logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2022
30m 33s

Outlaws, Cattle Rustling and Bootlegging...

History Hit
About this episode

Josie Bassett Morris' life epitomised the Wild West. She grew up on a homestead in the late 18th century, in Northern Utah, USA. Their home was situated on the Outlaw Trail and gun-slingers like Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid would stay as they passed through. Her mother was a forbidding cattle rancher and Josie quickly learnt the trade. As an adult, she was known for her quick wit, hardy lifestyle on the land and the many husbands she got through- she was smart, self-reliant and kind; a force they struggled to reckon with. As an older woman, she set up her home in the wilderness of Cub Creek where she lived completely off the land, stealing nearby cattle when she needed meat. When the depression hit, she brewed her own corn whiskey to sell. In the mid-20th century, she became a living legend - a movie starring Doris Day was even made about her- and she remains a legend of the old west to this day.


While in the USA, Dan took a visit to the Uintah Heritage Museum in Vernal, where he spoke with curator LeeAnn Denzer about life on the frontier and Josie Bassett Morris' extraordinary life.


You can find out more about the museum and the history of the frontier at the UINTAH COUNTY HERITAGE MUSEUM website.


It was produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.


If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe to History Hit today!


To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.


Complete the survey and you'll be entered into a prize draw to win 5 Historical Non-Fiction Books- including a signed copy of Dan Snow's 'On This Day in History'.

Up next
Yesterday
Why Do Empires Fall?
For centuries, the Roman Empire commanded unparalleled control over the world around it. It expanded its borders through trade and conquest, sucking resources from the periphery into its thriving centre - Rome. And then, suddenly, everything changed. The Empire entered a state of ... Show More
42m 14s
Jul 6
Pirates: Piracy in the South China Seas
Zheng Yi Sao was a pirate leader so formidable that she made Blackbeard and Captain Morgan look like amateurs. From humble beginnings as a sex worker in Canton, she rose to command a vast pirate fleet that wrought havoc in the South China Sea. She took on the Qing Dynasty, the Po ... Show More
38m 48s
Jul 3
The Rise & Fall of Sparta
Today, we trace the rise and fall of ancient Greece’s most formidable warrior society - Sparta. This society's militaristic culture and battlefield feats are the stuff of legend - but how much of its story is based on cold, hard fact?Joining us is Dr Andrew Bayliss, a professor o ... Show More
46m 16s
Recommended Episodes
May 2023
The Rise of Buffalo Bill
He was the most famous man in the world at the turn of the 20th century, bringing the American frontier to the rest of the United States, the United Kingdom and Continental Europe. But who was Buffalo Bill? In this episode, recorded at the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave in Golden, ... Show More
19m 11s
Aug 2023
Folk Heroes: Etta Place
Etta Place (c. 1880s) is a mystery. The rifle-toting bandit of the Old West ran with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as part of the notorious train-robbing Wild Bunch. But who was she before she joined the gang? The legends and theories that chase Etta Place through time paint ... Show More
6m 55s
Sep 2022
The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe. She's got to be one of the most famous people of all time, hasn't she? But what happens when an investigative war reporter dedicates years of his life to finding out who real Marilyn was, interviewing hundreds of people who knew her, from her co-stars, to her psyc ... Show More
40m 19s
Jan 2019
73 Wild Bill - The Life and Death of Wild Bill Hickok
The story of Wild Bill Hickok, a legendary gunslinger from the American Frontier, has been largely untold in modern history. Tom Clavin tells all in his book Wild Bill. Read the transcript here: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/history/the-life-and-death-of-wild-bill-h ... Show More
10m 40s
Apr 2023
Hudson River: America's First Art Movement
English-born artist Thomas Cole emigrated to the United States in 1818. Six years later he set up the Hudson River School, which became America's first art movement. Betsy Jacks, director of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, tells Don how these artists captured the country' ... Show More
27m 50s
Jul 2023
Robert E Lee: Life & Legacy
He is undoubtedly the most famous member of the Confederate forces. But it wasn't always set to be that way. In this episode, Don speaks to Jonathan Horn to find out about the life of Robert E Lee, why he made the decision to join the Confederate side, and how he was connected to ... Show More
35m 46s
Jul 2023
England's First Female Sheriff: Nicholaa de la Haye
Nicholaa de la Haye’s strength and tenacity saved England at one of the lowest points in its history. She remained loyal to King John to the very end, even after most of his knights and barons had deserted him. She stood firm during a siege at Lincoln Castle - where she was const ... Show More
34m 21s
Jun 2023
Amelia Earhart
On July 2 1937, Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, took off on what was supposed to be the final leg of their circumnavigation of the globe, but would in fact be their final flight. In this episode Don is joined by Susan Butler to explore this American sweetheart's pe ... Show More
52m 11s
Jul 2023
The Crossfire of Gettysburg
Gettysburg is synonymous with the bloodiest battle in the history of the United States. But before it was the location of a battle and Lincoln's arguably most famous speech, Gettysburg was a town. In this episode, Don is joined by Andrew Dalton, executive director of the Adams Co ... Show More
19m 53s