Member-only story
A Man For The People.
Bass Reeves, from Former Slave to a Legend!
In 1846, William Reeves, a slave master, a farmer & politician, took his black slave, Bass Reeves, to Texas to work as a field hand.
Bass escaped & fled north to Indian territory, where he lived among the Cherokees, Seminoles, and Creeks. He learned their customs, languages, tracking, stalking & survival skills, and a keen sense for a fast gun.
In 1863, with the Emancipation Proclamation in effect, Reeves was no longer a fugitive. So he returned to Arkansas, bought a farm, and married.
After the Civil War, he worked as an interpreter for settlers returning to the Indian Territory. When railroads were under construction, he protected workers from being fleeced of their earnings by con men.
In the 1870s, Indian territory ran rampant with horse thieves, murderers, robbers & whisky peddlers. To bring law & order to the area, President Ulysses Grant appointed an experienced judge to recruit marshals to police the Indian Territory. A deputy of the judge, Fagan, was aware of the ability of Bass Reeves and commissioned him as the only black deputy among the hired men.
Reeves was an exemplary Lawman. He had a strong sense of right & wrong. His dedication and fearless attitude gained the respect of the people.
