Noted outlaw Butch Cassidy has been portrayed as both a dangerous criminal and the Robin Hood of the West.

Years ago, I compiled a “Post Card from the Past” from the files of the Bob Martin/Dick Perue collection which relates the gentler side of George Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy. The event takes place in Brown’s Park, aka Brown’s Hole, located in the remote corner of Wyoming, Colorado and Utah, southwest of Baggs, Wyo.

One historic account notes that while Brown’s Park ranchers fought the wealthy for control of the range, there were others who took the battle a step farther.

Men like Butch Cassidy, Elzy Lay, Harry Longabaugh (the Sundance Kid), and Matt Warner became bandits, robbing banks and trains and giving at least some of the money to the poor. In terms of background and values, they were not much different from the besieged ranch folk.