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James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837 – August 2, 1876), better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, scout, lawman, cattle rustler, gunslinger, gambler, showman, and actor, and for his involvement in many famous gunfights.
Apr 2, 2014 · Wild Bill Hickok is remembered for his services in Kansas as sheriff of Hays City and marshal of Abilene, where his ironhanded rule helped to tame two of the most lawless...
May 23, 2024 · Wild Bill Hickok (born May 27, 1837, Homer [now Troy Grove], Illinois, U.S.—died August 2, 1876, Deadwood, Dakota Territory [now in South Dakota, U.S.]) was an American frontiersman, army scout, and lawman who helped bring order to the frontier West.
Oct 5, 2021 · In the days of the Wild West, no one was cockier than Wild Bill Hickok. The legendary gunfighter and frontier lawman once claimed that he had killed hundreds of men — a truly shocking exaggeration. It all started with an infamous article that was published in an 1867 issue of Harper’s Weekly.
- One of Hickok’s first jobs was as a bodyguard. The man who would become Wild Bill was born James Butler Hickok in 1837 in Homer (now Troy Grove), Illinois.
- He saved a young Buffalo Bill Cody from a beating. Around this time, young James Hickok began using his father’s name of William – the ‘Wild’ part came later – and he also met Buffalo Bill Cody, then just a messenger boy on a wagon train.
- He is said to have wrestled a bear. One of the best-known stories about Hickok is his encounter with a bear. After serving as a constable in Monticello, Kansas, he worked as a teamster driving freight across the country.
- The McCanles Massacre made his name. Still convalescing, Hickok moved to work at the Rock Creek Pony Express station in Nebraska. One day in July 1861, David McCanles, the man who had sold the station to the Pony Express on credit, showed up demanding back payments.
Wild Bill Hickok personified the archetype of the gentleman gunfighter in the history of the American West. HowStuffWorks looks at his life and times.
Aug 2, 2011 · Learn how Wild Bill Hickok, the legendary gunfighter and gambler, was shot and killed in the back in Deadwood in 1876. See one of his guns and his gravesite at a new exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
