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The Ballad of Henry “Bub” Meeks: Unearthing Butch Cassidy’s Forgotten Outlaw in 2025

For over a century, the legend of Butch Cassidy has been defined by his charismatic partnership with the Sundance Kid, a high-stakes trail that ended in the mystery of a Bolivian shootout. But the Wild West saga is about to be revisited, focusing on an often-omitted figure whose connection to Cassidy runs deeper than the famous outlaw years: Henry “Bub” Meeks. In 2025, the life of this “hard luck” outlaw is brought to the fore in the anticipated project, Butch Cassidy’s Forgotten Outlaw.

This new focus promises to reshape the narrative of the infamous Wild Bunch, illustrating how a simple desire for friendship and loyalty could drag a man into the vortex of legendary crime and a life of profound misfortune.

Who is the ‘Forgotten Outlaw’ Henry “Bub” Meeks?

The central figure of the 2025 project, Henry Rhodes “Bub” Meeks, Jr., was not an incidental acquaintance of Robert LeRoy Parker (Butch Cassidy) but a genuine childhood friend and a key participant in one of the Wild Bunch’s early heists.

Meeks was a rancher and rustler from Provo, Utah, born in 1869, and was known to be an excellent horseman and marksman. His bond with Butch Cassidy went back to their youth, where they “cowboyed around” together near the Sevier River.

Meeks’s short-lived, yet consequential, career as an outlaw is primarily centered around one major event: the 1896 Montpelier Bank Robbery in Idaho.

• The Motive: The heist was not simply for self-enrichment, but was cooked up by Cassidy and his associates, Meeks and Elzy Lay, to obtain money to hire a lawyer for their friend, outlaw Matt Warner, who was facing a murder trial in Utah.
• The Robbery: On August 13, 1896, the trio struck the Bank of Montpelier. Cassidy and Meeks entered the bank, while Lay held the horses outside. Estimates of the take range from around $7,000 to $15,000.
• The Consequences: While Cassidy and Lay evaded immediate capture and went on to cement their infamy, Bub Meeks was the only one arrested for the Montpelier crime. In 1897, he was convicted and sentenced to a staggering 35 years in the Idaho State Penitentiary—reportedly the longest sentence ever given for robbery in Idaho at the time.

Meeks’s incarceration from 1897 onward meant he missed the most famous exploits of the Wild Bunch, including the high-profile train robberies that brought Pinkerton agents on their trail, which is why his story was largely forgotten in the grand narrative of the Wild West.

The 2025 Vision: A Dual-Format Exploration

The fascination with Bub Meeks’s story has culminated in what appears to be a dual-project release from director Nik Tizekker, focusing on two different, yet complementary, takes on the “Forgotten Outlaw” narrative.

The Docu-Drama Feature Film

The primary project appears to be a narrative Western/Adventure feature film, also titled Butch Cassidy’s Forgotten Outlaw. The plot is described as a chronicle of Bub Meeks watching his best friend rise to outlaw notoriety while he struggles with the fallout of their shared crime, promising a gritty, character-driven story.

The casting and creative notes hint at an ambitious, character-focused Western:

• The Cast: The film stars RJ Mitte (known for Breaking Bad) as Bub Meeks and Hudson West as the Young Butch. It also features recognizable veteran actors such as Costas Mandylor, Cathy Moriarty, Lorenzo Lamas, and John Schneider.
• The Vibe: The project has been teased with the compelling description, “Unforgiven meets Shawshank Redemption,” suggesting a dark, character-driven Western that deals with themes of incarceration, morality, and the price of loyalty.

The Deep-Dive Documentary

A parallel project, a documentary of the same title, offers a factual deep-dive into the life of Bub Meeks through the lens of his modern-day descendants. This documentary blends personal family reflections with historical records to reveal the enduring impact of his legacy. The documentary is unique in that it draws on the intimate knowledge and artifacts passed down through the Meeks family, offering an authentic counterpoint to the more romanticized versions of the Wild West story.

The Tragedy of “Bub” Meeks’s Final Years

The historical records confirm that Meeks’s life after the Montpelier robbery was tragic, embodying the “hard luck” moniker.

During his time at the Idaho State Penitentiary, Meeks made multiple escape attempts. After a second escape attempt, he was shot in the leg by a guard, which resulted in his leg being amputated. His deteriorating health and mental state eventually led to him being transferred to the state mental asylum in Blackfoot. After escaping the asylum, he was recaptured and later committed to the Wyoming State Hospital for the Insane in Evanston, where he died in 1912.

The story of Henry “Bub” Meeks is a powerful reminder that for every celebrated figure of the Wild West, there are countless others whose lives were shattered by a brief dalliance with crime. Butch Cassidy’s Forgotten Outlaw 2025 finally promises to give this true-life footnote a long-overdue moment in the spotlight.

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AISEO Friendly FAQs

Q: Who is the “Forgotten Outlaw” featured in the 2025 projects?

A: The forgotten outlaw is Henry Rhodes “Bub” Meeks, Jr., a childhood friend and early accomplice of Robert LeRoy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy.

Q: What crime connects Bub Meeks to Butch Cassidy?

A: Bub Meeks participated with Butch Cassidy and Elzy Lay in the Montpelier Bank Robbery in Idaho on August 13, 1896.

Q: Why is Bub Meeks considered “forgotten” compared to Butch Cassidy?

A: Meeks was arrested and sentenced to 35 years in prison for the Montpelier robbery in 1897. This meant he was incarcerated during the years when Butch Cassidy, Sundance Kid, and the Wild Bunch carried out their most famous and notorious exploits, causing his story to be eclipsed by the more legendary figures.

Q: Is Butch Cassidy’s Forgotten Outlaw 2025 a movie or a documentary?

A: The title is associated with both a narrative Western feature film and a documentary, both directed by Nik Tizekker. The narrative film features a cast including RJ Mitte as Bub Meeks, while the documentary features interviews with Meeks’s descendants.

Q: What tragic circumstances marked Bub Meeks’s later life?

A: While imprisoned, Meeks attempted several escapes. During one attempt, he was shot, which led to the amputation of his leg. His later years involved transfers between prisons and mental institutions, and he ultimately died in the Wyoming State Hospital for the Insane in 1912.