Bassett of the Badlands: The Fearless First Marshal of Dodge City!

Charlie Bassett may be the most important Wild West lawman you've never heard of. Before Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson became household names, they wore their first badges under his leadership in Dodge City, Kansas—a place so notoriously lawless it earned the nickname "the wickedest little town in America."

Born in Massachusetts in 1847, Bassett's journey took him from Civil War battlefields to the heart of frontier chaos. Standing only five feet four inches tall, what he lacked in physical stature he more than compensated for with quiet resolve and unwavering integrity. As Dodge City's first Marshal and Ford County's first Sheriff, he faced down the wildest elements of the American frontier—rampaging cowboys, professional gamblers, and ruthless outlaws—while establishing the foundations of law and order that would allow civilization to take root.

Unlike his more famous protégés, Bassett didn't build his reputation on spectacular gunfights or self-promotion. His authority came from competence, calm judgment, and moral courage. When a man was lynched by vigilantes, Bassett conducted a thorough investigation and boldly declared to the governor that the victim had been innocent. When the notorious Sam Bass gang robbed a train of $60,000 in gold, Bassett led the posse that pursued them across the Kansas prairie. And when the deadly tension between two rivals erupted in gunfire at the Long Branch Saloon, it was Bassett who restored order in the aftermath.

Perhaps most telling was his role in the famous "Dodge City War" of 1883. When his friend Luke Short was unfairly driven from town, Bassett helped assemble a formidable group of frontier legends—including Earp and Masterson—whose mere presence forced town officials to back down without a shot being fired. Their gathering, immortalized in the famous "Dodge City Peace Commission" photograph, marked one of the last great moments of the Wild West era.

Bassett died in 1896 at just 48 years old, seeking treatment for Bright's disease in Hot Springs, Arkansas. His passing, like much of his life, was quiet and dignified—a stark contrast to the outsized legends that would grow around many of his contemporaries. 

This episode pulls back the curtain on the forgotten lawman who mentored legends, revealing how true courage often comes wrapped in quiet authority rather than gunsmoke and bravado. Discover the untold story of the lawman's lawman—Charles Bassett, the steady hand who truly tamed the West.

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:11

When you think of the lawmen of Dodge City, kansas, a few names resonate through history Wyatt Earp, bat Masterson and Doc Holliday. Their stories, shaped by gunfire and embellished by dime novels, have become the very foundation of Wild West legend. But what if I told you that there was another man at the heart of it all, a man they all knew, respected and often worked alongside a lawman who was arguably more responsible for taming this town than any of them, yet whose name has faded into obscurity. It is good to have you back, brad.

Speaker 1: 0:54

His name was Charles Bassett. He wasn't a flashy gunfighter or a self-promoting icon. He was something rarer and perhaps more valuable a quiet professional. Bassett served as the very first Marshal of Dodge City and was later elected Sheriff of Ford County. When the Earps and Mastersons were pinning on their first deputy badges, they were doing so under his leadership. He chased train robbers with Bat Masterson confronted angry cowboys on Front Street and played a key role in the infamous Dodge City War. His was the steady hand, the respected authority, the man who held the line while others were busy building their legends. So how does a man so central to the story of the Queen of the Cowtowns become a mere footnote? How did the lawman's lawman become overshadowed by the very legends he helped create? Today we're lifting the veil on the myth to discover the man behind it. This is the story of Bassett of the Badlands the true and thrilling adventures of Charlie Bassett, the fearless First Marshal of Dodge City. I'm your host, brad Smalley, and this is Wild West Podcast.

Speaker 1: 2:19

In the annals of the American West, where legends were formed in gun smoke and grit, the American West, where legends were formed in gun smoke and grit, many heroes have left their mark on history. Among these titans was a man of quieter strength, whose courage was matched only by his unwavering integrity. His name was Charles E Bassett, a man whose destiny would lead him from the battlefields of the Civil War to the lawless heart of the frontier, where he would stand as a bulwark of order against chaos. Charles' story begins not on the dusty plains but in the bustling seaport of New Bedford, massachusetts, where he was born on October 30, 1847, the fourth of six children of Benjamin and Julia Bassett. The hardships of the frontier were still a distant dream, but young Charlie's character was tested early In his adolescence. His parents separated, leading him to relocate to Philadelphia to live with his father. This experience forged in him a spirit of independence and self-reliance far beyond his years. As the nation was torn apart by the Great Rebellion, the call of patriotic duty resonated across the land, and young Bassett was eager to respond. On February 14, 1865, at the age of 18 and standing a modest five feet four inches tall, he stepped forward to answer that call. In Frankfort, pennsylvania, he took the solemn oath to serve as a soldier of the Army of the United States for one year. He was mustered into Company I of the 213th Pennsylvania Infantry, a volunteer regiment ready to fight for the preservation of the Union. He served his country with honor for more than nine months, a testament to his steadfast character.

Speaker 1: 4:10

When General Lee finally surrendered at Appomattox and the great armies of the Republic began to disband, private Bassett was mustered out in Washington DC on November 18, 1865. He was no longer a boy but a veteran, a man who had faced conflict without flinching. This experience in the crucible of war instilled in him not a love of violence but a profound respect for order and the rule of law. This foundation, forged in the disciplined ranks of the Union Army, would define his career. His authority in the years to come would not stem from brute strength or a thunderous voice, but from a quiet resolve and competence that lesser men could only admire.

Speaker 1: 4:55

The war was over, but for Charles Bassett, the greatest adventure of his life was about to begin. The West was calling about to begin. The West was calling. As the echoes of cannon fire faded behind him, a restless spirit stirred in the heart of Charles Bassett. The settled life of the East could no longer contain a man who had glimpsed the vastness of the continent, the vastness of the continent Between 1865 and 1873,. He answered the siren song of the frontier, drifting westward into the raw, untamed territories. He was learning a new world from the ground up, trying his hand as a miner in search of hidden riches, a buffalo hunter on the seemingly endless plains and a bartender in the rough-hewn saloons that served as the social hubs of expanding settlements. This apprenticeship in the ways of the West eventually led him to a place earning a reputation as the Gamora of the Plains Dodge City.

Speaker 1: 5:57

Kansas Dodge was a town born of steel rails and longhorn cattle. Dodge was a town born of steel rails and longhorn cattle. The arrival of the Atchison, topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in 1872 transformed this lonely spot on the 100th Meridian into a roaring boomtown. It became the terminus of the Great Western Cattle Trail, a funnel through which poured thousands of Texas longhorns and the wild, hard-bitten cowboys who drove them. They were joined by a motley assembly of humanity Soldiers from nearby Fort Dodge seeking diversion, grizzled buffalo hunters with hides to sell and money to burn, slick gamblers looking for marks and gunslingers whose only trade was death. Front Street was a river of vice, its muddy thoroughfare lined with a multitude of saloons, dance halls and gambling dens that operated day and night. A visitor of the time noted. Like all frontier towns of this modern day, fast men and fast women are around by the score, seeking whom they may devour. Women are around by the score, seeking whom they may devour.

Speaker 1: 7:08

Life was cheap and justice was a distant rumor. The town's first cemetery was grimly nicknamed Boot Hill because so many of its occupants were buried as they died with their boots on. The first makeshift jail, or calaboose, was nothing more than a dry well fifteen feet deep into which the hopelessly drunk were lowered until they regained sobriety and sense. In such a cauldron of lawlessness, order was a fragile commodity. The decent folks of the town, desperate to protect their holdings, initially organized a vigilance committee. However, this rough justice soon soured what began as a means for the public good, attracted disreputable men and became a source of terror itself. As one observer wrote, the vigilantes hunted these men down as they would mad dogs and riddled each one through and through with the big shot. The town was caught between the depredations of outlaws and the murderous frenzy of the mob. It was a city teetering on the brink of anarchy, crying out not for vigilantes but for a true hero of the law.

Speaker 1: 8:19

It was into this maelstrom that Charles Bassett arrived a man uniquely prepared by his past for the trials that lay ahead. His time behind the bar had given him a keen insight into the frontier's psyche. He understood how to read men, how to spot trouble before it boiled over and how to command respect in a room full of armed and volatile souls. Dodge City was in desperate need of a man with his particular brand of quiet courage. Before wearing the star of the law, charles Bassett first demonstrated his business acumen In the closing months of 1872, he astutely recognized the need for a social gathering place in the city of Dodge City and partnered with Alfred J Peacock to establish a saloon. They named it the Long Branch an establishment destined to become a significant part of Western history, filled with poker chips and gun smoke. Become a significant part of Western history, filled with poker chips and gun smoke.

Speaker 1: 9:29

The venture positioned Bassett as the center of Dodge City's turbulent social scene, making him a stakeholder in its future rather than just a transient drifter. However, a greater calling awaited him. The violence perpetrated by the so-called Vigilance Committee had become unbearable. The violence perpetrated by the so-called Vigilance Committee had become unbearable, a cure worse than the disease. The citizens of the newly organized Ford County, weary of bloodshed and chaos, realized that only true institutional law could save their town. They held a special election on June 5, 1873, to choose a man who could uphold the law From among the rough and tumble population. They placed their trust in one individual whose cool head and steady hand were already recognized. They elected Charles E Bassett as the first sheriff of Ford County.

Speaker 1: 10:21

This election marked a turning point for Dodge City. The quiet man from Massachusetts, pinned on the silver star, which symbolized the immense responsibility now resting on his shoulders, he faced the monumental task of taming a wild town and bringing the rule of law to what was known as the wickedest little town in America. He understood he could not accomplish this alone. A lawman is only as good as the men who stand with him. Sheriff Bassett had an eye for talent and nerve, and he began to assemble a team of deputies whose names would also become legendary. He appointed a young man of remarkable calmness and skill with a pistol, william Batten Masterson, as his undersheriff. He also commissioned another formidable newcomer, a lawman named Wyatt Earp, as a special policeman.

Speaker 1: 11:15

Often the true history is obscured by the fog of time and tall tales. Popular belief frequently places Earp and Masterson at the center of the Dodge City saga. Popular belief frequently places Earp and Masterson at the center of the Dodge City saga, but the record is clear. It was Sheriff Charles Bassett who was the established authority, the senior officer, who first granted these future legends their commissions in the city. He was their mentor, the respected leader under whom they would learn the perilous trait of maintaining peace on the frontier. He was not their sidekick, he was their sheriff, the patriarch of a family of lawmen whose combined reputations would soon resonate throughout the West.

Speaker 1: 12:02

For a time, the steady hand of Sheriff Bassett brought a measure of peace to the rowdy streets of Dodge City. However, the dangers of the frontier were not limited to the brawls of a single town. They roamed freely across the vast open plains. In the fall of 1877, trouble came riding in on the wind from the north. On September 18th, the notorious outlaw Sam Bass and his ruthless gang attacked a Union Pacific train at Big Springs, nebraska. With guns blazing. They made off for the staggering haul of $60,000 in freshly minted gold coins, one of the largest train robberies the West had ever seen. The news spread like wildfire. It quickly reached Dodge City that the bandits, burdened with their ill-gotten gains, were fleeing south directly toward the wilds of Kansas. Their path would cross the jurisdiction of Ford County, making them the responsibility of Sheriff Charles Bassett.

Speaker 1: 13:05

Without hesitation, bassett took up the challenge. His duty extended beyond the city limits. It covered every corner of the county and beyond wherever the law was threatened. He quickly assembled a posse composed of some of the hardest and most reliable men available to him. At his side rode the trusted undersheriff, the level-headed Bat Masterson. They were joined by another frontiersman of proven grit, john Joshua Webb. This small band of lawmen represented the only hope of bringing the formidable Bass Gang to justice.

Speaker 1: 13:42

The posse rode out into the unforgiving Kansas prairie, a vast and lonely wilderness that could swallow a man whole. The story of their pursuit is one of relentless determination against overwhelming odds. They were not just chasing men, they were pursuing phantoms across an endless sea of grass, their every move guided by rumors and the faint traces of a trail. The outlaws were cunning, having a substantial head start and the desperation of cornered wolves. A substantial head start and the desperation of cornered wolves. In the end, the chase proved unsuccessful. The Sam Bass gang slipped through their fingers and vanished into the territory. However, in the telling of heroic deeds, a valiant effort is a victory in itself.

Speaker 1: 14:27

The pursuit demonstrated to all that Sheriff Bassett's dedication to his duty was boundless. To all that Sheriff Bassett's dedication to his duty was boundless, he would not shy away from any danger, no matter how great, to uphold the law entrusted to him. This shared ordeal on the open plains in the face of a common enemy also forged an unbreakable bond between Bassett and his young undersheriff Masterson. Their partnership, tested by hardship and peril, was built on a foundation of mutual respect and competence that would shape the future of law enforcement in Dodge City for years to come. A lawman's truest test is not always measured by the bullets fired, but rather by the strength of his character. When faced with the fury of the crowd In April of 1876, such a test confronted Sheriff Bassett and his actions would reveal the core of his principles.

Speaker 1: 15:35

The trouble began with an act of mob violence in Ford County. A man named John F Callahan was accused of a crime and summarily executed by a lynch mob, denied both his right to a trial and a defense. Soon after the victim's heartbroken father arrived in Dodge City burdened by grief and convinced that his son was innocent, this egregious situation attracted the attention of the highest office in the state, governor Thomas Osborne, penned a personal letter to Sheriff Bassett, which was hand-delivered by the grieving Mr Callahan. There must be an end to mob violence in this state. The governor wrote imploring Bassett to offer the father all assistance, counsel and encouragement and to use all his energy in the suppression and punishment of this lawless act.

Speaker 1: 16:29

In a time and place where vigilante justice was often seen as a grim necessity, many lesser men might have dismissed the affair as closed. But Charles Bassett was not a lesser man. He stood for the law, not the mob. He met with the elder Callahan and, with quiet diligence, began his own investigation. He listened, asked questions and applied the cool logic that defined him. What he uncovered was shocking. In a detailed letter back to Governor Osborne, dated April 28, 1876, sheriff Bassett laid out the facts he had discovered.

Speaker 1: 17:09

The horse theft for which John Callahan was hanged occurred on the night of March 30th. However, bassett found several citizens of good standing in Dodge City who were willing to swear that they had spoken with Callahan and Dodge on April 3rd, the day of the municipal election. Bassett calculated the distance and time, concluding that for Callahan to have been one of the thieves, he would have had to travel over 300 miles in just three days on ground so soft from recent rains that a horse would have left a deep and easily followed track. With the certainty of a seasoned frontiersman, bassett concluded his report to the governor with a powerful and courageous declaration. Bassett concluded his report to the governor with a powerful and courageous declaration. I do not hesitate to say that this feat could not be performed by any one horse or horseman.

Speaker 1: 18:04

In the time given, to be brief, I am now of the opinion that the man was innocent of the crime alleged, for which he has suffered death. He stood up for a dead man, sided with a grieving father, against a local mob, an act that required immense moral courage. He was prepared to ride into Sumner County to arrest the perpetrators of the lynching. Yet his heroic resolve faced the frustrating realities of life on the frontier. He confessed to the governor without the assistance of the executive department. He confessed to the governor. He was a champion of justice, but even a champion could be hindered by a lack of resources. His stand, though hampered by circumstance, remains one of the finest moments of his career, a testament to a man who believed that the law was for everyone or it was for no one at all.

Speaker 1: 19:15

The Long Branch Saloon, known for its laughter, music, clinking glasses and shuffling cards, was destined to become the stage for a deadly drama. On the evening of April 5, 1879, the simmering animosity between two men finally erupted and the saloon which Charles Bassett had helped to build would be stained with blood and gunpowder. The central figures in this tragic tale were cockeyed Frank Loving, a well-known professional gambler, and Levi Richardson, a hot-tempered freighter. The cause of their dispute, as often seen in tales of the West, was a woman, loving's wife Maddy, towards whom Richardson had made disrespectful advances For weeks. The tension in the streets of Dodge was palpable. On that fateful night, richardson strode purposely into the Long Branch, scanning the room for his rival. Finding the saloon empty of his quarry, he took a drink and settled by the stove.

Speaker 1: 20:18

Around nine o'clock, just as Richardson was about to leave, frank Loving entered the saloon. Loving sat down at a long table and, sensing an opportunity, richardson moved to sit at the same table. Witnesses recalled the quiet, menacing conversation that ensued, while the specifics of their words were drowned out by the noise of the saloon. The intent was unmistakable. Richardson stood and delivered a final challenge, his voice laced with contempt. You wouldn't fight anything, you damn. To which Loving coolly replied you try me and see In an instant. Both men reached for their guns. Richardson drew his pistol first, but Loving was just as quick.

Speaker 1: 21:06

The long branch erupted with a deafening barrage of gunfire. The room filled with patrons quickly became choked with a thick, acrid cloud of gunpowder. Smoke Lead whizzed through the air as two men faced each other emptying their revolvers across a card table. Richardson fired five shots while Loving's large Remington .44 barked until it was empty. The sound of the gunfire reached Charlie Bassett, who was in a nearby saloon, now serving as Dodge City's town marshal. He did what any true lawman would do he rushed toward the sound of the guns. He burst through the swinging doors of the Long Branch to find utter chaos. Through the haze of smoke he spotted both duelists still

Speaker 1: 21:54

standing. With the help of Deputy Sheriff Duffy, Marshal Bassett moved with swift, practiced calm. As Duffy seized, richardson Bassett managed to disarm Loving Just as order was being restored. Levi Richardson staggered and then collapsed on the floor, suffering from a fatal wound in his chest and other serious injuries to his side and arm. Frank Loving, on the other hand, had only a slight scratch on his hand, marshall Bassett, a picture of calm authority amidst the chaos, immediately took Loving into custody. Calm authority amidst the chaos immediately took Loving into custody, though he had not fired a shot. His presence and decisive action brought an end to the conflict and re-established the rule of law. He embodied the calm in the storm, the professional who dealt with the bloody aftermath created by men whose passions had overtaken their reason. Two days later, a coroner's inquest ruled the shooting an act of self-defense, and Loving was released. However, the memory of the gun smoke in the Long Branch would linger as a stark reminder of the violent passions that always simmered just beneath the surface of that wicked little

Speaker 1: 23:09

town. The year 1883 marked a turning point in the spirit of Dodge City. A new wave of reform was sweeping across the prairie, aiming to eliminate the very elements that had given the town its wild and untamed character. This conflict, which would come to be known as the Dodge City War, was not a battle of bullets but of politics and principles, and it would call Charles Bassett back to the town he had once tamed for one last legendary stand. The trouble began with an election. A reform ticket led by mayoral candidate Larry Dager rode a wave of public sentiment to victory, ousting the old guard Dodge City gang that had long tolerated the open ways of saloons and gambling

Speaker 1: 24:06

halls. This new administration was backed by businessmen who believed the city's future lay not with the transient cowboy trade, but with respectable farmers and settlers. Their first order of business was to pass new ordinances aimed at suppressing vice and immorality, with their primary target being the famous Long Branch Saloon, co-owned by the noted gambler and ally of lawmen, luke Short, co-owned by the noted gambler and ally of lawmen, luke Short. Short, a man of the wrong politics, found his business harassed and his employees arrested, while more politically connected establishments continued to operate freely. The situation escalated until Short was involved in a minor, bloodless exchange of gunfire with a city official. This incident provided Mayor Dagger's faction with the pretext they needed. On April 30th, they arrested Short and five of his associates.

Speaker 1: 25:08

No-transcript. Feeling wronged and exiled, luke Short traveled east to Kansas City. There he sought out the one man he knew he could trust for unwavering loyalty and wise counsel his old friend Charlie Bassett, who was then the proprietor of the Marble Hall Saloon. Short recounted the injustices he had suffered at the hands of Dodge City authorities and Bassett, a man who had once stood against a lynch mob in the name of the law, saw the law being twisted to persecute his friend, his loyalty was unquestionable. Without hesitation he agreed to help. Bassett realized that this was not a fight to be won in a courtroom. It required a different kind of persuasion. He helped short rally support, sending word across the telegraph wires to the most formidable men on the frontier. The call went out to Bat Masterson, the gunslinging former sheriff, and to a man whose name alone could make the most hardened outlaw tremble Wyatt Earp, the Lion of Tombstone. Fresh from the bloody vendetta that followed the gunfight at the OK Corral, legends were being summoned and a council of war was gathering with its eyes set on Dodge

Speaker 1: 26:27

City. In early June 1883, the atmosphere in Dodge City was thick with tension. The citizens anxiously watched the train depot, filled with a mix of fear and anticipation. They knew Luke Short was returning and he was not alone. One by one, icons of the West stepped onto the platform Bat Masterson, his eyes as sharp as ever. Wyatt Earp, his face, a grim mask of resolve. And the town's once foundational hero, charlie Bassett. They had come not as lawmen but as a private army, a show of force to ensure justice for their

Speaker 1: 27:11

friend. The arrival of this group of gunfighters sent shockwaves through the town. Mayor Degger and his reform council wielded the law, but Bassett, earp and Masterson possessed something far more powerful a collective reputation so fearsome that it stood as a weapon in itself. The people of Dodge held their breath, fearing the streets might soon run red with blood in an all-out war between the elected officials and the most famous gunslingers of the age. However, the Dodge City War was ultimately a battle of nerves. The assembled. Legends made no overt threats, they merely walked the streets. Legends made no overt threats. They merely walked the streets. Their presence alone, a silent and overwhelming challenge. They embodied the old West that the reformers sought to

Speaker 1: 28:01

erase. Faced with this formidable council, mayor Degger's faction found their resolve crumbling. They were not willing to risk a multi-front gun battle against men who had faced far worse odds and triumphed. Economic factors also played a role. The governor and the Santa Fe Railroad recognized that business would suffer if conflict erupted, prompting a call for swift and peaceful resolution. The standoff concluded not with violence but through negotiation. The standoff concluded not with violence but through negotiation. The city officials backed down, rescinding the offending ordinances and allowing Luke Short to return and sell his interest in the Long Branch Saloon without any further obstruction. It was a complete victory, achieved without a single shot being

Speaker 1: 28:50

fired. Before leaving the men gathered to commemorate their triumph On June 10, 1883, eight of them posed for a photograph that would become one of the most iconic images of the American West. In the back row stood WH Harris, luke Short, bat Masterson and WF Batillion. Bat Masterson and WF Batillion. Seated in the front were legends Charlie Bassett, wyatt Earp, frank McClain and Neil Brown. The group was ironically dubbed the Dodge City Peace Commission. The photograph became their trophy, a testament to a battle won by legend itself. Their names proved to be bullets

Speaker 1: 29:32

enough. With the Dodge City War won and his friend's honor restored, charles Bassett's time in the turbulent spotlight of the frontier began to fade. The West was changing. The days of the wide-open frontier were coming to an end. Like many frontiersmen of his era, he found himself searching for a new role in a world that was leaving him behind. Bassett had officially resigned as Dodge City's Marshal back in November 1879, handing over responsibilities to Jim Masterson. The subsequent years were marked by restless wandering. He took a position as a guard for the Adams Express Company, protecting valuable cargo in the rugged, bandit-plagued territory of New Mexico In 1880, like many others, he was swept up by the promise of a sudden

Speaker 1: 30:34

fortune. Trying his hand at gold mining in the remote mountains of Montana, which were experiencing their own rush for precious metals, he drifted through the silver boom camps of Colorado, a framework rife with both spectacular wealth and crushing failure, always in search of the next opportunity. Ultimately, his travels brought him back to Kansas, but not to Dodge City. He settled in the bustling metropolis of Kansas City, returning to the trade he had learned years before, that of a saloon owner. After his triumphant return from the Dodge City affair, he opened a new establishment appropriately named the Senate Saloon. His dignified and respectable demeanor, a stark contrast to the rough characters he had policed for years, earned him an enduring nickname from the locals Senator. It was a title of respect recognizing his past stature and quiet, gentlemanly character. Although he was no longer a sheriff, he was still seen as a man of

Speaker 1: 31:42

substance. Yet fortune proved to be a fickle companion. The Senate saloon did not thrive and Bassett eventually had to take work as a bartender in someone else's establishment. At the same time, his health, once as robust as his courage, began to fail him. He suffered painful bouts of inflammatory rheumatism, a cruel affliction for someone who had led such an active life. This was an early symptom of a deeper illness taking hold of life. This was an early symptom of a deeper illness taking hold, known then as Bright's disease. The sun was beginning to set on the life of the quiet hero of Dodge

Speaker 1: 32:20

City. The final curtain does not fall in a blaze of glory on a dusty street, but rather in a quiet, desperate search for life. Charles Bassett embarked on one last journey, seeking a cure for the relentless Bright's disease that wracked his body with pain. He traveled to the famous mineral waters of Hot Springs, arkansas, a place renowned for its supposed healing powers. However, some tides cannot be turned back. Healing powers, However, some tides cannot be turned back, even by the strongest of men. The healing waters offered no

Speaker 1: 32:58

miracle. On January 5, 1896, at the tragically young age of 48, charles E Bassett, the first sheriff of Ford County and the fearless Marshal of Dodge City, rode off into the sunset for the last time. His end was as quiet as his life had been a slow decline, far from the chaos and gun smoke that had defined his name. He was laid to rest in Hollywood Cemetery in Hot Springs, marking a peaceful final chapter to a life of high adventure. In the grand narrative of the West, his name is often mentioned alongside his more famous friends Earp and Masterson. Yet he sometimes remains overshadowed by their brighter stars. But let the record show that Charles Bassett was a pillar of the law in his own right. He was a founder of order in Dodge City, a mentor to legends, a man of unimpeachable integrity, who stood for the law against the mob, and a loyal friend until the end. He was, in truth, one of the last true gentlemen of the Old West, and his legacy is forever etched in the history of the frontier he helped

Speaker 1: 34:14

attain. That's it for now. Remember to check out our Wild West podcast shows on iTunes or wildwestpodcastbuzzsproutcom. You can also catch us on Facebook at facebookcom slash wildwestpodcast or on our YouTube channel at Wild West Podcast, mike King YouTube. So make sure you subscribe to our shows listed at the end of the description text of this podcast to receive notifications on all new episodes. Thank you for listening to our podcast. We encourage you to visit the Western Cattle Trail Association website at westerncattletrailassociationcom to explore our upcoming events, including a special presentation by Dr Jeff broom on the sand Creek massacre. If you have any comments or would like to contribute to our series, please contact us at wild west podcast at gmailcom. We look forward to hearing your thoughts in future episodes. You.