An ongoing illustrative history study
This piece originally posted 10/24/2022
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(Yes, I was away for a while. Longer than I had anticipated. Dealing with some stuff. Thanks for being so indulgent, everyone. Means everything.)
Think of the most stereotypical 'Wild West Badass' trope you can come up with. As over-the-top and as improbable as you like. A fusion of The Lone Ranger, every character Eastwood ever played, and the entire cast of the movie "Tombstone" thrown in for good measure. Now tack on an imposing 6'2" stature, deadly marksmanship, and a razor-sharp memory and you pretty much have Bass Reeves, the most famous Western Lawman you've never heard of.
Born enslaved in 1838 Arkansas, Reeves broke away from his owner, George Reeves, who had joined the Confederate Army. Details are apocryphal, but one version of the story describes Bass as beating his erstwhile owner to within an inch of his life during a card game and then fleeing into the Indian territories in 1863. He lived amongst many tribes, including the Creek and Seminole nations, and learned many native languages, which is why he was eventually selected to join the ranks of the U.S. Marshals --one of the first Black person to do so after ratification of the 13th Amendment. A lifelong illiterate, Reeves had an almost supernatural talent for memorizing the details of arrest warrants and other court documents verbatim.
Over the years he became one of the most feared lawmen in the West --as the first Black Deputy U.S. Marshal assigned to regions west of the Mississippi, Reeves reportedly arrested 3,000 outlaws (and killed 14) over the course of a 32-year career. He even confronted the unthinkable --arresting his own son for killing his wife, and ensuring he was tried, convicted and jailed. His son served 11 years in prison and was reportedly a model citizen ever afterwards. Reeves even arrested (again, somewhat apocryphally) his own church minister for selling illegal alcohol. When Oklahoma became a state in 1907, Reeves settled into the less exciting career of a Muskogee city police officer. He retired 2 years later at the age of 71, and died less than a year later in January of 1910.
Ever played "Red Dead Redemption 2?" Reeves is the template for the character of Sheriff Sam Freeman. Yeah, the guy who assigns you two bounty hunting missions and then decides to take the rest for himself. Seriously, Reeves would appear to have done pretty much everything except growl, "This Is The Way" at passers-by.
By a totally staggering coincidence, a documentary DVD is just days away from being released on Amazon: "In Search of Bass Reeves" directed by Dana Celeste Robinson.
Next page - Lesson 106: Octavia E. Butler