Building in Colorado mountain town was the site of outlaw Butch Cassidy’s first bank heist

Although Telluride is now known as a great Colorado ski town and year-round adventure hub, it previously played a role part in America’s Wild West and the country’s history of bank robberies. A building in Telluride now sits on the site of famous outlaw Butch Cassidy’s first bank heist.

On June 24, 1889, Cassidy and several accomplices robbed the San Miguel Valley Bank for more than $20,000 (valued at about $700,000 today). Cassidy’s accomplice Matt Warner strode into the bank and held a gun under the teller’s nose while Cassidy robbed the bank and his brother-in-law watched the horses.

According to Atlas Obscura, the robbers caused a commotion as they fled the scene of the crime, riding their horses down Main Street and shooting their revolvers in the air, alerting the entire town to the robbery. Fortunately for the outlaws, nobody in Telluride knew their identities, so they got away.

The trio would, however, later run into a rancher Cassidy and Warner had worked for before. When the town posse finally reached the rancher, the outlaw’s names were out and the chase to catch them was on. This identification would turn Butch Cassidy into the full-time outlaw he’s often described as in history books.

The bank burned down shortly after the robbery but was rebuilt to look identical to the old bank and is now the Mahr Building. Today, the Mahr Building houses both commercial and residential space. There’s also a plaque denoting the robbery outside of the building.

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Photo Credit: Jonathan Ross (iStock). (Jonathan Ross)
Photo Credit: Jonathan Ross (iStock). (Jonathan Ross)

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