Story of the “Tarzan of the Tetons” who 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, 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.