As a special treat for those who are interested, I have temporarily returned to Hero of the Week.
This week's hero is...
Bass Reeves
Bass Reeves was born in July of 1838. He grew up as a slave in the state of Arkansas. During the Civil War, Reeves was able to escape from slavery to the Oklahoma Indian Territory of the United States. While he was there he met with members of the Seminole and Cherokee tribes who taught him how to navigate the territory and how to survive in the wilderness. He also learned how to speak their language. Reeves returned to Arkansas in 1865 after learning about the 13th Amendment which had abolished slavery. At the end of the war, Reeves worked on a farm and raised a family (eleven children). In a few years however, his life would change forever.
In the year of 1875, the Federal Western District Court moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas. Upon their arrival, they immediately recruited more than 200 individuals to work as lawmen within Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma). The Oklahoma territory was regarded by many as an extremely lawless and dangerous refuge for numerous criminals who were responsible for violent crimes. Upon revealing his knowledge of the area and his skills as a gunslinger, Bass Reeves was commissioned as a deputy by Federal Judge Isaac Parker. In doing so, he became the very first African-American to become a marshal while west of the Mississippi River
The Oklahoma Territory covered more than 75,000 square miles. However, this proved to be no great challenge to Reeves. He was able to easily navigate the terrain and track down many wanted criminals. Due to racism from fellow lawmen, Reeves had to conduct his apprehensions of criminals by himself with very little support. By 1878, he was one of the most feared and respected lawmen of Oklahoma. One of his greatest and most legendary achievements was his face-off against the outlaw, Bob Dozier.
Dozier was an outlaw who had committed crimes ranging from cattle-rustling to murder. For years, he had been pursued by many different lawmen and managed to either evade or kill all of them. Despite the daunting task ahead of him, Bass Reeves joined in on the hunt. For several months, Reeves and Dozier played a game of cat and mouse until December, when the former received a tip-off from Natives of the Cherokee Nation as to the whereabouts of Dozier. On December 20, 1878 Reeves tracked Bob Dozier to the Cherokee hills. While a storm blew overhead, the two got into a gunfight. It ended when Reeves killed Dozier with a bullet to the neck.
Bass Reeves would go on to serve as deputy marshal for more than 32 years. He eventually retired in 1907. For the next two years, he worked as a policeman in the city of Muskogee, Oklahoma before ill health forced him to retire. He passed away on January 12, 1910. In his life, Bass Reeves had killed at least 14 outlaws and conducted more than 3,000 arrests (mostly by himself).
Bass Reeves truly was a legend of his time. He dedicated nearly his whole life to serving the American law and bringing criminals to justice. He broke racial barriers and played a great role in taming the Wild West. Today he is remembered as one of America's greatest heroes of the Wild West.
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/bob-dozier-oklahoma-outlaw/
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-bassreeves/
https://www.history.com/news/bass-reeves-real-lone-ranger-a-black-man
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bass-Reeves
https://www.blackpast.org/aaw/vignette_aahw/reeves-bass-1838-1910/
