Historical Spotlight: Cowboys of the Wild West
Popular shows like Yellowstone, Westwood, Bonanza, and many others pay homage to the cowboys of the Wild West. While most of them feature Caucasian actors, it’s actually estimated that 25% of cowboys from 1866 to 1886 were actually Black Americans. Despite being underrepresented in popular society, the Black cowboys played a vital role in settling the untouched land of the West. Join me as we shine a historical spotlight on the Black ranchers, cowboys, and settlers that helped shape the nation.
During the time of slavery, many ranch owners utilized free slave labor to process cattle and keep operations running. Texas in particular had roughly 182,566 slaves before joining the Confederacy in 1861. Since many ranchers left to fight in the Civil War, they depended on their slaves to keep their farms going. During that time, the slaves learned the necessary skills of cattle tending that made them invaluable to the Texas cattle industry.
After the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War, many freed Black Americans turned to roaming the frontier instead of working on farms. Even those cowboys who were still enslaved were treated with more respect and dignity than those working on plantations simply because cowboys had to be independent and trustworthy. All cowboys, no matter race or ethnicity, abided by the “Cowboy Code” of taking responsibility, working as a team, and protecting each other in dangerous situations.
Bass Reeves, born in 1838, was the first Black American Deputy U.S. Marshal to patrol the essentially lawless Indian Territory west of the Mississippi. He was born into slavery, but fled north from Texas during the Civil War. He found refuge amongst the Cherokee, Creek, and Seminole tribes and learned their ways and languages. His involvement with the Indian tribes helped him serve 32 years as a federal peace officer in Indian Territory.
Right after the Civil War, being a cowboy was one of the few jobs open to men of color who didn’t want to serve as elevator operators or delivery boys. They were also in high demand due to their skill, the great number of cattle roaming wild, and ranchers selling their livestock in northern states where beef was nearly ten times more valuable.
Enormous herds of cattle had to be physically moved to shipping points in Kansas, Colorado, and Missouri due to the lack of significant railroads in the region. Unfortunately, the Black cowboys were more likely to be assigned the more dangerous jobs of breaking wild horses or leading cattle across rapid or deep rivers. They often traveled unforgiving trails with harsh environmental conditions and faced attacks from Native Americans defending their lands.
There were a few Black women who turned to the cowgirl lifestyle as well, one of which was “Stagecoach” Mary Fields, born 1832. She was originally born a slave in Tennessee, but made her way to Cascade County, Montana as a freed woman after the Civil War. In 1895, she became the first Black American to deliver the United States Mail. Aboard her trusty mule, Moses, she trekked through icy blizzards, sweltering heat, and rugged terrain to deliver important documents and packages in a timely fashion. Her reliability made her a vital player in developing central Montana.
Oftentimes, the Black cowboys faced prejudice and discrimination in the towns they passed through. They were banned from eating at certain restaurants or staying in certain hotels. Despite this, Black and white cowboys were able to settle their differences easier than those in the east and other areas of society. Within their crews, they found respect and a level of equality that was hard to come by during this time in history. The cowboys shared a camaraderie like no other. They were always ready to share their blanket or give their last ration to a less fortunate companion.
By the turn of the century, cowboys started to fade out after the railroad expansion in the West, the invention of barbed wire, and Native Americans getting confined to reservations. There was no longer a need for cowboys on ranches, which left Black Americans, especially those who couldn’t purchase land, in a tough transition.
Some former cowboys traded life on the frontier and tried to assimilate into proper society while others took up becoming rodeo stars instead. Cleo Hearn has been a professional cowboy since 1959. In 1970, he was the first Black American cowboy to win a calf-roping event at a major rodeo and he was also the first Black American to attend college on a rodeo scholarship. He achieved notoriety and fame after playing a cowboy in commercials for Ford, Pepsi-Cola, and Levi’s, and was the first Black American to portray the iconic Marlboro Man.
William “Bill” Pickett, born 1870, was the inventor of the steer wrestling event at rodeos. He was born to former slaves, but began his cowboy life right after fifth grade. Throughout his life, he put on exhibitions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, and England. He also made history by being the very first Black American cowboy movie star. 40 years after his death, he was inducted into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1972.
While the Black cowboys definitely had to get used to the new lifestyle away from the sprawling plains and unrestricted life, their tenacity and fervor for life never faded. They required grit, leadership, and teamwork to survive the dangerous situations they often found themselves in, and they continued to live by those morals even after they hung their boots up for good. Their hard work helped connect the Wild Wild West to other parts of the burgeoning country and helped shape the land as we know now.
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Signed,
Jessica Marie
