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The Outlaw Trail
Hideouts and other favorite places.
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Landusky, Montana
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- Landusky became the home of Kid Curry after
he moved to Montana and before he took to riding
the outlaw trail. His real name was Harvey
Logan, born in Kentucky or Iowa, raised in Missouri,
and eventually drifting to Hole in the Wall in Wyoming.
When not on the run, he lived on his ranch in
Landusky, Montana.
- Kid Curry was considered the killer of the Wild
Bunch. He notched his gun with the blood of
numerous lawmen. Some of them deserved it
but of course that was a matter of opinion. He
was more or less pushed into the outlaw lifestyle
by a set of events where one thing led to another
until he killed his first lawman who arrested him
for something he did not do. After that, there
was no turning back.
- A short distance southwest of Landusky was a
hideout in Hideaway Coulee. This location
is now a historic site although it is not well marked.
Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid often used
the hideout, however, the cabin there belonged to
Kid Curry.
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Hole in the Wall near Kaycee, Wyoming
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- Hole in the Wall is the most famous of all the outlaw hideouts on
the outlaw trail was
Hole in the Wall. It was active for cattle
rustling long before Cassidy's Wild Bunch moved
in. It has been portrayed in countless fiction
books and movies as a narrow canyon with only one
entry. You will be surprised when you see
it.
- Hole in the Wall is on public land, however
it is nearly surrounded by private property. The
main access to it crosses the Willow Creek Ranch
which is a working guest ranch. Cabins for
rent, horses for rent, cookouts, and trail rides
to Hole in the Wall are all on the agenda.
- The outlaw cabin at Hole in the Wall is no longer
standing, however, the Willow Creek Ranch now has
cookouts at that location.
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Browns Hole - now called Browns Park
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- Browns Hole was actually the most popular hideout for
Cassidy's Wild Bunch along the outlaw trail. They had their own "town"
called Powder Springs located on the northeast corner
of Browns Hole. That location is now called
Powder Wash and is home to those who work the natural
gas fields in the area.
- Browns Hole was and
still is the best of all the hideouts for raising
cattle.
- Since Browns Hole spans across the borders
of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado, it was possible
for rustlers to avoid a sherrif from any of the
three states by simply moving his herd across one
of the borders.
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Robbers Roost, Utah
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- Robbers Roost was unlike any of the other hideouts on
the outlaw trail. This desert terrain is full of canyons where an
outlaw could hide for years and never be found.
For that reason, outlaws spent a lot of time
there.
- It now borders Canyonlands National Park and
Glen Canyon Recreation Area. Much of it is
guarded by the very government that did not dare
cross its boundaries during the days of the Wild
Bunch.
- Before Robert LeRoy Parker became known as Butch
Cassidy, he ran stolen horses across Robbers
Roost by way of Angel Trail. That herd was
taken south on the outlaw trail and then to Telluride, Colorado where Parker behaved
himself for a few years before robbing his first
bank and becoming the leader of the Wild Bunch.
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Alma, New Mexico
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- The WS Ranch (near Alma, New Mexico) was on
the south end of the outlaw trail. Members of The Wild Bunch worked
this ranch as well as many others to hide from the
law. They acted like normal cowboys and were
very good at the trade. The ranchers in the
area knew Cassidy as Jim Lowe. Although they
knew who he was, they knew as long as he was working
for them, no rustler would dare enter the area.
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Circleville,
Utah
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- Circleville, Utah was the boyhood home of Robert LeRoy Parker. The Parker
home was a rustlers hideout before the Parkers moved
in. When they bought the property, an outlaw
by the name of Mike Cassidy stayed on as a hired
hand. That outlaw became mentor for Robert.
For that reason, Robert assumed the last name
of Cassidy for his outlaw activities. Eventually,
he took on the first name of Butch and went into
history along the outlaw trail as Butch Cassidy.
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