Who didn't see "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" with Newman, Redford, and the beautiful Katherine Ross as Etta Place? Did you really think of them as a threesome? Well, It wasn't. Left out of the movie but a very important part of the Wild Bunch were two sisters, Ann and Josie Bassett. Ann was Butch's main squeeze but when the two were scrapping, Ann's older sister Josie took over. The girls were born and raised on a ranch near Brown's Hole in the Utah, Colorado, Wyoming corner. Papa Bassett raised top quality horses whose primary clients were those bad boys on the Outlaw Trail. This association subjected his daughters, Josie and Ann to these villainous creatures, a subjection the girls readily took to. After the Wild Bunch gang was finally broke up, and after the untimely death of her fifth husband, Josie returned to her fathers ranch in 1914 and lived there and ran the property until her death in 1964. She was a ripe old 90 years old, when an ornery gelding she was breaking, bumped her and she fell and broke her hip. A passing neighbor found her a few days later and took her to the hospital but she died there and never returned. We had a chance to visit Josie's Cabin last week. She had a blind canyon fenced off to hold the few cattle she legally owned. (she was accused several times of rustling a few of the neighbors cattle but was never convicted) A neighbor had the water rights to a small creek that ran through her ranch so she diverted the small stream she used for her garden out into the sand so it couldn't reach the creek, thereby excluding it from the neighbors water rights. So, with her few cattle, a small orchard and a big garden, Josie spent 50 years living in that little dirt floored cabin, asking nothing from anybody but giving to all who passed by in need. It was a real insight to see how a strong woman could survive with such limited resources. You can see it too if you happen to be driving H 40 through Utah and Colorado. Just go right into Dinosaur NP and take the scenic route all the way to the end of the road. Incidentally, Josie claimed Butch did survive Bolivia and came to see her several times from his little Nevada ranch where he finally settled down.
I feel the same way as Cappy. The first chance I get to go to my national park (you know, the dinosaur one) I'd be happy to check this out.
