Hole-in-the Wall Documentary Draws Large Crowds

The Hole-In-The-Wall country near Kaycee is Wyoming’s most famous outlaw hideout. One stop along the ‘Outlaw Trail,’ it was the favorite hideout of the infamous Wild Bunch and their leader, Butch Cassidy.

As a part of Buffalo’s Red, White and West celebration held on Saturday, there was a screening of a documentary about the Hole-in-the-Wall country near Kaycee. The documentary was produced by Big Horn Films in Cooperation with Johnson County Tourism Association.

Wade Dunkin, Clearmont, attended the screening and had this to say about the documentary

Dunkin added that he grew up in Rock River, which is near the site of the Wild Bunch’s Wilcox train robbery.

This documentary chronicles the history of the scenic Hole-in-the-Wall portion of Johnson County and includes a segment educating visitors on recreational opportunities in that beautiful part of the country.

The film includes local historians talking about the history of the area, including Nancy Tabb of Buffalo, Brock Hanson and Laurel Foster of Kaycee, and Bill Betenson, Cassidy’s great nephew, who wrote, Butch Cassidy, My Uncle and Butch Cassidy, the Wyoming Years.

Stephen Tucker, Founder and director of Bighorn Films, the company that produced the documentary, said this about the film.

He added that the screening in Buffalo drew a large crowd, and there will be other screenings of the film.

Tucker also advised anyone interested to go to the area visit Hoofprints of the Past Museum in Kaycee first, to get their input and see some of the exhibits there. He added that they have maps of the area, and he said it was easy to get lost or to trespass on private land.

The museum also offer several tours of the history sites around Kaycee.

The film also mentioned recreation opportunities in the Hole-in-the-Wall, including fishing and camping. Check with Johnson County Travel and Tourism for more information about these opportunities.

Outlaws were a part of the film, but it covered other topics as well. The Johnson County Cattle War took place near there, and Kaycee is named for KC ranch brand. It talked about the killing of Nick Ray and Nate Champion.

One segment spoke about the Occidental Hotel in Buffalo, which was founded in 1880, and is a landmark in Buffalo today. Nancy Tabb talked about Owen Wister, who wrote the first western book, The Virginian, A Horseman of the Plains, some of which took place in Buffalo, and many of the characters were based on Buffalo residents.

Tucker also talked about his upcoming project, titled Medicine on the Mountain, a documentary about the indigenous peoples in the Bighorn Mountain area.

He said that he realized that one oversight in the Hole-in-the-Wall film was that he didn’t cover the Dull Knife Battle, and the indigenous culture in the area.

He talked about some of the filming he’s been doing on the project.

He added that Bighorn Films is partnering with the Wyoming Historical Society as a fiscal sponsor to accept tax deductible donations and grants for the documentary film. The project requires significant funding, so contributions are welcome.

For more information go to Bighorn Films.com

Feature photo, Stephen Tucker and his son, Ronin T. Tucker with the poster for the film while John Wayne looks on.