
Montana’s Lawless Past: The Thrilling Tale Of Outlaw Gangs
Montana WAS The Wild West
Montana history is rich with tales of cowboys, villains, saloon girls, and gold miners making their mark in "The Wild West".
A Few Outlaws Spent Some Time In Big Sky Country
Many outlaws made their homes in Montana. Henry Plummer, the sheriff of Bannack that was hanged for being the leader of the Plummer Gang.
Read more about Bannack, The Town That Hanged Their Sherriff here
The Great Falls Tribune says that Frank and Jesse James came to Montana when it was still a territory, along with Long Henry Thompson aka the Terror of Eastern Montana, and Con Murphy, AKA the Jesse James of Montana, and finally, The Sundance Kid.
The Sundance Kid And Kid Curry Robbed A Bank In Montana
On September 18, 1897, Harry Longbaugh, also known as The Sundance Kid, and the rest of the Wild Bunch made their way to Red Lodge, Montana. The gang had recently escaped from jail in South Dakota.
It wasn't too long before they decided to rob the bank in Red Lodge, the Carbon County Bank.

Here's The Story Of The Botched Carbon County Bank Heist In Red Lodge, Montana
Motortrend did a series on Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. On the Carbon County Bank robbery, Motortrend says after the Belle Fourche robbery in South Dakota, the gang didn't feel as safe at Hole-in-the-Wall as usual as even the most seasoned cowboys were growing weary of outlaws. They then decided to rob the Carbon County Bank, and camped outside of Red Lodge to plan the robbery.
Montana Ghost Towns Tell The Wild History Of Montana
When the Sundance Kid and Kid Curry went into Red Lodge to get a feel for the town and plan the robbery, they were recognized and chased out of town by a posse.
Joe Lafors, a stock detective, led men into Hole-in-the-Wall to round up cattle and cattle rustlers. A gun fight broke out, and Hole-in-the-Wall was never again a hideout.
It's said that Sundance Kid, Kid Curry and the rest of the desperados from the Wild Bunch made their way to Red Lodge, and bungled the robbery. HMDB reports Sheriff John Dunn chased them for 80 miles and eventually arrested the robbers in Lavina. They were sent to Deadwood, South Dakota, and the 2 successfully escaped from that jail.
More From The River 97.9








