This past spring, 30 high school students loaded into four black SUVs, each given an outlaw nickname.

These American Academy of Innovation students were on an adventure to discover Utah’s historical sites as part of the school’s biannual immersion week. This week was inspired by the video game, Red Dead Redemption 2.

“A lot of the kids and myself are really into the video game,” music teacher Chase Rice said. “Red Dead Redemption 2 is based on an Old West tale that’s loosely based off of ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ and some other Western history. It’s a really cool game with a lot of historical references in that game.”

Their week began with watching “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and having an overview of what was expected of them.

“We planned to visit a bunch of historical sites, whether it had to do with the game or not, and we provided a few different pathways for them to receive credit. For example, if they chose science, they were studying wildlife; with history, they were studying the history of the Old West in Utah. And then the art portion, they could have done Old West photography, landscape painting and studying western music,” he said. “For the quarter credit, they had the summary of their experiences and presented it at the end of the week.”

For two days, the students, along with four adults, headed off on back roads, some dirt, to explore small towns, ghost towns, petroglyphs, movie sets, natural wonders and a bit of everything.

“We set off in our SUVs, all black and all four-wheel drive so we looked like government workers traveling together; we called ourselves the CIA cowboys of Utah,” Rice said, who had a Wild West playlist going during the drive. “The kids said that I had the fastest horse in the west.”

First stop: Eureka

The once booming town sits on highway 6 in Juab County near four old silver and ore mines which once employed thousands of miners.

“We walked around the main street and learned its history. You get there and you feel like you’ve taken a step back in time,” he said about the current town of 700 people, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The group then drove out into the western desert beyond Delta.

“We tried to find wild horses in the middle of nowhere; we only found one, but we saw a lot of antelope. The kids got to experience dirt roads and being in the middle of nowhere, which was new to some of them because they’re city kids,” he said.

Second stop: Frisco Charcoal Kilns and Parowan Gap Petroglyphs

“The kids were incredibly surprised to see these beehive shapes that were about 25 feet high in the middle of nowhere,” he said about the kilns built to make charcoal for a smelter that processed precious metals. “The town of Frisco is a cool little ghost town. It used to be a really booming town.”

That thriving town of 800 was primarily a mining and manning the kilns town with no water supply. So, in the 1880s, residents likely were coal contractors who oversaw the production of charcoal, coal burners who staffed the kilns, wood contractors, masons or those designated to haul water for the town.

About an hour later, the group saw native cultures’ depictions of sheep, lizards, snakes and other designs chiseled in rock in the Parowan Gap. Seeing petroglyphs was also a first for some students, Rice said.

Third stop: Frontier Homestead State Park Museum in Cedar City 

“It’s a really great museum,” Rice said. “It really touches on a lot of pioneer history and a lot of Wild West history. The kids got to experience what life on the homestead was like with a bit of Mormon pioneer history. They have a lot of great artifacts and hands-on exhibits, like panning for gold. A few of our kids struck it rich–with fool’s gold,” he said.

During the trip, several students dressed up like they were in the Wild West, Rice said.

“It was their idea; the kids were into it. Some of them brought their acoustic guitars, a banjo and a harmonica and played in the middle of nowhere,” he said. 

Fourth stop: Grafton 

“The next morning, we went to Grafton, which is where ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ was filmed. There’s a lot of history there and it was a huge highlight for the kids,” Rice said.

Farmlands and orchards once surrounded the town, which is south of Zion National Park near the Virgin River. Now, the well-preserved ghost town has been featured in other films.

“One of the things they liked was reading the headstones, saying this person lived here and this is how they died. It became more real for them,” he said. 

Afterward, the group drove through Zion; another first for several students.

Fifth stop: Circleville

The log cabin south of Circleville was once the home of Robert LeRoy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy. The outlaw was a train and bank robber in the Wild West for more than 10 years.

Inside the one-room home where he lived, students could peer inside to see some basic relics - a bed, chairs and table and old stove. 

“They quickly understood life wasn’t easy for ranchers,” he said.

Additional stop: Antelope Island State Park

After returning to school Wednesday, the group reassembled Thursday to visit Antelope Island State Park.

“We saw bison and a lot of wildlife; the kids saw the ranch so that was a cool experience for them,” Rice said.

Typically, deer, antelope and a variety of waterfowl as well as Great Basin flora can be seen on the island’s 28,000 acres.

“It was a great way to finish our tour of Utah’s Wild West because Friday they did their presentations. It was quick; it’s called an immersion for a reason. They were immersed in Utah history, and they got a chance to feel connected to the state,” he said. “Utah has a ton of hidden gems that aren’t just National Parks. There is so much Utah has to offer, but people don’t take advantage because it’s far away from Salt Lake or Utah counties.”

Last fall, Rice took students on a Utah military history immersion trip, which included visiting the 1940s Wendover Airfield, the Japanese World War II internment camp near Delta, Hill Air Force Base, Fort Douglas Military Museum and the Utah Wing Commemorative Air Force World War II Air Museum in Heber City.

Other immersions have included subjects such as home improvements, learning Thai language and culture, skateboarding, Bob Ross painting and fly fishing.

The Red Dead Redemption 2 Wild West curriculum and itinerary was planned by Rice and history teacher Brooke Jordan, who worked together for months to incorporate historic sites, music, art and chances to see wildlife into the immersion week.

AAI Academic Director Ryan Hagge and Dean of Students Melissa Chipman also accompanied the group.

Hagge has said the immersion weeks often give students the opportunity to explore new interests.

“We give a lot of choice; they’re greatly diverse and student-engaging,” he said. “We are intentionally a project- or experience-based school. We want kids to learn something valuable when they do a project or are in an immersion class. This immersion week may ignite a spark, something that may interest them and start a whole new passion.”