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Black Cowboys & Lawmen


Subdeacon Joe

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Inthe 2nd half of the 1800 1in 4 cowboys were black.....many of them ex soldiers North & South. (something movie history ofton omits)

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https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-bassreeves/
 

“Maybe the law ain’t perfect, but it’s the only one we got, and without it we got nuthin” – Bass Reeves

Born to slave parents in 1838 in Crawford County, Arkansas, Bass Reeves would become the first black U.S. Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi River and one of the greatest frontier heroes in our nation’s history.

Owned by a man named William Reeves, a farmer and politician, Bass took the surname of his owner, like other slaves of the time. His first name came from his grandfather, Basse Washington

Working alongside his parents, Reeves started out as a water boy until he was old enough to become a field hand. In about 1846, William Reeves moved his operations, family, and slaves to Grayson County, Texas.

Bass was a tall young man, at 6’2”, with good manners and a sense of humor. George Reeves, William’s son, later made him his valet, bodyguard, and personal companion. When the Civil War broke out, Texas sided with the Confederacy and George Reeves went into battle, taking Bass with him.

Bass Reeves, U.S. Deputy Marshal
 
 
 
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That man looks...

 

Confident. Intelligent. Able. Dangerous. 

 

bassreeves-275.jpg

 

He and his contemporaries were men well needed in their day. Tough does not begin to define them. 

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Bill Picket, Nat Love, Bose Ikard, John Ware - All well known black cowboys.

 

I wrote a report on Nat Love in high school. My teacher told me there were no black cowboys. My teacher was a dummy

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A large segment of the cowboy population were native Americans as well.  After the conflict that occurred mid 19th century, able white men were depleted in quantity.  Raising, herding, and breeding cattle required able people, (women worked cattle and other livestock too!) and most cattlemen were NOT particular who they hired, so long as they got a day and a half’s work for a day’s pay.

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1 hour ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

A large segment of the cowboy population were native Americans as well.  After the conflict that occurred mid 19th century, able white men were depleted in quantity.  Raising, herding, and breeding cattle required able people, (women worked cattle and other livestock too!) and most cattlemen were NOT particular who they hired, so long as they got a day and a half’s work for a day’s pay.

 

The origin of the Cowboy lays in Spain. Particularly in the Seville region. But one piece of gear missing from the Spanish Vaquero is a rope and a horn on the saddle. The use a lance or a pole. And have actually developed a dance showcasing the skill of a horse and rider with the lance. The South American Gaucho uses a bolo and not a rope and does not have a horn on his saddle.

 

So the lariat, lasso, rope was invented or adopted in Mexico and spread to the rest of North America. From what I’ve read, the Spanish may have gotten the idea of using a rope from Native Americans. 

 

Using a rope and a horned saddle is uniquely North American.

 

Spanish style shown below.

 

 

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9 hours ago, Dantankerous said:

That man looks...

 

Confident. Intelligent. Able. Dangerous. 

 

bassreeves-275.jpg

 

He and his contemporaries were men well needed in their day. Tough does not begin to define them. 

Denzel Washington could have made a great western playing Bass.

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