Folk Figure, Western Rancher and Cattle Rustler. Known as the "Cattle Queen," by the age of eight, she could ride a horse, handle a gun, and curse as well as any man on the Bassett Ranch. She took to cattle rustling and sabotage to defend her family's holdings against the Two-Bar Ranch, a large cattle company vying for control of Brown's Park, Colorado range in 1900. During this time outlaws were known to frequent the community and her ranch. She had a friendship with Elsa Lay, a member of the Wild Bunch Gang and her sister Josie and Butch Cassidy were sweethearts for a while. Her open kindness toward the outlaw element caused rumor that she headed the Bassett Gang of cattle rustlers and even committed murder. She denied the most controversial, however she was brought to trial on a charge of cattle rustling. The first verdict resulted in a hung jury and the second trial she was acquitted. After the trial reporters dubbed her “Queen Ann.” She was a force to be reckoned with and fought the cattle barons against a hostile attempt to take over her land. In 1923 she married a cowboy prospector and eventually settled in a small southwestern Utah town where she lived till her death. Her remains were buried on the Bassett family homestead.
Folk Figure, Western Rancher and Cattle Rustler. Known as the "Cattle Queen," by the age of eight, she could ride a horse, handle a gun, and curse as well as any man on the Bassett Ranch. She took to cattle rustling and sabotage to defend her family's holdings against the Two-Bar Ranch, a large cattle company vying for control of Brown's Park, Colorado range in 1900. During this time outlaws were known to frequent the community and her ranch. She had a friendship with Elsa Lay, a member of the Wild Bunch Gang and her sister Josie and Butch Cassidy were sweethearts for a while. Her open kindness toward the outlaw element caused rumor that she headed the Bassett Gang of cattle rustlers and even committed murder. She denied the most controversial, however she was brought to trial on a charge of cattle rustling. The first verdict resulted in a hung jury and the second trial she was acquitted. After the trial reporters dubbed her “Queen Ann.” She was a force to be reckoned with and fought the cattle barons against a hostile attempt to take over her land. In 1923 she married a cowboy prospector and eventually settled in a small southwestern Utah town where she lived till her death. Her remains were buried on the Bassett family homestead.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
Family Members
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