Eng 102 55Z1-4852 Stacy Hartlage Taylor

1. African Americans and the Wild West
Eng 102 55Z1-4852
Stacy Hartlage Taylor
by Judie Stroud

2. “Black Cowboys made up
a large portion of the
cowhand population,
possibly a quarter of all
cowboys” (Metafilter)
anthrocivitas.net

3. When slavery ended many of the slaves became
ranchers, cowboys and many other things
Only a few were known enough to have their names
forever etched in history

4. Nat Love
Nat Love, aka Deadwood Dick (1854–1921)
Was born a slave, and was
free when slavery ended
Became a cowboy after the
Civil war
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Natlove2.jpg

5. He took various jobs to help support the family after fathers death
During this time found he had natural horses breaking skills
uair.arizona.edu

6. www.blackcowboys.com
In 1869 left his home with some money from selling a horse he
won in a raffle
He moved to several places from Tennessee to get work as a
cowboy

7. Eventually landed in Texas and joined the Duval cowboys and moved to
the Texas Panhandle
www.retirenet.com
“Earned a reputation as one of the best all-around cowboys in
Duval”(Legends of America)

8. www.gutenberg.org
In 1872 moved to Arizona to work on Gallinger Ranch, he worked in dangerous areas
full on Indians,rustlers and bandits

9. Got nickname of Deadwood Dick in 1876 when he
won every part of a cowboy contest in
Deadwood SD
smellthis22.wordpress.com

10. 1907, he wrote an
autobiography,”The Life and
Adventures of Nat Love”
He told stories of his life and the
many people he met, like Billy the
kid

11. Mary Fields

Mary Fields (1832-1918)
“Born a slave, grew up an orphan, never
married, had no children
She was a hard woman, who stood up
for herself and the nuns while she
was with them
The nuns had to let her go however, due
to her ruff behavior
http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/fiel-mar.htm

12. The nuns were Mary's only family;
Mother Amadeus was her mother.
Dolly Dunn was Mary's
best friend. When Dolly
grew up she became
sister Amadeus, then
Mother Amadeus
w w w .c a s c a d e m o n ta n a .c o m

13. 
Mary loved the children of Cascade County and supported the local baseball team as
their number one fan” (women in history)
web.me.com
She sowed buttons and fixed clothing for them also

14. She earned a reputation for being more hard core than
most men. This was due to being able to shoot better
and work harder than the men around. She would
also drink most of the men under the table.

15. She opened a cafe, which was backed by the
nuns, but failed at it due to feeding the
hungry instead of making a profit
http://www.bing.com/images/search?

16. “ In 1895 she found a job that suited her, as a U.S. mail coach driver for the Cascade
County region of central Montana. She and her mule Moses, never missed a day,
and it was in this capacity that she earned her nickname of "Stagecoach", for her
unfailing reliability”(women in history).
Stagecoach Mary” Fields broke all of the
race, sex and age boundaries .
w w w .c a s c a d e m o n ta n a .c o m

17. Bass Reeves
REEVES, BASS (1838–1910).
Was born a slave in 1838.
“During the Civil War, he became a
fugitive slave and found refuge in
Indian Territory (modern-day
Oklahoma) amongst the Creek and
Seminole Indians”(Arkansas history).
http://anthrocivitas.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4477

18. In 1875 became one of the first black lawmen west of the Mississippi River
www.badassoftheweek.com
“As one of the most respected lawmen working in Indian Territory, he
achieved legendary status for the number of criminals he
captured”(Arkansas history).

19. Copy of bronze statue which was May 26, 2012
in Fort Smith’s Pendergraft Park
He could shoot a gun with either his left
or right hand and was said to be able
to out fight two men with bare hands
He could shoot a gun with either
his left or right hand and was
said to be able to out fight two
men with bare hands
www.hholden.com

20. Arrested his own son in 1902 for
murder
He died of Bright's disease on January
12, 1910.
digital.library.okstate.edu

21. www.betterworldbooks.com
He died of Bright's disease on January
12, 1910.
Director(s):
Brett W. Mauser
PG13
Book done on Bass Reeves
Movie done about the life of
Bass Reves, released in 2010
s264.photobucket.com

22. Bill Pickett
Bill Pickett (1870–1932)
The originator of rodeo steer
wrestling, or bulldogging
www.knowsouthernhistory.net

23. After his 5th grade education, he
worked on a ranch where he
learned how to bulldog, which
is grasping a steer by the
horns, twisting its neck, biting
its nose or its upper lip, and
making it fall on its side; this
biting technique he had learned
by observing how herder dogs
controlled steer (Oklahoma
history)
www.blackpast.org

24. He and his brothers started their own horse
breaking business, where they advertised they
could tame wild cattle
He entered the rodeo in 1888 and was a popular by the 1900s

25. He joined the Miller Brother Wild West show in
1905, he was known as

26. In 1907 he moved to Ponce City, where he worked as a cowboy in the off season, as
well as competing in contest
He was often identified as Indian in order
to do the contest against whites
www.frenchcreoles.com

27. He also was the first black cowboy movie star
“He was in movie such as Crimson Skull (1921) and The Bull-Dogger (1922), both
filmed in Oklahoma” (Oklahoma history).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0012079/posters www.silenthollywood.com
“He died April 2, 1932, of head injuries inflicted by a rogue horse at the 101
Ranch”(Oklahoma history).

28. Black men and women helped shape the Old West, even though
you don't get read it much in history books
African-Americans (along with Mexicans and Asians) were the "other
pioneers" of the American West. They made their mark as explorers,
trappers, cowboys, ranchers, farmers, gold miners, stagecoach drivers,
scouts, cavalrymen, outlaws, lawmen, schoolteachers, saloonkeepers,
and just about everything else a person could be in the "Wild West" of
the mid- to late-1800s.(The other Pioneers)

29. In the late 1800s, during battles with the Native Americans many all-
black units: two infantry (foot soldiers) and two cavalry (horsemen)
fought
The Civil War had been the first time in the nation's history that
African-Americans had been allowed to serve in the U.S. military.
After the war, many newly freed blacks joined the army. They fought
the same battles as other frontier soldiers usually against Indians or
Mexicans.(The other Pioneers)
Their bravery won many battles and the respect of many

30. Much of African American history is broad and region
based.

31. Only with in the last few years have we really began to
research and understand the influences of African
Americans in the west

32. African Americans have played a crucial piece of
American history, which in many ways have been
down played. We as Americans should learn about all
parts of our history without bias.

33. Even though these people were under appreciated in
their time, it is important to see the influences they
provided then, and should provide now.

35. Work cited
African-Americans in the Wild West: Nat Love, Cherokee Bill, and Stagecoach Mary Fields.
February 25, 2011. Copywright 1999-2012 . Date accessed 7/20/12. .
Badass of the week, Bass Reeves. Date accessed 7/19/12. .
Burton Harvey, Art T. Bass Reeves. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Last. Updated 5/29/2012. Date Accessed 7/18/12. .
Drewry, Jennifer. Mary Fields a Pioneer in Cascade’s past. Copywright 2000-2008. Date accessed 7/18/2012. .
Everett, Dianna. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History, William Pickett. Copywright: Oklahoma Historical Society. Date accessed 7/17/12.
Smith, Jessie Carney. Bill Pickett, The Bull Doger. Copyright French Creoles of America®. Date accessed 7/18/12. .
Weiser, Kathy. Old West Legends. Nate Love, aka: Deadwood Dick- The Greatest Black Cowboy in the old West. Last updated:10/2008. Date
accessed 7/16/2012. .
Wilmore, Kathy. The Other Pioneers: African-Americans on the Frontier. TM ® & © 2012 Scholastic Inc. Date accessed 7/21/12. .
Women in History. Mary Fields biography. Last Updated: 7/23/2012. Lakewood Public Library. Date accessed 7/15/2012 .
Date updated. Date accessed 7/20/12..