The Outlaws of Red Butte: The Sundance Kid and the Shooting of Buck Hanby Paperback – February 21, 2026

Before there was Butch, there were Von Rippon and Buck. From the author of Murder on the Plains: The Killing of “Diamond L Slim” Clifton and Hank Mason and the Bear: Stories from the Black Hills and Beyond comes the forgotten true story of the Sundance Kid and his fellow outlaws of Red Butte.A.C. Von Rippon and Buck Hanby, ranchers on Salt Creek in southern Crook County of Wyoming Territory, were always one step ahead of the local law. Arriving in Wyoming during the summer of 1888, the men slowly built their ranch near the base of the monolith known as Red Butte. Hanby’s past, though, soon caught up with the pair. Wanted for horse theft and murder in Nebraska and Kansas, Hanby, along with Von Rippon and three other members of the rustling gang, were arrested and jailed in Sundance to await their fates.The men would not be alone during their stay in the Sundance jail. Also incarcerated was a 20-year-old named Harry Longabaugh, serving an 18-month sentence for grand larceny. A friendship was forged behind bars, and Von Rippon assured “the Kid” that he was welcome at his ranch upon his release.Von Rippon’s freedom came, but Buck Hanby’s did not. Taken to Nebraska to stand trial for rustling, Hanby’s troubles with the law grew worse. Wanted for murder, the state of Kansas prepared to extradite him, but Hanby had other plans. After a daring jail escape, he once again fled his past and returned to Red Butte. Fresh off his own incarceration in Sundance, Longabaugh was down on his luck, angry with the law, and looking for work. Taking a stagecoach to Deadwood, Harry tried to find honest work in the gold-mining town. Unable to land a job, he found the gambling houses to his liking and honed his card-playing skills there. Although gambling was fine for the Kid, he was a cowboy at heart, and Von Rippon’s invitation beckoned.The spring of 1889 arrived, and Von Rippon and Hanby welcomed a new arrival to Red Butte. Always taking in hired hands with grit, toughness, and few qualms about breaking the law, Harry Longabaugh was a welcome addition. However, staying under the radar would be short-lived for Hanby. With a reward for his capture once again issued in Kansas, he was soon found. Carrying an arrest warrant, Crook County authorities were sent to the southern reaches of the county to make the arrest. With the Kid and Von Rippon by his side, Buck Hanby swore he would not go down without a fight. Read more