Butch Cassidy (1900)
Butch Cassidy was born Robert Leroy Parker in 1866 and could be considered as one of the most intriguing outlaws of the Old West – if the stories are anything to go by. John D. Barton of Utah State University noted that Cassidy and his gang operated around the turning of the century and conducted the most train and bank robberies ever recorded in America’s West history. The photo depicted here was cropped from what is popularly known as the Fort Worth Five as Cassidy was seated among his cronies known as the “Wild Bunch.” John Swartz is responsible for this photo as it was taken from his Fort Worth, Texas-based studio in 1900. The Wild Bunch had a lot of famous characters of the day to include Flat-Nose Curry, Kid Curry, News Carver, Elzy Lay, Tall Texan, the Sundance Kid, Bob Meeks, Laura Bullion, and Camilla “Deaf Charley” Hanks.
Butch Cassidy
Calamity Jane (1901)
Martha Jane Cannary was born in 1852 and was more popularly known as Calamity Jane. She was an American frontierswoman and was discussing tall tales and Wild West legends in every conversation. The photo shown here was taken in 1901 while she was in her home in Livingston, MT.
There are many stories surrounding who Calamity Jane really was, and, of course, a lot of these might be myths, so much, so we are not able to determine the sole truth. Either way, most of history’s records have her as a dishwasher that served at Fort Bridger, a Union Pacific laborer, a General Custer Scout, and a teamster. But, with all the stories going around, we can safely say she was a performer, an adventurous individual, and knew what it meant to get through hard living.
Calamity Jane
