Queen Ann Bassett was a successful female rancher and friend of famous gunslingers in the Wild West. She was known for her shrewd practices as a rancher and her ties to various outlaws, which included Butch Cassidy's gang.
Early Life
Ann was born to Herb Bassett and Elizabeth Chamberlain Bassett near Browns Park, Colorado.
Although born in Colorado, she grew up in Utah and was the second daughter of her parents. Her sister Josie Barrett was born in 1874.
The family moved back to Browns Park, Colorado, and Herb became a successful cattle rancher. Their ranch straddled Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado.
He often sold horses and beef with notable outlaws such as Butch Cassidy, Harvey "Kid Curry" Logan, and Black Jack Ketchum. The park, as Browns Park is known, had been a haven for outlaws long before Butch and the boys started running stolen livestock through there.
The Bassett girls were well-rounded. They were well-educated, articulate, and knew the ranching business well. They were also skilled in horse riding, roping, and shooting and often preferred being a cowboy over being a lady.
When Ann was 15 years old, she became romantically involved with Butch Cassidy, and the two would have a relationship throughout the rest of her life. Her sister Josie also became involved with outlaw Elzy Lay. The Bassett girls would go on to have romantic relationships with other outlaws during their younger years.
Ann Bassett and Outlaw Relationships
In 1896, the Bassett's became involved in a feud with other cattle barons of the area. The Bassett's refused to sell their ranch to the barons, which resulted in the barons rustling cattle from them.
In response, the Bassett's began rustling cattle from them, which resulted in the barons hiring Tom Horn to deal with the rustlers. While he did deal with some of the rustlers in the area, there were no actions taken against the Bassett family.
However, by 1896, the girls had begun to become romantically involved with many notorious outlaws.
Josie became involved with Elzy Lay and, shortly after his release from an 18th-month prison sentence Butch Cassidy. She later became involved with Will "News" Carver.
Ann also had a relationship with Butch Cassidy before and after her sister did. She was also involved with Ben Kilpatrick. Her relationship with Cassidy would be on and off again for several years. He even brought her and her sister to their notorious hidden hideout, Robbers Roost.
These relationships with notorious outlaws put the two sisters in a position to deal with the cattlemen who were pressing them to sell the ranch. They would often exchange beef and fresh horses for protection.
This association was a deterrent that kept cowboys hired to harass the sisters from doing so for fear of retribution from the outlaws. There was a report that Kid Curry, the most feared member of the Wild Bunch gang, once paid a visit to several cowboys known to be employed by the cattlemen, warning them to leave the Bassetts alone.
Despite the seemingly constant changes in romantic partners by both the Bassett sisters and the gang members, there is no report of there being any animosity as a result of this.
Although both sisters were taking part in the fight against the powerful cattlemen's associations, it was Ann who became better known, with newspapers as well as friends dubbing her "Queen Ann Bassett."
Personal Life
Ann Bassett married a rancher named Hyrum Henry Bernard. Shortly after they said their wedding vows, she was arrested for cattle rustling. She went to trial but was acquitted and released from custody.
Her and Henry's marriage lasted 6 years and ended in divorce.
By 1904, most of the outlaws associated with the Bassett girls were either dead or had been captured by lawmen. Ann Bassett never saw Cassidy again after he first departed for South America.
Several other outlaws from lesser-known gangs drifted in and out of the ranch, usually visiting only to obtain beef or fresh horses and have a place to stay for a few days.
Elzy Lay reportedly visited the ranch again in 1906, shortly after his release from prison, before moving to California, where he lived out the remainder of his life as a respectable businessman.
Ann's father, Herb Bassett, died on July 30, 1918.
Later Years
Ann Bassett remarried in 1928 to cattleman Frank Willis. The two of them remained in Utah and maintained a ranch.
After many years of bouncing from one outlaw to another and even going through a divorce, Barrett settled down with Willis, who loved her dearly. The two worked closely together in their business.
At the age of 77, Ann Bassett died and was cremated. She requested that her ashes be spread across her hometown in northern Utah. However, Willis grieved greatly over her loss and never executed her request. He kept her ashes in his car for the remainder of his life.
He died seven years later, and her ashes were then buried in an undisclosed location in Browns Park by friends and family.