Stand Where They Stood- Wyoming’s Butch Cassidy- Saloon Doors- and Bullet Holes

Remember the jump scene? Of course we remember the jump! Butch and Sundance trapped on a cliff, our hearts racing, wondering what will happen next to the dashingly handsome, law-breaking adventurers.

Then, we caught our breath as they jumped off the cliff into the river below. Their escapades were in fact filled with lots of hazard and intensity. Ah, America’s cinematic romanticism of it historical old West, making the dusty, remote and risky landscape seem inviting and the danger appear benign.

The real Butch Cassidy, otherwise known as Robert LeRoy Parker by his mother, roamed these parts, the Bighorn mountains in Wyoming. Perhaps it was around here that the Hole in the Wall Gang met regarding a train robbery. In the town of Cody, one of the gang’s hang outs, a cabin, still stands. So does one of the saloons they visited…and so are the bullet holes in the saloon door.

Standing in the Wyoming windy afternoon, with a passing thunderstorm overhead, and strolling through an Old West atmosphere can transport visitors back in time. Historic structures, which were salvaged and moved to Cody, stand aligned and face to face in a re-creation of a frontier town, providing a type of virtual reality you don’t need a headset for. The Hole-in-the-Wall-Gang’s cabin, built in 1883 on Buffalo Creek, was brought in from hole in the wall country. Old Trail Town hosts the cabins of these outlaws, trappers, homesteaders, and a scout; a schoolhouse name the Coffin School, and one very detailed barbed wire collection.

Such a different time and yet not so very long ago. So much change.
My trip to Wyoming, in the quintessential comfort of a modern-day adventure wagon, took a mere few days; pioneers in the original adventure wagons rode without bucket seats,

bun warmers, and shock absorbers. The Hole in the Wall Gang isn’t holed up in the hills anymore; the trains are safe, and we ride in comfort. But, the real, Old West is still out there.

Just step a bit outside of town where powerlines and tourism don’t block your vision. Watch the wind blow a weather front though. Your eyes will struggle to take in the peripheral landscape and sky that doesn’t seem to ever end. Drive through the Bighorn range; crane your neck to watch the towering canyon above you as you follow the slalom down through it. You’ll see the same wild mountains, broad sky, and puffy clouds they saw a hundred and fifty years ago.

Wyoming doesn’t appear to mind that it doesn’t have one foot in the metropolitan, material world. The mountain passes are rugged, and the trucks here have four-wheel-drive and brush guards here because they actually need them. Wyoming feels like it still has one foot in 1870. Makes me want to jump in with both feet.