When most people think of Prince Edward Island, they picture red cliffs, lighthouses, and quiet fishing villages—not notorious Wild West outlaws.
Yet one of the American West’s most feared criminals was born right here on the Island.
George Sutherland Currie was born in the tiny community of West Point, Prince Edward Island, in 1871. While little is known about his early years on the Island, his family eventually moved west, where George would trade the peaceful shores of PEI for the lawless frontier of the American West.
There, he became known as George “Flat Nose” Curry, a nickname earned after his nose was broken in a fight.
Curry quickly developed a reputation as one of the toughest and most dangerous members of Butch Cassidy’s infamous Wild Bunch. The gang became legendary for robbing banks, trains, and payroll shipments across Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and other western states during the closing years of the nineteenth century.
While Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid became famous through books and Hollywood movies, many historians considered Curry to be one of the gang’s most feared gunmen. He was known for his willingness to use violence when necessary and was linked to several deadly confrontations with law enforcement.
Like many outlaws of the era, however, his luck eventually ran out.
In 1900, after years on the run, Curry was tracked down by Sheriff Jesse Tyler in Utah. During the confrontation, Curry was shot and killed, bringing an end to one of the Wild West’s most notorious criminal careers.
Today, visitors driving through West Point would never imagine that the quiet fishing community helped produce one of the American frontier’s most infamous outlaws. It’s one of those remarkable stories that reminds us Prince Edward Island’s history reaches far beyond its shores.
The next time you visit West Point Lighthouse and take in the peaceful coastal scenery, remember that one of the Wild West’s most notorious bank robbers began his journey in this unlikely corner of Prince Edward Island.