Earl Durand

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Walter Earl Durand (1913–1939) was an American from Wyoming who became known as an outlaw after he escaped from jail. He killed a total of four officers in the course of resisting capture, two at his house, and two who tried to apprehend him during an 11-day manhunt in the Beartooth Mountains (near the mouth of Clarks Fork Canyon) of Wyoming.

Early life and education[edit]

Walter Earl Durand was born in 1913 to parents who were farmers in Powell, Wyoming, where he grew up.[1] He learned all about farming and hunting.

Mountain man[edit]

Durand was a mountain man who lived off the land in the mountains of Wyoming during the years following the Great Depression.[2] He was arrested for poaching elk, as he did not believe in the new hunting license system and refused to get a license.[2]

While in jail in Cody, Wyoming, Durand escaped by taking a Deputy sheriff/Jailer's gun and forcing the officer to drive him into the countryside[3] before he returned to his home. Durand shot and killed two police officers[4] who came to his house to take him back to jail; then he armed himself and headed into the wilderness of the Beartooth Mountains.[1][5]

The prosecutor initially deputized 10 men to form a posse to find and bring Durand in for trial.[1] Durand shot and killed two of the possemen who were searching for him.[1] The manhunt grew to include the FBI, sharp shooters, the Wyoming National Guard with artillery from Fort Warren, civilians, and an airplane fitted with tear gas and dynamite bombs.[1]

During the manhunt, Durand eluded the pursuers for several days. He car-jacked a vehicle and drove it to Powell, where he attempted to rob a bank.[1] He spent several minutes shooting at the windows and walls of the bank.[6] Durand took several hostages, one of whom was killed by a citizen trying to shoot and take down Durand as they left the bank.[1] After being shot by Tip Cox, [7] Durand crawled back into the bank; there he killed himself with a shot to the neck.[6]

Representation in other media[edit]

The 11-day manhunt was widely covered by the national press,[6] with Durand being nicknamed "Tarzan of the Tetons".[1] Inspired by the manhunt, the film Wyoming Outlaw was rapidly produced: the B movie starring John Wayne appeared in theaters 3 months after Durand's death.[3] Durand was later portrayed by Peter Haskell in a Hollywood biopic, The Legend of Earl Durand (1974). Singer/songwriter Charlie Brown's "The Ballad of Earl Durand", from his 1967 album Teton Tea Party,[8] was included on The Best of Broadside 1962-1988.[9]

Further reading[edit]

  • Metz, Jerred (2005). The Last Eleven Days of Earl Durand. High Plains Press. ISBN 9780931271724. A collection of interviews with participants and witnesses.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Blewer, Mac (2013-04-15). Wyoming's Outlaw Trail. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 101–. ISBN 9781439642061. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  2. ^ a b Pellegrini, Georgia (2011). Girl Hunter: Revolutionizing the Way We Eat, One Hunt at a Time. Da Capo Lifelong. pp. 78–. ISBN 9780738214665. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  3. ^ a b Simmon, Scott (2003-06-30). The Invention of the Western Film: A Cultural History of the Genre's First Half Century. Cambridge University Press. pp. 166–. ISBN 9780521555814. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  4. ^ ODMP memorials Baker and Lewis
  5. ^ Johnston, Jeremy M. (2009-07-08). Powell. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 81–. ISBN 9781439638088. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  6. ^ a b c Ron, Franscell (September 2011). The Crime Buff's Guide to the Outlaw Rocky Mountains. Globe Pequot. pp. 203–. ISBN 9780762768424. Retrieved 4 May 2014.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Metz, Jared (2005). The Last Eleven Days of Earl Durand. High Plains Pr. ISBN 978-0931271731.
  8. ^ "Teton Tea Party with Charlie Brown". Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, Catalog. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  9. ^ "The Best of Broadside 1962-1988: Anthems of the American Underground from the Pages of Broadside Magazine". Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, Catalog. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
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