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Bass Reeves
Bass Reeves (July 1838 – January 12, 1910) was a deputy U.S. Marshal, gunfighter, farmer, scout, tracker, and railroad agent who escaped from slavery. He spoke the languages of several Native American tribes including Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole, and Muscogee. Reeves was one of the first black Deputy U.S. Marshals west of the Mississippi River, mostly working in the Indian Territory. Reeves is credited with more than 3,000 arrests during his career and with killing twenty men in the line of duty.[irrelevant citation][failed verification]
Reeves was born into slavery in Crawford County, Arkansas. His family was enslaved by Arkansas state legislator William Steele Reeves. During the American Civil War, his owners fought for the Confederacy. At some point, Reeves escaped and fled to Indian Territory, where he learned American Indian languages and customs, as well as tracking and survival skills. He eventually became a farmer and rancher. In 1875, Reeves was hired as a deputy U.S. Marshal at age 37. Reeves was well acquainted with the Indian Territory and served there for over 32 years as a peace officer, covering over 75,000 square miles in what is now Oklahoma. He accidentally shot his cook, William Leach, which led to the court case United States vs. Bass Reeves, for which he was acquitted. His first wife Jennie died in 1896, and in 1902 he had to arrest his son Benjamin "Bennie" Reeves, who was charged with murdering his wife, Castella Brown. Bennie was found guilty by a jury on January 22, 1903, in Muskogee. The presiding judge was C. W. Raymond. Bennie was sentenced to the U.S. prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for his natural life. Bennie was released after eleven years in prison and lived out the rest of his life as a model citizen.
Reeves's weapons of choice were the Winchester Models 1873 and 1892. Both rifles used cartridges (commonly .44-40) compatible with contemporary handguns, allowing him to carry a single type of ammunition. He also carried a shotgun and briefly used an 1873 Colt Single Action Army "Peacemaker" in .45 Colt. He tracked and killed outlaw Jim Webb, who had murdered over eleven people.[better source needed] Another outlaw Reeves encountered was murderer and horse thief Wiley Bear.[citation needed] Reeves rounded him up along with his gang, which included John Simmons and Sam Lasly.[citation needed] Reeves was involved in a gunfight with the Creek desperado Frank Buck, whom he shot and killed.[failed verification]
Reeves has been portrayed in popular media, including television shows, films, novels, poems, and books. He was also inducted into the Texas Trail of Fame. A bronze statue of Reeves was erected in Pendergraft Park in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and the Bass Reeves Memorial Bridge in Oklahoma was named after the lawman. A life-size statue of Reeves was erected and unveiled by the Three Rivers Museum on January 11, 2025, in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
Reeves was born into slavery in Crawford County, Arkansas, in 1838. He was named after his grandfather, Bass Washington. Reeves and his family were enslaved by Arkansas state legislator William Steele Reeves. When Bass was eight, in about 1846, William Reeves moved to Grayson County, Texas, near Sherman in the Peters Colony. It appears plausible that Reeves, still enslaved, was retained as a servant by William Steele Reeves's son, Colonel George R. Reeves, a Texan sheriff, legislator, and one-time Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. When the American Civil War began, George Reeves joined the Confederate States Army, taking Bass with him. According to the Reeves family, at some time between 1861 and 1862, Bass attacked George Reeves following an argument during a poker card game. He escaped to Indian Territory which is now Kansas and Oklahoma. Once there, he became acquainted with the Cherokee, Cree, and Seminole, learning their customs, languages, and tracking skills. The Emancipation Proclamation gave Reeves his freedom. As a freedman, Reeves returned to Arkansas and farmed near Van Buren.[non-primary source needed]
Reeves and his family farmed until 1875, when Isaac C. Parker was appointed federal judge for the Indian Territory. Parker appointed James F. Fagan as U.S. marshal, directing him to hire 200 deputy U.S. marshals. Fagan had heard about Reeves, who knew the Territory and could speak several Native languages. He recruited him as a deputy. Reeves, age 37, was among the first Black deputies to serve west of the Mississippi River.
Reeves was assigned as a deputy U.S. marshal for the Western District of Arkansas, which had responsibility also for Indian Territory. He served there until 1893. That year he transferred to the Eastern District of Texas in Paris, Texas, for a short while. In 1897, he was transferred again, serving at the Muskogee Federal Court in the Native Territory.
Reeves worked for 32 years as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory and became one of Judge Parker's most valued deputies. Reeves brought in some of the most dangerous fugitives of the time. He was never wounded, despite having his hat and belt shot off on separate occasions.
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Bass Reeves
Bass Reeves (July 1838 – January 12, 1910) was a deputy U.S. Marshal, gunfighter, farmer, scout, tracker, and railroad agent who escaped from slavery. He spoke the languages of several Native American tribes including Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole, and Muscogee. Reeves was one of the first black Deputy U.S. Marshals west of the Mississippi River, mostly working in the Indian Territory. Reeves is credited with more than 3,000 arrests during his career and with killing twenty men in the line of duty.[irrelevant citation][failed verification]
Reeves was born into slavery in Crawford County, Arkansas. His family was enslaved by Arkansas state legislator William Steele Reeves. During the American Civil War, his owners fought for the Confederacy. At some point, Reeves escaped and fled to Indian Territory, where he learned American Indian languages and customs, as well as tracking and survival skills. He eventually became a farmer and rancher. In 1875, Reeves was hired as a deputy U.S. Marshal at age 37. Reeves was well acquainted with the Indian Territory and served there for over 32 years as a peace officer, covering over 75,000 square miles in what is now Oklahoma. He accidentally shot his cook, William Leach, which led to the court case United States vs. Bass Reeves, for which he was acquitted. His first wife Jennie died in 1896, and in 1902 he had to arrest his son Benjamin "Bennie" Reeves, who was charged with murdering his wife, Castella Brown. Bennie was found guilty by a jury on January 22, 1903, in Muskogee. The presiding judge was C. W. Raymond. Bennie was sentenced to the U.S. prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for his natural life. Bennie was released after eleven years in prison and lived out the rest of his life as a model citizen.
Reeves's weapons of choice were the Winchester Models 1873 and 1892. Both rifles used cartridges (commonly .44-40) compatible with contemporary handguns, allowing him to carry a single type of ammunition. He also carried a shotgun and briefly used an 1873 Colt Single Action Army "Peacemaker" in .45 Colt. He tracked and killed outlaw Jim Webb, who had murdered over eleven people.[better source needed] Another outlaw Reeves encountered was murderer and horse thief Wiley Bear.[citation needed] Reeves rounded him up along with his gang, which included John Simmons and Sam Lasly.[citation needed] Reeves was involved in a gunfight with the Creek desperado Frank Buck, whom he shot and killed.[failed verification]
Reeves has been portrayed in popular media, including television shows, films, novels, poems, and books. He was also inducted into the Texas Trail of Fame. A bronze statue of Reeves was erected in Pendergraft Park in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and the Bass Reeves Memorial Bridge in Oklahoma was named after the lawman. A life-size statue of Reeves was erected and unveiled by the Three Rivers Museum on January 11, 2025, in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
Reeves was born into slavery in Crawford County, Arkansas, in 1838. He was named after his grandfather, Bass Washington. Reeves and his family were enslaved by Arkansas state legislator William Steele Reeves. When Bass was eight, in about 1846, William Reeves moved to Grayson County, Texas, near Sherman in the Peters Colony. It appears plausible that Reeves, still enslaved, was retained as a servant by William Steele Reeves's son, Colonel George R. Reeves, a Texan sheriff, legislator, and one-time Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. When the American Civil War began, George Reeves joined the Confederate States Army, taking Bass with him. According to the Reeves family, at some time between 1861 and 1862, Bass attacked George Reeves following an argument during a poker card game. He escaped to Indian Territory which is now Kansas and Oklahoma. Once there, he became acquainted with the Cherokee, Cree, and Seminole, learning their customs, languages, and tracking skills. The Emancipation Proclamation gave Reeves his freedom. As a freedman, Reeves returned to Arkansas and farmed near Van Buren.[non-primary source needed]
Reeves and his family farmed until 1875, when Isaac C. Parker was appointed federal judge for the Indian Territory. Parker appointed James F. Fagan as U.S. marshal, directing him to hire 200 deputy U.S. marshals. Fagan had heard about Reeves, who knew the Territory and could speak several Native languages. He recruited him as a deputy. Reeves, age 37, was among the first Black deputies to serve west of the Mississippi River.
Reeves was assigned as a deputy U.S. marshal for the Western District of Arkansas, which had responsibility also for Indian Territory. He served there until 1893. That year he transferred to the Eastern District of Texas in Paris, Texas, for a short while. In 1897, he was transferred again, serving at the Muskogee Federal Court in the Native Territory.
Reeves worked for 32 years as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory and became one of Judge Parker's most valued deputies. Reeves brought in some of the most dangerous fugitives of the time. He was never wounded, despite having his hat and belt shot off on separate occasions.
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