In the years following the settlement of the Old West, many of the ancient Native American crafts were lost with the increased use of new materials and utensils. Fortunately, a few individuals helped keep the knowledge of such crafts alive until a cultural awakening in the 20th century.

One of the best known of these artisans was Dat-So-La-Lee, a Washoe Indian basketmaker who achieved nationwide renown for the intricate style, quality, and distinctive weave of her baskets. Born in about 1835, Dat-So-La-Lee's life spanned the entire period of the upheaval of Indian life following settlement of the Great Basin in Nevada. During her lifetime, Dat-So-La-Lee handmade approximately 120 baskets using only willow branches, roots, and bark. Some of her most intricate baskets took as long as a year to make. She spent most of her life in and around Carson City, Nevada. She died in 1925.

After 1895, Dat-So-La-Lee's baskets became recognized by museums and basket collectors as exceptional works of art. In 1945, the state of Nevada purchased the remaining 20 baskets from the widow of Dat-So-La-Lee's agent for $1,500 and put several on display at the Nevada Historical Society Museum at the University of Nevada in Reno.

In November 1978, four of these baskets and several arrowheads were stolen from the museum. The baskets, each about a foot tall and 15 inches in diameter, were taken from display cases and smuggled out of the building. The first basket was recovered in 1980 after an anonymous person returned it for a $2,500 finder's fee. However, the location of the three remaining baskets remained a mystery until early 1998.

In January 1998, the FBI was notified that an art dealer in the Tucson, Arizona, area was attempting to have the three baskets appraised by an art expert in Canada. After only five days of investigation, FBI Agents recovered the three baskets in Tucson. The Director of the Nevada Historical Society met with the FBI in Tucson to inspect and authenticate the baskets as those stolen 20 years ago. By agreement with the United States Attorney's Office, the baskets were released to the custody of the Nevada Historical Society to ensure their proper handling and storage while still evidence in a federal case.

After their arrival in Reno, the baskets were carefully prepared and stored in a special humidity-controlled vault at the museum with access limited only to the FBI. The original thief was never identified for prosecution despite several months of investigation. An agreement was reached, however, between the art dealer from whom the baskets were recovered and the United States Attorney's Office for the return of the baskets to the Nevada Historical Society for permanent display.

Several independent experts have estimated the value of the three baskets as between $250,000 and $300,000 each.