Bass Reeves

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Bass Reeves
Born	July 1838 Crawford County, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	January 12, 1910(1910-01-12) (aged 71) Muskogee, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupations	Farmer, rancher, railroad agent, tracker, scout, interpreter, deputy United States Marshal, and policeman
Years active	35 years as a law enforcement officer
Known for	More than 3,000 arrests
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) at age 30
Opponents	Jim Webb Wiley Bear[citation needed] John Bruner Frank Buck Ned Christie Belle Starr
Spouses	Jennie Haynes ​ ​ (m. 1864; died 1896)​ Winnie Sumter ​ (m. 1900)​
Children	11
Police career
Country	United States Government
Branch	U.S. Marshal
Service years	1875–1910
Rank	Deputy
Other work	Muskogee police officer

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]: p.21f [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 enslavers 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. In 1902, Reeves 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.^: p.34 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.^{: p.35 [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.

Early life

Reeves was born into slavery in Crawford County, Arkansas, in 1838.^: p.19f He was named after his grandfather, Bass Washington. Reeves and his family were owned by Arkansas state legislator William Steele Reeves.^: p.19f When Bass was eight, in about 1846, William Reeves moved to Grayson County, Texas, near present-day Pottsboro in the Peters Colony.^: p.19f 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.^: p.21ff 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]}

Career

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.^: p.27f

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.

In addition to being a marksman with a rifle and revolver, Reeves developed superior detective skills during his long career. When he retired in 1907, Reeves had on his record thousands of arrests of felons, some accounts claiming over 3,000. According to his obituary, he killed 14 outlaws to defend his life. Reeves even had to arrest his son for murder. Benjamin "Bennie" Reeves was charged with the murder of his wife. Despite the perpetrator being his son, Reeves insisted on the responsibility of bringing Bennie to justice. Accounts of the incident report that Bennie was captured by his father, or turned himself in. He was ultimately tried and convicted, serving 11 years at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas before his sentence was commuted. He reportedly lived the rest of his life as a model citizen.

When Oklahoma became a state in 1907, Reeves, then 68, became an officer of the Muskogee Police Department. He served for two years before he became ill and retired.

Later years

In 1886, Reeves was charged with murdering a posse cook. At his trial before Judge Parker, Reeves claimed to have shot William Leech by mistake while cleaning his gun. He was represented by former United States Attorney W. H. H. Clayton, who was a colleague and friend. Reeves was eventually acquitted, possibly based on his exceptional record.^{: p.139–148}

Personal life, and death

Reeves was married twice and had eleven children. In 1864, he married Nellie Jennie (d. 1896) and after her death, Winnie Sumter (1900–1910). His children were named Newland, Benjamin, George, Lula, Robert, Sally, Edgar, Bass Jr., Harriet, Homer and Alice.^{[non-primary source needed][original research?]}

Reeves's health began to fail further after retiring. He died of Bright's disease (nephritis) on January 12, 1910.

Legacy

Memorials

• In 2011, the US-62 Bridge, which spans the Arkansas River between Muskogee and Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, was renamed the Bass Reeves Memorial Bridge.
• In May 2012, a bronze statue of Reeves by Oklahoma sculptor Harold Holden was erected in Pendergraft Park in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
• In 2013, he was inducted into the Texas Trail of Fame.
• He is also memorialized in a bronze statue on the stairway of the Lamar County Courthouse in Paris, Texas.

Popular culture

Notes

References

Further reading

• Paulsen, Gary (2006). The legend of Bass Reeves: being the true and fictional account of the most valiant marshal in the West. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN 978-0-385-74661-8.
• Wallace, Christian (July 2021). "The Resurrection of Bass Reeves". Texas Monthly. Retrieved July 11, 2021.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bass Reeves.

• Bass Reeves at Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture
• Bass Reeves at Oklahoma Historical Society Encyclopedia of Oklahoma Culture and History
• Bass Reeves at Handbook of Texas Online
• Bass Reeves at Find a Grave