There has been a lot written about outlaws such as Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and Kid Curry. Nearly all of it is based on stories passed down from one generation to another. Some outlaws, such as Matt Warner, told their stories after retiring from the outlaw way of life. Others, such as Kid Curry, left their stories with friends who published them years after the outlaw's death. Then there was Butch Cassidy's sister who narrated a very interesting book with convincing evidence that the famous outlaw did not, in fact, die in South America. Others like Pearl Biddlecome lived near outlaw hideouts as children and either knew them or had parents and grandparents who knew them.
Regardless of which stories you believe, the result can be simply put that following outlaw escapades leads to visiting very remote country and enjoying some of the most scenic lands this country has to offer. During the next few months, Off-Road will publish a series of stories that follows the Outlaw Trail from southern Utah to the Canadian border. You can also find other stories about the trail at www.outbackusa.com. Details on guided tours, guidebooks, and entertaining videos are also available there.
Of all the outlaws that roamed the West during the late 1800s, Butch Cassidy is one of the most prominent. Long before the movie with Newman and Redford, books were being written about Cassidy and his Wild Bunch. If you believe those books, Cassidy was the one who planned the Wild Bunch's dozens of robberies, even if he didn't take part in all of them personally.
During the month of April 1884, at the age of 18, Robert LeRoy Parker left his father's home near Circleville, Utah. He was wanted for stealing horses - probably the same horses he took through Hanksville, then up the Angel Trail onto Robbers Roost. From there, he drove his herd to Moab, Utah, then to Telluride, Colorado, where miners were willing to pay top dollar.
The house where Robert LeRoy Parker said goodbye to his mother is located south of Circleville, Utah, on Highway 89, between Mile Posts 156 and 157. It has never been designated as a historic site and is falling down from years of neglect.
Although he used various assumed names during the next 20 years, Robert LeRoy Parker was best known as Butch Cassidy. Cassidy he took from his mentor, another outlaw who had used the same name; Butch was a name given to him when he worked briefly as a butcher. He rode the Outlaw Trail, also referred to in those days as the Owl Hoot Trail. He was involved in robberies from New Mexico to Montana and became the notorious leader of the Wild Bunch.
Several years ago, the movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, told the story Hollywood style. A part of the movie was filmed in the ghost town of Grafton, Utah. The old school and the building behind it were in the background while Etta and Butch rode around the yard on a bicycle. Grafton can be seen south of the highway going east out of Rockville on Highway 9.
The life and legend of Butch Cassidy and other members of the Wild Bunch sets the stage for some interesting four-wheeling trips. Many of their hideouts and trails still exist, virtually unchanged in the past 120 years.