The history of outlaws in the region is well known and pieces of that history still surface from time to time. The Vintage Firearms Research Program at the Sweetwater County Historical Museum in Sweetwater County, Wyoming recently came across a very rare find! A person brought in a firearm that was the twin to a firearm they have on display, the museum’s .25-35 Model 1894 Winchester that belonged to Butch Cassidy’s associate, Henry Rhodes “Bub” Meeks. Meeks has a very unique history having successfully robbed Montpelier Bank in Montpelier, Idaho in 1896 with Cassidy and Elzy Lay. He ended up in 1912 being committed to the Wyoming State Hospital for the Insane in Evanston and dying in that year. The Kane carbine Winchester that was examined was passed down through four generations of a ranching and farming family from the Kane, Wyoming area. Anyone interested in having their vintage firearms looked at can contact the museum at (307) 872-6435.
