The Bassett Women

by Grace McClure

In the late nineteenth century, Brown’s Park, a secluded valley astride the Utah-Colorado border, was a troubled land of deadly conflict among cattle barons, outlaws, rustlers, and small ranchers. Homesteader Elizabeth Bassett gained a tough reputation of her own, and her daughters followed suit, going on to become members of Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch’s inner circle. Ann—who counted Cassidy among her lovers—became known as “queen of the cattle rustlers.” Both sisters proved themselves shrewd businesswomen as they fended off hostile takeovers of the family ranch. Through the following decades, the sisters became the stuff of legend, women who embodied the West’s fearsome reputation, yet whose lived experiences were far more nuanced. Ann became a writer. Josie, whose cabin still stands at present-day Dinosaur National Monument, applied her pioneer ethics to a mechanized world and became renowned for her resourcefulness, steadfastness, and audacity. For The Bassett Women, Grace McClure tracked down and untangled the legends of Brown’s Park, one of the way stations of the fabled “Outlaw Trail,” while creating an evenhanded and indelible portrait of the Bassetts. Based on interviews, written records, newspapers, and archives, The Bassett Women is one of the few credible accounts of early settlers on Colorado’s western slope, one of the last strongholds of the Old West.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography

247 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

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Reviews

[CHM · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book I've been meaning to read for sometime. Glad I got around to doing it.
Drags and hard to follow in places but worth pushing through.

[Kate Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always a pleasure when a book is better than expected, and this one is. I had picked it up after visiting the Josie Bassett Morris cabin in Dinosaur National Monument, struck with both the beauty of Josie's valley and her decidedly unconventional life: fiercely independent, married five times, divorced four, bootlegger during Prohibition, and more. (Giving an insight into her personality, her bootlegging was not limited to ordinary corn liquor; in time, she used her creativity and business sense to expand this "sideline" to include apricot brandy and chokecherry wine.)
I expected a straightforward account of her life, which I found, but also countless tales about her family members and other colorful characters who homesteaded or passed through that area in the late 19th-early 20th centuries (including outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). I especially liked the quotations from primary sources, such as letters, court documents, and newspaper articles of the period.
Any list of books on women of the West should include this, but not just for scholars--read it for entertainment value alone.

[Marieta Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few months ago we spent several days in Northwest Colorado and I purchased this book at Dinosaur National Monument. Among many other places, we visited Josie's cabin in Dinosaur, so this book was especially interesting, detailing not only Josie Bassett Morris's story but also the lives of her mother and sister, all headstrong women, and their families. As pioneers in Brown's Park, near the tri-state area of Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah and north of today's National Monument, the area was wild; rules and laws fit the needs of the day. Cattle often belonged to the finder and butchered for the next meal. It is hard to know how many times Josie was married, probably at least 5 times in days when divorce was rare and deaths difficult to investigate. Josie and her sister Ann were well educated, especially for the place and times, and they combined their education with inherent intelligence to twist their advantage. Josie's work ethic and her love for her land on Cub Creek (now in southeastern Dinosaur National Monument) where she lived in a simple, but multi-room log cabin for nearly fifty years to 1964, was beyond compare.

Grace McClure did a stellar job of researching and writing this story.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It tells a true tale of the Wild West from the standpoint of the Bassett family—especially Josie and Ann. There is pioneer life, castle rustling, range wars, an unusual family and everything else! We found out about this family when we visited Dinosaur National Monument outside of Vernal, Utah. This last summer we drove through what had been Bassett property on our way to a rafting trip on the Green River. My father’s family lived north of Cheyenne, arriving about 1904. I would have loved to have talked with my dad and Uncle Gene whose families would have a definite understanding of life during that time. In fact, according to my cousin, my Uncle Gene went to dances in the exact area where this story is set.

The story is well researched, true to the family and neighbors with numerous stories to keep a person entertained for a long time!

[Laurel Berbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this twice, then in September 2017 I visited Brown's Park, and Cub Canyon (Josie's cabin). Strong, independent women!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content was interesting but the writing very spotty. Coukd have benefited from an extra strict editor.

[Nicholle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although close to my hometown, I didn't know anything about this history. Well researched.
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2020 Extreme Book Nerd Challenge - A book you've never heard of

[David Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

See Marieta’s review

[Amber]

I borrowed this book from a friend who was moving. I realized there was no way I could finish it before she moved and so I returned it. I will try again another time.

[Steve Haas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bassett women were some of the most incredible women in the American West, to this western historian, and this well-written book is a good introduction. Each one of them had a fantastic life; Elizabeth Bassett, the mother, who started the ranch was one tough character; on her death-bed she heard her favorite cow had mistakenly been taken in to market, and she got up, rode 20 miles, brought the cow back and died two days later. Ann Bassett was Eastern trained, refined, well dressed but when she got angry at the big ranchers who tried to destroy the small ranchers, she was out there with a rifle shooting cows, gained the reputation of being the "Queen of the Rustlers."...a friend and maybe a lover of Butch Cassidy and many of the Wild Bunch, and maybe she went to South America with Butch. Josie had five husbands, three of them who died violently, though Josie claims she had nothing to do with it.

I can't recommend the book more, and would love to find more people with an interest in these women. I have been researching them for a few years...and it is still possible to find almost contemporary people with stories about them, as Ann died in 1956, Josie in 1965. Theirs was a real story of the West

[Terrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was first introduced to the Bassett Sisters when our book group read "No More Petticoats--Outstanding Utah Women". My hubby and I went to Dinosaur National Monument in Vernal about a month ago and completed the auto tour. At the end of the tour is the Josie Bassett cabin so I was compelled to purchase this book and read more about this amazing pioneer "cattle rustler". The book is a good glimpse into the Wild West. After reading the book, my husband just happened to run into Josie's grandaughter, Dottie (who is now in her 70's). She said this is the most factual of all the books written about her Grandmother. I did find it a little difficult to keep track of all the characters in this book--especially as Josie had 5 husbands, all of whom she divorced making her quite scandulous for her day!

[Joyce Reynolds-Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history of some strong-minded ranch women who weren't exactly lily-white when it came to the law and traditions. Josie Bassett married and divorced husbands at will, convention be damned, but was still buried out of the Mormon church even though she wasn't Mormon simply because of what she did for the community. Her sister Ann wandered the West. Both women loved their home in Brown's Park, and their lives intersected with characters such as Butch Cassidy and other outlaw types including Tom Horn. There's some controversy around the Bassetts with one side holding them to be complete outlaws while the overall picture is more nuanced.

[Shirley Brown]

!I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Brown's Park is close to my heart, as my great-grandfather carried the mail into this secluded "Hole" in the early days of it's settlement. He joined the posse that aied in the search for the Tracy and Lant Gang (escaped criminals from the Utah state prison who were hiding in the vacinity of Brown's Park. He prepared the body of Valentine Hoy, who had been killed by the gang. The Bassett family was an interesting family. Worth reading if you like stories of the settlement of the old west, and of family interaction and family loyalty.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kim Bethers suggested this book. An interesting book about a pioneer family in the Brown's Park and the strong women that were part of that family. I learned about the history of this area and the surrounding areas. One of these women lived in a cabin that still existed in 1985 at Dinosaur National Park in Vernal when this book was printed.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

About the pioneer women in my family. Pretty cool relatives!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book - read the book - visited the place - cabin and chicken coop still standing - very cool

[WisMx1821 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting story of a pioneering family!!!

[Jams · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and exciting piece of Pioneer history. The story of these remarkable women was so intriguing I had a hard time putting the book down.

[Kenneth Finton · Rating 5 out of 5]

very interesting history of an independent woman f the west

[Joyce]

My husband and I toured this place, purchased this book to discover more about this family. I only wish I had known this wonderful family. Hard they may have been, but true to themselves and what life meant for them. History at it's best!