Who are those guys? Bolivians!

Sundance: Who are those guys?

Butch: Bolivians. From La Paz, I think. Or maybe Cochabamba.

Sundance: Jump!

That really didn't happen in the movie. Butch and Sundance did jump into the river but it was Joe Lefors and his railroad goons who were trailing them.

As the legend goes, Butch and Sundance left Wyoming for Bolivia where they may have been gunned down and buried in an unmarked grave. The most recent of the Butch Cassidy books, Butch Cassidy, My Uncle: A Family Portrait, is by Bill Betenson and published by High Plains Press in Glendo. He asks -- and tries to answer -- the big question: Did Butch die in Bolivia or return to the U.S. to visit family and friends and write a book? Betenson will be speaking this Saturday in Montrose, Colo., at the annual "Tribute to Western Movies" event.

We do know that Butch served a stretch in the Territorial Prison in Laramie. Now it's a state historic site. It will celebrate the Butch Cassidy Festival on June 29, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. It features outdoor activities for kids, such as a baseball toss, bubbleology, shooting gallery, a “prisoner” escape, money scramble, petting zoo and more. And for the whole family: horse-drawn Stagecoach rides, trick ropers’ performance, tractor rides and a display of vintage cars. Mac Blewer and Gary Puls will discuss "Outlaws and Lawmen of Wyoming.”

Also, Bolivian dancers from South America.

“Butch Cassidy Festival is a community event that is about bringing the family together, sharing the outdoors and just having a great time,” says Deborah Amend, site superintendent. “This year’s activities and entertainment will engage all ages. Through Bolivian music and dancing learn about Bolivia, where Butch and the Sundance Kid allegedly had their last stand."

Tickets to the festival are $5 Adults; $2.50 ages 12-17, free for children 11 and younger.

The Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site is located at 975 Snowy Range Rd, in Laramie and is open daily May through October, 8 a.m.–7 p.m.


P.S. Bolivia is really a fascinating country. Did you know that it's officially known as the Plurinational State of Bolivia, which recognizes the country's diverse make-up. And that it's not quite a foodie destination like Peru, but that could change. This comes from UK's The Guardian: 

Claus Meyer, the Danish co-founder of Noma – three times voted the best restaurant in the world – is opening his second eatery in Bolivia's de facto capital, La Paz. Gustu will champion the little-known cuisine of South America's poorest nation, blending Meyer's avant-garde cooking methods with local ingredients including llama steak and giant runner beans.

The project aims to create more than just a destination for globetrotting foodies: the $1.4m restaurant includes a cookery school to train a new generation of young chefs and restaurant professionals from poor backgrounds, and all the earnings will be ploughed into a non-profit foundation.

Some very cool things happening in this country once best-known for its drug trade. It's still the world's third-largest coca producer, but a lot of that is licensed for "traditional" use by locals. It's helped to reduce the coca crop, which is a good thing. Evo Morales, Bolivia's president, make his first foray into politics as an activist for coca producers.

That's enough. Sometimes the Internet can be a curse and keep you up all night.