Many People know the lovely film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid from 1969 with Robert Redford, Paul Newman and Katherine Ross.
Not so many people know that the duo and their “friend” and possible mastermind of the gang Etta Place were real persons.
After becoming too notorious in the Far West for robbing trains and banks, they moved into Argentina’s Deep South, Patagonia acquiring a ranch, supposedly to settle down, but old habits are hard to get rid of, and it seemed that instead of dedicating themselves to growing sheep, they soon restarted their old business of robbing banks in the area.
Meanwhile, on behalf of the banks robbed in the US, detectives of the agency Pinkerton started to get on their trails, yet didn’t manage to catch them.
It is known that they sold the ranch in 1907 and Etta returned to the US. Legend tells that they moved on to Bolivia, where they were gunned down in the attempt of robbing a mine. This legend has been popularized by the film mentioned above.
However, modern forensic evidence contradicts this story. Their real end remains a mystery.
If you understand Spanish, you might enjoy the following clip from a “motorcycle diary” about the remaining traces of the trio’s Patagonian hideout:
Patagonia remains to be a remote and fascinating place, with few people, but many stories. If you want to know more, I can strongly recommend Bruce Chatwin’s lovely book In Patagonia:
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