In 1939, the “Tarzan of the Tetons” was Killed Robbing a Bank
Earl Durand was born in Powell, a farm kid that knew the lay of the land, but that wasn't how he was known to the general public. The Tarzan of the Tetons, as he was called, was a famed "mountain man," who lived off the land in the Tetons.
Notorious among law enforcement, Durand was killed on March 24th, 1939, 80 years ago today, when he came down from the mountains, stole a car, and robbed a bank in Powell. No one knows why he decided to do it, and he took hostages, one of which ended up being killed in the crossfire, before Durand took a bullet, crawled back into the bank, and ended his own life before law enforcement could take him into custody.
Durand was immortalized in the film, Wyoming Outlaw, a B Movie starring John Wayne that was released only three months after Durand's death. He was also played by Peter Hasker in the 1974 biopic, The Legend of Earl Durand.