Overview

Hype:

The Josie Bassett Morris Ranch Complex comprises a small complex of buildings in what is now Dinosaur National Monument in northeastern Uintah County, Utah, United States. The complex is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. It is where Josie Bassett Morris, a small-time rancher and occasional accused stock thief, lived until 1963. The ranch, located in Browns Park, Colorado, was established by the Bassett family in the 1870s. Josie grew up there, and through her family came to know a number of outlaws, including Butch Cassidy, who frequented the area. Morris established her own homestead on Cub Creek in Utah in 1914 with help from friends Fred McKnight and the Chew family.

The ranch house started as a low square log cabin, with a kitchen added later. The house is surrounded by dependent structures, such as a chicken house, outhouse, root cellar, sheds and a small barn. A bridge provided access to the root cellar, located across the creek. The Morris ranch complex was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 19, 1986. The National Park Service maintains an interpretive display at the site.

Time:

Fees: Park Entrance

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

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Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Links: https://www.nps.gov/dino/learn/historyculture/josie-morris-cabin.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josie_Bassett_Morris_Ranch_Complex

Getting There

Navigate to 40.425421, -109.174804.

Location

Closest City or Region: Dinosaur National Monument

Coordinates: 40.425421, -109.174804

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Maps

Closest City or Region: Dinosaur National Monument

Coordinates: 40.425421, -109.174804

Printable Maps

Brochure

July 21, 2021 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Savannah Dye, Madilyn Dye, Cooper Dye, Greg Dye, Laura Dye, Anthony Dye, Arianne Dye, Miller Dye, Ondylyn Wagner, Jaren Wagner, Killian Wagner,

Story

We spent a day in Dinosaur Monument. We stopped at the Quarry Visitor Center first and bought a couple of the trail guides. Then we followed the Tilted Rocks Driving Tour. We didn't stop at all the stops, but we visited most of them. We got out and hiked to Swelter Shelter, stopped at a pullout overlooking the Green River, stopped at a geology pullout, stopped and photographed the Chew Ranch petroglyphs, hiked to the Cub Creek Petroglyphs, and finished at the Josie Morris Cabin. We had a picnic lunch and played a hide-and-go-seek-style game that Savannah learned at Shadow Mountain. Nobody really wanted to hike up Box Canyon or Hog Canyon, so we headed back to the visitor center and caught the shuttle to the Quarry Exhibit Hall. We admired the wall of bones then Tara and I hiked the Fossil Discovery Trail while the others took the shuttle back. The kids finished their Junior Ranger workbooks, and we headed back to the Airbnb.

Pictures