Josie Bassett
| Josie Bassett | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Josephine Bassett January 17, 1874 Hot Springs, Arkansas |
| Died | May 1, 1964 (aged 90) Jensen, Uintah County, Utah |
| Resting place | Bassett Cemetery 40°47′29.04″N 108°50′44.88″W / 40.7914000°N 108.8458000°W |
| Residence | Jensen, Uintah County, Utah |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Josie Bassett Morris |
| Occupation |
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| Relatives | Ann Bassett |
Josie Bassett (January 17, 1874 – May 1, 1964) was a female rancher. She and her sister "Queen" Ann Bassett are known for their love affairs and associations with well-known outlaws, particularly Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch.
Josie Bassett was born the first of two girls, to Herb Bassett and Mary Eliza Chamberlain (Elizabeth) Bassett, in Arkansas on January 17, 1874. When she was still a young girl, her parents moved to a ranch spanning the tri-state borders of Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. She and her sister were taught to rope, ride, and shoot at a young age. Both girls were sent to prominent boarding schools in their youth, but both chose to return to the ranching life by their teen years.
Herb Bassett was well known to many of the famous outlaws of the day, as he did business with them often, supplying them with beef and fresh horses. Among those who visited the Bassett ranch were "Black Jack" Ketchum, Butch Cassidy, Elzy Lay, Kid Curry, Will "News" Carver and Ben Kilpatrick. With these notable outlaws coming often to the ranch, both Ann and Josie were first exposed to outlaws.
Josie and Ann were good looking young women, and both had a wild side. By 1893, Ann Bassett was involved romantically with Butch Cassidy, and Josie was involved with Elzy Lay, Cassidy's closest friend. When Cassidy was sent away to prison for eighteen months, starting in 1894, Ann became involved in a relationship with Ben Kilpatrick. By the time Cassidy was released, Will "News" Carver had become involved with Josie, who ended their relationship when Carver became involved with female outlaw Laura Bullion. Josie in turn became involved with Cassidy for a time, until Cassidy again became involved with Ann.
That was the complicated circle of relationships that developed between the Bassett girls and Cassidy's Wild Bunch gang. Despite the seemingly constant changes in romantic companions by both the Bassett girls and the gang members, there is no indication that any animosity ever resulted from it.
Josie Bassett was reportedly one of only five women who were ever allowed into the outlaw hideout called "Robbers Roost", located in the rough Utah terrain, the others being her sister Ann, the Sundance Kid's girlfriend Etta Place, Elzy Lay's wife Maude Davis, and Will "News" Carver's girl, Laura Bullion.
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Wikipedia