The Last Old West Train Robbery

In any era, there is the end of an era. We don't know what event will be the last until long afterward, but the last Old West train robbery turned out to be quite a story. By the turn of the 20th century, the outlaws of the Old West were becoming more outnumbered by law-abiding folks every day. And with more people, better communication, and more advanced law enforcement procedures, it was pretty hard to make a clean getaway after a crime. On February 15, 1900, five men boarded the train that had stopped at Fairbank, Arizona. They aimed to take the contents of the safe, but absconded with only $42 and two of them wounded. They left behind an injured train guard and plenty of witnesses. Three lawmen, all from different counties, gathered posses and set off to find the perpetrators, their professional reputations at stake.

One of the bandits, severely wounded, was left to die in the desert after he could no longer sit on a horse. He was found and brought back to town in a delirium. Wells Fargo detectives got involved in the case, as it was their safe and their guard who was targeted. And you won't believe what they found out. The whole story, with an unexpected twist, is told at Truly Adventurous, in both text and in podcast version.