Harry Longabaugh, aka “Sundance Kid” – Member of the Wild Bunch
Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, forever etched in the annals of the American West as the "Sundance Kid," remains a figure shrouded in mystique and romanticized outlawry. A prominent member of Butch Cassidy’s infamous Wild Bunch, Longabaugh’s life was a whirlwind of daring heists, close calls with the law, and an eventual, perhaps legendary, demise in the wilds of South America. Beyond the dime-novel portrayals, the real Harry Longabaugh, born into humble beginnings, embarked on a path that transformed him into one of the most recognizable figures of the outlaw era.
Born in 1867 in Mont Clare, Pennsylvania, Harry Longabaugh was the youngest of five children born to Josiah and Annie G. Place Longabaugh. His early life offered little hint of the adventurous, criminal trajectory that lay ahead. Pennsylvania’s landscape of rolling hills and burgeoning industrial towns stood in stark contrast to the vast, untamed expanses of the American West, the stage upon which he would later make his mark. Details of his childhood remain scant, but it’s known that by the age of 15, driven by a yearning for adventure or perhaps simply a restless spirit, he ventured westward with a cousin, seeking fortune and freedom in the territories.
The event that solidified his outlaw persona and provided him with his enduring moniker occurred around the age of 20. While working in or passing through Sundance, Wyoming, Longabaugh committed a petty crime – the theft of a gun, saddle, and horse from a local ranch. This act, seemingly minor in the grand scheme of Western lore, resulted in his swift apprehension and an 18-month stint in jail. It was during this period of incarceration that Harry Longabaugh acquired the nickname "Sundance Kid," forever linking him to the town where he’d committed his youthful indiscretion. The name stuck, becoming synonymous with daring and defiance.
Upon his release, Longabaugh initially attempted to return to a more conventional life, working as a cowboy. The allure of honest labor, however, proved insufficient to quell his inherent restlessness. By 1892, he found himself implicated in a train robbery, marking a significant escalation in his criminal activities. This event propelled him further down the path of outlawry, leading him to cross paths with another notorious figure of the Wild West, Harvey Logan, also known as Kid Curry.
The association with Logan proved pivotal. By 1897, Harry Longabaugh was firmly integrated into the criminal underworld, partnering with Logan in a daring bank robbery in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, on June 27th. The heist was successful, netting them a considerable sum, but it also placed them squarely in the crosshairs of law enforcement. Both men were captured, but their incarceration proved short-lived. Three months later, they orchestrated a daring escape from the jail in Deadwood, South Dakota, further solidifying their reputations as cunning and elusive outlaws. After their escape, they sought refuge in a log cabin at Old Trail Town in Cody, Wyoming, where they planned their next move: robbing a bank in Red Lodge, Montana.
It was around this time that the Sundance Kid’s destiny became intertwined with that of Robert LeRoy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy. He soon met up with Butch Cassidy, joined the Wild Bunch, and moved to the Robber’s Roost in Utah. Together, they formed the nucleus of the Wild Bunch, a gang of outlaws renowned for their audacious heists and ability to evade capture. The Wild Bunch, operating primarily in the vast, sparsely populated regions of the West, became notorious for targeting banks, trains, and other lucrative targets.
The Wild Bunch, under the leadership of Butch Cassidy and with the Sundance Kid as a key lieutenant, orchestrated a series of high-profile robberies that captivated the nation and infuriated law enforcement agencies. On June 2, 1899, the gang, including Butch Cassidy, Sundance Kid, Harvey Logan, and Elzy Lay, robbed a Union Pacific Overland Flyer passenger train near Wilcox, Wyoming. This year, he is thought to have met up with Etta Place in San Antonio, Texas. The gang’s operations were characterized by meticulous planning, daring execution, and a knack for disappearing into the rugged terrain. The legend of the Wild Bunch grew with each successful heist, fueled by sensationalized newspaper accounts and the public’s fascination with these defiant figures who seemed to operate outside the bounds of the law.
The year 1900 saw the Wild Bunch at the height of their notoriety. On August 29, 1900, Cassidy, Longabaugh, and others robbed Union Pacific train No. 3 near Tipton, Wyoming, of about $55,000. Less than a month later, on September 19, 1900, three or four bandits, including the Sundance Kid, struck the First National Bank of Winnemucca, Nevada, stealing $32,640. In December of that year, the gang, seeking to project an image of confidence and defiance, posed for a group photograph in Fort Worth, Texas. This seemingly innocuous act would have significant repercussions. The "Fort Worth Five" photograph, featuring Cassidy, Longabaugh, Harvey Logan, Will Carver, and Ben Kilpatrick, fell into the hands of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, who reproduced it on wanted posters, effectively branding the men as outlaws and intensifying the pursuit.
As law enforcement pressure mounted and the gang began to fracture, Cassidy and Longabaugh, along with Etta Place, a mysterious woman who became romantically linked to both men, decided to flee the United States. On February 20, 1901, the trio embarked on a new adventure, sailing to Buenos Aires, Argentina, aboard the British steamer Herminius. They sought to escape the relentless pursuit of the law and start anew in a land far removed from the American West.
In Argentina, Cassidy, Longabaugh, and Place initially attempted to establish a legitimate ranching operation. However, the lure of easy money and the ingrained habits of their outlaw past proved difficult to resist. They drifted back into a life of crime, engaging in robberies and other illicit activities.
The final chapter of the Sundance Kid’s life remains shrouded in ambiguity and conflicting accounts. According to the most widely accepted version, in November 1908, Cassidy and Longabaugh were cornered by Bolivian soldiers in the small town of San Vicente. A fierce gun battle ensued, resulting in the deaths of both outlaws. This account has been immortalized in popular culture, most notably in the classic film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."
However, alternative theories persist, suggesting that the men survived the shootout and continued to live under assumed identities, either in South America or even back in the United States. One such tale claims that the Sundance Kid didn’t die until around 1936. These conflicting narratives contribute to the enduring mystique surrounding Harry Longabaugh and his final fate.
Etta Place, tired of living life on the run, requested Longabaugh accompany her from Valparaiso, Chile, to San Francisco, California, in June 1906. The Sundance Kid then returned to South America, where he and Butch Cassidy were thought to have been killed in Bolivia in November 1908.
Regardless of the true circumstances of his death, the legacy of Harry Longabaugh, the Sundance Kid, endures as a symbol of the Wild West, a time of lawlessness, adventure, and larger-than-life characters. He remains a captivating figure, embodying the spirit of rebellion and the allure of a life lived on the fringes of society. The name Harry Longabaugh, the Sundance Kid, continues to evoke images of daring train robberies, desperate escapes, and a romanticized vision of the American frontier.