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Wild Bill Hickok 1837-1876
James Wild Bill Hickok was born in 1837 in
Illinois and shot dead in 1876 in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, which
is today your South Dakota.
He knew how to shoot a gun and apparently he
used his skill for the good of humankind. He was the Mother Theresa
of escaped slaves.
In 1856, Wild Bill went to Kansas. There, he
continued being against slavery.
In 1861, Wild Bill shot
Dave McCanles at
Rock Creek, Nebraska Territory.
Wild Bill went on to work for the Union
during the
American Civil War. The years 1872 until 1874 saw him performing with a
theater group. In between, Wild Bill worked as respected sheriff of
Hays City and marshal of Abilene.
Bill met
Calamity Jane
and might or might not have married her and might or might not have
had a kid with her.
In 1876, Wild Bill married Mrs
Agnes
Lake Thatcher, who was a window at the time, born Mersman. The lady
was abandoned by Bill shortly after, in order for Bill to dig some
gold out of the Black Hills (the home of
Crazy Horse.)
On August 2, 1876, there in Deadwood at
Saloon No. 10,
Wild Bill thought it couldn't hurt to play a hand of poker. But
stuff went wrong, and Wild Bill was shot by
Jack McCall, who, in turn, was hanged
for the murder on March 1, 1877.
Bill's last hand was a pair of black
aces,
a pair of black eights and an unknown fifth card. And as all you poker
pros know, this is your "Dead Man's Hand."
Wild Bill's Grave
Wild Bill was buried alongside Calamity Jane
at Mt. Moriah Cemetery.
I found the picture below in the
fabulous Sunset
magazine, August 2006 issue. Copyright by Johnny Sundby.
WILD BILL HICKOK'S MONUMENT
AT MT. MORIAH CEMETERY
More About Deadwood,
South Dakota
Here's
Deadwood's
official site.
And this is the site of
the
Adams
Museum.
More History
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