In 1914, Josie Bassett Morris started a new life on a remote Utah homestead; she stayed for 50 years, and her cabin eventually became part of a national monument

Deep inside what is now Dinosaur National Monument, a small cabin tells the story of a woman who chose independence at a time when life on a remote homestead demanded almost everything from the person living there. Josie Bassett Morris arrived at Cub Creek in 1914 and built a life around the land. She raised cattle, grew crops, maintained gardens and an orchard, and lived without plumbing, electricity or a telephone, as per a report by Utah Historical Society and National Park Service.

But Josie's story was never simply about surviving in a remote corner of Utah.




She became known for her generosity, unconventional choices and determination, while her life also included cattle-ranching troubles, bootlegging, poaching accusations and years of helping relatives, neighbors and people struggling during the Great Depression.

Today, the cabin and traces of the homestead remain at Cub Creek, offering a glimpse into the life she built there.

Why did Josie choose Cub Creek?

Josie came from an unconventional family that had settled in Brown's Park during the 1870s. Growing up around a cattle ranch, she learned riding, roping, shooting and cattle raising, while her father taught her manners and generosity.

When land near Vernal was opened for homesteading in 1913, Josie decided it was time to begin again. She was nearly 40 when she left Brown's Park and found the land she wanted on Cub Creek, about 10 miles and two canyons north of Jensen.

She settled there in 1914.

The property became the center of her life. The National Park Service says her homestead measured about one mile by half a mile, where she raised livestock as well as field crops, vegetables and fruit.

Josie eventually built a cabin and developed an irrigation system. Fruit trees from her orchard still remain across the landscape, while a chicken coop stands near the rehabilitated cabin.

Her independence became one of the defining features of her life.

For roughly five decades, she lived on the homestead and managed the property largely on her own.

How did Josie make a life for herself?

Josie's life at Cub Creek required constant work, but she was remarkably resourceful.

She maintained a garden and orchard, raised cattle and preserved food. She canned produce and made jerky, soap and clothing. Her life was centered on the land, but she was also known for sharing what she had with others.

During the Great Depression, her generosity became especially important. She distributed food to people in need and even spent one winter living in a dugout so a homeless family could use her cabin.

After selling much of her cattle to help her son, Josie sometimes killed deer out of season to provide meat for herself, relatives or struggling neighbors.

One story from the History Blazer account captures the unusual combination of her hospitality and her willingness to break the rules. After a game warden arrived shortly after she had killed a deer, Josie invited him inside for coffee and biscuits. When he said he was there to arrest her for poaching, she confessed and showed him the carcass.

The warden eventually admitted he had been joking and gave her a strong warning instead.

Josie then served him venison gravy over hot biscuits.

Her willingness to live according to her own rules appeared in other parts of her life as well.

During Prohibition, she began making bootleg whiskey when she needed money to help her grandchildren. She hid a copper still under brush in a gulch and became known locally for her apricot brandy. She eventually stopped after being warned that revenue agents were coming.

Why did Josie become such a colorful local character?

Josie's independence extended beyond her work.

In 1924, she built a new cabin. While clearing brush for her gardens, she became frustrated with her long skirts and began wearing pants. For work, she wore bib overalls, while western-cut trousers became her choice for trips into town. Skirts were reserved for weddings and funerals.

She also once cut her long, curly hair after it became tangled in thorns while she was working. She first used an axe to free herself and then finished the job with scissors.

Her unconventional style was only one part of the reputation she developed.

Josie was also accused of cattle rustling. In 1936, she was arrested after several ranchers accused her of butchering beef and selling it in town. Hides were found buried on her property, but Josie maintained that an old enemy had framed her.

The case ended without a conviction after juries failed to reach a verdict twice.

Despite these episodes, she remained known for her hospitality. Neighbors appreciated her coffee, biscuits, meals and spare bed, particularly when they were travelling through the area.

What happened to Josie's homestead?

Josie eventually lost most of her land after trying to secure money for her cattle operation. She had finally paid the fee needed to make the homestead legally hers, but because she could not obtain a bank loan, she signed the land over to someone who could.

A misunderstanding resulted in her losing the property.

She retained her cabin and a few acres on a separate adjoining property, however, and continued living there for nearly two more decades.

Her final years were marked by a serious fall. The supplied History Blazer account says that in 1963, at age 89, Josie fell inside the cabin and broke her hip. She was eventually found, but the injury ended her life on the homestead. The National Park Service states that after Josie's death in 1964, her cabin and land became part of Dinosaur National Monument.

Her old home is now one of the historic features visitors can reach at the end of Cub Creek Road.

The road stretches 10 miles from the Quarry Visitor Center to Josie Morris's cabin, passing hiking trails, petroglyphs, pictographs, picnic areas and campgrounds along the way.

Nearby, the Hog Canyon Trail and Box Canyon Trail allow visitors to explore shaded box canyons, while the surrounding landscape preserves other reminders of the area's past.

Josie's cabin remains perhaps the most personal of those reminders.

The National Park Service describes her as self-reliant and industrious, and evidence of the life she created can still be seen around the property. Her irrigation system remains in traces, fruit trees survive from the old orchard, and the chicken coop stands near the cabin.

What began in 1914 as one woman's decision to make a new life on remote Utah land ultimately became part of the history preserved at Dinosaur National Monument, as per a report by Utah Historical Society and National Park Service.

FAQs

When did Josie Bassett Morris settle at Cub Creek?
She settled there in 1914.

What happened to her cabin?
After her death, her cabin and land became part of Dinosaur National Monument.