Butch Cassidy, Sundance Kid & Wild Bunch Hangout

Many have said that this is the house that Butch Cassidy built and lived in, but he didn’t. It was a hangout for some of the most notorious outlaws of all time, Butch Cassidy, The Sundance Kid, and their gang, The Wild Bunch. This tiny town whose population in 2022, was 408 people, was the site of notorious outlaw history. Stories exist of Butch Cassidy visiting here over two decades after he supposedly died. In this video, I’ll show you the sights and tell you the story of this outlaw hotspot. 

Recently visited the outlaw hang out of the Wild Bunch, in Baggs, Wyoming, and I wanted to show you the sights, and share the story with all of you. At Family Tree Nuts, we build family trees for clients that either don’t know how, don’t have the time, or don’t want to pay those expensive membership fees. We’d love to honor your ancestors for you. We also make history videos all over the United States, and a few countries, so if you like videos like these, be sure to subscribe to our channel.

Now back to the outlaws. Like I mentioned earlier, it has been said that this is the house that Butch Cassidy built and lived in, but he didn’t. Like so many other things in history, stories often get twisted around. The house was the home of Pearl Mathews Gaddis for over seventy years, and she ran a roadhouse that served meals and often provided lodging to passing strangers. On Saturday nights, the building turned into a dance hall and housed some wild parties that often lasted until the break of day. This house was frequented often by Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and their gang the Wild Bunch. It’s remote location was a perfect spot to hang out and blow off some steam. It is said that Butch even played his harmonica here during the parties. 

Now, if you know the story Butch and Sundance, you know that it is said that they escaped and lived in South America. In fact, Butch is said to have committed suicide in Bolivia, in 1908. However, stories exist of him visiting this house off and on and as late as 1929 or 1930 when he was on a hunting trip. Legends often have several versions of their stories and perhaps we will never know exactly how and when he died. 

The house is in Baggs, Wyoming, that was named after a local rancher. Today it is the Outlaw Stop Museum and displays life in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The sign states that they have free admission and are open from Memorial Weekend through “some cold day in October”. The complex also houses the Old Baggs Town Hall, the fire station, and the jail. 

Also, not too far away is the grave of one of the Wild Bunch gang, Harvey Alexander Logan, known as “Kid Curry”. Like Cassidy, he supposedly committed suicide after a gunfight so that he wouldn’t be captured, but some say he escaped to South America with Butch and Sundance. He is supposedly buried in Glenwood Springs, Colorado in the same cemetery as Doc Holliday. Be sure to see our video from there to learn more about those stories. 

So now we know the story of this remote hang out of the Wild Bunch. What do you think? Did you know that this historical treasure existed? What are your thoughts about the events that happened here? Have you ever been here, or do you now plan to visit? We’d love to hear what you have to say in the comments below. We are proud to share this little outlaw history story with all of you. Be sure to see the video below.

-Col. Russ Carson, Jr, Founder, Family Tree Nuts