![rd5dhr0rs1.jpg](https://img.esteem.ws/rd5dhr0rs1.jpg)[source](mediadrumworld.com)
This is The Wild Bunch in their prime. Sundance is on the front row left side and Butch is front row right side.

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Howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas where we had snow last night! This is the first time in years that I've seen snow here, look at this:
![b0a8z8orvf.jpg](https://img.esteem.ws/b0a8z8orvf.jpg)
 See that spec of white there? That's snow ya'll! Here's a closer look:
 
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Told ya!  But of course it's gonna be 70 degrees on Sunday so..back to typical Texas winter weather.

I'm starting a new series today about a couple of guys who became very famous outlaws out West, Butch and Sundance. I asked for opinions on doing this subject because I didn't know if people wanted to read about a story of which they already knew the ending but the responses were all positive so here we go!

## Butch's background
The beginning is a good place to start so I'm gonna go back before Butch's birth so you can understand his background. Sundance is a little more difficult because he was a drifter and no one knows where he came from or from who. 

Butch was a Mormon so it's easy to find his background because the Mormons like to keep detailed records of everyone. His Grandparents were from Lancashire, England and joined the Mormon church after hearing missionaries talk about this new kind of faith. That was in the 1850's.

Brigham Young decided to move the church West because they were getting too much flak from more conservative Believers on the East coast. People didn't like his stance on things like polygamy and some other things. I think he had like 27 wives or some such thing.

So he decided to get the hell out of Dodge, so to speak, and head West into the wilderness and carve out their own territory in Utah. He also called for people of the faith all over the world to come to America and join him.

## Butch's Grandparents migrate to America
That's when Butch's Grandparents decided to make the journey to America and head West. They weren't alone. Actually thousands came, mostly from Europe. Butch's Grandfather's name was Robert and he was a factory worker so they were poor. They sold their cottage, cow and furniture, everything they had really, to pay for the voyage to America. Took 5 weeks to get here by steam ship.

Once in New York they took a train to Iowa City, Iowa because that's as far as West as the trains went. They still had 1,300 miles to go to get to Utah and Salt Lake City. I love this part of the story...Brigham Young thought it would take too long to train inexperienced Europeans how to handle horses and oxen to pull the wagons so he provided what they call Hand Carts.

So the people **THEMSELVES** had to push and pull these carts over rough trails, hills, valleys, mountains..in sweltering heat and bitter cold. 

Here's an artist's rendition:
![kdjz8qxeq0.jpg](https://img.esteem.ws/kdjz8qxeq0.jpg)[source](kuer.org/post/new-tools-looking-pioneer-ancestors#stream/0)

You talk about brutal. Wow. And look, they still make those carts that you can rent:
![ycqoi4s8qn.jpg](https://img.esteem.ws/ycqoi4s8qn.jpg)[source](http://handcart-trek.org/handcarts.html)

Because for some reason people like to do re-enactments:
![56le7ahbql.jpg](https://img.esteem.ws/56le7ahbql.jpg)[source](lompocrecord.com/news/local/state-and-regional/pioneer-trek-re-creates-mormon-hardships/article_6121a381-3dc7-5e4d-8898-322655e8f2ab.html)

I have no idea why.. but power to them if they're willing to work that hard for the experience. I might do a mile. I like the rules that come with the rental carts like "stay away from the wheels" and "no riding on the carts" lol. You **KNOW** people would be riding on the carts, at least down the hills!

The best one was "No duct tape" ha! What? I wouldn't be able to go after all. lol.

It took Butch's Grandparents **3.5 months** to make the trip! Can you imagine pushing and pulling that 600 pound cart through the snow and mud and up the mountains for 3.5 months? That just blows my mind. Much of that distance was through hostile Indian territory too but I don't think they were ever bothered by the tribes.

The Indians were probably totally baffled and felt sorry for them! It had to be one of the largest, most arduous treks ever done. But they made it and settled in.

## Kids kids and more kids
His Grandparents had a passle of kids and one would be Butch's dad, his dad's name was Maxi. When Maxi got married he and his wife had **13** kids! Butch was the oldest. Well his real name was Bob. He and his dad were super close but his dad had to be away alot working different jobs to pay for all those costs of raising 13 kids.

His dad began to drift away from the Church functions and strict adherence to doctrines like smoking. Bob also began smoking at an early age and also drifted away from church functions and doctrines.

## Butch grows resentful
Maxi was rather defiant of authority, even the church's authority, plus a little rebellious and Bob was exactly the same way. A number of incidents would continue to shape Bob's views and I'll get into those in the next post because I like to examine what causes people to become outlaws.

I hope ya'll can have a little patience in this story because it doesn't start out with a bang. But don't worry, that's coming.
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Thanks for reading folks, God bless you all!
-jonboy      Texas
the gentleman redneck

**PS- What is two miles long and has two teeth?
An unemployment line in West Virginia!**


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