Bass Reeves lived a life, for better or worse, that could only have happened in the United States. He was born into slavery and then became the first black U.S. Marshal who arrested over 3,000 criminals.
Not only was he a lawman who broke the color barrier, but he became the best lawman west of the Mississippi River, leaving behind an impressive record and legacy. His life story is full of action, adventure, and making history.
Who Was Bass Reeves?
Bass Reeves was born into slavery on a plantation in Crawford County, Arkansas, in 1838. Reeves’ owner was Arkansas state legislator William Steele Reeves. When Bass was still a child, he moved to Texas, where he would live until the Civil War broke out.
Bass became close to William Steele Reeves’ son, George. Bass took care of George, and even though he was George’s property it is said that the two were friendly as Bass also served as George’s confidant.
Welcomed by the Native American Population
When the Civil War broke out, George joined the Confederate Army. Slaves were not allowed to serve in the army that was fighting to keep them in bondage. However, soldiers, especially officers such as George Reeves, took slaves with them as servants. Bass followed his owner George wherever the Confederate Army sent him.
For the first time in his life, Bass was away from the plantation as he followed his Confederate owner. Details are not known for sure, but at some point, he either escaped or was released by George. Bass decided to seek safety in Indian Territory, which would eventually become the state of Oklahoma.
For the rest of the war, Bass hid out in Indian Territory where he formed relationships with the local Native American tribes that would serve him well later as a lawman in the region. Bass was accepted by the Cherokee, Seminole, and Creek people. He learned their languages and customs as well as how to live as a free man. The indigenous people taught Bass how to survive far away from his previous life of bondage on the plantation.
The First Black U.S. Deputy Marshal
When the Civil War ended, and the 13th Amendment that outlawed slavery was passed, Bass returned as a freedman. With his freedom and the knowledge he learned from the Native Americans, he decided to buy a farm in Arkansas.
Bass married and had children while farming his piece of land in peace. For years, his reputation as a master tracker and translator led to him being hired for certain expeditions into Indian Territory every so often. Then, in 1875, he was visited by James F. Fagan, who was recently appointed as head of the U.S. Marshals in Indian Territory.
Fagan was tasked with hiring 200 deputies and had heard about Bass and his experience living in Indian Territory and speaking the languages of the local tribes. Bass must have been looking for some adventure because he signed up with Fagan and became the first black U.S. Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi River.
You might like this:
The Real-Life Django Who Rebelled Against Slavery And No One Talks About Enough
For the next 32 years, Bass worked as a lawman and made a name for himself as a cunning, ruthless, and successful peace officer. He was soon identified by government officials as the man to assign the most difficult cases and to catch the most dangerous fugitives.
He gathered important intelligence from the indigenous people and used his tracking skills to find fugitives on the run. Bass never learned how to read, so he memorized warrants for the people he was looking for. He was also a sharpshooter, so if a fugitive put up a fight, Bass would not hesitate to shoot the man dead.
Bass was given jurisdiction over 75,000 square miles, which meant lots of time spent on horseback chasing after some of the deadliest outlaws in the Wild West. Throughout his career, he arrested over 3,000 fugitives and criminals. One of those arrests was unlike the others though.
The Incorruptible Bass Reeves
Bass’ son Benjamin murdered his wife and was on the run. Authorities knew only one man could catch the murderer, and that was the murderer’s own father. Bass had a duty to perform and successfully arrested his son, who spent years locked up at Leavenworth prison. Bass is also credited with killing between 14 – 20 criminals who foolishly tried to get into a gunfight with the Deputy Marshall known throughout the region as a top-notch sharpshooter.
In 1907, Indian Territory became the state of Oklahoma, and the U.S. Marshals were no longer needed to patrol the region. Bass was 68 years old, but he wasn’t ready to give up his badge and sidearm, so he joined the Muskogee, Oklahoma Police. Two years later, he came down with a kidney illness that forced him into retirement.
On January 12th, 1910, Bass Reeves passed away. Bass Reeves left behind an impressive legacy not just as a member of law enforcement but also as someone who was born a slave and then became the most fearsome and respected lawman west of the Mississippi River.
