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Harvey Alexander Logan, born in 1867 in West Liberty, Iowa, was an American outlaw better known as Kid Curry. A notorious member of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch gang, Logan was one of the most dangerous and violent outlaws of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Raised on a farm in Missouri after his father’s death, Logan and his brothers drifted west, working as cowboys and rustlers. By the mid-1890s, he joined the Wild Bunch, operating out of hideouts like Robbers Roost and Browns Park in Utah, as well as Hole-in-the-Wall in Wyoming.

Unlike the non-violent tendencies of Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Logan was known for his volatile temper and willingness to kill. He participated in major Wild Bunch heists, including the June 2, 1899, Wilcox train robbery in Wyoming and the August 29, 1899, Rock Creek train robbery, which heightened the gang’s notoriety. In Utah, Logan frequented the same hideouts as the Wild Bunch, using the state’s rugged terrain to evade capture. His criminal record included bank and train robberies, cattle rustling, and multiple murders, particularly of lawmen pursuing him.

After the Wild Bunch began to disband under Pinkerton pressure, Logan continued his criminal career independently. He killed at least two sheriffs in 1900–1901, including Pike Landusky in Montana and John Tyler in Tennessee, earning a fearsome reputation. In 1901, he was arrested in Knoxville, Tennessee, for forgery and murder but escaped from jail in 1903. Logan’s fate is debated: the traditional account claims he died in a shootout with a posse near Parachute, Colorado, on June 7, 1904, but some sources, including unverified family claims, suggest he survived and lived under an alias. His violent legacy, tied to Utah’s outlaw history through the Wild Bunch, marks him as one of the deadliest figures of the Old West.

Early Life and Path to Crime

Harvey Alexander Logan, better known as Kid Curry, was born in 1867 in West Liberty, Iowa, to William and Eliza Logan, a farming family of modest means. After his father’s death in 1876, Harvey, along with his mother and siblings, moved to Dodson, Missouri, where they faced financial hardship. Raised in a rough environment, Harvey and his brothers—John, Henry, and Lonny—developed a reputation for rowdiness. By their late teens, the Logan brothers drifted west, working as cowboys and ranch hands in Texas, Montana, and Wyoming. Their exposure to the lawless frontier, combined with a penchant for gambling and drinking, set Harvey on a path toward crime.

In the early 1890s, Harvey, often using the alias Kid Curry, began engaging in cattle rustling and petty theft. His nickname likely derived from his youthful appearance and the “Curry” surname adopted from a mentor, “Flat-Nose” George Curry, a fellow rustler. By 1894, after a violent incident in Landusky, Montana, where Harvey killed saloonkeeper Pike Landusky in a barroom brawl—allegedly over a dispute involving his brother Lonny’s girlfriend—Harvey became a wanted man. This murder marked his transition from small-time rustler to a hardened outlaw, leading him to join Butch Cassidy’s infamous Wild Bunch gang by the mid-1890s.

The Wild Bunch and Utah’s Outlaw Havens

Harvey Logan’s association with the Wild Bunch brought him to Utah, where the gang used remote hideouts like Robbers Roost in the southeastern canyon country and Browns Park near the Utah-Colorado-Wyoming border. These locations, with their rugged terrain and sympathetic local ranchers, provided ideal cover for planning heists and evading posses. Unlike Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, who preferred non-violent robberies, Logan was known for his volatile temper and readiness to use deadly force, earning him a fearsome reputation within the gang and among lawmen.

While specific robberies directly tied to Logan in Utah are less documented than those of Cassidy or Sundance, his presence in the state is confirmed through the Wild Bunch’s activities. The gang frequently used Robbers Roost, a maze of canyons between the Colorado, Green, and Dirty Devil Rivers, as a primary hideout. Accessible only by those familiar with its trails, it allowed outlaws like Logan to disappear after heists. Browns Park, a fertile valley along the Green River, was another key refuge where Logan and the Wild Bunch worked as ranch hands under aliases, rustled cattle, and planned larger crimes. Local families, such as the Carlisles and Davenports, often provided shelter and supplies, either out of loyalty or fear, as Logan’s violent reputation preceded him.

Logan’s role in the Wild Bunch included participation in some of the gang’s most audacious heists, though his Utah-specific exploits are often overshadowed by his actions elsewhere. For instance, he was a key figure in the June 2, 1899, Wilcox train robbery in Wyoming, where the Wild Bunch dynamited a Union Pacific train safe and escaped with $50,000 (equivalent to about $1.8 million in 2024). While this robbery occurred outside Utah, the gang likely retreated to Robbers Roost to divide the loot and plan their next move. Similarly, Logan was involved in the August 29, 1899, Rock Creek train robbery in Wyoming, which netted thousands in cash and jewelry. These high-profile crimes increased pressure from the Pinkerton Detective Agency and railroad companies, forcing the Wild Bunch to rely heavily on Utah’s hideouts.

Violent Encounters and Reputation

Logan’s time in Utah was marked not only by his gang activities but also by his growing list of violent encounters. Unlike Cassidy, who cultivated a “Robin Hood” image through charm and generosity, Logan was feared for his ruthlessness. In 1897, while hiding in Browns Park, he reportedly clashed with locals and lawmen, reinforcing his reputation as the Wild Bunch’s most dangerous member. His willingness to kill set him apart from his counterparts; he was linked to the murders of at least nine men, including several lawmen, during his criminal career.

One notable incident tied to Logan’s time near Utah occurred in 1900, when he killed two sheriffs in separate events. In May 1900, he shot and killed Sheriff John Tyler and Deputy Sam Jenkins in Moab, Utah, during a posse chase following a rustling incident. This double murder, though sometimes debated in historical accounts due to conflicting records, added to Logan’s infamy and made him a top target for law enforcement. His actions strained the Wild Bunch’s operations, as his violence drew unwanted attention to their Utah hideouts.

Logan’s presence in Browns Park also tied him to the social fabric of the region. Like Cassidy and Sundance, he benefited from the support of local ranchers, who resented powerful cattle barons and saw the outlaws as allies. However, Logan’s volatile nature made him less popular than his charismatic counterparts. Stories of the Wild Bunch’s generosity, such as hosting a lavish Thanksgiving feast in Browns Park in the mid-1890s, likely involved Logan, but his role was overshadowed by his reputation for violence.

Life on the Run and Arrest

By 1900, the Wild Bunch was unraveling under relentless pursuit by Pinkerton detectives and posses. While Cassidy and Sundance fled to South America in 1901, Logan chose to continue his criminal career in the United States. After the Wilcox and Rock Creek robberies, he operated independently, robbing trains and banks across the West. His notoriety grew with the murder of Sheriff Jesse Tyler in Tennessee in 1901, killed in retaliation for pursuing Logan’s brother Lonny.

In December 1901, Logan was arrested in Knoxville, Tennessee, on charges of forgery and murder. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, but on June 27, 1903, he escaped from the Knox County Jail, reportedly with outside help, possibly from former Wild Bunch associates. Logan fled west, returning to the familiar territory of Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming, where he resumed rustling and robbery. His time in Utah during this period was brief, as he was constantly on the move to avoid capture.

Death and Disputed Fate

The traditional account of Harvey Logan’s life ends on June 7, 1904, near Parachute, Colorado, not far from Utah’s border. After robbing a Denver & Rio Grande train, Logan was cornered by a posse. Wounded in a shootout, he reportedly took his own life with a single shot to the head rather than be captured. The body was identified as Logan’s based on physical descriptions and items found on him, though no definitive proof, such as photographs or fingerprints, confirmed his identity.

However, like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Logan’s fate is clouded by speculation. Some historians and family members claimed he survived the Colorado shootout and lived under an alias, possibly in Oregon or California, into the 1910s. A 1904 letter purportedly written by Logan to a friend suggested he was alive, and unverified sightings in Utah and Wyoming fueled rumors of his survival. Despite these claims, most evidence supports the 1904 shootout as his end, as the Pinkerton Agency closed his file after the incident, and no credible records place him elsewhere after that date.

Legacy in Utah

Harvey Alexander Logan, as Kid Curry, left a complex legacy in Utah as the Wild Bunch’s most lethal member. His time in Robbers Roost and Browns Park tied him to the state’s outlaw history, where he used Utah’s rugged terrain to evade capture and plan heists. Unlike Cassidy and Sundance, whose charm and non-violent approach earned them folk-hero status, Logan’s violent reputation made him a feared figure, even among allies. His murders of lawmen, including those in Moab, heightened the Wild Bunch’s notoriety and strained their ability to operate in Utah.

Logan’s story is less romanticized than that of his counterparts, but his role in the Wild Bunch’s Utah-based activities—rustling, hiding, and planning major robberies—cemented his place in the state’s frontier lore. Sites like Robbers Roost in Capitol Reef National Park and the Cassidy Trail in Red Canyon evoke the era of the Wild Bunch, with Logan as a darker, more volatile figure in their saga. While the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid popularized the gang’s legend, Logan’s absence from the narrative reflects his lesser-known but no less impactful role in Utah’s outlaw history.

Harry Alonzo Longabaugh was the American outlaw known as the Sundance Kid. A key member of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch gang, he became infamous in the 1890s for bank and train robberies across the western United States.

Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, famously known as the Sundance Kid, was born in 1867 in Mont Clare, Pennsylvania, to Josiah and Annie Longabaugh, a working-class family of English and German descent. The youngest of five children, Harry grew up in a modest household but displayed an adventurous spirit early on. At age fifteen, inspired by tales of the American West, he left home to seek his fortune, drifting westward as a cowboy and ranch hand. By 1887, at age twenty, Harry’s life took a criminal turn when he stole a horse, saddle, and revolver in Sundance, Wyoming, earning him a brief jail stint and the nickname “Sundance Kid.” This incident marked his entry into a life of crime, setting the stage for his later association with Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch.

Longabaugh’s early years in the West were spent working as a cowboy in Wyoming and Colorado, where he honed his skills as a horseman and marksman—attributes that would later define his outlaw persona. By the mid-1890s, he had joined forces with Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker), becoming a key member of the Wild Bunch, a notorious gang of outlaws known for their bank and train robberies across the western United States. Utah, with its rugged terrain and remote hideouts, became a significant hub for the Wild Bunch’s operations, and Longabaugh spent considerable time in the state during his criminal career.

Arrival in Utah and the Wild Bunch

By the mid-1890s, Longabaugh had linked up with Butch Cassidy, likely through mutual contacts in the outlaw network. The Wild Bunch, which included other notable figures like Elzy Lay, Ben Kilpatrick (the Tall Texan), and Harvey Logan (Kid Curry), used Utah’s isolated landscapes as strategic bases. Two primary hideouts in Utah were Robbers Roost, a labyrinth of canyons in the southeastern part of the state between the Colorado, Green, and Dirty Devil Rivers, and Browns Park, a remote valley near the Utah-Colorado-Wyoming border. These locations provided ideal cover for planning heists, evading posses, and blending into sympathetic local communities.

Longabaugh’s activities in Utah were closely tied to the Wild Bunch’s operations. His reputation as a skilled gunman and cool-headed accomplice made him a valuable asset to Cassidy, who preferred non-violent, meticulously planned robberies. The Sundance Kid’s charm and easygoing demeanor, much like Cassidy’s, helped the gang maintain alliances with ranchers and locals who often shielded them from law enforcement.

The Castle Gate Robbery and Utah Exploits

One of the most significant events linking Longabaugh to Utah was the Pleasant Valley Coal Company payroll robbery on April 21, 1897, in Castle Gate, Utah. Alongside Butch Cassidy and Elzy Lay, Longabaugh participated in this daring heist, which netted the gang approximately $7,000 in silver coins (equivalent to about $245,000 in 2024). The robbery took place in broad daylight at the company’s pay station, where the outlaws, posing as bystanders, swiftly seized the payroll and escaped without firing a shot. They fled to Robbers Roost, navigating the treacherous canyon country to evade a pursuing posse. This heist, one of the largest payroll robberies of the Old West, solidified the Wild Bunch’s notoriety and Longabaugh’s role as a key figure in the gang.

Beyond the Castle Gate robbery, Longabaugh’s time in Utah was spent in the Wild Bunch’s hideouts, particularly Robbers Roost and Browns Park. Robbers Roost was a nearly impregnable fortress of red rock canyons, accessible only by those familiar with its trails, making it an ideal refuge. Browns Park, located along the Green River, was another haven where outlaws could rest, resupply, and even work as ranch hands under aliases. Local ranchers, such as the Carlisle and Davenport families, were known to harbor the Wild Bunch, providing food, horses, and information in exchange for protection or payment. Longabaugh, often described as affable and well-liked, likely contributed to the gang’s ability to maintain these alliances.

In Browns Park, Longabaugh is believed to have formed a romantic relationship with Etta Place, a mysterious woman who became his companion. While her true identity remains debated—some speculate she was Ann Bassett, a Browns Park rancher’s daughter, or a schoolteacher named Ethel Place—her association with Longabaugh began in the late 1890s, possibly in Utah or nearby regions. Etta would later accompany Longabaugh and Cassidy to South America, adding to the legend of the Sundance Kid.

Life as an Outlaw in Utah

Longabaugh’s time in Utah was not limited to high-profile robberies. The Wild Bunch frequently engaged in cattle rustling and smaller thefts, using Browns Park as a base to move stolen livestock across state lines. Longabaugh’s role in these activities is less documented, but his presence in the region is confirmed by historical accounts of the gang’s movements. The Wild Bunch’s ability to operate in Utah relied on their knowledge of the terrain and the goodwill of locals, who resented the growing influence of wealthy cattle barons and railroad companies. Stories of the gang’s generosity, such as hosting a lavish Thanksgiving dinner in Browns Park in the mid-1890s, attended by locals and complete with roast turkey and pumpkin pie, helped cement their folk-hero status.

Unlike some of his more volatile counterparts, such as Harvey Logan, Longabaugh shared Cassidy’s preference for avoiding violence during robberies. This approach, combined with his sharpshooting skills, made him a reliable partner in the gang’s meticulously planned heists. His time in Utah’s hideouts allowed him to lie low between jobs, often posing as a ranch hand or drifter to avoid detection. However, the increasing pressure from law enforcement, particularly the Pinkerton Detective Agency, hired by railroad companies to hunt the Wild Bunch, made life in Utah increasingly precarious by the late 1890s.

Flight to South America

By 1900, the Wild Bunch was under intense scrutiny, with bounties on their heads and Pinkerton detectives tracking their movements. After a series of high-profile robberies, including the June 2, 1899, Wilcox train robbery in Wyoming and the August 29, 1899, Rock Creek train robbery in Wyoming, Longabaugh and Cassidy realized their days in the American West were numbered. In early 1901, Longabaugh, Cassidy, and Etta Place fled to New York City, where they posed for a now-famous photograph at the DeYoung Photography Studio. On February 20, 1901, they sailed from New York to Buenos Aires, Argentina, aboard the SS Herminius, seeking to escape the relentless pursuit of law enforcement.

In Argentina, Longabaugh and Cassidy attempted to go straight, purchasing a 15,000-acre ranch near Cholila, Chubut, under the aliases James “Santiago” Ryan (Cassidy) and Harry “Enrique” Place (Longabaugh), with Etta as his wife. They raised cattle, sheep, and horses, living quietly for several years. Longabaugh’s time in Utah had prepared him for this ranching life, as he was already skilled in handling livestock from his days in Browns Park. However, by 1906, financial pressures and the lure of easy money drew them back to crime, and they began robbing banks and trains across South America.

The Mystery of Longabaugh’s Fate

The traditional account of Longabaugh’s life ends with his death alongside Butch Cassidy in a shootout with the Bolivian Army on November 7, 1908, near San Vicente, Bolivia. After robbing a mine payroll, the pair were cornered in a boarding house. A prolonged firefight ended with two gunshots, believed to be suicides, though the bodies were never definitively identified. This narrative, popularized by the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, has become the dominant version of events.

However, like Cassidy, Longabaugh’s fate is shrouded in mystery. Some historians and family members, including Cassidy’s sister Lula Parker Betenson, claimed that both men survived Bolivia and returned to the United States. Sightings of Longabaugh were reported in Utah and Wyoming in the 1920s and 1930s, with some suggesting he lived under an alias, possibly as a rancher or drifter. A 1930s account from a Utah doctor, Francis Smith, claimed a man resembling Longabaugh showed him a bullet wound repaired years earlier, hinting at survival. However, no definitive evidence, such as DNA from the Bolivian remains (tested in 2008 and found inconclusive), confirms these claims. The lack of conclusive records leaves open the possibility that Longabaugh, like Cassidy, may have lived out his days in obscurity.

Legacy in Utah

Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, the Sundance Kid, left an indelible mark on Utah’s history as a key figure in the Wild Bunch. His role in the Castle Gate robbery and his time in Robbers Roost and Browns Park tied him to the state’s rugged outlaw culture. Utah’s canyon country, with its hidden trails and sympathetic communities, provided the perfect backdrop for his escapades, allowing him to evade capture for years. His relationship with Etta Place, possibly forged in Utah, adds a romantic layer to his legend, while his non-violent approach and charisma made him a folk hero alongside Cassidy.

In Utah, the Sundance Kid’s legacy endures through historical sites like the Cassidy Trail in Red Canyon and the Robbers Roost region in Capitol Reef National Park, where visitors seek traces of the Wild Bunch’s hideouts. The 1969 film, while taking liberties with historical accuracy, immortalized Longabaugh as a dashing outlaw, cementing his place in popular culture. In Utah, he is remembered as a skilled and elusive figure who navigated the state’s wild terrain, leaving behind a legacy of adventure and defiance in the waning days of the Old West.