Wilcox, Wyoming or Wolcott, Colorado?
By Rob Carrigan, RobCarrigan1@gmail.com
I have an odd, and confusing memory of being along the railroad tracks somewhere near Durango or Silverton, with all kinds of people nearby and at least three locomotives present. Suddenly, a flash, and a loud BANG, debris in the air.
The story I am told, that might explain some of the strange goings-on in this vague recollection, is that with my young friend Andy Pleasant, and his mom Marlyn (and perhaps one or two of his older brothers,) and I sojourned over to Durango to watch a bit of filming of Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid with Paul Newman played Butch Cassidy with Robert Redford as The Sundance Kid, released by 20th Century Fox in 1969.
No idea if my odd memory is "real or Memorex," but it doesn't exactly match the scene in the movie, and I struggled to put the collective memories together. Yes, I think we were, in fact, nearby when some of the filming occurred. Pleasants, being news people, always had access and information about movie happenings in the area and would have tried to get a celebrity view. Yes, I can point to other instances of film sojourns, and athletic events that I was lucky enough to be dragged along on. But I would have been about seven-years-old at the time, (maybe confused after seeing the actual movie) and now, nobody can really verify for me.
But still I am struck by "The Scene"
"Filmed in Fall of 1968 east of Durango, Colorado, Butch and his “Hole-in-the-Wall” gang rob the baggage car AND the passengers. Not for long, however, as a posse comes ridin’ up to save the day," writes Lindsey Korst.
https://moreobscuretrainmovies.movie.blog/2021/09/01/butch-cassidy-and-the-sundance-kid-1969/
"Having won 4 Oscars, today’s movie is hardly obscure, but the use of three, count ’em THREE steam locomotives makes this a flick worth reviewing. Filmed on the Denver and Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) narrow gauge as well as an obscure Mexican 3-footer, there is a tasty selection of railroad hype to sink our teeth into," he says.
"D&RGW K-28 2-8-2 Baldwins 473 and 478 are the big stars along with some studio-constructed baggage cars and D&RGW replica coaches 330, 335, 336 as well as business car B-7."
"Having talked Woodcock out of harm’s way, the gang waits for the dynamite to go off. KA-BLOOEY! Filmmakers used way too much TNT, blasting the balsa-wood baggage car to smithereens," Korst writes.
"Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?"
The real robbery (more than 100 years ago) provided even more confusion to my confusion. To confuse things even more, that real robbery in Wilcox, Wyoming, often gets confused with another real robbery a few years later near Wolcott, Colorado.
An article about the real Wilcox robbery by members of the Wild Bunch suggests it probably didn't even have Butch and Sundance participating actively, and was written by Donna B. Ernst and originally appeared in the June 1999 issue of Wild West. It was adapted by History.Net Staff.
The Wild Bunch, From left to right: Harry A. Longabaugh, a.k.a. "The Sundance Kid," William Carver, Ben Kilpatrick, a.k.a. "The Tall Texan," Harvey Logan, a.k.a. "Kid Curry" and Robert Leroy Parker, a.k.a. "Butch Cassidy." The photo was taken Nov. 21, 1900, at John Swartz's studio in Fort Worth, Texas.
"Near dawn on June 2, 1899, an engineer from the westbound Union
Pacific Overland Flyer No. 1 fired off a telegram from Medicine Bow,
Wyoming: ‘First Section No. 1 held up a mile west of Wilcox. Express car
blown open, mail car damaged. Safe blown open; contents gone….’
Immediately following engineer W.R. Jones’ report, a dispatch was sent
from the Union Pacific Railroad offices in Omaha, Nebraska, offering a
‘$1,000 reward for each and every one of the train robbers…dead or
alive.’ Later, the Pacific Express Company, whose safe was robbed, made
the same offer, as did the U.S. government. There were six robbers, so
at $3,000 per head, the total reward was worth $18,000," wrote History.Net staff.
"The Union Pacific Railroad quickly sent the No. 4 — a specially outfitted train kept ready in Laramie, Wyo., containing cars for horses, equipment, food and men — to the robbery site, near Wilcox Station (often called Wilcox). This posse train arrived at the site about 9 a.m., just seven hours after the holdup. Although the Union Pacific had its own detective force, it also brought the Burlington Railroad and the Pinkerton Detective Agency into the chase. These professionals joined with the local posses, one of which even employed bloodhounds. Wyoming’s Governor DeForest Richards also dispatched Company C of the state militia. Within 24 hours, nearly 100 possemen were out chasing the train robbers."
"The June 2, 1899, Wilcox holdup would become one of the West’s most famous train robberies. The Union Pacific Overland Flyer No. 1 had two sections, each pulled by its own locomotive. The first section was flagged down by two men with lanterns at milepost No. 609 at 2:18 that rainy Friday morning. Thinking that a small wooden bridge ahead might have washed out overnight, engineer Jones brought this first section to a screeching stop. The two men, wearing masks, boarded the locomotive and ordered Jones and the fireman, named Dietrick, to pull forward to the bridge and stop again. Dynamite, already tucked under the trestle, was ignited, and Jones was again ordered to pull ahead ‘and be quick about it.’ When he moved too slowly for the outlaws, one of them clubbed him with a gun butt."
The train had barely cleared the bridge when the explosion came. Although the bridge was not destroyed, the bandits had prevented the train’s second section, whose headlight they had seen, from following. They then told engineer Jones to stop the first section so that the passenger cars could be uncoupled. The mail and express cars were what interested them. Following orders, Jones and Dietrick pulled ahead another two miles, where four more outlaws were waiting. Three of the robbers herded the trainmen over to the mail car and ordered clerks Robert Lawson and Burt Bruce to open up. When the clerks did not immediately comply, the door was blown with more dynamite.
Finding very little, the outlaws next ordered the express car messenger, Charles Woodcock, to open the door. He refused. Again the thieves put a match to a couple of sticks of dynamite and easily blew the express car open. Woodcock was badly dazed in the explosion and unable to supply the bandits with the combination to the Pacific Express Co. safe. Therefore, more dynamite was used to blow open the safe. This charge proved a bit heavy, and succeeded in not only opening the safe but also blowing out the sides and the roof of the car.
"By 4:15 a.m., the six bandits had gathered unsigned bank notes, cash,
19 scarf pins, 29 gold-plated cuff button pairs and four Elgin watches.
The initial estimate claimed a total of $30,000 was taken, but in 1904,
then Union Pacific Superintendent W.L. Park wrote that the railroad had
actually lost more than $50,000, some of it in gold. The outlaws
escaped in a northerly direction, toward the Hole-in-the-Wall, a
well-known outlaw enclave in the middle of Wyoming," the HistoryNet account says.
"Once the bandits had left the scene, the trainmen limped their broken train about 12 miles into Medicine Bow, the next regular stop, where engineer Jones reported the holdup by telegram to Union Pacific officials in Omaha. Jones’ telegram concluded: ‘….We were ordered to pull over bridge just west of Wilcox, and after we passed the bridge the explosion occurred. Can’t tell how bad bridge was damaged. No one hurt except Jones; scalp wound, and cut on hand. Jones, Engineer.’ A later telegram added that ‘the bent of the bridge was shattered’ but it was repaired enough for trains to pass."
A Rawlins, Wyo., newspaper immediately suggested the thieves were Tom O’Day, an occasional Wild Bunch rider, and local toughs Bob Taylor and Manuel Manetta. The paper later replaced O’Day’s name with another area man named Cavanaugh. However, the professional detectives focused their full attention on members of the Wild Bunch, whose modus operandi matched that of the Wilcox outlaws.
"The physical descriptions of the thieves, even though the men had been masked, further convinced the authorities that known outlaws were involved. ‘One man about 31 or 32 years of age…5’9’…185… blue eyes…peculiar nose, flattened at bridge’ was a definite match for ‘Flatnose’ George Currie. Born in Canada on March 20, 1871, Currie was a known rustler and thief who lived near the Hole-in-the-Wall."
‘Two men looked like brothers…5’7′ and 5’5’…about 28 and 30…very dark complexion…1/4 Cherokee…dark hair & eyes’ could easily describe Harvey Logan, alias Kid Curry, and his brother Lonnie. Harvey and Lonnie often rode with Flatnose; in fact, Harvey had taken his alias from Currie, who was his mentor. The other outlaws involved in the holdup were believed to be Harry A. Longabaugh, alias the Sundance Kid; Ben Kilpatrick, alias the Tall Texan; and Will Carver. This trio of outlaws often rode together with the Logans and Flatnose, and all were members of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch.
While Butch Cassidy (real name Robert LeRoy Parker) has often been credited as the mastermind, he probably took no part in the actual robbery. On January 19, 1896, he had been granted a pardon by then Wyoming Governor William A. Richards and was released from the penitentiary at Laramie. The condition for Butch’s early release was his promise to never again participate in any crimes within the borders of Wyoming, according to HistoryNet.
Another account, of a later train robbery on Garfield Creek, near Wolcott, Colorado, makes things even more muddled with speculation about the death of Kid Curry (Harvey Logan) of the Wild Bunch.
“If the dead man was really Logan, the most desperate and daring of all the Western train and bank robbers has been removed from earth.” – Quotation from an unknown Colorado newspaper, July 1904
"The Number 5 of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad slowed as it made its way into the town of Parachute on June 7, 1904. Engineer Allison slowed the train just enough to allow a passenger to disembark. However, even with the evening’s darkness and through a pouring rain, Allison noticed that while one passenger got off, another climbed on to the tender.This was not unusual. People often hopped the train. Allison sent his fireman, John Anderson, to remove the unwanted passenger. As Anderson approached the intruder, he soon found himself with a gun to his face. By gunpoint, Anderson was escorted to the engine cab. Engineer Allison quickly assessed the situation and realized there was no way to get out of the holdup. The bandit ordered Allison to run the train and then to blow the whistle as if to signal for cattle on the track. About a mile out of Parachute the train was ordered to be stopped," writes Willa Kane of Glenwood Springs, in Frontier Diary, of the Wolcott Robbery.
Willa Kane is former archivist of and a current volunteer with the
Frontier Historical Society and Museum. “Frontier Diary” is provided to
the Post Independent by the museum, 1001 Colorado Ave., Glenwood
Springs.
"Two men seated next to a campfire then boarded the train. Allison was ordered to uncouple all the cars except the express car, and then to run forward another half mile and stop at Streit’s Flat.Express Messenger Daniel Shea refused to open the express car to allow access to the safe. With that, the bandits set dynamite beneath one side of the car. Realizing his danger, Shea opened the door and got out. The charge was lighted, and the resulting explosion severely damaged the car.
"Once inside additional charges – probably more than necessary – were set. This explosion gained access to the safe. The bandits, hoping to reap riches, were instead disappointed. The safe yielded very little money. Their intended target had been the Colorado Midland 105, which carried $150,000, but had been missed by the robbers due to a change in schedule. Taking what they could, the three robbers then left the scene, making their way to a boat they had hidden along the Colorado River.
"Once across, they mounted three horses they had hitched nearby. The bandits then started their getaway to the southeast.Posses were not far behind. Law enforcement officials from Mesa County, railroad detective C.W. “Doc” Shores, and various local ranchers began the chase, breaking into groups to scour the countryside. The search of June 8 proved fruitless; however, on June 9 the bandits demanded breakfast and fresh horses from Mrs. Joe Banta on Divide Creek.
"A telephone call from Mrs. Banta began the alert to the neighborhood. The alert made its way to a pursing posse who found the robbers in a defensive position near Garfield Creek.A shootout ensued, during which one robber was severely wounded. Declaring he was “done for,” the robber took his own life with a shot to the head. His two companions escaped.
"Garfield County Sheriff Francis Adams brought the robber’s body to Glenwood Springs on June 10. Excitement and speculation swirled about his identity. Some thought he was “Tap” Duncan. Others thought he was a man by the name of J.H. Ross. However, Ross turned up alive. With no definitive identification, the body was photographed and buried in Glenwood Springs’ Linwood Cemetery on June 14.
"Pinkerton detectives continued to work on the identity problem. They circulated copies of the photographs. Finally, they made a visit to Glenwood Springs on July 16, 1904, to exhume the body. More photographs were taken, a thorough examination for identifying scars was made, and a death mask prepared.
"In the end, Pinkerton Detective Lowell Spence declared the robber to be Harvey Logan, also known as “Kid Curry.” Logan had been a train and bank robber and well as a murderer who ran with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
"With reward money in the balance, not
all law enforcement officials agreed with Spence’s conclusion, creating
doubt and speculation lingering today as to the true identity of the
robber buried in Glenwood Springs. However, until definitive new
evidence comes to light, Detective Lowell Spence’s conclusion gives a
name to one of the robbers who conducted a thrilling train robbery in
1904, writes Willa Kane.
Photo Courtesy Frontier Historical Society Garfield County Sheriff Francis W. Adams was in the process of organizing a posse from Glenwood Springs when he heard that one of the Parachute train robbers had taken his own life during a shootout on Garfield Creek. Instead of bringing in a prisoner, Adams instead brought to Glenwood Springs the body of the robber, who would be later identified as Harvey Logan, a robber who ran with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid of the infamous Wild Bunch.
Rulon Gardner, Olympic Gold- and Bronze-medal winner and celebrity.
Curry is buried in Pioneer (Linwood) Cemetery overlooking Glenwood Springs, Colorado, a short distance from gunfighter Doc Holliday's memorial.
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