Elizabeth Bassett (cattle rustler)

Mary Elizabeth Bassett (née Chamberlain; 1855^[1] or 1858 – December 1892), commonly known as Elizabeth and Eliza Bassett, was a Wild West pioneer, cattle rancher, and cattle rustler. Born in Magnet Cove, Arkansas, and raised by her maternal grandparents, Bassett grew up in an equestrian household and community. As a young woman, she migrated west with her husband Herbert Bassett and their young daughter. Mary Eliza (as she was called during childhood) changed her name to Elizabeth when she moved Westward. By all accounts, Elizabeth was a strong, outdoorsy woman, and her marriage to Herb Bassett was unusually open-minded for the era.

The Bassetts lived and worked according to their specific talents and interests, rather than traditional gender roles. Elizabeth ran the cattle and sheep ranch, and raised thoroughbred horses. Her husband Herb managed the agricultural operations and taught their children. When large cattle companies began to push out small cattle ranchers and homesteaders, Bassett organized other locals to fight back. Her daughters Ann and Josie Bassett became notable in their own right. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were close family friends of the Bassetts, and often stayed and worked at the ranch to "cool down" following their illegal escapades.