The 3 Black Cowboys from the Wild West should not be a surprising headline. Following this article will open something which you have not heard before — no need to start beating over the watered history books. And media, which has not done much in giving credits to the Blacks.
But at least history will not distort the fact that as in the 1870s and 1880s, American West was home to the over 35,000 cowboys, of which 25% were black.
And this was not unconnected with the reason that many black people wanted to have a new place that won’t remind them of their painful past of slavery. Hence, it was conventional them to migrate from the American South to the American West to settle. That’s where they build their life again.
Meanwhile, cowboy’s stories are seen as exclusively left for the white, but that’s not true. Here are outstanding cowboys who enjoyed the rave and contributed immensely to the culture of cowboys.
Bob Lemmons
Bob Lemmons, like most black then, was born a slave. He moved to West Texas to settle in an area populated with a large number of wild mustangs. To tame them, he developed an approach of working through the herds alone instead of in-group.
The aim was to earn the trust of the herds and make them comfortable with him; a large number of people might scare them away. He is one of the most prominent black cowboys
Lemmon’s tactics paid off, and he made a lucrative amount of money doing this. He bought his ranch and built up a vast herd of horses and cattle before he died in 1947, aged 99 years.
Bill Pickett
Bill Pickett, one of the most influential cowboys, was born in 1870 in the Jenks-Branch community of Williamson County, Texas. Bulldogging as a method of wrestling cattle was his invention.
He died in 1932 after a multi-day coma from an injury sustained in the head from a bronco’s kick.
On his death, he became the first black inductee into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame.
Bass Reeves
Bass Reeves was a former slave from Arkansas, a U.S Marshal overseeing the whole Oklahoma Territory before it became a State. Reeves’ job was a difficult and dangerous one. During his years of active service, over 130 out of 200 marshals were killed in Oklahoma while performing their duties.
Notwithstanding the risk posed by his jobs, he was discouraged in carrying out his duties. He was an excellent marksman with the riffle. And his outstanding tacts with the pistol attributed to the experience he gathered while fighting in Oklahoma Territory during the Civil War.
Reeves was an outstanding cowboy. He served as U.S Marshal for 27 years with the popularity as the first Wild West’s real lawman. He worked with Native American assistant to track down over 3,000 felons while in active service as U.S Marshal.
Reeves died in 1910, and many movies acted to portray his life, events, and philosophies.
These 3 Black Cowboys lived and left an indelible in the culture and lifestyles of subsequent cowboys.
