Mammoth in Yellowstone National Park in Park County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)
Crime in Wonderland
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 29, 2015
1. Crime in Wonderland Marker
From poachers to stagecoach robbers, soldiers were kept busy enforcing the law in Yellowstone.
There were five stagecoach robberies in Yellowstone, with the last occurring on 1914. What is often considered the greatest stagecoach robbery of the twentieth century occurred on August 24, 1908, about three miles east of Kepler Cascades, when a single robber held up 17 coaches with 174 passengers. He netted a total of $2,094.20 in cash and jewelry and was never caught.
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$1,000.00 REWARD
For the arrest and conviction of the man who held up and robbed the stages of the Transportation Companies in the Yellowstone Park, near Keppler Cascades, on Aug. 24, 1908, $1000.00 will be paid.
Description of the robber: About 5 ft. 8 in. tall, blue gray eyes, bristly gray whiskers, acted either as a man badly out of breath or a consumptive, weight about 135-150 pounds, understood German. Had on bluish brown overalls, brown shirt, soft felt hat and carried an automatic rifle.
Y.N. P. Trans. Co. M-Y Stage Co. Wylie Camp. Co.
Erected by Yellowstone National Park.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in
this page online
Location. 44° 58.453′ N, 110° 41.894′ W. Marker is in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, in Park County. It is in Mammoth. It is on Officers Row, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located in the Mammoth Hot Springs Area of Yellowstone National Park, at Fort Yellowstone. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Yellowstone National Park WY 82190, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Bighorn Basin and in Greater Yellowstone. It is also in the American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Guard Duty (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Soldiers Life (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named A Sense of Community (about 500 feet away); Yellowstone National Park Chapel (about 500 feet away); The Post Exchange (about 600 feet away); Life in the Fort
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 29, 2015
2. Crime in Wonderland Marker
Other markers no longer nearby. A Most Fortunate Thing... (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); At Guard (was about 300 feet away but has been permanently removed); A Sense of Community (was about 400 feet away but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named A Soldier's Life (was about 500 feet away but has been permanently removed); A Good Duty Station (was about 500 feet away but has been permanently removed); The Drill Field (was about 700 feet away but has been permanently removed); Welcome to Historic Fort Yellowstone (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been permanently removed); From Soldier to Ranger (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been permanently removed).
More about this marker. The background of the marker features a photograph: “Stagecoach robber Ed Trafton sorts his loot from the last holdup on July 29,
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 29, 2014
3. Crime in Wonderland Marker
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. See all of the markers on the Fort Yellowstone walking tour.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 13, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 827 times since then and 62 times this year. Last updated on September 10, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 13, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
