True West Magazine
The Arizona deputy sheriff lived a double life as a highwayman, gang leader and train robber.
For most of a decade, Burt Alvord was considered an upstanding lawman in Cochise County, but after he led his gang’s 1899 holdup of a Southern Pacific train, he became known as one of the
Territory’s most notorious outlaws.
– All Images and Bob Boze Bell Illustrations Courtesy True West Archives Unless Otherwise Noted –
Burt Alvord wasn’t exactly a household name among Arizona’s notorious outlaws. They also said he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. It was claimed his IQ was a little bit less than his waist size. His major interests were poker, pool, guns and practical jokes. On the other hand, he worked for a time in the late 1880s as a deputy sheriff for Cochise County Sheriff John Slaughter, who declared him fearless. Cochise County was blessed with a profusion of colorful characters, so Burt fit right in with the rest.