Butch Cassidy, outlaw of the West, was born Robert Leroy Parker in 1866. He grew up in rural Utah and was the oldest of 13 children. His family was Mormon and quite poor so Cassidy left his home of Beaver, Utah, by the time that he was a teenager.
He sought a more prosperous life from his upbringing and worked as a farmhand for several years. Cassidy took the surname of Mike Cassidy, the owner of a farm, because he respected the older man.
His criminal life began in Wyoming in 1889 when he joined up with three other cowboys to steal $20,000 from a bank. He was not caught until 1894 when he had to spend two years in prison. Cassidy continued to his criminal streak after his release from jail. He, along with his gang called "the Bunch," continued to rob banks and trains, earning an infamous spot in Wild West history.
Cassidy's most notable partner and friend, Harry Alonzo Longabaugh (also known as the Sundance Kid), performed many robberies together before fleeing to Chile. Cassidy's death remains largely a mystery, but he is believed to have died in November 1908 in Chile.
