In the beginning Castle Gate, Utah was the home to
miners and the Pleasant Valley Coal Company. The only ones visiting the area
besides miners and workers for the coal company was of course outlaws. In 1886,
when this coal company began this entire area was very remote with rock
formations, mountains, cliffs and valleys surrounding the area and not too many
people it was the perfect hide-out for outlaws. One of the most famous outlaws
in the area was Butch Cassidy and his gang.
On April 21, 1897, Butch Cassidy, Elza Lay, and a
man by the name of Fowler robbed the payroll that was intended for the employees
of the Pleasant Valley Coal Company as it was being unloaded from the train.
They rode south on horseback with two residents following close behind. Butch
and his fellow train robbers got away with around $7,000. Cassidy and his
banditos cut the telephone and telegraph lines, which gave them more time to
elude the long arms of the law. They headed to Robbers Roost which it is still
believed the loot was hidden or along the trail known as Outlaw Trail. To this
day, none of the money has been recovered. If you go in search of this payroll,
you will find that all that is left of Castle Gate is a lone cemetery since the
town was demolished in 1974.
Many Butch, Lay, and Fowler hid the money along the
trail or maybe they went off to rob other trains and banks and hid the loot all
in one place. however, the rumor is this payroll heist is hidden somewhere in
the area.
