The Dodge City Lawdog
True West|June 2018

Charlie Bassett was the main peacekeeper in the infamous cowtown.

Mark Boardman
The Dodge City Lawdog

Charlie Bassett’s story has been eclipsed—by the legends of Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson. Yet for much of the 1870s, Bassett was the law in Dodge City, Kansas, helping bring peace to one of the West’s roughest towns.

Bassett was born in Massachusetts in 1847. After a Civil War stint, he drifted west in 1865, trying his hand at bartending, mining and other pursuits. By 1872, he was in Dodge City as a partner in the Long Branch Saloon.

In 1873, after selling the bar, Bassett was elected the first sheriff of Ford County; he was re-elected in 1875. Term limits ended his tenure, but new Sheriff Bat Masterson appointed him a deputy in 1878.

This story is from the June 2018 edition of True West.

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This story is from the June 2018 edition of True West.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

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