Thank you again, Sir. I am still learning the application. I have been trying to share photos of his monument lol
I have other adventures to share with you as well. Your book is still everywhere throughout the country. Hope you saw my other comment about Fort Gibson, OK.
Have a great evening. Looking forward to your future posts.
I’ve known about Bass Reeves for quite some time and have always been impressed by his story. It is a shame that there is no record of him during the war. I have a copy of your book Kevin, it is excellent and I have used the information to inform occasional arguments regarding what the relationship was between camp slaves and the Confederate Army.
I did not know this part of the Bass Reeves story. He became an legendary lawman in territorial Oklahoma, battling outlaws both Black and white. In his last years, however, white authorities restricted Black lawmen, including Reeves, to only working in Black communities. There continued to be Black lawmen in Oklahoma--Sheriff’s Deputies, police officers, police detectives, etc., even the occasional Black Justice of the Peace (who in that time and place could try criminal cases, including felonies). But white lawmen were allowed to arrest both Black and white offenders, whereas Black officers were now, in practice, only allowed to arrest Black offenders. Some Black communities (I’ve studied pre-Massacre Black Tulsa) tried to use this restriction to their advantage and become completely self-policing.
Sir, yes, I have heard of him thanks to my travels to Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Upon the entrance of Fort Smith stands a monument honoring him, along with his beloved dog.
Hi Liz,
So nice to see you here and thanks so much for supporting my writing. I really do appreciate it. Hope you are doing well and enjoying your travels.
Thank you again, Sir. I am still learning the application. I have been trying to share photos of his monument lol
I have other adventures to share with you as well. Your book is still everywhere throughout the country. Hope you saw my other comment about Fort Gibson, OK.
Have a great evening. Looking forward to your future posts.
I’ve known about Bass Reeves for quite some time and have always been impressed by his story. It is a shame that there is no record of him during the war. I have a copy of your book Kevin, it is excellent and I have used the information to inform occasional arguments regarding what the relationship was between camp slaves and the Confederate Army.
Thanks for the kind words about the book. Glad to hear you enjoyed it.
I did not know this part of the Bass Reeves story. He became an legendary lawman in territorial Oklahoma, battling outlaws both Black and white. In his last years, however, white authorities restricted Black lawmen, including Reeves, to only working in Black communities. There continued to be Black lawmen in Oklahoma--Sheriff’s Deputies, police officers, police detectives, etc., even the occasional Black Justice of the Peace (who in that time and place could try criminal cases, including felonies). But white lawmen were allowed to arrest both Black and white offenders, whereas Black officers were now, in practice, only allowed to arrest Black offenders. Some Black communities (I’ve studied pre-Massacre Black Tulsa) tried to use this restriction to their advantage and become completely self-policing.