Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Who is Robert LeRoy Parker?



Who hasn't heard of Butch Cassidy.
April 1866 - November 1908

The Robin Hood of the West
Put your hand on his shoulder and become an Outlaw.




This was his home when he was a young boy. 
He was the oldest of 13 children. 

He went to the country store on a Sunday to buy a pair of Jeans. 
The store was closed.  

He helped himself to a pair of jeans anyway. 

He left a note promising the shop owner that he would be back to pay.  

 The outlaw was born.  




This is his childhood home.  He lived there for 4 years.  




Cassidy's childhood home was  restored this past Summer by our good friend Craig Paulsen who has won many awards for restoring and thereby saving many important and historic structures. 

It was completely rebuilt.  Originally the cabin had no foundation. It was listing to one side and soon would crumble into dust.





Every log was carefully taken down, a foundation was built.  And one by one each log was placed into its original slot.  





The cabin is located in Circleville Utah, about a hundred miles south from our home in San Pete County.





Would you drive five hours just so you can eat lunch at a little French restaurant? 





Well, you would if you have heard how good and authentic the food is. 


Last summer, friends, Patricia and Wayne Johnson  stopped by our house to tell us that they had opened a French Restaurant in a small Utah town.   




The Granary Cafe is located in the charming little town of Santa Clara, just west and north of St. George, Utah.  

And, yes, the food is delicious.  





Nearby, in the Santa Clara valley, live a band of 800 Shivitz, 
the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. 





The next morning we were treated to one spectacular sight after another.  





Kolob Terrace road gives you an opportunity  to see Zions Natural Park from a different angle. 





Every bend in the road surprises one with another imposing view. 





And then it is 5 hours back.

A lonesome road where you will only see traffic going to and coming from Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Not much has changed along this stretch in the last one hundred years. 





It was great fun to be with friends and get away for a few days, but home is home. 

Safe travels to you and yours, 

Gina 



8 comments:

  1. What an interesting post Gina. It is many years since I visited Utah but I remember there was some stunning scenery.

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    1. Hello Gina, It is amazing how many fabulous places and wonderful people we have in Utah. Just our National Parks and National Monuments would keep any visitor entertained for weeks.
      Thank you for your comment.

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  2. Dear Gina - life must have been so tough in Cassidy's childhood home - 13 children living in such a small space, your friend, Craig Paulsen, has done a wonderful job restoring the building.
    Glad that you enjoyed a few happy days away with the company of friends, good food, and the little French restaurant looks charming.

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    1. Dear Rosemary,
      We love to get away for a few days especially now that our season is changing. Already we are in winter weather and heading south is always a good idea.
      So many similar cabins, as the one pictured above, are found in many rural towns in the West. Often very large families lived within them.
      Thank you for your visit, it is so appreciated.

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  3. Dear Gina,
    the sights along the way of your trip are spectacular. It seems to me that the sky over Utah is blue a good part of the year and the empty roads are amazing.That would make a trip like yours so much fun. The best sight of all,however, will always be your pond.
    Hugs from Texas, where it is currently 82 F, Sieglinde

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    1. Dear Sieglinde, Blue skies is what we can count on even in the winter. Our pond is now the gathering place for migrating birds. We counted over 250 Canadian Geese and more than a hundred ducks yesterday. They better get going soon because it is really getting cold around here.
      Thank you for your visit.

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  4. So I’m going to show my lack of culture and just Gish about how much I loved Paul Newman’s portrayal of Butch Cassidy in the movie! To think this is the real Butch Cassidy’s actual boyhood home...mind blown!!! When you look at a house like that and think how many people shared that space it just boggles the brain! There’s just the 2 of us in this 3100 sq. ft. house and we feel like we’re stepping all over each other! Times were tough beyond the imagination back then! And no foundation!!! Egads! Beautiful scenery on your trip!

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  5. Hello Alycia, It must have been a difficult life. Out here in the West and in little towns like the one I live in, you see many cabins of that size which housed large families. At our old place, we moved a log cabin to our property where the family had raised 11 children in the early 1900s. I don't know how they did it, but they did it.

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