Butch Cassidy home newest Utah State Monument

CIRCLEVILLE, Piute County — Oscar and Catharina Herrera weren't necessarily looking for Butch Cassidy.

They were simply driving through southern Utah on a road trip from their home in San Diego when a sign along U.S. 89 caught their attention.

"We saw a sign coming down the road, and I said, let's stop," said Oscar Herrera.

So, they did.

What they found just off the highway near Circleville was the childhood home of one of the Wild West's most notorious outlaws.

"Butch Cassidy. Why not? Right?" said Catharina Herrera with a smile.

Her husband knew the name, although he admitted he didn't know all the details behind it.

"Oh, I know he was an outlaw. I don't really know a whole lot of what he did or, I guess he was a bank robber? I'm not really sure," said Oscar Herrera.

That name, though, has been enough to get plenty of other travelers to pull off the highway, too.

"It's awesome to see," said Piute County Commissioner Scott Dalton. "I have a lot of people from our community say, I can't believe how many folks stop."

Now, local leaders hope even more people will stop.

The restored Butch Cassidy Boyhood Home is becoming an official Utah State Monument, giving greater recognition to a place that has long been part of the history and identity of the Circleville area.

For Dalton, the story is also personal.

His family is from Circleville, where stories about Cassidy have been passed around for generations.

"There's a good tale with it and we're not sure where he ended up," he said with a laugh. "We know the story very well and it's fun."

Cassidy's life eventually took him far beyond this quiet part of southern Utah, and his exploits as an outlaw made him one of the most recognizable names of the American West.

But long before that notoriety, he was Robert LeRoy Parker, a boy growing up with his family in this rural landscape.

Today, people can visit this small, restored home, see some of the old farming equipment of the era, and enjoy the quiet country that helped shape his early life.

And unlike many historic attractions, the experience can come as a surprise to travelers who simply happen upon it.

"You would think there would be a cost to get in here and it doesn't," said Catharina Herrera. "It's just right off the road and you hop on in."

For Piute County, preserving the site and increasing its visibility isn't only about celebrating a piece of Western history.

It's also about bringing visitors to one of Utah's smallest counties.

"We've had a wild couple of years of wildfires, and it's hurt the local businesses," said Dalton.

More people stopping at the Cassidy home could mean more people stopping elsewhere in Piute County, instead of simply driving through or avoiding the area altogether.

"If we can get a few more to our gas stations and our little stores in our little communities, we're slow in little Circleville and little Piute County and to bring a few more folks here is okay," said Dalton.

Visitation at the site started increasing when the state put up tourism signs on Highway 89 to let people know what was just ahead.

The state monument designation should also provide additional help maintaining the historic site.

"With that comes a few things," said Dalton. "The state helps maintain it in a few ways and the county does. But it just puts you a little more on the map. Helps people say, oh, there's this other spot to go see."

The Butch Cassidy Boyhood Home will be formally dedicated as a state monument Friday during a ceremony where Utah's governor is expected to officially announce the designation.

And if the goal is to persuade travelers to slow down and take a look, Oscar and Catharina Herrera may already be proof that it works.

"We're here. We're enjoying it," said Oscar Herrera. "It's a beautiful little area here."

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