End of Watch:
May 26, 1900
Age: 43
Grand County Sheriff’s Office
Homicide: Handgun
Sheriff Jesse Tyler and Deputy Samuel F. Jenkins were murdered 20 miles north of Thompson Springs, in Grand County.
Sheriff Tyler and Deputy Jenkins were part of a posse searching the Book Cliffs for a notorious rustler. Upon encountering a group of men near Hill Creek, the two officers approached their camp. When the men in the camp recognized the sheriff, they immediately opened fire. Both officers died instantly. Although pursued for several weeks by a posse, the killers managed to escape. The reported leader of this group, a notorious member of the Wild Bunch, was killed by Colorado lawmen in 1904 following a train robbery. Sheriff Tyler was single. He is buried in Grand Valley Cemetery in Moab.
The bronze memorial name plaque of Sheriff Jesse Tyler is sponsored by Joe and Billie Day.