Topics in Chronicling America - Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker)

Butch Cassidy and three other men rob a Telluride, Colorado bank on June 24, 1889. This robbery is the first major crime attributed to Cassidy, who would go on to become a notorious bank and train robber, become the leader of the "Wild Bunch" gang, and inspire legends for years to come. Read more about it!

The information and sample article links below provide access to a sampling of articles from historic newspapers that can be found in the Chronicling America: American Historic Newspapers digital collection (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/). Use the Suggested Search Terms and Dates to explore this topic further in Chronicling America.

Jump to: Sample Articles

Important Dates:

• June 24, 1889: “Butch Cassidy” (Robert LeRoy Parker) and three others rob a bank in Telluride, Colorado. It is the first major robbery attributed to Cassidy.
• September 17, 1896: Cassidy and the “Wild Bunch” rob a bank in Montpelier, Idaho. In the succeeding years, the outlaws commit several other robberies throughout the Southwestern United States.
• June 1900: Cassidy considers an amnesty agreement with the governor of Utah, but ultimately does not turn himself in. Soon after, the “Wild Bunch” disbands, but reports of Cassidy continue to surface in the U.S. and South America throughout the early twentieth century.

Suggested Search Strategies:

• [Try the following terms in combination, proximity, or as phrases using Search Pages in Chronicling America.] Butch Cassidy, Wild Bunch, outlaw, bandit, robbery.
• To Narrow results search between June 1889 and March 1910.
• To find articles relating to specific bank robberies include location in search terms. Ex. When searching for articles about incidents that occurred in New Mexico, include New Mexico in search terms.

Sample Articles from Chronicling America:

• "A Bank Robbery in Colorado," The Salt Lake Herald (Salt Lake City, UT), June 25, 1889, Page 1, Image 1, col. 3.
• "Most Desperate Plot Unearthed," The Salt Lake Herald (Salt Lake City, UT), September 9, 1896, Page 1, Image 1, col. 1.
• "Outlaws are in the South," The Salt Lake Herald (Salt Lake City, UT), September 17, 1896, Page 1, Image 1, col. 4.
• "Desperadoes at Castle Gate," The Salt Lake Herald (Salt Lake City, UT), April 22, 1897, Page 1, Image 1, col. 5.
• "Rounding up Outlaws in the Colorado Basin," The San Francisco Call (San Francisco, CA), April 3, 1898, Page 20, Image 20, col. 1.
• "Bloodthirsty Outlaws," The Washington Bee (Washington, DC), May 27, 1899, Page 8, Image 8, col. 4.
• "Cassidy's Outlaw Band," The Sun (New York, New York), April 29, 1900, Page 3, Image 15, col. 1.
• "Thirty-two Brave Men pursue the Outlaws," The Salt Lake Herald (Salt Lake City, UT), May 29, 1900, Page 1, Image 1, col. 1.
• "Butch Cassidy to Surrender," The Desert Evening News (Salt Lake City, UT), June 29, 1900, Page 1, Image 1, col. 1.
• "Passing of the Hole-in-the Wall," The Salt Lake Herald (Salt Lake City, UT), January 7, 1902, Page 3, Image 3, col. 1.
• "How the Bad Men were driven from the Hole in the Wall," The St. Paul Globe (St. Paul, MN), November 20, 1904, Page 38, Image 38, col. 1.
• "Butch Cassidy now leading a Band of Brigands in Argentina," The Ogden Standard (Ogden City, UT), February 21, 1910, Page 1, Image 1, col. 1.
• "Butch Cassidy in Argentina," The Ogden Standard (Ogden City, UT), February 21, 1910, Page 4, Image 4, col. 1.
• "Bandits find a new Field," The Yakima Herald (North Yakima, WA), March 2, 1910, Page 3, Image 3, col. 3.
• "Easy Money didn't Pay," The Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA), September 2, 1913, Page 3, Image 3, col. 2.