activities. In early 1894, Cassidy became involved romantically with outlaw and rancher Ann Bassett. Bassett's father, rancher Herb Bassett, did business with Cassidy, supplying him with fresh horses and beef. Have you seen or visited the Hole-in-the-Wall hideout?

Cassidy was arrested at Lander, Wyoming, for stealing horses. He was sentenced to two years in the Wyoming State Prison in Laramie but was released after 18 months. According to Matt Warner in his biography, Cassidy robbed the Montpelier bank in an effort to get money to bail Warner out of jail. That has never been proven, but for a certainty Cassidy, Elzy Lay and Bob Meeks robbed the bank, August 13, 1896. After a casual drink or two, they reached the bank just before closing time and tied up their horses at the hitching rack across the street from the bank. Cassidy and Lay left Meeks to tend the horses as they stepped across the street and ushered the surprised banker and his friend into the bank. Lay leaned across the writing desk and trained guns on the personnel while Cassidy quickly moved around scooping the money into a gunny sac. Cassidy left the bank first with the money, escaping with approximately $7,000. He walked nonchalantly across the street, got on his horse and rode slowly away. Meeks moved across the street with the remaining horses and left Lay's horse standing in front of the bank as he rode away. Finally Lay left the bank in haste. Minutes later, Sheriff Jefferson Davis and a posse took up the chase. For a week the posse followed but gave up the chase. No one really knows what happened to the money or for that matter exactly where the men went. After his arrest later, Meeks swore that he never got a penny of the loot. Meeks was the only one ever arrested. Cassidy and Lay were never brought to trial. Mackintosh stated:" The 13th was the cause of it all. He noted it was the 13th day of the month; it occurred after the 13th deposit had been made that day at a sum of $13.00 and occurred at 13 minutes after the hour of 3:00 p.m." Do you believe the 13th brought the bank bad luck?

It would be followed by numerous robberies in South Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada Utah, Wyoming and Montana. Between their robberies, the men hid out at the Hole-in-the-Wall Pass, located in Johnson County, Wyoming, where a number of outlaw gangs had their hideouts. It was shortly after this robbery that Cassidy recruited the Sundance Kid into the Wild Bunch, with several other well-known outlaws, including his best friend, William Ellsworth "Elzy" Lay, Harry "Sundance Kid" Longabaugh, Ben "Tall Texan" Kilpatrick, and Harvey "Kid Curry" Logan, they formed nucleus of the group known as the "Wild Bunch." Cassidy embarked on what is considered the longest stretch of successful train and bank robberies in American history. Others in the group included Harry Tracy, William "News" Carver, Laura Bullion, and George "Flat Nose" Curry. The group took its name from the Doolin–Dalton gang, who were also known as the "Wild Bunch." Are you familiar with the Wild Bunch and other outlaws Butch Cassidy worked with?