Show Butch Cassidy Had Many ManyI i I l Friends in U Uintah Basin By Kerry Ross Boren The recent academy award winning movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Sun dance has brought added attention attention at at- to northeastern Utah early home of the famous western outlaw Butch Cassidy Few persons are aware however of just how many friends and acquaintances Butch Cassidy had in this region BUTCH CAME to Browns Brown's Hole lisle In 1886 as a youth of 19 He lIe rode a horse for Charlie Crouse in a heated race on the Hoy Ranch and because of his victory vic victory vic vic- tory Mr Crouse hired the young man manto manto manto to work on his ranch for the next year He Be spent equal time on the ranch of Matt Warner on Diamond Mountain and constructed a cabin in Little Hole At that time Little Hole was controlled control control- led by Cleophas J. J Dowd a gun fighter of no small reputation who had driven out several would would would-be be and ran a sizeable heard of cattle and horses there But Butch and Mr Dowd became fast friends and Butch was allowed to use the secluded valley as a hideout BESIDES CLEOPHAS J J. J Dowd who h had d a ranch in isolated Sheep Creek Canyon Butch had many other friends in Lucerne Valley and along Henrys Henry's Fork To name just a few Tom Welch a cattleman who did a little operating with Butch's gang George Hereford a close friend Dick Son who often supplied supplied sup sup- plied Butch with groceries George Solomon Solomon Solo Solo- mon an ally Willard Schofield Sr a boyhood friends Marius Marlus N. N Larsen Jim Lamb Bob Swift who was a member of the Wild Bunch at one time and numerous others Butch Cassidy's friends in the Uintah Uintah Uin Uin- tah Basin were as numerous Some of them even though it would be denied whole whole heartedly heartedly by their families today rode with Butch at one time or another Charlie Crouse went into partnership with Aaron operate to a livery and a saloon in Vernal both places being a favorite hang out hangout out for Butch Some of the ranches which often hosted Butch and his men were the Aliens Allens Atwoods Hatchs Coltons Meeks and others These names are prominent in the Uintah Basin even today But it was never a shame to have Butch as a guest for the genial outlaw was liked and respected respected re reo by all who knew him STRANGELY NOT just the ranchers but the lawmen as well were friends to Butch Cassidy Sheriff John T. T Pope for instance was among Cassidy's closest closest clos clos- est friends and an even closer friend of Matt Warner Cassidy's erst while erstwhile while partner and companion This as far as everyone in the basin was concerned had no reflection upon the character of their sheriff for they rightly considered Sheriff Pope one of the west's greatest lawmen lawmen Nevertheless when it was rumored that Cassidy was staying on the Allen ranch and Sheriff Pope had a warrant for his arrest popular belief had it that Sheriff Pope sent a warning to Cassidy who immediately went over to Crouse's saloon When Sheriff Pope came in the front door of the saloon Cassidy departed departed de de- parted from the back and made his escape with no apparent difficulty Butch had many friends SIMEON ATWOOD told many tales about packing food and supplies to Butch at various locations from Browns Brown's Hole to Fort Duchesne and talked about it with pride Even the Indians on the Uintah Uintah-Ouray Uintah Ouray Reservation liked and respected Cassidy Cas Cas- sidy Butch had several secluded hideouts hideouts hide hide- outs on reservation land and he was allowed to use them with discretion the Indians frequently steering pursuers in another direction He never broke his trust with them HE WAS equally welcomed in Dixon and Baggs Wyoming on the eastern boundary of Browns Brown's Hole Tom Vernon who left Vernal at the age of 18 to join the Wild Bunch settled in Baggs and started the Vernon Hotel popular stopover stopover stop stop- over for members of the gang Elza Elsa Lay was a particularly close friend of Vernons Vernon's And so with publicity rising greatly behind Butch Cassidy residents of northeastern northeastern north north- eastern Utah have cause to reflect upon the time when Butch made this his home |