Burt Alvord
| Burt Alvord | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | 1867 |
| Died | After 1910 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Deputy Sheriff and outlaw |
| Criminal charge | Armed robbery |
Burt Alvord (1867-after 1910), or Albert Alvord, was a lawman and later outlaw of the Old West. He began working as a deputy under Cochise County Sheriff John Slaughter in 1886, but he turned to train robbery about the beginning of the 20th century.
Albert W. Alvord was born to Charles E. Alvord and his wife Lucy on September 11, 1867 in Plumas County, California. His father, a native of New York, worked as prospector and as a mechanic for mining companies, but he eventually came to hold the public offices such as constable and justice of the peace in several of the places that the family lived. The family moved often throughout Burt’s childhood, following the mining business from boomtown to boomtown. In 1879 the family settled in Pima County, Arizona, but soon moved to Tombstone. Alvord’s education was not formal, but he likely learned much from his father’s cases about local disputes. He also spent much time working at the O.K. Corral where he got to know the townspeople very well. Claims that Alvord witnessed the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral are unsubstantiated, though the outlaw events that Tombstone was famous for would have certainly made an impression on young Alvord.
Despite Alvord’s reputation for frequenting saloons and his participating in several bar altercations, Sheriff John Slaughter recruited Alvord as a deputy in 1886. The same year, Alvord’s mother died. Alvord served primarily as the muscle behind Slaughter's operations, as he made several decisions which revealed his lack of experience and finesse in law enforcement. He was reportedly “not noble, temperate, far seeing, or unselfish”. He did assist Slaughter in capturing or killing several rustlers and other outlaws between 1886 and 1889, but his image suffered when his alcoholism became increasingly apparent. Alvord continued to frequent saloons, and even worse he began to associate with gamblers and suspected outlaws. When Sheriff Slaughter reprimanded him, he quit.
Alvord next worked as a lawman in several towns in the 1890s, including Fairbank, Arizona and Pearce, Arizona.
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