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1837 "Wild Bill" Hickok [James Butler] was born in Troy Grove, Illinois (d. 1876). From the article:
"Wild Bill Hickok
Early Years
A legend during his life and considered one of the American west's premier gunfighters, James Butler ("Wild Bill") Hickok was born May 27, 1837, in Troy Grove, Illinois. The son of William Alonzo and Polly Butler Hickok, he was by all accounts a master marksman from an early age.
Hickok moved west in 1855 to farm and joined General James Lane's Free State (antislavery) forces in Kansas. He was later elected constable of Monticello Township in Johnson County, Kansas.
For the next several years, Hickok worked as a stagecoach driver. During the Civil War he found employment as a teamster and spy for the Union Army.
Birth of a Legend
Wild Bill Hickok's iconic status is rooted in a shootout in July 1861 in what came to be known as the McCanles Massacre in Rock Creek, Nebraska. The incident began when David McCanles, his brother William and several farmhands came to the station demanding payment for a property that had been bought from him. Hickok, just a stable-hand at the time, killed the three men, despite being severely injured.
The story quickly became newspaper and magazine fodder. Perhaps most famously, Harper's New Monthly Magazine printed an account of the story in 1867, claiming Hickok had killed 10 men. Overall, it was reported that Hickok had killed over 100 men during his lifetime.
During the Civil War, Wild Bill Hickok served in the Union Army as a civilian scout and later a provost marshal. Though no solid record exists, he is believed to have served as a Union spy in the Confederate Army before his discharge in 1865.
In July, 1865, in Springfield, Missouri's town square, Hickok killed Davis Tutt, an old friend who -- after personal grudges escalated -- became an enemy. The two men faced each other sideways for a duel. Tutt reached for his pistol but Hickok was the first to draw his weapon, and shot Tutt instantly, from approximately 75 yards.
Wild Bill Hickok’s legend only grew further when other stories about his fighting prowess surfaced. One story claimed he killed a bear with his bare hands and a bowie knife. The Harper's piece also told the story of how Hickok had pointed to a letter "O" that was "no bigger than a man's heart." Standing some 50 yards away from his subject, Hickok "without sighting his pistol and with his eye" rang off six shots, each of them hitting the direct center of the letter.
Final Years
Following his Civil War service, Wild Bill Hickok moved to Kansas where he was appointed sheriff in Hays City and marshal of Abilene. Both towns had become outposts for lawless men before Hickok arrived and turned things around. In an 1871 account that changed his life, Hickok was reportedly involved in a shootout with saloon owner Phil Coe. In the melee, Hickok caught a glimpse of someone moving towards him and responded with two shots killing his deputy Mike Williams. The event haunted Hickok for the rest of his life. After in inquest where other incidents of Hickok’s brand of “frontier justice” was revealed, he was relieved of his duties.
Hickok never fought in another gun battle. During the next several years he appeared in Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show, living off his fame as the consummate gunfighter.
In 1876, Wild Bill Hickok was suffering from glaucoma. Relegated to making a living through other means than law enforcement, he traveled from one town to another as a gambler. Several times he was arrested for vagrancy. On March 5, 1876, he married Agnes Thatcher Lake, an owner of a circus in Cheyenne, Wyoming territory. He left his wife a few months later to seek his fortune in the goldfields of South Dakota. It was here that he supposedly became romantically linked to Martha Jane Canary, also known as "Calamity Jane," but most historians discount any such amorous relationship between the two.
While in Deadwood, South Dakota, Wild Bill Hickok became a regular poker player at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon. On the afternoon of August 2, 1876, he was playing cards with his back to the door, something he seldom did. A young drifter named Jack McCall walked in and approached Hickok from behind. Not wasting a second, he quietly drew his revolver and shot Hickok in the back of the head, instantly killing him. Even in death Hickok's legend grew. The cards he was holding at the time -- a pair of black aces and a pair of black eights -- became known as "the dead man's hand."
McCall was brought to trial the next day. He was found not guilty by a “miners’ court” after telling judges that Hickok killed his brother, though later accounts showed McCall had no brothers. After his release, McCall had lingered in Deadwood for a short while before heading to Wyoming. Less than a month after Hickok's death, the trial was found to have no legal status because Deadwood was located in Indian Territory - McCall's acquittal was deemed invalid. Still, feeling he had escaped punishment, McCall began to brag to anyone that would listen that he had killed Wild Bill Hickok. But the U.S. marshals were on his trail and McCall was arrested on August 29, 1876 in Laramie, where he was held before he was extradited to Yankton, South Dakota. The trial began on December 4 and it only took two days for the jury to find McCall guilty. He was sentenced to death on January 3, 1877 and on March 1, 1877 he was executed by hanging."
"Wild Bill Hickok
Early Years
A legend during his life and considered one of the American west's premier gunfighters, James Butler ("Wild Bill") Hickok was born May 27, 1837, in Troy Grove, Illinois. The son of William Alonzo and Polly Butler Hickok, he was by all accounts a master marksman from an early age.
Hickok moved west in 1855 to farm and joined General James Lane's Free State (antislavery) forces in Kansas. He was later elected constable of Monticello Township in Johnson County, Kansas.
For the next several years, Hickok worked as a stagecoach driver. During the Civil War he found employment as a teamster and spy for the Union Army.
Birth of a Legend
Wild Bill Hickok's iconic status is rooted in a shootout in July 1861 in what came to be known as the McCanles Massacre in Rock Creek, Nebraska. The incident began when David McCanles, his brother William and several farmhands came to the station demanding payment for a property that had been bought from him. Hickok, just a stable-hand at the time, killed the three men, despite being severely injured.
The story quickly became newspaper and magazine fodder. Perhaps most famously, Harper's New Monthly Magazine printed an account of the story in 1867, claiming Hickok had killed 10 men. Overall, it was reported that Hickok had killed over 100 men during his lifetime.
During the Civil War, Wild Bill Hickok served in the Union Army as a civilian scout and later a provost marshal. Though no solid record exists, he is believed to have served as a Union spy in the Confederate Army before his discharge in 1865.
In July, 1865, in Springfield, Missouri's town square, Hickok killed Davis Tutt, an old friend who -- after personal grudges escalated -- became an enemy. The two men faced each other sideways for a duel. Tutt reached for his pistol but Hickok was the first to draw his weapon, and shot Tutt instantly, from approximately 75 yards.
Wild Bill Hickok’s legend only grew further when other stories about his fighting prowess surfaced. One story claimed he killed a bear with his bare hands and a bowie knife. The Harper's piece also told the story of how Hickok had pointed to a letter "O" that was "no bigger than a man's heart." Standing some 50 yards away from his subject, Hickok "without sighting his pistol and with his eye" rang off six shots, each of them hitting the direct center of the letter.
Final Years
Following his Civil War service, Wild Bill Hickok moved to Kansas where he was appointed sheriff in Hays City and marshal of Abilene. Both towns had become outposts for lawless men before Hickok arrived and turned things around. In an 1871 account that changed his life, Hickok was reportedly involved in a shootout with saloon owner Phil Coe. In the melee, Hickok caught a glimpse of someone moving towards him and responded with two shots killing his deputy Mike Williams. The event haunted Hickok for the rest of his life. After in inquest where other incidents of Hickok’s brand of “frontier justice” was revealed, he was relieved of his duties.
Hickok never fought in another gun battle. During the next several years he appeared in Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show, living off his fame as the consummate gunfighter.
In 1876, Wild Bill Hickok was suffering from glaucoma. Relegated to making a living through other means than law enforcement, he traveled from one town to another as a gambler. Several times he was arrested for vagrancy. On March 5, 1876, he married Agnes Thatcher Lake, an owner of a circus in Cheyenne, Wyoming territory. He left his wife a few months later to seek his fortune in the goldfields of South Dakota. It was here that he supposedly became romantically linked to Martha Jane Canary, also known as "Calamity Jane," but most historians discount any such amorous relationship between the two.
While in Deadwood, South Dakota, Wild Bill Hickok became a regular poker player at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon. On the afternoon of August 2, 1876, he was playing cards with his back to the door, something he seldom did. A young drifter named Jack McCall walked in and approached Hickok from behind. Not wasting a second, he quietly drew his revolver and shot Hickok in the back of the head, instantly killing him. Even in death Hickok's legend grew. The cards he was holding at the time -- a pair of black aces and a pair of black eights -- became known as "the dead man's hand."
McCall was brought to trial the next day. He was found not guilty by a “miners’ court” after telling judges that Hickok killed his brother, though later accounts showed McCall had no brothers. After his release, McCall had lingered in Deadwood for a short while before heading to Wyoming. Less than a month after Hickok's death, the trial was found to have no legal status because Deadwood was located in Indian Territory - McCall's acquittal was deemed invalid. Still, feeling he had escaped punishment, McCall began to brag to anyone that would listen that he had killed Wild Bill Hickok. But the U.S. marshals were on his trail and McCall was arrested on August 29, 1876 in Laramie, where he was held before he was extradited to Yankton, South Dakota. The trial began on December 4 and it only took two days for the jury to find McCall guilty. He was sentenced to death on January 3, 1877 and on March 1, 1877 he was executed by hanging."
Wild Bill Hickok
Posted from biography.com
Old West
American History
Military History
Law Enforcement
Murder
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
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The Real Wild West - Episode 3: Wild Bill (HISTORY DOCUMENTARY)
The Real Wild West - Episode 3: Wild Bill (HISTORY DOCUMENTARY) The Wild West collection features documentaries about some of the most controversial and myth...
Thank you my friend SGT (Join to see) for making us aware that on May 27, 1837 "Wild Bill" Hickok was born in Troy Grove, Illinois.
He was an American frontiersman who helped bring order to the frontier West. Born as James Butler Hickok, he was one of the early “Heroes of the West” known for his skills as a gunfighter, scout and professional gambler.
Image: 1876 Wild Bill Hickok tombstone.
Background from thefamouspeople.com/profiles/wild-bill-hickok-6657.php
"Wild Bill Hickok was an American frontiersman who helped bring order to the frontier West. Born as James Butler Hickok, he was one of the early “Heroes of the West” known for his skills as a gunfighter, scout and professional gambler. Born and raised on a farm in rural Illinois, he grew up to be a tough teenager who often picked up fights with other boys. Following a violent fight with a boy named Charles Hudson, Hickok thought that he had killed his opponent and thus fled from home to evade arrest. He moved west and joined General James Lane's Free State (antislavery) forces in Kansas. During this time he also worked as a stagecoach driver. When the American Civil War broke out, he joined the Union Army and also spied for them. By this time he had become a remarkable marksman and a skilled professional gambler. His exploits during the war greatly added to his reputation and he was catapulted to the status of a legendary hero of the West. After the war, he was appointed sheriff in Hays City and marshal of Abilene—cities notorious for being havens for lawless men. Hickok, however, changed that and helped to establish law and order in these cities which further cemented his reputation as a folk hero.
Childhood & Early Life
Wild Bill Hickok was born as James Butler Hickok on May 27, 1837, in Troy Grove, Illinois, US, to William and Polly (Butler) Hickok. He was raised in a rural farm and grew up to be a brave and tough boy.
He proved to be a good shot from a young age and was soon recognized locally as a skilled marksman. At the age of 18 he picked up a fight with a boy called Charles Hudson, during which both fell into a canal. Hickok feared that he had killed Charles and fled home to evade arrest.
Later Years
He moved to Leavenworth in the Kansas Territory in 1855. At that time there was a violent conflict going on in the region over whether slavery should be permitted there or not. Hickok joined the antislavery Free State Army of Jayhawkers, serving under General James Lane.
It did not take long for the brave and sturdy Hickok to gain a reputation as a campaigner for fairness, and he earned a position as a constable in Monticello, Kansas, in 1858.
Around this time he was injured in a bear attack which left him bedridden for six months. He moved to southern Nebraska in the summer of 1861 to work at the Pony Express station at Rock Creek.
The American Civil War broke out in April 1861 and he signed on as a teamster (an outfitter or packer) for the Union Army in Sedalia, Missouri. He served as a wagon-master for some time and it was also reported that he operated as a Union spy in Confederate territory.
An incident happened in 1861 that would greatly add to the reputation of this extraordinary marksman. Hickok, along two other men, Horace Wellman and J. W. Brink was involved in a deadly shootout with David McCanles that resulted in McCanles’ death. All the three men were tried for murder but judged to have acted in self-defense.
He was hired by the provost marshal of south-west Missouri as a member of the Springfield, Missouri detective police in late 1863. He was assigned routine duties as a police detective and likely resigned in 1864 after not having been paid for some months.
Over the ensuing years he became involved in many more fabled shootouts including the famous Wild Bill Hickok-Davis Tutt shootout in 1865. It was a gunfight between the two men—a one-on-one pistol quick-draw duel in a public place—that resulted in the death of Tutt at the hands of Hickok. Hickok was arrested for murder, tried, and acquitted.
He became even more famous after the Tutt incident and it was reported in the ‘New York Herald’ in 1867 that Hickok had killed 100 men, which was obviously an exaggeration.
In 1867–68, he scouted for General Winfield Scott Hancock and Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. He became sheriff of Hays City, Kansas, in 1869 and killed several men in shootouts. He helped to bring law and order in the city which was notorious as a hideout for many criminals.
He was appointed the marshal of the tough cow town of Abilene, Texas, in 1871. Once again he proved his mettle and helped bring about order in the formerly violent region which was ridden with lawless men. However, he accidently killed his own deputy marshal which led to Hickok’s dismissal.
Tall, well-built, and good-looking, he tried his hand at acting in the Wild West shows, which were growing in popularity. In spite of his stunning looks and immense popularity, he proved to be a poor actor and did not fare well in this occupation. He returned to the West in 1874.
Major Works
Wild Bill Hickok was one of the early “Heroes of the West”, reputed to be an extraordinary gunfighter with a sense of fairness and justice. He was very famous as a lawman who established law and order in the most lawless towns on the frontier and best remembered for his services as the sheriff of Hays City and marshal of Abilene.
Awards & Achievements
In 1979, Hickok was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.
Personal Life & Legacy
Wild Bill Hickok married Agnes Thatcher Lake, a 50-year-old circus proprietor in Cheyenne on March 5, 1876, at the age of 38.
Hickok was playing poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon in Deadwood, in the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory on August 2, 1876. A former buffalo hunter, Jack McCall, entered the saloon and shot Hickok point-blank in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Almost the entire town attended the funeral, and he was buried in the Ingelside Cemetery."
The Real Wild West - Episode 3: Wild Bill (HISTORY DOCUMENTARY)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iDUdyDrcJc
FYI LTC Wayne Brandon LTC (Join to see) MSgt Robert C Aldi CPT Scott Sharon CMSgt (Join to see) SMSgt Tom Burns SSG Donald H "Don" Bates SSG Jeffrey Leake Sgt (Join to see) SGT Randal Groover SGT Rick Colburn SPC Mike Lake PO3 William Hetrick PO3 Lynn Spalding SPC Mark Huddleston Rhonda Hanson SPC Jordan Sutich PO3 Craig Phillips
He was an American frontiersman who helped bring order to the frontier West. Born as James Butler Hickok, he was one of the early “Heroes of the West” known for his skills as a gunfighter, scout and professional gambler.
Image: 1876 Wild Bill Hickok tombstone.
Background from thefamouspeople.com/profiles/wild-bill-hickok-6657.php
"Wild Bill Hickok was an American frontiersman who helped bring order to the frontier West. Born as James Butler Hickok, he was one of the early “Heroes of the West” known for his skills as a gunfighter, scout and professional gambler. Born and raised on a farm in rural Illinois, he grew up to be a tough teenager who often picked up fights with other boys. Following a violent fight with a boy named Charles Hudson, Hickok thought that he had killed his opponent and thus fled from home to evade arrest. He moved west and joined General James Lane's Free State (antislavery) forces in Kansas. During this time he also worked as a stagecoach driver. When the American Civil War broke out, he joined the Union Army and also spied for them. By this time he had become a remarkable marksman and a skilled professional gambler. His exploits during the war greatly added to his reputation and he was catapulted to the status of a legendary hero of the West. After the war, he was appointed sheriff in Hays City and marshal of Abilene—cities notorious for being havens for lawless men. Hickok, however, changed that and helped to establish law and order in these cities which further cemented his reputation as a folk hero.
Childhood & Early Life
Wild Bill Hickok was born as James Butler Hickok on May 27, 1837, in Troy Grove, Illinois, US, to William and Polly (Butler) Hickok. He was raised in a rural farm and grew up to be a brave and tough boy.
He proved to be a good shot from a young age and was soon recognized locally as a skilled marksman. At the age of 18 he picked up a fight with a boy called Charles Hudson, during which both fell into a canal. Hickok feared that he had killed Charles and fled home to evade arrest.
Later Years
He moved to Leavenworth in the Kansas Territory in 1855. At that time there was a violent conflict going on in the region over whether slavery should be permitted there or not. Hickok joined the antislavery Free State Army of Jayhawkers, serving under General James Lane.
It did not take long for the brave and sturdy Hickok to gain a reputation as a campaigner for fairness, and he earned a position as a constable in Monticello, Kansas, in 1858.
Around this time he was injured in a bear attack which left him bedridden for six months. He moved to southern Nebraska in the summer of 1861 to work at the Pony Express station at Rock Creek.
The American Civil War broke out in April 1861 and he signed on as a teamster (an outfitter or packer) for the Union Army in Sedalia, Missouri. He served as a wagon-master for some time and it was also reported that he operated as a Union spy in Confederate territory.
An incident happened in 1861 that would greatly add to the reputation of this extraordinary marksman. Hickok, along two other men, Horace Wellman and J. W. Brink was involved in a deadly shootout with David McCanles that resulted in McCanles’ death. All the three men were tried for murder but judged to have acted in self-defense.
He was hired by the provost marshal of south-west Missouri as a member of the Springfield, Missouri detective police in late 1863. He was assigned routine duties as a police detective and likely resigned in 1864 after not having been paid for some months.
Over the ensuing years he became involved in many more fabled shootouts including the famous Wild Bill Hickok-Davis Tutt shootout in 1865. It was a gunfight between the two men—a one-on-one pistol quick-draw duel in a public place—that resulted in the death of Tutt at the hands of Hickok. Hickok was arrested for murder, tried, and acquitted.
He became even more famous after the Tutt incident and it was reported in the ‘New York Herald’ in 1867 that Hickok had killed 100 men, which was obviously an exaggeration.
In 1867–68, he scouted for General Winfield Scott Hancock and Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. He became sheriff of Hays City, Kansas, in 1869 and killed several men in shootouts. He helped to bring law and order in the city which was notorious as a hideout for many criminals.
He was appointed the marshal of the tough cow town of Abilene, Texas, in 1871. Once again he proved his mettle and helped bring about order in the formerly violent region which was ridden with lawless men. However, he accidently killed his own deputy marshal which led to Hickok’s dismissal.
Tall, well-built, and good-looking, he tried his hand at acting in the Wild West shows, which were growing in popularity. In spite of his stunning looks and immense popularity, he proved to be a poor actor and did not fare well in this occupation. He returned to the West in 1874.
Major Works
Wild Bill Hickok was one of the early “Heroes of the West”, reputed to be an extraordinary gunfighter with a sense of fairness and justice. He was very famous as a lawman who established law and order in the most lawless towns on the frontier and best remembered for his services as the sheriff of Hays City and marshal of Abilene.
Awards & Achievements
In 1979, Hickok was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.
Personal Life & Legacy
Wild Bill Hickok married Agnes Thatcher Lake, a 50-year-old circus proprietor in Cheyenne on March 5, 1876, at the age of 38.
Hickok was playing poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon in Deadwood, in the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory on August 2, 1876. A former buffalo hunter, Jack McCall, entered the saloon and shot Hickok point-blank in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Almost the entire town attended the funeral, and he was buried in the Ingelside Cemetery."
The Real Wild West - Episode 3: Wild Bill (HISTORY DOCUMENTARY)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iDUdyDrcJc
FYI LTC Wayne Brandon LTC (Join to see) MSgt Robert C Aldi CPT Scott Sharon CMSgt (Join to see) SMSgt Tom Burns SSG Donald H "Don" Bates SSG Jeffrey Leake Sgt (Join to see) SGT Randal Groover SGT Rick Colburn SPC Mike Lake PO3 William Hetrick PO3 Lynn Spalding SPC Mark Huddleston Rhonda Hanson SPC Jordan Sutich PO3 Craig Phillips
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