MEEKER I One of Meeker’s claims to fame was the dramatic attempted robbery of the Bank of Meeker on Oct. 13, 1896.
As people have retold the event, there were a few hectic moments where bullets flew and danger was lurking. But, when the crisis was over, three “wanna be” bank robbers were dead.
Northwest Colorado Heritage relayed the incident this way:
“As the story goes, Jim Shirley and his gang tried to follow in the footsteps of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and thought they could easily pull off this banking heist. But Shirley underestimated the quick-draw citizens of Meeker as they rapidly dispatched the thieves after just a few short minutes of a rowdy bullet exchange.
“News spread quickly throughout the nation of the adeptness of these frontiersmen, and the message was heard loud and clear to bandits far and wide: ‘Don’t Mess with Meeker.’”
Join us once again as the Rio Blanco County Historical Society (RBCHS) re-enacts the historic event right on the original location of Sixth and Main streets, where the scenes will unfold as they did the day Jim Shirley and his gang went down in local history. The robbery will take place on Friday at 3 p.m. (but don’t tell anybody).
The RBCHS will be selling their famous root beer floats immediately following the parade until after the bank robbery re-enactment.
