The Tragedy of Patrick Coughlin

Park City Museum will host a lecture called The Trial and Tragedy of Patrick Coughlin presented by Barb Martz and Brian Craig on Tuesday, October 14, 2025 from 5-6 p.m. at the Education and Collections Center located at 2079 Sidewinder Drive. Please note the day change on the lecture from Wednesday night to Tuesday night. More information can be found at www.parkcityhistory.org. Patrick Coughlin was the son of Irish immigrants who brought him to Park City as a young boy in the early 1880’s. In1895, he and two friends stole a box of strawberries from a merchant’s wagon parked on Main Street. When local sheriff John Harrington went looking for them, they left town on ‘borrowed’ horses. And then things went from bad to worse… Together the lecturers will share what they have uncovered in their extensive research on the events in 1895 and 1896 which led to one of Utah’s most intensive manhunts in history and the first execution after Utah statehood. Barbara will focus on Coughlin’s early life and escapades in Park City; Brian will focus on the trial, appeals, and judicial decisions. They hope to present several sides to the story and ask the question of the audience “What do you think?” Barbara Martz has lived in Park City since 1973 and is currently a member of the Museum Board of Trustees and a volunteer researcher and tour guide for the Glenwood Cemetery. She has a Bachelor degree in History from the University of California Irvine, and a Master degree in Public Administration from the University of Utah. When Barbara first came to Park City to ski in 1970, she bought a copy of Fraser Buck’s book Treasure Mountain Home, and was fascinated with Park City’s history, especially the piece about Pasty Coughlin and friends stealing strawberries from a merchant’s wagon on Main Street and the events that followed. Over the years, she has continued to research the Coughlin affair, visiting locations of the critical events and meeting with descendants of lawmen who knew Coughlin. Brian Craig is a lawyer in private practice in Logan, Utah and a full-time faculty member at Purdue University Global where he teaches online legal courses. He received his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and his law degree from the University of Idaho. Brian has more than 23 years of experience as a lawyer. He has written articles appearing in various publications, including the Utah Bar Journal, and is the author of several books, including one addressing Cyberlaw and one addressing legal legacy of the Stringfellow Acid Pits, a toxic waste superfund site in the Jurupa Valley near Riverside, California. His latest book entitled Utah Outlaw Patrick Coughlin: The Crime Spree of a Forgotten Desperado is a true crime biography about Park City’s strawberry thief and the first person executed in Utah after statehood. This book is scheduled to be released later this year by Arcadia Publishing and The History Press. It is available for pre-order on Amazon and will be published January 13, 2026. Check utahoutlawbook.com for more information.