The author of a new book on Butch Cassidy’s Wyoming days will be at the Museum of Northwest Colorado on Friday, Nov. 4 at 1:30 p.m. to sign books and swap stories. 

There have been many stories told and written about the western outlaw Butch Cassidy, and several of those accounts have been written by Cassidy’s own descendants, including author Bill Betenson who will be in Craig next Friday to share his work. 

Betenson loves to visit with people about his great-uncle Robert LeRoy Parker, famously known as Butch Cassidy, and to hear people share their stories about Butch. 

---

---

The author will also sign and personalize copies of his new book, “Butch Cassidy: The Wyoming Years” and his earlier book “Butch Cassidy: My Uncle,” which won a Wyoming State Historical Society book award. 

Anyone unable to attend the booksiging can call the Museum and reserve a book to have it personalized.

---

---

The are many unanswered questions around the life and death of Butch Cassidy that spur interest and debate, especially in Wyoming where many resident heard stories from their grandparents about personally knowing Butch. 

Betenson grew up on Butch Cassidy stories and has been adding to his storehouse of knowledge since he was old enough to sell t-shirts at his family’s tiny Butch Cassidy museum. He’s tracked down obscure letters in dusty attics, gone to Argentina in search of records and artifacts about Butch, and listened to accounts of old-timers who knew the outlaw.

When Betenson was four years old, he went with his family to a private showing of the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, based on the exploits of his famous great-uncle. His 85-year-old great grandmother Lula also attended the showing, and actors Robert Redford and Paul Newman were delighted to learn that Butch Cassidy’s sister was still alive and feisty. 

Lula had also written a book about the outlaw, titled “Butch Cassidy, My Brother,” which was published when she was 91 years old. Lula was tired of the outrageous stories that had been written in books and newspapers about her brother, the book aimed to set the record straight.

Betenson has decided that it is time to write down what he knows about Butch Cassidy. He organized the information that is available about Butch Cassidy in a balanced manner and asks readers to draw their own conclusions.