Black Cowboys – The Unseen West
By
John C Abercrombie
Watching television, movies, reading history books, newspapers, magazines, listening to radio one would be completely ignorant of the fact that one in every four cowboys in the old West was Black. This is the harm of exclusion in what we are taught. Learn the relevant facts in this post and discussion.
Join us this Sunday, December 18, 2022, and every Sunday at 4:00 pm eastern, 1:00 pacific. Use the info below:
Ways to Listen and Interact with Us:
- By phone Login to your BlogTalkRadio Schedule program Guest Call In(646) 668-8217
Computer Radio Station Link –blogtalkradio.com/crowntalkingdrums
This post focuses on the power of the press to suppress. Suppress the truth and that spills over into history as we are taught and how it is portrayed in history and so many other media including movies, television, books, and general impressions including the rodeo industry.
From watching movies, television, listening to the radio, reading books, magazines, and newspapers among the literacy of media and answer this question. “Were there any Black Cowboys? The most obvious answer is NO! Yet, if we were to discard this influence on the population and look at facts, we find that there were indeed Black cowboys. Estimates put the number between 1 in 4 to 1 in 3, one heck of a difference. This is important because it is a textbook example of the glaring fact that much of our history is inaccurate.
In addition, we are flooded with images of the happy slave singing and dancing for master’s entertainment and boasts of having a “good master”. Suppression that saying you had a good master was a life-or-death decision as having word that you have spoken of your owner as anything else had dire consequences on your life and the ability to enjoy your family as you or them could be sold away on a whim. Failure to sing and dance had the same dire consequences, yet you were subjected to beatings, torture and other actions that taken against an animal would be unlawful today.
We get here because history is often written by outsiders. We do not have a chance to tell our own story, instead it is written by people writing to sell books and have a notion that nobody would buy anything about anyone of color no matter how accurate. This has spawned a large number of people who would rather settle for lies than the truth and that does not bode well.
America over the years has fully embraced the concept of White supremacy in many ways and this is no exception. People who worked on ranches were known as ranch hands, however, boy, a term often denoting a less than male and considered by many an insult was applied to Blacks who did not become ranch hands, but cowboys.
There is great furor over the teaching of Black history that arises from the unknown of people who were taught that it did not exist and that discussions of race were taboo. This has developed into a great fear from those people who are making decisions on what to them is unknown. It is understandable that there is apprehension on the subject but perpetrating a lie does not resolve one of the greatest problems facing America today. While it may produce a moment of discomfort for a student, that is nothing compared to the embarrassment of finding that what you were led to believe about yourself and your ancestors is a complete fraud.
This distortion of fact has affected almost all Blacks into falling for the stereotype that they have no history to be proud of and it has been equally harmful to Whites who could benefit from the efforts of all citizens, affect partnerships and so much more.
This series will be expanded, but at this point, we will mention five very important figures that we all should know about
John Ware
Ware was born in slavery and there is some confusion as to the place of his birth. He is reported to have been born in Georgetown, South Carolina, while his marriage certificate lists Tennessee. After the Civil War he moved to Texas. He became a cowboy and drove cattle all the way to Canada. On one drive he was hired to deliver 3,000 cattle to Alberta, Canada. He then found work at a ranch there before starting his own ranch near the Red Deer River. He helped found the cattle industry in the area and was well known for his performances at the Calgary Stampede.
By 1900 he and his wife Mildred had five children and he moved to Duchess in Alberta on what is now called Ware Creek. Mildred died in 1905 from pneumonia and unfortunately months later he was crushed by his horse tripping in a badger hole.
Bass Reeves
Bass Reeves was born into slavery in 1838 in Crawford County, Arkansas. His family were the property of Arkansas state legislator William Steele Reeves. When he was eight, the family moved to Grayson County, Texas as the property of William Steele Reeves’s son, Colonel George R Reeves, a Texas sheriff, legislator and at one time Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.
As property of George Reeves, he was taken with Reeves to go with him into battle. It is a bit unclear how Bass obtained his freedom, but it seems that he physically attacked him and fled to Indian Territory where he lived with the Cherokee, Creeks, and Seminoles. He learned their languages.
Note: Europeans considered these Native Americans part of the five civilized tribes. An attribute, not because they had anything more than others, but on the basis that their language became written and the Cherokee even had a constitution.
We begin to see parallels between Bass Reeves and the character that we grew up knowing as “The Lone Ranger”. To see more, review our previous post. Click here.
Bose Ikard
Bose Ikard was born into slavery in Summerville, Noxubee County, Mississippi around 1847. His master’s family moved to Texas and Ikard gained skills as a cowboy. During the postwar, he served as a tracker and cowboy. He worked on the Goodnight – Loving trail and served the trusted position as Goodnight’s banker, often carrying thousands of dollars in cash. After his days as a cowboy, he became a farmer and raised a family with his wife Angeline.
Mentioned in this post, see the above summary, and check the videos and books.
Nat Love
Nat or Nate Love was born into slavery in Davidson County, Tennessee in June of 1854. His father was a slave but worked on the plantation’s fields as a foreman and his mother, managed the kitchen. Despite laws that outlawed Black literacy, he learned to read and write as a child with guidance from his father.
After the war, the family stayed on the plantation as sharecroppers, but Nat’s father Sampson died shortly after the second crop was planted. Nat took a second job to help make ends meet. He began to be noticed for his skill in breaking horses. He won a horse in a raffle and sold it back to the owner for $50.00. He used the money to leave town at the age of 16, heading West.
Nat Love found work in Dodge City, Kansas as a cowboy and found work as a cattle driver. He trained himself to become an expert marksman and cowboy and earned the name “Red River Dick”. In his autobiography he mentioned that met Pat Garrett, Bat Masterson, and Billy the Kid.
Love claims that he earned the name “Deadwood Dick” because of his performance at the rodeo July 4th, 1878, however there is no mention of the event in local papers. Deadwood Dick is a literacy character created by Edward Lytton Wheeler a dime novelist of the day.
Bill Pickett
Pickett was born after the Civil War in a community known as the Miller Community in Western Williamson County, the second of thirteen children. The family’s ancestry was Black and Cherokee.
In 1890, Pickett married Maggie Turner, the formerly enslaved daughter of a white southern plantation owner. The couple had nine children.
As was the case in all too many cases, Pickett left school in the fifth grade to become a cowboy. He is credited with inventing a technique of bulldogging. He would ride along beside a steer and grab it by the horns and wrestle it to the ground. Pickett practiced by riding hard, springing from his horse, and wrestling the steer to the ground. This method included biting the steer on the lip then falling backward.
Pickett soon became known for his tricks and stunts at local country fairs. With his four brothers, he established The Pickett Brothers Bronco Busters and Rough Riders Association. The name Bill Pickett soon became synonymous with successful rodeos. He did his bulldogging act, traveling about in Texas, Arizona, Wyoming, and Oklahoma.
Pickett joined the 101 Ranch Wild West Show in 1905. This show featured people like Buffalo Bill, Will Rogers, Tom Mix, Bee Ho Gray and Zach and Lucille Mulhall. Picket performed under the name of “The Dusky Demon.” Picket was a popular performer who toured the world and appeared in early motion pictures. His ethnicity resulted in him not being able to appear in many rodeos. He got around this by claiming to be of Comanche heritage. He appeared in films “The Bull-Dogger and the Crimson Skull.”
**
Black Cowboys
African-American Cowboy: The Forgotten Man of the West” Documentary about Black Cowboys
This is a short documentary about African American rodeo cowboys in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. We interviewed many black cowboys who were active in the rodeo during and after segregation in the South (Texas). Rodeos in the South were segregated until 1970s, and the cowboys in the documentary share their personal experiences about this time in history. This documentary was filmed in Texas.
**
Book
As you scroll the amazing videos and books below, keep in mind that they were selected to reinforce the information in the summary and provide a source of information for those desiring more. A major reason for ignoring Black History is knowing where to find additional information. We strive to solve that problem. Interspersed you will also find offers from partners, such as Amazon. These links take you to the partner who has agreed to pay us a small royalty for purchases made with our links. It is not necessary to purchase the item in the link, but it is important that you use our links. It costs you nothing and is a win – win as you are dealing with a trusted partner and we are able to continue to provide you with quality information.
Links to books allow you to read a summary and also sample the book either in electronic format or audibly. A great advantage. eBooks and Audible are delivered instantly and do not require an additional device as they can be read with free download apps.
The Black West:
A Documentary and Pictorial History of the African American Role in the Westward Expansion of the United States
This entirely new edition of a famous classic has glorious new photographs—many never before seen—as well as revised and expanded text that deepens our understanding of the vital role played by African American men and women on America’s early frontiers. This revised volume includes an exciting new chapter on the Civil War and the experiences of African Americans on the western frontier. Among its fascinating accounts are those explaining how thousands of enslaved people in Arkansas, Missouri and Texas successfully escaped into the neighboring Indian Territory in Oklahoma. These runaways inspired the idea eventually adopted as the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves within the states that were in rebellion. Inspired by a conversation that William Loren Katz had with Langston Hughes, The Black West presents long-neglected stories of daring pioneers like Nat Love, a.k.a. Deadwood Dick; Mary Fields, a.k.a. Stagecoach Mary; Cranford Goldsby, a.k.a. Cherokee Bill—and a host of other intrepid men and women who marched into the wilderness alongside Chief Osceola, Billy the Kid, and Geronimo.
**
Whole Foods Delivery Today
Enjoy the convenience of having groceries delivered to you.
ABH – Whole Foods Delivery Today
**
Nat Love – African American Cowboy (1854 – 1921)
**
Book
The New Black West hc: Photographs from America’s Only Touring Black Rodeo
Featuring stunning full-color photographs by Gabriela Hasbun, The New Black West celebrates the modern Black cowboys of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo and the community that comes together to witness their achievements year after year.
A powerful symbol of self-reliance, strength, and determination, the Black cowboy is a figure commonly overlooked in the histories of the American West. Held annually in cities across the United States, the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo (BPIR) honors the historic accomplishments of Black cowboys and fosters a vibrant community dedicated to continuing that legacy. Bay Area photographer Gabriela Hasbun has spent more than a decade photographing this beloved event in the Oakland hills. Her images capture the joy and excitement of performers and audience members, showcasing the daring feats, spectacular outfits, and welcoming atmosphere that make the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo an unmissable experience. In addition to Hasbun’s photographs, The New Black West features quotes and stories from the cowboys themselves and a foreword from the Oakland rodeo’s regional manager, Jeff Douvel.
ABH – TheNew Black West Photography
**
Security System
More important than ever. Shop using the link below
**
Bose Ikard “Splendid Behavior” – Grave Search #4
A visit to the Old City Greenwood Cemetery in Weatherford, Texas to find the grave of the forgotten American western hero Bose Ikard –
**
Book
Black Cowboys of the Old West:
True, Sensational, and Little-Known Stories from History
The word cowboy conjures up vivid images of rugged men on saddled horses – men lassoing cattle, riding bulls, or brandishing guns in a shoot-out. White men, as Hollywood remembers them. What is woefully missing from these scenes is their counterparts: the Black cowboys who made up one-fourth of the wranglers and rodeo riders. This book tells their story.
When the Civil War ended, Black men left the Old South in large numbers to seek a living in the Old West – industrious men resolved to carve out a life for themselves on the wild, roaming plains. Some had experience working cattle from their time as slaves; others simply sought a freedom they had never known before. The lucky travelled on horseback; the rest, by foot. Over dirt roads they went from Alabama and South Carolina to present-day Texas and California up north through Kansas to Montana. The Old West was a land of opportunity for these adventurous wranglers and future rodeo champions.
ABH – Black Cowboys of the Old West
**
Computers
Desktop, laptop, they are all here with a wide range of prices. Shop Amazon with confidence
**
Why the first US cowboys were Black
Historians estimate that one in four cowboys were African American, though you’d never guess because the conventional Hollywood image of a cowboy is a white man. Black cowboys have been written out of history, along with the original cattle-raising Native Americans and Mexican vaqueros who taught them. So what are the real origins of cowboy culture in the US? And is there more to modern black cowboy culture than Old Town Road and Lil Nas X? Josh Toussaint-Strauss talks to some of the Black riders who are keeping the history of Black cowboy culture alive
**
Book
Fugitive Slave in the Gold Rush:
Life and Adventures of James Williams (Blacks in the American West)
African American records of the Gold Rush are rare, as are underground railroad accounts from those fleeing to freedom; yet here is the account of a self-taught escaped slave and underground railroad worker who also succumbed to the lure of the California Gold Rush. James Williams was all of these things and more, a fascinating individual who in this memoir manages to cram more life into fewer pages than almost anyone has before or since – a habit of traveling light that served him well. We learn about Williams’s birth and escape from the South and his travels and exciting experiences on the West Coast in the mid-nineteenth century. We become privy to his views on the many people he met, including Chinese immigrants, and his observations on notable events of his time, such as the Modoc War in California.
ABH – Fugatige Slave in the Gold Rush
**
Cell Phones
The place to shop for the greatest selection and prices.
**
Real Black Cowboys……(Mini Documentary)
Why the first US cowboys were Black
Historians estimate that one in four cowboys were African American, though you’d never guess because the conventional Hollywood image of a cowboy is a white man. Black cowboys have been written out of history, along with the original cattle-raising Native Americans and Mexican vaqueros who taught them. So what are the real origins of cowboy culture in the US? And is there more to modern black cowboy culture than Old Town Road and Lil Nas X? Josh Toussaint-Strauss talks to some of the Black riders who are keeping the history of Black cowboy culture alive
**
**
Ancestry Kits
While many are reluctant to uncover their ancestry, most find someone to be proud of. They are afraid because we have been subjected to the false representations in our history books that paint a dreary picture of our ancestors and contributions. Like a mighty tree, we are a product of our roots and have nothing to fear.
The kits below can start you on your journey and below that is a book to start you with information on how to get the most out of your search. Treat yourself or give as a gift. Show pride in your discoveries!
ABH – Ancestry DNA Kit
The followng book is a great accessorie to go with the kit above
Book
Black Roots by Tony Borroughs
Black Roots: A Beginners Guide To Tracing The African American Family Tree
Trace, document, record, and write your family’s history with this easy-to-read, step-by-step authoritative guide.
Finally, here is the fun, easy-to-use guide that African Americans have been waiting for since Alex Haley published Roots more than twenty-five years ago. Written by the leading African American professional genealogist in the United States who teaches and lectures widely, Black Roots highlights some of the special problems, solutions, and sources unique to African Americans. Based on solid genealogical principles and designed for those who have little or no experience researching their family’s past, but valuable to any genealogist, this book explains everything you need to get started, including: where to search close to home, where to write for records, how to make the best use of libraries and the Internet, and how to organize research, analyze historical documents, and write the family history.
This guide also includes:
-real case histories that illustrate the unique challenges posed to African Americans and how they were solved
-more than 100 illustrations and photographs of actual documents and records you’re likely to encounter when tracing your family tree
-samples of all the worksheets and forms you’ll need to keep your research in order
-a list of the traps even experienced researchers often falls into that hamper their research
**
To see the full listing of post on AmazingBlackHistory.com (over 250 and counting), click on our Blog list
Current Mini-series on voting
Voting Tutorial – Click this important link
Voting – Voter Suppression – Click this important link
Voting – Gerrymandering Explained, This post
Voting – Why, how and where
For Black History Month 2020, we posted daily. These posts focus on the reality of Black life in America after the Civil War culminating in the landmark Brown v Board of Education that changed so many of the earlier practices. To see the posts, click here
For Black History Month 2021, we focused on Black Medical Achievements, Inventors and Scientists. To see those posts, click here.
For Black History Month 2022 we focused on “Health and Wellness”. To see the entire series, click this link.
For Women’s History Month 2022 we introduced you to 31 amazing Black women we should all know. To see the entire series, click this link.
We also posted a 5 part mini-series on the 100th anniversary of one of the most horrific massacres in the history of America. Hundreds of Blacks were slaughtered and 10,000 left homeless in this largely unknown event. To see the posts, click here.
We also did a mini-series on the Schomburg Center for Research a most amazing collection of Black history and culture. To see this mini-series, click here
The Schomburg Center
A world class collection of Black History inspired by a 5th grade teacher who told Arturo Schomburg that there was NO African history. Nothing of value. Schomburg dedicated his life to proving that teacher wrong and Schomburg did an amazing job with his collection.
Schomburg – The man who built a library
To comment or make suggestions on future posts, use Contact Us
We encourage you to share the site on social media.
Use our links to Amazon anytime you shop Amazon. We receive a small royalty without cost to you. Continue to scroll for fascinating Videos and Books to enhance your learning experience.
**
While it is difficult to talk about the subject of race, it is actually caused because we have never done it before. Failure to address a problem is like the old proverb. A stitch in time saves nine. Many Whites carry a burden and fear that they are all decended from slaveowners which is untrue, but the lack of honest in teaching history has left many with an undue burden. Besides there is nothing we can do with the past is to acknowledge it and pledge to solve the problem starting today. In order to address the problem, we need a mature system of discussions to get over one of the greatest problems we face in America. It will only get worse if we attempt to ignore it.