Judge Parkers orders were to bring them in dead or alive. Once, he walked 28 miles dressed as a beggar and fooled two men and their mother into letting him stay the night. Her passing absolutely devastated him. Reeves did one thing, and he did it very well: He tracked down outlaws on the lam. On November 17, 1907, Indian Territory became the new state of Oklahoma. Bass Reeves began his life as a slave in the state of Arkansas in July 1838, near the town of Van Buren. Dave Kennedy, curator of collections and exhibits, said recently the museum is still in search of Bass Reevess descendants, the Southwest Times Record reported. The legend of Bass Reeves will only continue to grow as more discover his story. Leave a message for others who see this profile. He was brought up on first-degree murder charges in January 1886 and relieved of duty. Marshals who rode for Parker have received fame over the years: Paden Tolbert bringing in Ned Christie, for example. After 1905, Reeves did not arrest as many white felons as he had earlier in his career, due to the large influx of white settlers into the territory and racial attitudes shifting. He proved this ability time and time again by holstering Colts on both sides. Deadline reported that the crew is officially filming in Texas, so it may be a while before we see the legendary lawman on our screens. Since birth, he had witnessed the deepest and darkest parts of humanity. After serving as a valiant marshals deputy, Reeves worked as a policeman in Muskogee for two years, 1907-1909. A hard-headed judge named Isaac Parker ordered a US Marshal to find 200 deputies in Indian Territory. Marshals Museum. Reeves lived in the protection of his new communities and learned their languages for the next several years. But, no matter how well the farm did, Bass Reeves was never meant to be a farmer. Spears is now leading an effort to erect a bronze statue of Judge Parker downtown. His likeness has appeared in at least seven television series, four films, a play, two board games, and at least six books. Bass Reeves was born a slave, but died a respected lawman, having served in the Indian Territory (and later Oklahoma), Arkansas and Texas, the National Park Service states. Thanks for your help! Fortunately, it was a lucrative business. Dozier was a cattle-rustler and stagecoach bandit with a seriously bad reputation. After escaping his masters, Reeves traveled to Oklahoma, or Indian Territory, as it was known then. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. Editors of AHM, A Guide to America's Greatest Historic Places, p. 9). Marshal west of the Mississippi River, although he was never a Ranger nor did he ever live in Texas. Thought to have been born in the summer of 1838, by the year 1880, Bass and Jennie Reeves had eight children: Sally, Robert, Harriet, Georgia, Alice, Newland, Edgar and Lula. Marshal credited with being the inspiration for The Lone Ranger. Family history states that Bass and George got into an argument over a card game during the Civil War. Harmons 1898 book Hell on the Border. However, as early as 1901 writer D.C. Gideon detailed Reeves in his book Indian Territory., Among the numerous deputy marshals that have ridden for the Paris (Texas), Fort Smith (Arkansas) and Indian Territory courts none have met with more hairbreadth escapes or have affected more hazardous arrests than Bass Reeves, of Muskogee, Gideon writes. Im not sure he was too worried about it, though. Hold your horses though, because theres no official release date for Bass Reeves just yet. Other times, bullets took his hat from his head, buttons from his coat, and the reigns from his hands. Bass Reeves: Lawman, gunslinger, trail-blazer. Husband of Nellie Reeves and Winnie J. Sumner Reeves [5] He recruited him as a deputy; Reeves was the first black deputy to serve west of the Mississippi River. Marshal Bass Reeves. Reeves was one of those men. [3] During the American Civil War, Bass parted company with George Reeves. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. Once And For All, Is The Lone Ranger Based on Bass Reeves? [5], Reeves and his family farmed until 1875, when Isaac Parker was appointed federal judge for the Indian Territory. Some say the Quentin Tarantino movie, Django, was based on his life.[17]. Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 18:56, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, "Bass Reeves, the Most Feared U.S. Deputy Marshal", "Judge Paul L. Brady Retires from Job Safety Commission", "Reaves putting Kane feud aside, joining him for 'much bigger cause', "Rangers winger Ryan Reaves discovers the history behind the family name", "Was the Original 'Lone Ranger' a Black Man? The Fort Smith National Historic Site has a room dedicated to the history of black lawmen and local military units. [2][5] Reeves was assigned as a deputy U.S. marshal for the Western District of Arkansas, which had responsibility also for the Native reservation Territory. Reeves was inducted into the Texas Trail of Fame in 2013; he's had bronze statues erected in his likeness, and a bridge in Oklahoma now bears his name. Reeves returned fire, striking Dozier in the neck, ending him instantly. Marshal James Fagan was replaced not long after Judge Parker took over the court with a Union veteran, Daniel P. Upham. Reeves didnt just take it, though. Reeves was finally able to move around the country freely. The cook didnt survive and Reeves went on trial for murder. Over his career, Reeves made a lot of enemies. He was not the first Black deputy U.S. marshal west of the Mississippi River. Fortunately, he managed to find love again several years later. As a black man tasked with law enforcement in unceded, Indigenous territory, Reeves was in a precarious situation. Other than a few scrapes and bruises, Reeves made it through his career entirely unscathed. Reeves's . Then, he knocked on the door and asked for a place to rest. More U.S. marshals died in service while hunting down fugitives in the Western District of Arkansas than any other place. During the Civil War . After it became one of the most popular shows on television, Paramount greenlit a prequel miniseries titled 1883. Marshal? These are just a few of the incredible stories of a man who hunted down men nobody else could capture. In 1890, he received an arrest warrant for an infamous Cherokee outlaw named Ned Christie. Who Is John Dutton's Grandfather in '1923'? In 1875, everything changed for Reeves. He and his family were owned by William Steele Reeves, who was originally from Hickman County, Tennessee. After a citizens petition and an exemplary prison record, his son was pardoned and was never in trouble with the law again. His children were named Newland, Benjamin, George, Lula, Robert, Sally, Edgar, Bass Jr., Harriet, Homer and Alice. Marshals office in Muskogee was downsized, and Reeves found himself out of work. Bass Reeves was born into slavery around 1838 in Crawford County, Arkansas. "Some say because Bass beat up George after a dispute in a card game. Reeves was an expert with pistol and rifle and could shoot ambidextrously. The St. Louis Globe Democrat in October 1885 reported that Reeves had arrested 17 felons in the Indian Territory and brought them to Fort Smith. A little dose of karma eventually came down upon the Colonel. Ryan Reaves, a professional hockey player from Winnipeg, is Basss great-great-great-grandson. He thought hed hit his mark and he burst out in laughter. In 1893, Bass Reeves was transferred to the Eastern District federal court at Paris, Texas. George Reeves was also a legislator, in Texas, and at the time of his death in 1882 from rabies, George Reeves was the Speaker of the House in the Texas legislature. Marshal badge and bullets that one belonged to U.S. Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves. Marshal was abolished at that time, so he became an officer with the Muskogee Police Department, where he served for two years until he was forced to resign because of his declining health. Reeves was quicker and dropped the outlaw. The man overseeing the case was Judge Isaac Parker, who was technically Reeves boss. He served in the Indian Territory for 32 years. [1] He was one of the first African Americans to receive a commission as a Deputy U.S. There is a monument dedicated to him. He retired at 70 years old and lived out his remaining time in some much-needed peace. The same newspaper in March of 1885 reported Reeves bringing in 13 prisoners. When Bass was eight, the Reeves family moved to northern Texas to Peters Colony in Grayson County near Sherman, Texas. His career stretched from the U.S. Federal Court for the Western District of Arkansas in 1875 until two years after Oklahoma gained statehood in 1907.. Though he had a hard reputation, Reeves was, by all accounts, a mild-mannered and polite man. The series will star David Oyelowo as Bass Reeves, a real-life former slave who became the first Black deputy U.S. marshal west of the Mississippi in the 1870s. Bennie was subsequently captured, tried, and convicted. This chronic kidney affliction managed to do what no man in the West was able to do and forced Reeves to stop working. Later, he was killed by a large federal posse in 1892, never to prove his innocence. Josh Rosenberg is an entertainment writer living in Brooklyn, keeping a steady diet of one movie a day; his past work can be found at CBR, Spin, Insider, and on his personal blog at Roseandblog.com. Bynum Colbert, a Choctaw Freedmen, was a veteran of an Arkansas United States Colored Regiment of the Civil War and served seven years with the 10th U.S. Cavalry Regiment post-Civil War. He married a woman named Nellie Jennie, and they must have been really into each other. This page has been accessed 17,324 times. The Lone Ranger was an escaped slave named Bass Reeves. The lawman was such a good shot that nobody wanted to face him in competition. The Arkansas Gazette in September 1884 re-ported Reeves brought 15 prisoners to Fort Smith. Reeves was born into slavery and gained his freedom when he escaped during the Civil War, fled to the Indian Territory (Arkansas and Oklahoma) and lived among the Native Americans. In the card game Cartaventura Oklahoma, one plays the fictional escape of Bass Reeves with five possible outcomes. (AP) The U.S. One of the most infamous men in Indian Territory went by the name Greenleaf. Bass got so upset at being cheated, he beat his master down and knocked him out. [9]Bass Reeves was the first African American Deputy to be appointed west of the Mississippi River. Probably a smart decision. For this reason, Reeves found unusual support from the inhabitants of the land he patrolled during his career. Judge Parker ruled on the situation and acquitted Reeves of all charges. Reeves eventually tracked Dozier down to a hideout in Cherokee territory. He just needed a way inso he came up with a devious plan. Reeves was now 69 years old, the only deputy U.S. marshal I have found that started with Judge Parkers regime in 1875 and worked up to Oklahoma statehood in 1907. He said he took part in the Battle of Pea Ridge, the Battle of Missionary Ridge, and the Battle of Chickamauga. Bass won many turkey shoots for his master, which in Texas was prestigious for George. Bass married Nellie Reeves in 1864, at age 26 in Arkansas, United States. The Reeves family moved to North Twelfth Street, Park Place, in 1889. At times, he dressed himself as a local farmer. [2][5] Reeves was initially assigned as a Deputy U.S. There was a fine line between lawmen and outlaws in the Old West, and sometimes, men crossed it. The new deputy must have been an unmistakable figure in the Old West. Selma 's David Oyelowo will. Marshal, he arrested 3,000 outlaws and killed 14 men. prisoners. . Typically, local posses accompanied Reeves on his expeditions and stakeouts. This didnt hold him back in the slightest. Eventually, Reeves decided he had to fulfill his obligation personally. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. This troubled his mother greatly as she thought he wanted to be an outlaw. Reeves greatest gunfight was in 1884. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. They would travel with a crew, at least one posseman or more, a cook, a guard and one or two wagons with supplies. [14] He died January 12, 1910 from Bright's disease and although he was buried in Muskogee, Oklahoma, the exact location of his grave is unknown.[15]. The U.S. Specifically fort smith where judge parkers court house is located. [5], Reeves was married twice and had eleven children. [12] Ryan Reaves's grandfather changed the family name from Reeves to Reaves. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Reeves spent 30 years in the perilous job of a deputy U.S. marshal in Oklahoma's Indian Territory. Bass Reeves served 35 years as a Deputy United States Marshal in that time he arrested 3,000 outlaws and killed 14 men, he always said that he never shot a man when it was not necessary for him to do so in the discharge of his duty to save his own life. 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