Bass Reeves

Deputy US Marshal

• Born: July 1, 1838
• Birthplace: Crawford County, Arkansas
• Died: January 12, 1910
• Place of death: Muskogee, Oklahoma

Significance: Bass Reeves was a former slave who became a law officer of the American frontier and one of the first deputy US marshals of African descent to work in the area west of the Mississippi River.

Background

Bass Reeves was born in July 1838 in Crawford County, Arkansas, to parents enslaved by William Steele Reeves, an Arkansas state legislator. His first name was in honor of his grandfather, Basse Washington, while his surname was that of his slave owner.

In 1846, William Reeves moved his family and slaves to Grayson County, Texas, where he had a farm. Reeves grew up there, working as a stable hand before becoming a blacksmith’s apprentice. He later became the slave and personal assistant of William Reeves’s son, George Reeves, a colonel in the Eleventh Texas Cavalry during the American Civil War. Historians believe Bass Reeves accompanied George Reeves into battle, but exactly which battles he fought in and the extent of his participation is unknown.

In 1862, Reeves ran away. Some accounts state he had heard talk of the abolitionist movement to end slavery, and wanted his freedom. His family members, however, claimed he ran away after a violent argument with George Reeves. He fled to the Indian Territory, an area of land with evolving boundaries (now the states of Oklahoma and Arkansas). Reeves became friendly with members of the Seminole and Creek tribes in the region and they familiarized him with the territory and taught him tracking skills and their languages.

Law Enforcement Career

In 1863, following President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, Reeves declared himself a freedman and moved to Van Buren, Arkansas. He married, had ten children, and worked a small farm. For several years, he also worked as a guide and scout for government officials traveling through the Indian Territory.

At the time, the Indian Territory was a dangerous place. Covering about 75,000-square miles, the area harbored outlaws and fugitives wanted by US officials, as well as warring American Indian tribes. The Five Civilized Tribes (the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole American Indian tribes) had control over the Indian Territory, but they were not allowed to arrest anyone other than tribe members. Deputy marshals were the only US law officials allowed to arrest people in the Indian Territory. In 1875, President Ulysses Grant ordered Judge Isaac Parker of the Western Arkansas federal court to get the territory under control and rid it of its outlaws. Parker was authorized to hire two hundred men as deputy US marshals to accomplish this goal. One of the first persons hired was Reeves, who had an excellent knowledge of the territory and spoke several tribal languages.

As a deputy marshal, Reeves soon became respected for his hard work, courage, and ingenuity. More than 120 deputy marshals would lose their lives in the territory before 1907. Reeves was fearless and determined in his attempts to bring in felons and fugitives. He wore disguises and used ruses to deceive his targets and gain their trust so he could apprehend them without violence. By the end of his career, he was reported to have arrested more than three thousand individuals. By his own account, he fatally shot fourteen felons—all in self-defense—although newspaper reports at his death claimed his casualties at more than twenty. He was shot at several times, but never hit. Reeves was an expert marksman, and was alleged to have superhuman strength. He would go into the field for months at a time and return with numerous felons. He often captured notorious fugitives who had long evaded capture. He also had a reputation for his strong moral code. In 1902, he captured his own son, Bennie Reeves, who had murdered his wife. Reeves turned his son over to authorities for a trial, where he was convicted and sent to prison. Because Reeves was illiterate, he was unable to read the warrants and writs. This did not hinder his ability, though. He had someone read them to him and memorized them.

Reeves worked out of the Federal Court for the Western District of Arkansas at Fort Smith from 1875 to 1893. He then transferred to the federal court in Paris, Texas. Four years later, he transferred to the federal court in Muskogee. Hired in 1875, Reeves served thirty-two years as a deputy US marshal, longer than any other deputy marshal in the Indian Territory. In 1907, Reeves retired from the federal marshals’ office when Oklahoma became a state. State authorities then assumed the federal court’s responsibilities. He joined the police department in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he worked as a patrol officer for two years. On January 12, 1910, Reeves died of kidney disease in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Hundreds attended his funeral, and newspapers across the country carried his obituary.

Impact

Bass Reeves achieved legendary status working as one of the first African American law officers in the Indian Territory. During his career he was known for his exemplary bravery and the number of criminals he caught. Despite his remarkable accomplishments, Reeves was seldom mentioned in texts about law enforcement on the American frontier. That changed after historian Art T. Burton did extensive research on his life and included him in his 1991 book about American Indian and African American outlaws and law officials of the western frontier, Black, Red, and Deadly. Burton’s research evolved into the full biography of Reeves’s life, Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves, which was published in 2006. In 2007, Oklahoma honored Reeves by naming a bridge crossing the Arkansas River after him. Five years later, a statue of him riding a horse was erected in Ross Pendergraft Park in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Becoming further integrated into popular culture, in 2019 Reeves was featured in the first episode of the new HBO series Watchmen in addition to being the subject of the limited theatrical release of the Western-style adventure film Hell on the Border.

Personal Life

Reeves and his wife Nellie Jennie had ten children, five sons and five daughters. Following her death in 1896, he married Winnie Sumner in 1900. In 1887, he was charged with murder after he shot his trail cook. He claimed it was an accident and was acquitted following a trial.

Bibliography

“Bass Reeves, a 19th Century U.S. Marshall.” African American Registry, 2000–2013, www.aaregistry.org/historic‗events/view/bass-reeves-a19th-century-us-marshall. Accessed 18 Aug. 2017.

Burton, Art T. “Bass Reeves.” Fort Smith National Historic Site, National Park Service, 10 Apr. 2015, www.nps.gov/fosm/learn/historyculture/bass‗reeves.htm. Accessed 18 Aug. 2017.

Koon, David. “Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves Haunted the Nightmares of Desperadoes in Indian Territory.” Arkansas Times, 22 Aug. 2013, www.arktimes.com/arkansas/deputy-us-marshal-bass-reeves-haunted-the-nightmares-of-desperadoes-in-indian-territory/Content?oid=3018980. Accessed 18 Aug. 2017.

Michaels, Dave. “Bass Reeves: American Legend.” Three Rivers Museum, www.3riversmuseum.com/bass-reeves-american-legend.html. Accessed 18 Aug. 2017.

Trent, Sydney. "The Fiercest Federal Lawman You Never Knew—and He Was African American." The Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/12/14/fiercest-federal-lawman-you-never-knew-he-was-african-american/. Accessed 5 Nov. 2020.

Weiser, Kathy. “Old West Legends: Bass Reeves—Black Hero Marshal.” Legends of America, Apr. 2017, www.legendsofamerica.com/we-bassreeves.html. Accessed 18 Aug. 2017.