Deep in the heart of the American west lays an amazing geologic wonder “The Colorado Plateau” with its rock formations, color, geology, and history. Today it is the fun spot for many sports like hiking, bicycling, and water sports such as water skiing and house boating on the Colorado River as well as Lake Powell.  The world’s longest and largest natural bridge Rainbow Bridge is still there to see in all its glory. Many State and National parks, Indian petro glyphs and dinosaurs are to be found as well. In Butch Cassidy’s time it was the play ground of the old west for outlaws, cowpokes and prospectors. Especially a place called Robbers Roost with its many winding canyons and box canyons and its wild inhospitality protected the outlaws from the law. The wild bunch needed a wild county to hide from the law and it suited there needs just fine... The general area of robbers roost lies about thirty miles due east of Hanksville, Utah as the crow flies. Robbers Roost is drained by the Dirty devil river which makes its way east south east to Lake Powell.

        From the time Butch Cassidy started robbing trains and banks he and his fellow outlaws covered vast landscapes of land in the American west, in Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. Almost 100% of the transportation of men and stolen money was by horse back. The escapes from the law was no accidental thing. Much planning and effort went into to making the robberies successful. Horses, men and supplies were staged along escape routs to such places as Robbers Roost, hole in the wall and Browns Park. All these places and the trails between them came to be known as the outlaw trail. The outlaws usually split up only to rendezvous at a designated place later on. Once they got there it was time to lay low for awhile and stash the hot money till the other outlaws could come and get there share of the stolen loot. Most of the stolen loot was in the form of cash, very little was silver or gold because it would be too burdensome on the horses to carry much gold or silver at a fast pace over very difficult terrain.  Once the loot was divided up each outlaw would go his own way and try to blend in.  Small western towns and brothels, large and small ranches or farms were favorite places to stay till the money ran out. Many a small rancher was a part time outlaw or was friendly to the outlaws and many benefited from the stolen loot them selves. Times were rough and people were rough.  The outlaws did not stay or linger long in one place because the Pinkerton detective agency was hired by the railroad. was always just over the next mountain or around the next bend and sometimes even on the next train to be robbed.

    Butch Cassidy whose real name was Robert Leroy Parker is an interesting figure of the old west. He was raised by pour but loving parents named Maximillion and Annie Parker. They had both joined the LDS church and immigrated to Utah territory to be near the other LDS saints. They began raising a family in beaver Utah and it was  there that their oldest child was born in Beaver, Utah territory his name was Robert Leroy Parker later to become the famous Butch Cassidy and a member of the Wild bunch or Hole in the wall gang. Butch made a lot of friends during his life time and was well liked even by his prison guards in the Wyoming territorial prison. He took his last alias name from one Mike Cassidy who befriended him at a young age and had a great influence on him as well. Because of this quality he became a leader in the wild bunch not by force as in most gangs but by being smart and using his wits to get what he wanted. His reputation in Utah and the surrounding western states today is that he is likened to Robin Hood and indeed many people call him the Robin Hood of the old west. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are believed by some to have been killed in San Vicente, Bolivia but some of his family says he later returned to Utah to visit them. Who knows what happened but before you make your mind up about this I have something you need to know. Butch was supposed to have been killed earlier in his career but it was later proven that because of a friend he attended his own funeral in a wagon covered by tarp and was quit alive when they lowered the casket in the ground.

    I started this article about Butch by titling it “BUTCH CASSIDY”S TREASURE AND THE PIRATES OF THE OLD WEST”.  Wouldn’t be neat to find some of the old bank bills or loot of some of the robberies somewhere along the outlaw trail. Say in a box canyon buried under some long forgotten marker or landmark that marked the location of Butch Cassidy’s treasure cache near robbers roost or hole in the wall hide out or maybe somewhere near Circleville, Utah.  This may or may not ever happen but I am sure of this just reading and learning about interesting history is a treasure in its self. Good luck and if some day you find yourself riding the outlaw trail. Look around a little you never now if a treasure is buried just were your standing.