J.J. Butefish was a well known Police Sergeant within Denver until 1930 and his son, Howard Butefish, followed in his footsteps as a detective. This was during a period of significance in the early days of Denver, in which crime and unsultry behavior were common. . The men of the police force between the late 1800’s and early 1900’s had many critical issues to deal with including prohibition, prostitution, the battles of liquor licenses and the limiting of saloons and road houses. J.J Butefish is noted for his police work by Sam Howe, who famously documented the workings of crime in Denver until he retired from the police force in 1921.Butefish was involved in several high profile cases that lead to arrests of murderers, including the cases of the Bryan Brothers and John White. Butefish began his service with Chief Dan Dulany as well as Chief Hamilton Armstrong, who famously replaced Sam Howe as the Chief. Howard Butefish is documented in several newspapers within the Denver Public Library as a celebrated detective. Howard was involved in the investigations of the United Airlines crash in 1955, amongst other high profile cases at the time.
Sources: (1) Woodland Daily Democrat, CA Sept 22, 1931
Image Source: Image Source: Denver Public LIbrary, Digital Collections, Western History Call Number: RMN-026-0367
