The robberies by Butch Cassidy and his fellow outlaws back in the late 1890s were legendary throughout the West. Smooth, practiced, and executed to perfection, every crime was a casual, seamless operation that always made national headlines and led to hundreds of “Wanted” posters littering the streets. It makes sense, then, that Idaho – with its western charm and newly formed organizational law – would make the perfect target (and hideout) for the country’s greatest outlaw.
In 1891, Idaho’s very first bank was established in our state’s far southeast corner, tucked alongside Bear Lake and snugly nestled within the Bear Lake Valley. While the grand opening of the Bank of Montpelier went unnoticed by the rest of then-newly-formed Idaho, its unique location near the border with Utah caught the attention of Butch Cassidy for good reason: the easy escape route over the border. Renowned criminal, bank robber, and gold connoisseur, long before Cassidy teamed up with the Sundance Kid his heists were already escalating. That’s why only 5 years after the bank’s doors opened, this inconspicuous general store-style building with its solid wood floors and flat paneled facade became the sole Gem State target of this notorious villain.
Today, the original bank is still standing – the last of Cassidy’s victims still in existence – and has been recently restored to its original glory as a museum that pays tribute to Cassidy’s first and only attempted Idaho robbery. But plenty of mystery still surrounds that legendary day in April. Here’s the story:
Montpelier, Idaho. Current population: 2,509. Population in 1890: 1,174.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr Originally named after Brigham Young’s birthplace in Vermont, this tiny western town had a major population jump in the late 1800s after a railroad stop was built within city limits, bringing dozens of new residents from all over the country.
As one of the oldest cities in Idaho, Montpelier is full of unique historical architecture and fantastic stories of Wild West lore.
Marco Bartollni/Flickr
But perhaps the most important story of all surrounds the Bank of Montpelier: the first bank established in Idaho, and the site of one of Idaho’s greatest bank heists.
The Bank of Montpelier/Facebook
The robbery was led by the notorious likes of outlaw Butch Cassidy and his sidekicks.
The Bank of Montpelier/Facebook Before he became one of the most wanted outlaws in the west, Cassidy was born as Robert Leroy Parker in Utah. While traveling and searching for new ways to put some money in his pocket for a better life, he stumbled upon Mike Cassidy, a low-key thief that then-Parker grew to greatly admire and emulate.
Armed with a charming and gentle personality (it’s been said that Parker never killed anyone in his outlaw career), he changed his name to Butch Cassidy to avoid scarring his family’s reputation. Thus, his criminal days began.
In 1861, Cassidy and the “Wild Bunch” charged through the front door of the bank and left with up to $15,000, depending on the account.
The Bank of Montpelier/Facebook As the story goes, the men reached the bank just before closing time and tied up their horses at the hitching rack across the street from the bank. The tellers and patrons were forced against the wall while Cassidy scooped bills and coins into a gunnysack.
Pandemonium and a wild posse chase followed Cassidy as he rode out of town, but he was never caught - and his men swore up and down that they never saw a cent of the money that was taken.
Over a century later, the details of the crime are still shrouded in mystery.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr To this day, nobody knows what fate met Cassidy after he left town. Wanted posters still float around as a reminder that justice was never served.
Many also suspect that Cassidy buried the gold in the vicinity, keeping the paper money for himself to take back to his farm… bought with money heisted from banks in Colorado and Texas.
Brandon Dalton/Flickr Rumor has it that Cassidy always despised gold coins, but the details of where he could have buried it are hazy.
The original bank was recently restored and has been transformed into a museum where visitors can learn about the robbery and the culture of the time period.
The Bank of Montpelier/Facebook It is the last bank hit by Cassidy to remain standing in the entire country. Here, you also have the unique opportunity to purchase a brick time capsule to send to an unknown person 20, 50, or 100 years from now. How awesome is that?
The fully restored building even still showcases the original spur marks in the wood floor.
The Bank of Montpelier/Facebook
There’s also a mysterious hammered nail symbol embedded into the floor as well, possibly left by Cassidy himself.
Preservation Idaho/Facebook
Uniquely, this town also hosts its famous Butch Cassidy Days every year on the anniversary of the heist, complete with a live reenactment, modern inflatables, and awesome food.
The Bank of Montpelier/Facebook It’s definitely on my visit list for next year!
While Cassidy’s robbery of the Montpelier Bank may not have been the crime of the century, the very fact that this nationally-recognized criminal paid a visit to the Gem State is a unique part of our state’s history. If you’re lucky, you might even stumble upon his buried treasure one day (or one of the other dozens of buried treasures hidden throughout the Gem State).
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr
Originally named after Brigham Young’s birthplace in Vermont, this tiny western town had a major population jump in the late 1800s after a railroad stop was built within city limits, bringing dozens of new residents from all over the country.
Marco Bartollni/Flickr
The Bank of Montpelier/Facebook
Before he became one of the most wanted outlaws in the west, Cassidy was born as Robert Leroy Parker in Utah. While traveling and searching for new ways to put some money in his pocket for a better life, he stumbled upon Mike Cassidy, a low-key thief that then-Parker grew to greatly admire and emulate.
Armed with a charming and gentle personality (it’s been said that Parker never killed anyone in his outlaw career), he changed his name to Butch Cassidy to avoid scarring his family’s reputation. Thus, his criminal days began.
As the story goes, the men reached the bank just before closing time and tied up their horses at the hitching rack across the street from the bank. The tellers and patrons were forced against the wall while Cassidy scooped bills and coins into a gunnysack.
Pandemonium and a wild posse chase followed Cassidy as he rode out of town, but he was never caught - and his men swore up and down that they never saw a cent of the money that was taken.
To this day, nobody knows what fate met Cassidy after he left town. Wanted posters still float around as a reminder that justice was never served.
Brandon Dalton/Flickr
Rumor has it that Cassidy always despised gold coins, but the details of where he could have buried it are hazy.
It is the last bank hit by Cassidy to remain standing in the entire country. Here, you also have the unique opportunity to purchase a brick time capsule to send to an unknown person 20, 50, or 100 years from now. How awesome is that?
Preservation Idaho/Facebook
It’s definitely on my visit list for next year!
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