Backroads to the Lovell Ranch.
There are several other buildings stamped with dates from that same time period, including the Pollard Hotel across the street from the bank. The visitor center has brochures providing a walking tour around town for those interested in the history of the area. Stories about the events surrounding the attempted robbery come in a variety of versions. One story supposedly passed down by the lawmen who captured the outlaws seems very unlikely. In that version, the outlaws sent word to the sheriff informing him they were coming into town and he would be best advised to go fishing. Since the outlaws already had one posse on their tails from the Belle Fourche robbery, this version is very difficult to believe.
Another version claims Kid Curry was recognized because he had previously met the sheriff. Since Curry had spent some years ranching in Montana before becoming an outlaw, this version is easier to believe. Of course, the sheriff knew better than to face down two gunslingers like the Sundance Kid and Kid Curry, so they had time to make a run for it while he searched for others to form a posse.
Regardless of how it began, most stories agree that the posse caught up with the outlaws north of Red Lodge. Kid Curry was shot in the arm during the capture. The Sundance Kid and Walt Puteney were captured without a shootout. The outlaws were taken back to Belle Fourche, but the jail had recently burned down (the most popular story is that an incarcerated drunk got cold during the night and started a fire to keep warm), so the outlaws were then taken to Deadwood to await a trial. There are several versions of how they broke out of that jail. Regardless of how it was done, the Deadwood jail could not hold the infamous Sundance Kid and Kid Curry, and they went looking for Butch Cassidy. Maybe they realized bank robbery was a little too complicated for them and they needed someone else to run the operation - someone who could keep them from being captured again.
Coming soon in OFF-ROAD, we follow the Outlaw Trail from Red Lodge to the hideout in the Missouri Breaks of Montana. Join us for a pleasant ride through wide-open country across the state of Montana.
Larry E. Heck is the author and creator of numerous books and videos dating back to 1985. For more information about guided tours, as well as other trails and tales, visit his website at www.lone-writer.com or call (303) 910-7647.
Lovell Ranch. |  |  |
Smith Mine historic marker. | 
Smith Mine. | 
Red Lodge Bank building. |
Pollard Hotel. | 
Red Lodge historic marker. |  |
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