Beaver, Utah is a beautiful town located in the south west corner of the state. It’s a quiet place encircled by mountains, and known mainly for cattle ranching and alfalfa farming. Lots of horses and cowboys in and around Beaver. Which is appropriate considering the little town’s history.
Beaver’s old Courthouse was created in 1855 and today it remains a majestic red-brick building standing proudly in the centre of town. The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, saved this historic building from demolition in 1974 and continue to care for its many historic pieces including the old courthouse itself, as well as jail cells in the basement where past residents scratched their names onto the walls. Not much to do in those jail cells.
The clock in the clock tower still rings out every hour and its doors are open daily to welcome history buffs and other visitors. And every day, volunteer members of the local Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, warmly welcome and share their extensive knowledge of the town’s past and characters who lived there.
Probably the one most notorious was a lad named Robert Leroy Parker who was born in Beaver in 1866. As a teenager, young Robert was hired by a local rancher to do odd jobs. This marked the beginning of his education where he learned everything about the art of cowboying, cattle rustling and how to make beans over an open fire from a local ranch hand named Mike Cassidy. Robert proved to be a quick learner and a few years later, he launched his shady career, and assumed the last name of his mentor, transforming himself into the infamous outlaw, Butch Cassidy.
In short order, Butch met up with another fun guy named Harry Longabaugh, who went under the name, Sundance Kid. Together, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, went on a significant and lengthy career of no-good business. They attracted other like-minded bandits who were often referred to as the Wild Bunch. Coincidentally, that is the same name that our grandchildren go by.
Butch was the undisputed head of the Wild Bunch leading them on a long list of robberies from banks, to horses, to cattle throughout the west. Even though the Wild Bunch were made up of some of the meanest and violent hombres in the west, they say that Butch never killed a man… at least not in America. In fact, over time, Butch’s natural charm and gentlemanly ways earned him several admirers even among law abiding citizens. Butch evolved into something of a Robin Hood figure as he stole his way to fame and fortune.
The Wild Bunch eventually came to the end of their shenanigans as law enforcement and posses became more successful at eliminating its members. Sensing their time was limited, Butch and Sundance escaped to South America. Sadly, there vacation ended abruptly soon after their arrival when they awoke to discover they were surrounded by a small army of Bolivian soldiers. Over a two-day period, a fierce gun battle took place. It took a while for the Bolivian soldiers to get their aim, but in the end, Sundance met his maker. Though Butch was likely the other outlaw who was reportedly killed that same day, there are some, including Cassidy’s younger sister, Lula Parker Betensen, who claim Butch successfully eluded the soldiers and made his way back to the United States where he lived a long life under a new name.
We’ll never really know what happened to Butch, but today, for better or worse, he remains a big part of Beaver, Utah.
And special thanks to the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, for working so hard to preserve their town’s western roots and history.